The American War of Independence

Colonies• British founded colonies

in the 1600 century• 1732 they had thirteen: • Massachusetts, • New Hampshire, • Rhode Island, • Connecticut, • New York,• Pennsylvania, • New Jersey,• Delaware, • Maryland, • Virginia, • North Carolina, • South Carolina, • Georgia

The French and Indian War

• 1756 to 1763 war fought over the land in America between the English and French.

• It was called the Seven Years War in Europe.• Called the French and Indian War because the

Indians helped the French in the war against the British. The Indians had nothing to lose. The British were taking their land, the French were not.

• The British won, but at a cost a lot of money.

Problems

• War was expensive for Britain• Britain was in dept• Colonies should pay war dept – British thought• Colonists were not allowed to produce anything• Colonists had to pay taxes to Britain for everything they

imported • The colonists demanded more rights but not

independence

• British Parliament refused the demand and sent troops to

America

Taxes

• The first tax was the Sugar Act of 1764. It placed a tax on sugar imported by the colonies.

• Stamp Act of 1765 placed a tax on all printed material, such as newspapers and playing cards.

No Taxation without Representation

• The colonists claimed “no taxation without representation” because they were taxed but had no vote in Parliament and had no say in how the colonies were governed.

• The colonists started a boycott, or a refusal to buy certain goods, from the British.

Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty

• Samuel Adams led the protests in Boston against the taxes.

• He began a secret society called the Sons of Liberty.

The Boston Massacre 1770

• 4000 British soldiers went to Boston, (population 16,000) the centre of protest

• Many people threw stones at soldiers • Soldiers defended themselves and shot

into the crowd• Five people were killed• The event was called a ‘massacre’ by the

colonists

The Boston Tea Party 1773.

• Only the (British-owned) East India Company was allowed to sell tea to the colonies

• Three ships with tea arrived in Boston harbour

• 60 men dressed up as Indians and went secretly on the ships

• They opened the barrels with axes and threw the tea into the sea

• 56 Delegates included George Washington, Patrick Henry and Sam Adams, met in Philadelphia in 1774.

Agreed to:

• Boycott British goods• Arm themselves and

form militias• Appeal to the king

First Continental CongressFirst Continental Congress

King George III reused to allow American colonists’ representation in Parliament

King George III reused to allow American colonists’ representation in Parliament

King George III

The Battle Of Lexington and Concord 1775.

• Angry Americans refused to pay taxes• British went to war with them• The plan of the British was to: • capture Sam Adams and John Hancock

(the two major trouble makers) in Lexington and

• march to Concord • destroy the Minutemen’s (elite soldiers)

supplies

• British troops left Boston• Colonist Paul Revere saw a lamp in the Boston

Church• The lamb signaled the start of the British attack

to him• Revere rode to Lexington and Concorde to warn

the Minutemen• When the British troops arrived in Lexington, the

American troops were ready • The first battle of the Revolutionary War began• 342 People died ( 274 British soldiers, 95

American ‘Patriots’)

• Accuracy of the rifle

• Knowledge of the land

• Guerilla warfare tactics

• Superb command

American AdvantagesAmerican Advantages

• Well-equipped

• Disciplined

• Strongest navy

British AdvantagesBritish Advantages

The Declaration of Independence

• The United States first needed to declare independence from Great Britain.

• Thomas Jefferson, at the young age of 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

• The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.

• That is why we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th.

• This is the day that the United States of America declared their independence from King George and Great Britain.

The Declaration of Independence

• “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal”

• “That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights”

• “That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

Key Quotes in the DeclarationKey Quotes in the Declaration

• On July 4, 1776, the thirteen States declared their independence

• The declaration contained a list of things the colonists disliked and suggestions for these problems

• The British reaction was to declare war• August 1776: British soldiers occupied New York• December 1776: George Washington stabilized

the situation of the colonists because of his victory in the Battle of Trenton

• France supported the Americans with weapons

Benjamin Franklin

• Benjamin Franklin, one of the most famous men in the world, was sent to France to ask for military aid as well as a loan.

• And the war was on!

• Saratoga

• Winter at Valley Forge

More Significant BattlesMore Significant Battles

• Yorktown

• Were blend of successes and failures for American Army

Battle of Saratoga – 1777Battle of Saratoga – 1777

• The turning point of the war

• The biggest American victory at the time

• Approximately 5,000 British surrender to Washington

Battle of Saratoga – 1777Battle of Saratoga – 1777• After the American victory France changed its policies.

• Feb. 1778 France and America formed an alliance

• France declared war on Britain the next month

• Spain declared war in 1779

Battle of Yorktown—1781Battle of Yorktown—1781

• French blockade aided this final battle

• Escape for the British was impossible

• British General Cornwallis faced American forces approximately twice his size

John Paul Jones

YorktownYorktown

• Approximately 8,700 British troops surrendered

• Pinned in by American and French Naval fleets

• General Benjamin Lincoln accepted the surrender sword

• British bands played “The World has Turned Upside Down”

Peace

• British got supplies-problems

• France, the Netherlands and Spain fought for the Americans

• The British army surrendered after the siege of Yorktown, Virginia

• Paris 1783: The British army accepted the independence of the ex-British colonies in America

The Treaty of Paris—1783The Treaty of Paris—1783

• Officially ended the American Revolution

• Set many geographic borders, including U.S. and Canada

• Florida was returned to Spain

• British merchants must be paid for lost items

• Loyalists must be paid for lost property