Post on 02-Jan-2016
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1776-17911776-1791
History’s first global war - The Seven Years’ War - would be fought on three continents simultaneously.
The French and Indian War
Though victorious, the cost of fighting such an expansive war left Great Britain with a huge war debt
From the war, Britain acquired significant new territories, including lands directly west of her thirteen American colonies.Expecting the citizens of these colonies to help Britain
pay-of its debts,…a series of taxes were placed on the American colnists,
…
significantly straining the relationship between the British gov’t and her American subjects.
Without representation in Parliament, the American colonists objected to Britain’s unfair taxation policies,…claiming that “taxation without representation” violated
their natural rights,…and failed to acknowledge their “general will.”
John Smith: leader of new colony in North America
Jamestown: First permanent English settlement in North America (1607)Disastrous start
Smith held Jamestown together until more settlers arrived in 1609
Tobacco grown in Jamestown
CASH CROPIndentured Servants:
4 to 7 year servantsworked to pay for
passage to America
Colonists wanted more land, but it was already occupied
Jamestown leaders demanded food and labor frm. Native Americans
English settlers took hostages:One hostage was
named PocahontasPocahontas married
John Rolfe & fighting stopped for a while
By 1644, 10,000 English lived in America
Puritans were a new religious group that wanted to break away from the Catholic church and the Church of England
In 1620, a small group of Puritans set up a colony in America
This group became known as the Pilgrims
Settled in Massachusetts
Mayflower Compact John Winthrop: first
governor of Mass. Bay Colony
Btwn. 1630-1640 about 20,000 colonists moved to the colonyThis movement was
called the “Great Migration”
Boston became the capital and a busy seaport
The Puritans came to America to escape persecutions
Ironically, they were intolerant of other religions in Massachusetts
Some Puritans felt that the govt.. should not punish people for their religion
Roger Williams was arrested and was to be deported to Englandhe escaped and
founded a new settlement
1636 Williams founded Providence(Which later became
capital of Rhode Island)
he purchased land from Native Americans
Other Puritans, like Anne Hutchinson moved to Providence too
Tension btwn. Colonists and Native Americans was building for 40 yrs
by the 1670s over 50,000 colonists lived in America
Chief Metacomb, nicknamed King Philip organized several tribes to fight
1675 war btwn. Colonists & Nat. Americans beganNative Americans
wore down with disease and starvation, colonists won
New Amsterdam was founded in 1625
The Dutch invited people of many nations to settle in New AmsterdamPeople enjoyed
religious freedoms
1644 England took over New Amsterdam and re-named it New York after its owner
The Duke of York then gave a portion of this land away and named it New Jersey
William Penn was given a large sum of land by English King Charles II
Land was named Pennsylvania (Penn’s Woods) after William’s father
Penn was a Quaker: a religious group that was radical for its time
Penn treated Native Americans fairly & paid for the land he took
Mercantilism: nations could increase wealth and power (1) by finding as much gold & silver as possible (2) by having a favorable balance of tradeColonies were the
key to mercantilism
England passed the Navigation Acts in 1651 to make more money from the colonies
Navigation Acts ordered the following:
1. All ships used for trade w/ the colonies must be built in England or the colonies
2. All crews on ships must be 3/4 English or Colonial
3. Colonists could sell certain products only to England
4. Almost all goods sent from the colonies to Europe had to go through an English port
The King chose a Governor for the colony
Governor appointed a council of advisors
male landowners elected a local assembly
From the 1600s to the early 1700s, most Colonists saw themselves as English citizens living in America
Ch. 2 sect. 1 p. 48-55
Proclamation of 1763 angered colonists
British govt. broke after French & Indian War, passed new taxes
10,000 British troops remained in America after war
British govt. saw this as protection for colonists
Colonists saw soldiers as a threat to their freedoms
British King George III taxed the colonies to balance his budget
The Sugar Act: 1764 designed to prevent smuggling in the colonies, lowered the tax on foreign molasses & it forced smugglers to be tried by British judges, not colonials
The Stamp Act: 1765, tax on legal documents like wills, marriage licenses, deeds to property & other things like newspapers & playing cardscolonists had to pay
for an official stamp on these things
May 1765 the Sons of Liberty formed in Boston
“NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION”
Oct. 1765 merchants in NY, Boston, & Philly boycotted Stamp Act
March 1766 British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act
The Townshend Acts: 1767, a tax on imports brought in to the colonies from Britain. 3-penny tax on tea (most popular drink in the colonies) Samuel Adams &
Sons of Liberty organized another boycott on British goods
Boston Massacre: March 5, 1770, conflict btwn colonists & British soldiers ends with 5 colonists shot & killed
Who was at fault?Was it really a
massacre?
