Causes
1. Britain and France compete to build world empires
2. The French establish New France in the heart of the continent
3. British colonists want to expand west to the Ohio River Valley
4. British try to move French off the land
Effects
1. Britain defeats France
2. Britain claims Canada and all of North America east of Mississippi
3. Spain receives New Orleans and land west of Mississippi
4. Native Americans suffer under British discrimination
5. Britain bans colonists from moving to Native American Territory: The Proclamtion of 1763
Colonial Resistance and Rebellion
Britsh Parliament passed in order to...
Stamp Act(1765)
To pay for DEBTS.
Tax on paper items.
Townshend Act(1767)
To continue to get revenue $$ from the colonies.
Tax on imports.
Tea Act(1773)
To save British East India Tea Company from bankruptcy.
Only E.I.T. did not have to pay tax.
Intolerable Acts(1774)
To punish colonies for the Boston Tea Party.
To control Massachusetts.
Colonists responded by...
- Stamp Act Congress
- Protests
- Boycotts of British goods
- Organized "Sons of Liberty"
- Protests
- Demonstrations
- Boycotts of British Goods
- Boston Tea Party
- Dumped 18,000 lbs of British Tea into Boston Harbor
- Meet in First Continental Congress
- Secretly form mintutemen militia
British responded to colonists by...
Parliament Repeals the Stamp Act.
- Stationed more troops in Boston to enforce
- Decided it would cost more to enforce than the tax was worth
- REPEALED.
- Pass the "Intolerable Acts"
- Shut down Boston Harbor
- More troops quartered in Boston
- 1775- British seize weapons in Concord
- Battles of Lexington and Concord
Road to Revolution
Battle of Lexington- April 19, 1775
Battle of Concord- April 1775
May 1775:
-Second Continental Congress
-George Washington appointed general
-Olive Branch Petition sent to Britain
Bunker Hill- June 17, 1775
King George rejects petition- declares colonies in rebellion
Declaration of Independence
British laws and rights
Religious Tradition
- God-given rights and equality
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
Ancient Greek democracy
John Locke
-Natural Rights
-Social Contract- government only by consent
Jean Jaques Rousseau
-All men are equal
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, WOMEN, AND NATIVE AMERICANS NOT INCLUDED
Written by Thomas Jefferson
July 4th, 1776- Adopted by the Second Continental Congress
HARSH MEASURES OF THE BRITISH THAT LEAD TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
- Proclamation of 1763
- Stamp Tax- 1765
- Townshend Import Tax-1767
- Tea Act
- Stationing and quartering of the troops in the colonies
- The Boston Massacre-1770
- Blockade of the port of Boston-1774
- Britain takes over the government of Massachusetts
- Rejection of the Olive Branch Petition
ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE AMERICAN COLONISTS
- Stamp Act Congress
- Sons of Liberty
- Committes of Correspondance- 1772
- The Boston Tea Party
- First Continental Congress- 1774
- Battles of Lexington and Concord- April 1775
- Second Continental Congress- 1775
- Declaration of Independence- July 4th, 1776
The American Revolution
Loyalists
Colonists who still supported Great Britain
Patriots
Supporters of American Independence
Saratoga
Major British defeat after being surrounded by American troops
French Alliance
French openly support the American Revolution
Valley Forge
U.S. soldiers suffer cold and hunger during winter, waiting for French to arrive
Lafayette/Roschambeau
French generals who helped Washington
Yorktown
1. Cornwallis defeated
2. British surrender- October 19, 1781
Treaty of Paris
September 1783- Peace treaty with Britain
The Articles of Confederation
Govermental Structure
Confederation of States
Each state had one vote in congress
Regardless of population or number of representatives
Individual State Court System-
No U.S. Supreme Court
National Government
Single House of Congress
Had control over armed forces and western territories
Could request financial donations from states; could NOT levy taxes
*power resided in states
Making Changes
Passing laws required 9 of 13 states' consent
Amending the Articles required approval from congress and unanimous approval from the states
Weaknesses of the Government
Central Government had no power over states
Couldn't enforce taxation
Couldn't coin money
Couldn't regulate trade within US or with foreign nations
Difficult to make laws or amendments
No national leadership- no Executive Branch, no President
Country in economic depression
Govt. lacks power to do anything
- States disputed over borders and tariffs on imported goods
Key Conflicts in creating the Constitution
- How should large and small states be represented in the goverment?
- What should be done about representing the population of slaves, especially in the south?
- Which should have more power, the states, or the federal government?
- How do we protect against any one person or branch of government from having too much power?
- How do we protect the rights of citizens from a powerful central government?
- How do we create a flexible constitution that can change over time?
Resolving Key Conflicts in the U.S. Constitution
Representation
1. Large and small states represented in governments
2. Congress- Legislative Branch
3. House of Representative- By population
4. Senate- 2 per state
Slaves
1. Were counted as 3/5 of a person
2. No rights under the constitution
3. Changed after 1868
Federal System
1. Granted certain powers to the central government
-- Made it strong
2. Reserved some powers for the states only
Seperation of Powers
1. 3 branches with checks & balances
2. No person or part of government has too much power
3. Executive- President
4. Legislative- Congress
5. Judicial- Supreme Court
Bill of Rights
1. Rights of citizens are protected against powerful U.S. government
2. First 10 amendments
3. 1789
Change
1. U.S. constitution is "elastic"
2. It changes through time
a. Not too detailed
b. Changed by amendment
c. Not easy to change/amend the constitution
- Federalists- Supported the new constitution. Believed the country needed a strong central government.
- Anti- Federalists- Opposed the new constitution. Were concerned about a strong central government abusing its power.
- Ratification- 9 OF 13 STATES (2/3) MUST APPROVE AND RATIFY THE NEW CONSTITUTION.
Amendments 1-10
Bill of Rights
Amendment #1
- Religious and Political Freedom
- Government may not establish a religion--require that everyone be the same religion. Or prohibit any particular religion.
- Freedom of speech, press, & assembly
Amendment #5
- Can't be forced to testify against oneself
- Government can't take property w/o paying you for it
Amendment #13
Abolished slavery
Amendment #14
All citizens entitled to "due process" and "equal protection" of the law
Amendment #15
Right to vote cannot be denied due to race
Amendment #18
Prohibits sale of alcohol
Amendment #19
Women's right to vote
Amendment #21
Amendment 18 repealed
Amendment #22
No person can serve more than 2 terms (8 years)
Amendment #24
- No poll taxes
- Can't be forced to pay money to vote
Amendment #26
- 18-year-olds allowed to vote
Starting A New United States Government
George Washington
1st President
Cabinet
President's Chief Advisors
- Department of State
Thomas Jefferson ( Had A Different View)
- Fear of absolute power or ruler
- Limited national government
- Faith in common people and people's ability to govern themselves
Democratic- Republicans ( One of the First Political Parties)
- Department of Treasury
Alexander Hamilton ( Had A Different View)
- Fear of mob rule
- Strong national government
- Supported by wealthy merchants and landowners
Federalists ( One of the First Political Parties)
- Department of War
Henry Knox
"Necessary and Proper" Clause- Of the constitution allowed the first congress to pass the Judiciary Act of 1789 which set up the federal court system
