2.4- Birth Of a Democratic Nation. Civics and Economics

Transcription

1 2.4- Birth Of a Democratic Nation Civics and Economics

2 Mercantilism The colonies had learned to manage their own affairs, this policy of loose control was known as salutary neglect, under this policy the British did not insist on strict enforcement of laws Salutary Neglect = Healthy Neglect

3 Mercantilism Mercantilism is the theory a country s power depends on its wealth, a nation should sell more goods to other countries than it buys

4 Mercantilism This is known as a favorable balance of trade, more exports and fewer imports brings money into the country

5 Mercantilism The colonies were a source of cheap, raw materials, the Navigation Acts, passed in the early 1660s put the theory into practice

6 Growing Tensions In 1754, the colonies debated a plan for a federal union, this was known as the Albany Plan, it was rejected but showed colonists were thinking about joining together for their common defense

7 Growing Tensions After the French and Indian War colonial settlers were forbidden to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains, this Proclamation of 1763 enraged many farmers and others who wanted the land

8 Growing Tensions To pay off war debts, Britain placed taxes on the colonies, the Stamp Act (1765) required colonists to attach expensive stamps to newspapers and legal documents

9 Growing Tensions The Quartering Act required the colonies to provide barracks and supplies to British troops

10 Growing Tensions In protest, colonists decided to boycott, or refuse to buy British goods Organizations known as the Sons of Liberty were formed throughout the colonies in opposition to the Stamp Act

11 Stamp Act Congress October 1765, 9 of the 13 colonies sent representatives to the Stamp Act Congress held in New York City, the representatives prepared a declaration against the new British actions, which was sent to King George III As a result, the British Parliament repealed, or cancelled the Stamp Act

12 Stamp Act Congress The Declaratory Act (1766) stated Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions for the American colonies, in all cases

13 Stamp Act Congress 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts which legalized use of writs of assistance to assist customs officers in arresting smugglers

14 Stamp Act Congress On March 5, 1770 British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing 5, this incident was known as the Boston Massacre

15 New Taxes and a Tea Party Colonists were angry with the new taxes because they had no representatives in Parliament, they summed up their feelings with the slogan, No taxation without representation!

16 New Taxes and a Tea Party In 1773 Parliament passed the Tea Act which gave the British East India Company a monopoly over colonial merchants

17 New Taxes and a Tea Party December 1773, a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor, it was known as the Boston Tea Party

18 New Taxes and a Tea Party In response, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) which restricted colonists civil rights, including the right to trial by jury

19 First Continental Congress September 1774, 12 of the colonies sent delegates, or representatives to Philadelphia to establish a body to represent American interests

20 First Continental Congress The meeting was known as the First Continental Congress delegates sent a document to the king demanding their rights be restored

21 First Continental Congress April 1775, two battles between British and colonial soldiers took place in Massachusetts at Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolutionary War More people began talking about independence from Britain

22 Second Continental Congress May 1775, colonial leaders met at the Second Continental Congress

23 Second Continental Congress Support for independence grew, January of 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet entitled Common Sense that called for independence from Britain

24 Second Continental Congress The colonies appointed a committee to write a document that would officially announce the independence of the US, Thomas Jefferson did most of the work

25 The Declaration of Independence Argued the British government did not look after the interests of the colonists and included a long list of abuses by the King Said the purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people and is based on consent of the people; people are entitled to change a government if it disregards their rights or wishes

26 The Declaration of Independence The Declaration was influenced by John Locke and the social contract and natural rights of life, liberty, and property

27 The Declaration of Independence The Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 the colonies were now independent, at least in theory