American Revolutionary War

Transcription

1 American Revolutionary War

2 The American Revolution The revolutionary war in America is also known as the American revolution. It was fought between great Britain and the thirteen colonies. The result was the formation of a new nation-the United States of America.

3 Fighting between British soldiers and the American Patriots began April 19,1775, at Lexington and Concorde, Massachusetts. The war s last major battle was at Yorktown, Virginia during September and October Yorktown Britain formally recognized America independence with the signing of the treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783.

4 Events leading to the American Revolution Britain was deeply in debt following the French and Indian war ( ) in which it defended against the takeover by France. Once the war was won, Britain began passing laws and taxes to increase its control over the colonies and regain some of the money it had spent.

5 By then, Americans had enjoyed a great Amount of freedom. They especially resented new taxes without their consent and lack of representation in Britain s parliament.

6 Major issues that angered them were: 1. The Proclamation of 1763 England s King George forbade colonist to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. 2. The Sugar Act of 1764 placed a 3 cent penny tax on each gallon of molasses that entered the colonies from outside the British Empire.

7 3. The Stamp Act of 1765 required colonist to pay for tax stamps on newspapers, and various legal documents. Parliament abolished the Act in The Townshend Acts of 1767 placed a duty on imported goods including glass, lead, paint, and paper. Americans responded by not buying British goods.

8 5. The Tea Act of 1773 To avoid paying the tea tax, colonial merchants smuggled tea in from the Netherlands. In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act, which made it possible for the East India Company to sell tea below the price of the smuggled tea. Britain believed that the colonists would buy the English tea since it was cheaper.

9 BOSTON TEA PARTY On December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams led patriots, disguised as Indians, on a raid of British ships docked in Boston s harbor. They dumped the cargoes of tea overboard. This was later called the Boston Tea Party.

10 6. The Intolerable Acts of 1774 were Britain s response to the Boston Tea Party. One act closed Boston s harbor until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea. Another took away nearly all power from Massachusetts legislature. Control of the colony was given to the newly appointed British governor, General Thomas Gage.

11 The First Continental Congress September 5 October 26, 1774 The First Continental Congress was attended by representatives from all the colonies except Georgia. They met in Carpenter s Hall in Philadelphia to protest the Intolerable Acts. It was here representatives decided to stop trade with Britain unless the Acts were abolished. They also advised colonists to prepare for war. They agree to meet again in May 1775 if crisis had not been solved.

12 Colonial Militia and Minutemen Britain responded with large numbers of well trained militia. Soldiers uniforms included bright red jackets. The colonists called the soldiers redcoats.

13 Second Continental Congress These tensions led to a meeting of the Second Continental Congress. It met in May 1775 and voted to form a Continental Army under the command of George Washington. Before the army could be organized, Britain attacked at the Battle of Bunker Hill. 1,000 British soldiers were wounded or killed; and, though a stalemate, the battle served to boost American confidence.

14 The Second Continental Congress May 1775 July 1775, colonists sent King George III an Olive Branch petition to assure their desire for peace. They requested protected rights as English citizens, which had been violated. In turn, the king sent 30,000 German troops to fight the colonists. King George continued to ignore the colonists petitions, yet some colonists wanted to remain loyal to the crown.

15 These colonists called themselves loyalists. The patriots called them Tories. More than one-third of the colonists didn t care one way or the other. The war depended upon the patriots who numbered less than one-third of the population. 1776, Patriot Thomas Paine produced pamphlets called Common Sense which began to convince people that both Parliament & King George III were acting like tyrants and independence was necessary.

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17 The Declaration of Independence 1776 Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and it is one of the best political documents ever written. On July 4, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

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19 The Treaty of Paris 1783 Peace talks began in Paris in Richard Oswald, a wealthy British merchant, represented Britain. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay represented the new Unite States. A treat was agreed upon on November 30, The Treaty recognized the independence of the new nation and established its borders from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River; north to Canada; and south to Florida