Colonists furious over the event
Paul Revere’s engraving added to the outrage
New Prime Minister of Britain repealed Townshend Acts, (except the tea tax)
British tea companies were close to bankruptcy due to boycotts
1773 Tea Act allowed British tea companies to sell w/o tax, but colonial tea companies had to keep the tax
Colonial tea companies could not compete w/ lower British prices & were furious
Dec 16, 1773 Boston Rebels dumped 15,000 pounds of British tea in Boston Harbor
King George III was furious w/ colonists for the Boston Tea Party & passed a series of laws in responseThese laws were
called the Intolerable Acts (1774) by the colonists
Boston Harbor was shut down until colonists paid for the tea they destroyed
The Quartering Act forced colonists to house British soldiers
British General Gage was made governor of Massachusetts
Colonists formed Committees of Correspondence to write to each other about what to do next
Sept 1774, First Continental Congress met in Philly and drew up a declaration of colonial rightsthey agreed to stick
together & meet again in 1775 if things did not improve
After the First Continental Congress, colonists prepared to fight if necessary
Minutemen were civilians who were trained to be ready to fight at a minutes notice
General Gage learned minutemen were stockpiling weapons
Spring of 1775 Gage ordered British troops to Concord, Massachusetts to take weapons
Apr. 18, 1775 Paul Revere, William Dawes, & Samuel Prescott rode to alert Minutemen that 700 British soldiers headed to Concord
70 Minutemen cut the British off @ Lexington, MassBritish commander
ordered colonists to leave, somewhere a shot fired, eight Minutemen killed, nine wounded. One British soldier wounded
British army moved on to Concord, but weapons arsenal emptied by colonial militia
British soldiers marched back to Boston
Btwn 3,000 & 4,000 Minutemen ambushed the British during the march
May 1775, Delegates argued whether to declare independence, or to make up w/ Britain
the Congress decided to make the militia an official army
43 yr. old George Washington made commander of Continental Army
Also decided to print their own money to pay soldiers & begin relations w/ foreign nations
June 17, 1775 General Gage sent 2,400 soldiers to attack colonial army
Deadliest battle of the war: 311 colonists died, over 1,000 “redcoats” died
Despite losses, British army took the hill when Minutemen ran out of ammunition
July 8, 1775 Congress sent Olive Branch Petition to Britain as last attempt to avoid war
John Locke, an Enlightenment thinker frm. England reasoned people have a right to life, liberty, & property he said there was
a Social Contract that said a govt should protect peoples’ rights
Locke’s ideas would be used to build the USA
Thomas Paine wrote a 47 pg. pamphlet: Common Sense which criticized King George & encouraged independence
June 1776, a committee to prepare a formal declaration of American independence
Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the declaration
Jefferson drew heavily on Locke’s ideas and the Enlightenment
“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”
“all men are created equal”
The first draft included an attack on the evils of slavery South Carolina
and Georgia were offended & refused to sign the Declaration until it was removed
July 4, 1776 the American colonies declared independence frm. Britain
The United States of America was formed
Ch. 2 sect. 2 p. 59-65
Loyalists: colonists who opposed the revolution & sided w/ Britain
Patriots: supporters of the revolution, wanted the US to separate frm. Britain
Many Americans were neutral or switched sides during the war
Most Native Americans sided w/ Britain
Fighting began in New England, esp. Massachusetts
March 1776, Britain left Boston & moved to the Middle States
Summer of 1776, Britain took New York
George Washington was pushed into Pennsylvania
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” Thomas Paine
Christmas night 1776, Washington crossed the icy Delaware River in rowboatsHe & 2,400
soldiers then marched 9 miles to fight @ Trenton, New Jersey
Washington won @ Trenton in surprise attack
US won again @ Princeton, New Jersey
Spring 1777, Britain took US capital PhiladelphiaBrit. General
welcomed by loyalists
Oct. 17, 1777 US Continental Army won important victory @ Saratoga, NY
France gained faith in US & agreed to support the revolution openlyFeb 1778, France
signed alliance w/ US
Washington & his troops made winter camp @ Valley Forge, Penn.Harsh winter
conditions, little food, tattered clothing
2,000 of his 10,000 soldiers died. Survivors refused to give up
Foreign military leaders began to help the US Army
Fredrich von Steuben frm Prussia helped Washington train soldiers
Marquis de Lafayette joined Washington @ Valley Forgehe lobbied for more
French soldiers in 1779
he led a command of Virginia soldiers at the end of the war
