American Revolution: The Birth

of a Republic

Britain and its American Colonies

The combined population of Britain and its colonies

were about 2,150,000 in 1770.

An increase from the 250,000 in 1700.

New sense of identity

Each colony had its own government, and people were

used to a great deal of independence. Seen less British

but more Virginians or Pennsylvanians.
New laws Navigation Acts(1651)
All goods carried on English ships; products such as

tobacco, wood, sugar could be sold only to England or its

colonies; European imports to the colonies had to pass
through English ports; tax colonial goods not shipped to
England, higher taxes on imported French and Dutch
goods
Colonists resented laws. Difficult to enforce. led to
smuggling
Did not truly enforce until after the French and Indian War

Americans Want Independence

Due to French and Indian

War huge debt for the

British
Colonists expected to help

cover the costs

Stamp Act: colonists had
to pay a tax to have an
official stamp put on wills,
deeds, newspapers, and
other printed material
No taxation without
representation!!!!
Growing Hostility Leads

to War
Other events led to further

hostility

Britain passes the Stamp Act (1765),

a
tax law requiring colonist to purchase special
stamped paper for printed items (wills,
contracts, newspapers, diplomas).

Reaction to the Stamp Act

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
Colonist harass stamp distributors, boycott British goods,
and prepare a Declaration of Rights and Grievances
(petition to the king protesting the Act). It declared that
the right to tax the colonists belonged to the colonial
assemblies, not Parliament. First time colonists united
in opposition to British policy.

Reaction to Stamp Act

The colonists complaints against Parliament

were bitter, loud and sometimes violent. The

most effective protest was the boycott (refusal
to buy British goods). The colonists targeted
British merchants (declining sales).
Parliamentary Leader William Pitt spoke out

against Stamp Act. The Americans have

not acted in all things with prudence and
good temper. They have been driven to
madness by injustice. Will you punish
them for the madness you have caused
My pinion is that the Stamp Act be
repealed absolutely, totally, and

Townshend Acts (1767)

British Action

Britains finance Minister

Charles Townshend

With the Stamp Act

repealed, Britain still
needed to raise money.
A new series of duties,
or taxes on imports
proposed. The duties
were placed on glass,
paper, paint, lead, and
tea. Also, British
officers were able to use
search warrants to
enter homes/businesses
for smuggled or illegal
goods.

Reaction to Townshend Acts

People furious that

Parliament, once again,

passed a tax without their
consent!!!!
Many people thought the acts
were illegal (against natural
rights, as defined by Locke).
We cannot be happy without
being free.we cannot be
free without being secure in
our propertywe cannot be
secure in our property, if
taxed without our consent.
John Dickinson, letters from a farmer in
Pennsylvania

Began to BOYCOTT goods

once again

The Boston Massacre 1770

British troops
stationed in
Boston are
taunted and
surrounded by an
angry mob of
colonists. The
troops, thinking
they are about to
be attacked fire
into the crowd,
killing five men,
including Crispus

Paul Reveres

Reaction to Massacre

The British officer is said to have ordered the troops to

fire, and to have repeated that order. One gun was fired
first; then others in succession and with deliberation, till
ten or a dozen guns were fired.

Anonymous

Colonial agitators label the conflict a massacre

and publish a dramatic engraving depicting the
violence. Colonies flooded with anti-British
propaganda. Attucks and the others seen as
heroes and British soldiers as evil villains.

Soldiers arrested and charged with murder. Acquitted,

The Tea Act 1773

Parliament repeals the Townshend Act, but

leaves tax on tea (to show the colonies that it

still had the right to tax)
Colonists stopped buying luxuries from Britain
and began smuggling tea from Holland. British
tea companies lost money.

