The American Revolution
The American Revolution Outline
 French and Indian War
 Start of Conflict
 First Continental Congress
 Lexington-Concord
 Second Continental Congress
 War
 Treaty of Paris, 1783
 Conclusion
Wars With 2 Names
1689-97
European Name
War of the League
Of Augsburg
1702-13 War of the Spanish
Succession
Colonial Name
King Williams
War
Queen Anne’s
War
1740-48 War of the Austrian King George’s
Succession
War
1756-63 Seven Years War
French & Indian
War
French and Indian War
 Europeans fought for control of North America
 England & France left standing
 Last
fight for dominance, 1756-63
French and Indian War
 French #s = 90,000
 English #s = 1.5 Million
 French advantages = Organization,
experienced fighters, more Native allies
 Indians mostly against English
 “Scalping” tradition?
 First germ warfare
 Blankets
from smallpox hospital given to Natives
French and Indian War
1.
England won (Treaty of Paris, 1763)
 Canada
 BIG
and everything east of Mississippi
DEBT! £129,586,789
2. Colonial military trained
3. English worried about future problems
 Proclamation

of 1763
Forbid settlers west of Appalachians
Start of Conflict
 England led by King George III (1760–1820)
 Laws written by Parliament
 No
colonial representation
 English expected colonies to help pay off debt
6
taxes/acts created after F & I War
Parliament’s Acts/Taxes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sugar Act (1764) = Sugar, coffee, wines
Currency Act (1764) = No printing colonial money
Stamp Act (1765) = 54 printed items listed
Quartering Act (1765) = colonies responsible for
British troops’ needs
Declaratory Act (1766) = England has the right to
pass taxes
6. Townshend Acts (1767) = tea and random items
Start of Conflict
 Colonists thought new taxes violated British laws
 People protested, boycotted, and rioted
 “Sons
of Liberty” formed in Boston in 1765
 Video
 Colonists exploded in anger after Townshend Acts
 4,000
soldiers sent to Boston
Start of Conflict
 Protests turned violent in Boston, 1770
5
colonists killed in “Boston Massacre”
Event united colonists against the British
Start of Conflict
 Boston Tea Party – 1773
 Rebellion
against violation of “rights”
 Parliament made new laws, “Intolerable Acts”
 King George
 “The
die is now cast. The colonies must either
submit or triumph.”
First Continental Congress
 12 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia, PA
 “We
have not men fit for the times. We are
deficient in genius, in education, in travel,
in fortune – in everything.” – John Adams
 Did NOT Declare Independence
Lexington-Concord
 British tried to end rebellion quickly
 British soldiers marched to Concord, 1775
 “Minutemen”
“Shot
8
tried to block British in Lexington
Heard Round the World”
colonists died
Lexington-Concord
 Militia warned and ready at Concord
 “Guerilla
warfare”
 Results = 74 British dead, 174 wounded!
 Britain declared colonies in state of rebellion
Second Continental Congress
 Thomas Paine’s book Common Sense
 Colony delegates met again in Philadelphia, 1775
 Colonies
split on issues, agreed on a military
George Washington leader as compromise
Was G.W. there for the Dec. of Ind.?
 NO! Out fighting
Second Continental Congress
 Started to consider independence idea (June ‘76)
 Thomas Jefferson wrote draft (June 12-27)
 Document
read/debated in Congress
 Independence declared July 2, 1776
 Declaration of Independence
adopted July 4, 1776
Second Continental Congress
 2 goals in the Dec. of Ind.
1. Reject British sovereignty
2. Win support for the war effort
Public support from colonists
 3 most important ideas/arguments:
1. Everyone has natural rights
2. Government is based on agreement/consent
Protect “Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness”
3. Listed abuses from King George III
List of Charges
 Destroyed Authority of Colonial Legislatures
 Obstructing Justice
 Keeping Standing Armies During Peace
 Quartering Soldiers
 Taxes Without Consent
 Depriving Trial by a Jury of Peers
 Forcing Slavery Upon the Colonies!
War
 Colonial society was split
 Many
“Loyalists”
Up to 500,000/20% white population
By wars end, left to Canada or England
War
 Colonial army was first created with militias
 Slaves,
indentured servants, poor, young, women
 Constantly
short on supplies
 British army = ~50,000 professional soldiers
 +30,000
Hessian mercenaries
 Strongest
navy in world
 Who do you think would win this war?
War
 6 Main Reasons Colonists Won
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Geographic size of North America (it’s BIG!)
No national capital to conquer
British didn’t use Loyalists
Guerilla tactics used by Colonists
Intervention of European Allies (FRENCH)
England’s lack of focus
War
 Turning point of war = Saratoga (1777)
 5,700
British surrendered
 France formally recognized US independence
War
 Video clip
 British Gen. Cornwallis setup in Yorktown, Virginia
 Washington realized potential victory
 17,000 French & Continental surrounded Yorktown
 French
 Oct.
ships prevented English help
17, 1781, Gen. Cornwallis surrender
Last
major battle of the revolution
British
started peace talks
Treaty of Paris 1783
 Recognized U.S. independence
 Peaceful withdrawal of British forces*
 US territory = everything east of Mississippi
 Requirements
 Honor
private debts*
 End to the seizure of Loyalist property
Conclusion
 Declaration of Independence = “Free and
Independent States”
 “my country” = my state
 13 colonies needed to make a decision
 Independent States or a United Country?