The American Revolution

1. The American Revolution

2. The Road to Revolution;Events leading up to the Fighting

3. This act prohibited the importing into or the exporting from the British colonies of any goods except in English or colonial ships. It forbade certain articles such as tobacco, sugar, cotton, wool, to he shipped to any country, except to England or some English plantation. British Action: Designed to keep trade in England and support mercantilism Colonists could only trade goods with England All colonial ships must stop in a British harbor before going to another country Colonial Response: Ignored them (profitable to trade with other countries) Salutary Neglect (relaxed enforcement for continued loyalty) The Navigation Acts: 1660

4. Albany Plan of Union: 1754 • The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. • The plan was adopted on July 10, 1754, by representatives from seven of the British North American colonies. • Although never carried out, it was the first important plan to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government.

5. French and Indian War 1754 - 1763 • A war in which the French (aided by American Indian tribes) fought British soldiers and American militia in North American between 1754 and 1763 over control of the land west of the thirteen colonies. • France was defeated causing it to loose most of its North American holdings including Canada. • After the war is over, the British were deeply in debt and had to find a way to pay for the war and a standing army in America. • In order to do this they decide to have the colonists bear some of the burden for their own defense. dieamerikanischerev.blogspot.com

6. The Proclamation Line of 1763 • A proclamation made by the King of England that said the colonists were not allowed to move west of the Appalachian Mountains to ease tensions and avoid conflicts with Native Americans. • This angered many colonists who were already living in the area, or who had recently purchased land in the area and now their claims were not recognized. http://timerime.com/en/event/448730/Proclamation+of+1763/

7. Writs of Assistance • A legal document that serves as a general search warrant to British officers. • This document enabled officials to inspect not only shops and warehouses, but also private homes. • British Action: • Designed to crack down on colonial smuggling • Search warrants that allowed British officials to search any place, seize anything at any time • Colonial Response: • Outraged the merchants of Boston

8. Britain’s New Policy for Colonial America • New Policy had three basic objectives: • Place the colonies under strict British political and economic control • Make the colonies respect and obey British laws • Make the colonies pay their part in maintaining the British Empire

9. Sugar Act of 1764 • The Sugar Act put a three-cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. • These taxes affected only a certain part of the population, but the affected merchants were very vocal. • The taxes were enacted without the consent of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. xtimeline.com

10. British Action: Cut the tax on molasses but raised it on other goods such as textiles, wine, coffee, indigo, and sugar Strengthened Vice-Admiralty courts Cases decided by a single judge, not a jury Colonial Response: First time a tax had been passed to raise revenue rather than regulate trade Colonial merchants protested the increased duties Sugar Act 1764

11. This act required the colonies to provide the basic needs of British soldiers- specified items included housing, cooking utensils, firewood and candles. British Action: Purpose to keep troops in the colonies and reduce the cost Colonists had to keep troops in their homes Colonial Response: Colonists did not get along with army and did not want them there permanently Quartering Act 1765

12. Stamp Act 1765 • A law that put taxes on all printed materials like paper, newspapers, licenses, and playing cards in the colonies. • Colonists argued the decision of the British Parliament illegal, since the colonists did not have their own representatives in the Parliament. • The protests of the colonists, particularly the boycott of British goods, forced the British government to repeal the Stamp Act in 1766. faculty.umf.maine.edu

13. Declaratory Act of 1766 • This act of the Parliament of Great Britain was one in a series of resolutions passed attempting to regulate the behavior of the colonies. • It stated that Parliament had the right to make laws for the colonies in all matters—including taxation. • Colonists were angered by, and fearful of the Declaratory Act’s claim of total power over them. It was, to them, a threat of tyranny. tvrgc.com

14. Sons of Liberty • A secret organization of American colonists formed initially to protest the Stamp Act. • Members of the group, including merchants, businessmen, lawyers, journalists, and others, took on the motto “no taxation without representation.” revolutionarywararchives.org

15. Townshend Acts 1767 • A set of taxes created by Charles Townsend, the prime minister of England, and passed by the British Parliament, that taxed certain imports into the American colony. • They put taxes on paint, glass, lead, paper, and tea. • Revenue raised would be to pay salaries of British officials in the colonies • The colonists decided to boycott (not buy) the items that were taxed. xtimeline.com

16. Non-Importation Agreement:1768 • Non-Importation Agreement was a formal collective decision made by merchants and traders not to import or export items to Britain. • The agreement, essentially a boycott, was a series of agreed upon commercial restrictions the colonists put in place with regard to trade with the Great Britain. • The decision for the agreement came about as a way to protest and combat the 1767 Townsend Act

17. Boston Massacre - March 5, 1770 • An incident in which five colonists were killed by British soldiers following a protest in Boston in which a group of colonists threw snowballs at and harassed the soldiers. • The Britishfired into a crowd that was threatening them, killing five. • These soldiers had been sent to helpthegovernmentmaintain order and were resentedevenbeforethisincident. nisd.net

18. The Tea Act 1773 • The Tea Act was a law passed by Parliament allowing the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the colonies, undermining colonial tea merchants. • This meant that American colonists could buy no tea unless it came from the East Indian Company ,which wasn't doing so well, and the British wanted to give it some more business. • The American colonists saw this law as yet another means of "taxation without representation" because it meant that they couldn't buy tea from anyone else (including other colonial merchants) without spending a lot more money. boston1775.blogspot.com