Britains Action

Britain gives the East India company

the exclusive right to sell tea in the
colonies and shuts out colonial tea
merchants

Reaction to the Tea Act

British Action
BOSTON TEA PARTY
In Boston rebellion: Colonist (disguised
as Native Americans) board three tea
ships and dump 15,000 pounds of East

Reaction to Tea Act

We then were ordered by our commander
to open the hatches and take out all the
chests of tea and throw them overboard
In about three hours from the time we
went on board, we had thus broken and
thrown overboard every tea chest to be
found in the ship; while those in the other
ships were disposing of the tea in the
same way, at the same time.
George Hewes, A Retrospect of the Boston Tea Party

Why did the colonists react so

violently to the Tea Act?

1774 Intolerable Acts

After the Boston Tea Party: King George declares,
We must master them or totally leave them to
themselves and treat them as aliens.
Britain chose to master the colonies.
Closed port of Boston, until colonists paid for
tea
Banned town meetings
Replaced elected council with appointed
council
Increased governors power
Allowed British officers to house troops in
private homes

Colonial Reaction to the

Intolerable Acts
Colonial leaders form up the First

Continental Congress (1772) and draw

up a declaration of colonial rights.
Voted to ban all trade with Britain
until intolerable acts repealed. This
meting planted the seeds of a future
independent government.

1775 Lexington and Concord

Gentlemen may cry peace, peace, peacebut there is no peace. The war is actually
begun! The next gale that sweeps from the
north will bring to our ears the clash of
resounding arms! Our brethren are already
in the field! Why stand we here idle? I
know not what course others may take; but
as for me, give me liberty or give me
death.
Patrick Henry, the Patriots

British Action:
General Gage learns (from his spies)

Colonial Reaction
Paul Revere and William Dawes (midnight
ride) were sent to spread the news; The
British are coming. Minutemen intercept
the British and engage in battle -- first at
Lexington, and then at Concord.

The Shot Heard

'Round The World
Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the
Revolutionary War.
Americans would now have to choose sides and
back up their political
beliefs by force of arms.
Loyalists: supported Britain
Patriots: supported rebels

Americans Win Independence

Enlightenment Ideas

Influence American
Colonists
Enlightenment ideas used

to justify independence
King George III broke the

social contract
July 1776: Declaration of
Independence
Written by this man
Firmly based on the ideas
of John Locke
List of Georges abuses
and the colonies absolving
of allegiance to Great
Britain.

Americans Win Independence

Success for the Colonies

Washingtons ragtag

army beat the

strongest army in the
world
Why?
Americans motivation
stronger than British
2. Overconfident British
generals made
mistakes.
3. Time was on Americans
side.
4. Americans did not fight
alone.
1.

Americans Create a Republic

Articles of Confederation
Created a loose confederation in which each state held most

of the power.
No executive or judicial branches, only one body of
government Congress
Created problems: Congress needed $$ to operate so asked
for contributions states create their own $$ and tax goods
from other states
Led to rebellions such as Shayss Rebellion
A New Constitution
February 1787: Constitutional Convention to REVISE the AOC
The 55 delegates were well-rehearsed in the theories of

Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau

Created a new system of government

Americans Create a Republic

The Federal System
Established three separate branches legislative, executive,

and judicial.
This provided a built-in system of checks and balances
Set up a federal system where powers were divided between national and

state governments.

The Bill of Rights

Needed to be ratified by 9 out of 13 states
Federalists (those who support new Constitution) provided

better balance
Antifederalists (those who dont support new Constitution)
feared the Constitution gave too much power to central
government
Wanted a Bill of Rights to protect rights of citizens.

Federalists approved the idea of ten amendments that would be

called the Bill of Rights (i.e. freedom of speech, own guns, etc.)

THOMAS PAINE:
Common Sense
But where, say some, is the king of America?
Ill tell you, friend, he reigns above, and doth not
make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of
Great Britain Let a day be solemnly set apart
for proclaiming the charter (constitution); let it
be brought forth placed on the divine law, the
Word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by
which the world may know, that so far as we
approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW
IS KING. For as in absolute governments the
king is law, so in free countries the law ought to
BE king, and there ought to be no other
What did Paine believe should be the highest power