Social class before the revolution

- During the Enlightenment there was a belief that all men were created equal.
- In the colonies, this was not true. In the colonies, all rich, landowning men were
created equal.
- Many groups were oppressed.
- Enslaved African/African Americans
- Native Americans
- Women
- Indentured Servants
- The Poor (often former indentured servants)
- Even the rich colonists were not happy. They were mad at the king for taking their
money.
- Whether by design or chance, the elite were able to keep the oppressed groups separate
from collaboration.
- (ex) Native Americans and escaped slaves were not in contact because of treaties.
- Law and policy made poor whites freed slaves enemies.
- Poor white colonists were given land next to Native Americans causing
animosity.
- Bacons Rebellion - 1676 - Poor white colonists, the enslaved, and indentured servants
rebelled to try to overthrow the Virginia colony.
- Elite and Native Americans fought against them.
- Rebellion failed. Between 1670 and 1670 there were 18 rebellions attempting to
overthrow colonial governments.

7 years war (French Indian War)

- 1754 - 1763 (9 years but war only declared for 7 years)
- War between France and England fought around the world to determine who will
be the Global Power.
- The part of the war fought in North America was called the French Indian War
- France + Native American vs England + Native Americans
- The war was over Ohio Valley.
- At first, France was winning the war. After early losses, England decided to invest
heavily in the war.
- This led to England winning the war.
- 1763 The Treaty of Paris - Under the treaty, England got land east of the Mississippi.
Much of Canada, Florida, and some islands in the Caribbean.
- England is the world colonial power.
- After the war, Native Americans continued to be mistreated
- War was very costly for England and led to a lot debt.
Colonies after 7 years war (taxes)
- After the war England stopped practicing salutary neglect. (colonists are not happy)
- England created the Stamp Act in 1765.
- Required that all paper in England and the colonies had to be stamped.
- This tax hurt attorneys, students, and journalists the most.
This is a group that you do not want to get angry.
- Colonists were upset because they were taxed without having any representation in the
parliament (TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION)
- Colonists protested this new tax.
- We still saw new leaders who were rich but not part of the social elite gain power.
- People like Sam Adams became became a voice for the poor masses.
- 1765 we saw the first meeting of delegates from all of the colonies.
- Called the Stamp Act Congress. Delegates sent a petition to the king requesting the repeat
of the Stamp Act.
- Their petition worked and the Stamp Act repeated the next year.
- England simultaneously passed the Declaratory Act allowing them to tax the
colonies.

- 1772 Samuel Adams created the first committee of correspondence.

- These are meetings of male colonists. They discuss issues with England and
educate about self determination.
- Within 2 years, every colony had committees of correspondence.

Boston Tea Party

- 1773 - England passed the Tea Act.
- Under the act colonists could only purchase tea from the East India Company.
- Colonists are not happy and boycott despite higher prices.
- Group of colonists boarded a ship in the Boston Harbor dressed as native americans.
- They then dumped 342 crates of tea into the harbor.
- This is about 1.8 million dollars worth of tea in todays dollars.
- News spread and other colonies boycotted England tea and refused to let ships enter
harbors and unload tea.

Coercive Acts / Intolerable Acts

- Passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party.
- Aimed at punishing Boston
1. The Boston Port Bill - Closed the Boston Harbor until Boston paid back the
money from the lost tea.
 2. The Government Bill - Took power away from the local government and
appointed a governor (chosen by England)
3. The Administration of Justice Act - Authorized the governor to send indicted
individuals to Britain for trial.
4. Quartering Act - Allows British soldiers to stay in the homes of colonists against
the colonists will.
- In 1774 the first Continental Congress is held.
- Meeting of representatives from every colony.
- Decided to boycott British goods.
- Sent letter to king demanding respect. That didnt work
- Decided that an attack on one colony would be an attack on all colonies.

War
- In wake of the Coercive acts, many colonists begin to form militias and store guns and
ammo.

- Brit declared that Boston was in a state of rebellion.

- Parliament ordered the governor of Boston to suppress the rebellion.

- April 1775, General Gage to destroy guns and ammo. 700.

- On 4/18/1775 Paul Revere informs the militia that the British are coming.
- The military men and the soldiers have a standoff near Lexington.
- Someone fired a gun. Then everyone started shooting.
- During this scuffle, 8 colonists were killed. 1 soldier was injured.

- Brits marched to Concord. They were met my colonists who engaged them in battle. Brit
forced retreated. The colonists won.

2nd Continental Congress

- During the summer of 1775 delegates from every colony met.
- Decided to form an army.
- Decided for form a military through conscription. (you are forced join)
- Decided to appoint a leader. General George Washington.

Bunker Hill
- June of 1775. Brit troops are trying to take the area from colonists.
- sends 2,400 troops up the hill.
 - Colonists have an advantage because of their position.
- Brit lost over 1,000 soldiers.
- Colonists lost about 450 men.
- Colonists ran out of ammo. Had to retreat.

Road to Revolution
- Not all colonists wanted to separate from England.

-Thomas Paine was an advocate for American independence.

-Wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense
-Sold over 500,000 copies.
-Filled with enlightenment ideas.
-And persuaded many to join the revolutionary cause.

Declaration of Independance
-Signed on July 4th, 1776 - US formally declares independence from Britain.
-Drafted by Thomas Jefferson
-Primary purpose of declaring independence was to get help from France.
-Remember that France does not like Britain of (7 year war).
- Enlightenment ideas are inside the declaration of independance
-WHen the Dec of Ind. was read in Boston, the poor masses responded by chanting Tyranny is
tyranny let it come from who it may.
-They were still oppressed even under a new government.

1776 - The War Begins

-Not everyone wants to go to war.
-Loyalists - loyal to Britain, do not want to go to war.
-Patriots/ rebels - they want independence.
-most of the leaders of the patriots have an economic or political stake in the outcome of the
war.

Strength and weaknesses

US
-strengths = far from england, home court advantage (they know the terrain, more inspiring
cause, very good military leaders
-weakness - not as many guns/ammo, smaller, untrained, no strong central government

Britain
-strengths - large well-trained army and resources to support it. Strong central gov, a lot of
support in the colonies.
-weakness - Dont know the land. Large distances between the government and the battle fields.
Some politicians in Britain had sympathy for the colonies cause,

War
-colonies suffered early defeats.
-Brit took New York.
-On Christmas day of 1776, George Wash makes a last ditch effort.
-he takes 2,400 men across the frozen Delaware river in a surprise attack on the Brit .
-He succeeds and takes back part of new jersey.
-Brits continued to win aided by German mercenaries.

-France is secretly aiding the colonists.

-After a surprise victory at Saratoga, France officially allies with the colonies.
-This is the turning point in the war.

Life During War

-The U.S. gov did not have enough money to pay its soldiers. SOme soldiers went months
without pay.
-Congress began to print money. But the more it printed the less value it had.

-Women played a large role in the war.

-Helped soldiers on lines and also managed business at home.

-Native Americans sided with the British.

Articles of Confederation
- During the war the states realized they needed to form a federal government.
- In 1777 they ratified the Articles of Confederation.
-This was the USAs first constitution

-The goal was to create a small federal government.

-It created a unicameral legislature (just one house)

-Did not create a president or courts.

-9 out of 13 states had to agree to make amendments or change laws.