19. Boston Tea Party 1773 • In response to the Tea Act of 1773 colonist began to refused to unload the tea from the shipsbelonging to the East Indian Company. • Furthermore the colonists in Boston fought this act by dressing up as Indians and dumping 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com

20. Intolerable Acts 1774 • Also known as theCoercive Acts; a seriesofBritish measures passed in 1774 were designed to punishthe Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party and to tighten control of the colonies. • The port of Boston was closed until the colonists paid for the tea thattheyhaddestroyed. • Brought British soldiers to England for trials • No town meetings allowed in Massachusetts • Boston became under military rule • Trying to isolate Massachusetts, but only strengthened the colonies unity image.aspxencyclopedia.com

21. Thomas Paine and Common Sense • Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that called for the UnitedStates to declare independence from Britain. • It had a tremendousimpactandhelped to persuade many Americans who had been undecided to support independence and that theycouldsuccessfullywageawar for theirindependence. brownltd.wordpress.com

22. First Continental Congress 1774 • Met in Philadelphia • All colonies had representatives except Georgia • Divided on the issue of declaring independence • Sent Declaration of Rights and Grievances to King George III • Defended colonies’ right to run their own affairs • Supported the protests in Massachusetts

23. Colonists' Grievances Against Great Britain and King George III • American colonists were unhappy with British rule for a number of reasons, the most important of which included the following: • Parliament passed laws that the colonists considered unjust. • The colonists had no direct representation in Parliament. • The colonists were unable to sell products to any country except Britain. • To force colonists to buy English products, Parliament placed high taxes on French and Dutch goods. • Parliament expected the colonists to help pay the costs of the French and Indian War.

24. Mecklenburg Resolves • The Mecklenburg Resolves, also called the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is a resolution alleged to have been proclaimed at Charlotte, N.C., by the citizens of Mecklenburg co. on May 20, 1775. • Although North Carolina's seal and flag bear that date, the declaration is widely regarded as a false document. • It is known, however, that the Mecklenburg citizens adopted (May 31, 1775) strong anti-British resolutions that declared all crown officials, civil and military, suspended from their offices, thus implying independence without actually declaring it. • It is considered the first official rejection of British rule in the colonies.

25. Halifax Resolves • On April 12, 1776, the Halifax Resolves was issued, making North Carolina the first colony to declare total independence from Great Britain. • The recommendations were directed to all the colonies and their delegates assembled at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. • Virginia followed with her own recommendations soon after the adoption of the Halifax Resolution, and eventually on July 4, 1776 the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed. HalResolves1.jpg

26. The Declaration of Independence • The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. • William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, and John Penn were the delegates from North Carolina who signed the Declaration of Independence • The document explained to American colonists and to the world why the colonies were declaring their independence. • The Declaration has four major components: • A statement of the new nation's ideals about equality and the rights of men • A list of the alleged abuses by King George III against the colonists • A description of the attempts by the colonies to solve these problems before resorting to declaring independence • The actual declaration by the signers that the colonies would from then on be free and independent states

27. Key Principles ofThe Declaration of Independence • Government should be based upon the consent of the governed. • The fundamental purpose of government is toprotect people’s natural rights. • People have the right to alter or abolish a government if that government violates natural rights. • If the government denies its people certain basic rights, that government can be overthrown.

28. Battles

29. Battle of Lexington and Concord • The first shots starting the revolution were fired at Lexington, Massachusetts. • On April 18, 1775, British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy guns and ammunition the colonists had stored in the town of Concord, just outside of Boston. • They also planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two of the key leaders of the patriot movement. • The British suffered extensive loss. The Americans considered the contest an encouraging start to the war. hennessysview.com

37. Consequences of the Battle of Guilford Court House • Although the Battle of Guilford Court House was considered a British victory, a quarter of Cornwallis’s troops were killed or wounded. • Since Cornwallis had lost so many troops not only in the battle, but also in his rush across North Carolina, he had no way to replace them. • Therefore, he had no choice but to head back for the coast where his ships were waiting. • Cornwallis had been driven out of North Carolina. Due to the loss of troops, another victory as Guilford Court House could have disastrous consequences for the British army.

39. How were the Americans able to defeat the most powerful nation in the world? • The Americans were fighting at home, while the British had to bring troops and supplies from across a wide ocean. • British officers made mistakes, especially General William Howe. His slowness to take action at the start of the war made it possible for the Americans to survive during two difficult winters. • The French sent military supplies and loaned money to the Continental Congress which boosted American spirits. • Also, the British public had stopped supporting the long and costly war.

40. How the Revolutionary War shaped North Carolina. How it was affected How it began to recover Recovery was slow, but the state still had rich land and energetic citizens. State merchants began to export naval stores, lumber, and tobacco. The state began to pay its debts, and the legislators voted to create the town of Raleigh and make it the state capital. Education became a priority, and the General Assembly voted to charter the University of North Carolina to be located in the town of Chapel Hill. • The war wrecked the state’s economy and put the government heavily in debt. • Schools closed and businesses failed. • Thousands of North Carolinians were killed or wounded.

41. The United States of America was officially created, and although many people did not immediately share in the rights and freedoms expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the country embarked on its unique experiment to build a democratic nation.

42. Sources • Creation and development of North Carolina in United States History: Holt • North Carolina!: Holt • North Carolina: A Proud State in Our Nation. • Dictionary of Cultural History: Hirsch • American History: A Survey: Brinkley • http://civics.sites.unc.edu/files/2012/05/AmericanRevolution11.pdf