American Revolution

Events Leading Up to the American Revolution

French and Indian War
1754 – 1763
The British and colonists fought against the French
and the Indians. (The French and Indians were allies).
The war was fought over land. British wanted to
expand and have more land.
French were enemies of the British
Also known as Seven Years War
End Result of war:
 At end of war, the colonies felt closer to each other than
with England, who was an ocean away.
French and Indian War
Forbes Road
General John Forbes built a road through the
Pennsylvania wilderness to transport his army for
French and Indian War. Road is called “Forbes Road”.
It was the first great avenue into the interior of North
America.
Went from Philadelphia to present day Pittsburgh.
Forbes Road
More events leading up to Revolution
1758 – Treaty of Easton was signed to end war. British
agreed not to go west and Indians agreed to stop
fighting. Then King George issued the Royal
Proclamation.
 The proclamation created a boundary line (often called
the proclamation line) between the British colonies on
the Atlantic coast and American Indian lands
Proclamation Line

The 1763 Proclamation

line" is the border
between the red and the
pink areas.
The proclamation line
was to be a buffer zone
between the Indians and
colonists. Was to be
temporary so that peace
could be restored.
However
Remember the Forbes Road, well:
 Before the French and Indian war was over, settlers
began using the Road
 So many settlers crossed the Proclamation Line and the
Indian response was violent.
Taxation Without Representation
The French and Indian War was expensive. England
incurred a huge debt. So England decided that the
colonists should pay their fair share.
Thus the Parliament issued or passed heavy duties on
molasses, sugar, etc. Laws were known as Sugar Act of
1764
Incur – to acquire, to contract
Duties or Duty – import tax
Parliament
Parliament –legislative body for England
English Parliament
Passed the Currency Act 1764
 Colonies could not print or issue paper money. All
business transactions must be done using gold. This act
guaranteed that the colonies would be dependent on
England forever.
 Parliament also decided to enforce Acts of Trade (already
passed in 1650s) to raise additional duty revenue.
Revenue – income
 In colonies there was also a business recession as a result
of war. Colonists were mad at all the duties on imported
products.
Taxation Without Representation
So colonists are outraged that Parliament was passing
all these taxes on them, so the battle cry for the
American Revolution stated in Boston. The colonists
yelled, “No taxation without representation.”
Remember that colonists did not make all things. For
example the colonists imported tea, sugar, etc.
1765 – Parliament passed Stamp Act
 All paper documents (newspaper, deeds – piece of paper
that says you own a particular piece of land) had to have
a stamp purchased from a special agent
 Violations of act were severely punished
As a result of Stamp Act
The colonies united in opposition to the “tyranny” of
the mother country.
One year later, Stamp Act was repealed. (taken back,
voided, cancelled)
Then in 1767 the Townshend Acts gave more import
duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea.
So Colonists boycotted (did not buy) English products
from 1768 to 1769.
1770 Parliament repealed all taxes except for the tax on
tea.
Boston Massacre
Boston Tea Party
First Continental Congress
In 1774 in Philadelphia
First Continental Congress
56 delegates attended
Only Georgia did not send delegates
Colonies met to unify and
decide on a course of action
Next Massachusetts in Rebellion
Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in rebellion.
So Massachusetts organized special militia units that
could be ready at a minute’s notice.
 Called the Minutemen
Culture
Flag
Each time a state was added, a new star was
added. We still have 13 stripes on our flag to
represent the first 13 colonies.
Betsy Ross sewed the first flag by hand (sewing
machines had not been invented yet).
She sewed 13 stripes and 13 stars, one for each of
the colonies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_flag_13_stars_%
E2%80%93_Betsy_Ross.svg
Opposing Sides
Loyalists
 Colonists who were loyal to England and supported the
British.
Patriots
 Revolutionaries who supported the colonists who were
against England.
 Neutral
Colonists who did not chose a side. Example: Quakers
Hessians
German soldiers for hire.
About 30,000 paid or hired soldiers fought in
American Revolution. Most fought for British side.
Famous Quote
Thomas Paine wrote, “These are the times that try
men’s souls.”
Battles
American Revolution 1775 - 1783
Battles
Lexington and Concord (2 battles) on April 19, 1775
About 700 British Army regulars, under Lieutenant Colonel
Francis Smith, were given secret orders to capture and destroy
military supplies that were reportedly stored by the Massachusetts
militia at Concord. Through effective intelligence gathering,
Patriot colonials had received word weeks before the expedition
that their supplies were at risk, and had moved most of them to
safety. They also received details about British plans on the night
before the battle, and were able to rapidly notify the area militias of
the military movement.
This is where the “Shot Heard Around the World” was described by
Ralph Waldo Emerson in a poem he wrote.
 Patriots won.
Battles
Bunker Hill
 June 17, 1775
 British won but Patriots won a victory for their morale
 While the result was a victory for the British, they
suffered their greatest losses of the entire war: over 800
wounded and 226 killed, including a notably large
number of officers. Their immediate objective (the
capture of Bunker Hill) was achieved, but did not
significantly alter the state of siege. It did, however,
demonstrate that relatively inexperienced Colonial forces
were willing and able to stand up to well-trained troops.
Battles
Saratoga
 Sep and October 1777
 Patriots won (Patriots were also called Americans)