May 1780 British General Cornwalis captured Charles Town, South Carolina & took 5,500 American troops as POWs
Jan. 1781 Americans won @ Cowpens, South CarolinaBritish leaders
expected outnumbered Americans to flee, but the US stayed and won
1780, 6000 French soldiers landed in America
American and French forces combined to attack Cornwalis @ Yorktown, VirginiaOct 17, 1781 US
forces won 1 month battle
Oct 19, 1781 Washington & the French Generals accepted Britain’s formal surrender
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay demanded Britain recognize the USA
Sept. 1783 the US and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris
Treaty confirmed independence of the United States
Set the borders for the US: frm the Atlantic ocean to the Mississippi River & frm. Canada to the Florida border
Ch. 2 sect 3 p. 68-75
The US became a republic, a govt. where citizens elect their leaders
The Second continental Congress set up a new plan of govt. called the Articles of Confederation The Articles set up an
alliance among the 13 states in the US
The Articles set up a Congress where each state had one vote (regardless of population)
The Articles of Confederation was approved by all 13 states in 1781
The biggest problem with the Articles was that each state functioned independently instead of as one nation
There was no President to enforce laws either
The articles couldn’t be amended (changed) unless all 13 states agreed
After the war, the US was in serious debt, so the govt.. raised taxes
Americans couldn’t afford to pay taxes, some rebelled
Shay’s Rebellion: Jan 1787 1,200 farmers rose up against the govt. 4 farmers were killed by state militia.
May 1787, State leaders, alarmed by Shay’s Rebellion, met to fix the Articles of ConfederationThey met in
Philly & within 5 days, they decided to just start over
One big area of debate was representation in Congress
Big states wanted more reps. because of their population (VA Plan)
Small states wanted equal reps. regardless of population (NJ Plan)
The delegates argued for most of the summer of 1787, finally they agreed to compromise
The Great Compromise offered a 2 house congress:
Each state would have equal reps. in the Senate, the upper house
Reps. in the House of Representatives, the lower house, would be determined by population
Southern states wanted slaves to be counted in their population
Northern states argued that if they could not vote, they should not be counted
The Three-Fifths compromise called for three-fifths of a state’s slave population to be counted
The delegates created a government with three branches:A legislative
branch to make the laws (Congress)
An executive branch to carry out the laws (President)
A judicial branch, to hear court cases (Supreme Court)
They also set up a system of Checks and Balances, to keep any one branch from taking all the power (see p. 97)
Instead of choosing a President by a direct vote, the electoral college was created.Each state had a
number of electors equal to their number of reps in Congress
The Constitution was finished on Sept 17, 1787
Framers wanted the people of the US to ratify or approve their new government
Supporters of the Constitution were called Federalists
Opponents of the Constitution were called Antifederalists (they felt it made the federal govt. too strong)
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 essays in support of the Constitution
These were known as the Federalist Papers & they appeared in NY newspapers btwn 1787-1788
One of the most important essays in the Federalist Papers was Number 51
This essay explained the importance of three branches of govt with a separation of powers
Antifederalists were still not convinced, they wanted a Bill of Rights to guarantee their freedoms
Federalists compromised and agreed to add a Bill of Rights as soon as the Constitution was ratified
The new US govt became a reality in 1789 with 12 states ratifying
Rhode Island became the 13th state to ratify in 1790
By December of 1791 the first 10 amendments to the Constitution were finished
These amendments became known as the Bill of Rights
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, the press, & political activity
The Second and Third Amendments protects the right to bear arms & says the govt cannot house soldiers in citizens’ homes during peacetime
The Fourth Amendment prevents the search of homes without a warrant
The Fif through Eighth Amendments protect citizens accused of crimes
The Ninth Amendment says citizens’ rights are not limited to things specifically mentioned in the Constitution
The Tenth Amendment says the states have all powers not specifically given to the Federal govt
The US Constitution is the oldest written national constitution
Even though the US is one of the youngest nations in the world
The Constitution is a “living document” in that it can be changed or amended
In more than 200 years, however, only 27 amendments have been added to the Constitution.