This battle resulted in the surrender of an entire British

army of over 6,000 men who were invading New York
from Canada.
Winter at Valley Forge 1778
The Continental Army (the Patriots) spend the winter
at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. This was a terrible
winter, but the Continental Army came out as a much
stronger and better trained army.
 Baron Von Steuben, a Prussian officer, trained the
American troops.
 Several other Europeans also helped trained American
army.
Last Battle
Yorktown (1781)
The southern British army marched to
Yorktown, Virginia where they expected to be rescued by
a British fleet which would take them back to New York.
When that fleet was defeated by a French fleet, however,
they became trapped in Yorktown. In October 1781
under a combined siege by the French and Continental
armies, the British under the command of General
Cornwallis, surrendered. However, Cornwallis was so
embarrassed at his defeat that he had to send his second
in command to surrender for him on Oct 19, 1781
American Revolutions
Redcoats Patriots
British fought European Colonists fought war
style with hidden, random
 See video attacks
Also called Lobsterbacks
Movie
American Revolution Battle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrEcMHaaA9g&fe
ature=PlayList&p=6D3061DB6F4FBFFE&playnext=1&i
ndex=23
Final Battle Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=4Su5yBcqcrI&feature=related
Final Battle Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD15qrBpOr4&NR
=1
Shot heard around the world and more movies
 http://www.earlyamerica.com/series.html
Boston Tea Party

Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776
 Is the birthday of the U.S.A. --- Independence Day
Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson
is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on
July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies
then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and
thus no longer a part of the British Empire.
is a formal explanation of why the colonists were at war with
England

War officially ended in 1783

American Revolution
Part 2
Famous People
Daniel Boone
 Fought in war
 Famous as a
trapper – frontiersman - hunter
Famous People
Benedict Arnold
 Was a general who originally fought for the American
Continental Army, but he switched sides to the British.
As a general still on the American side, he obtained
command of the fort in New York and tried to surrender
it to the British. Then he changed to British side.
 People say, “Julia is a Benedict Arnold.” (they are calling
her a traitor.
After American Revolution
Important Events: Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchased 828,800 square miles
(2,147,000 km2) of the French territory Louisiane in 1803.
The land was worth a total cost of $15,000,000 for the
Louisiana territory .

This land acquisition greatly expanded the U.S.’s

territory.
President Jefferson purchased land, because he was
afraid that Spain and France could block the port, New
Orleans. A major river, the Mississippi River reaches the
ocean at New Orleans.
Map of Major U.S. Rivers