The American Revolution From Taxation through Independence

Transcription

1 The American Revolution From Taxation through Independence A Nation Forged in Fire In 1492, Europe had awakened to the New World and began its conquest of the Americas. The British colonies began at Jamestown in Eventually in North America, England and France fought for control of the territories. After winning the French and Indian war in 1763, England gained control of most of the eastern half of North America. By then, the 13 colonies had been around for over 150 years. This was when things began to go wrong. Acts of Parliament Parliament began passing taxes on the colonies to pay war debts from the French and Indian War. Sugar Act (1764) - tax on sugar and coffee Stamp Act (1765) - tax on all printed material Declaratory Act - repealed most of the Stamp Act and declared that Parliament controlled the colonies Townsend Acts (1767) - an import tax Taxation without Representation When Parliament taxed the colonies without representation, they were taking the colonists property without their consent. Taxation without representation is the CAUSE of the Revolution. Sons of Liberty Sons of Liberty were a group of rebels in Boston who met and acted in secret to organize illegal protests to these taxes. Their leaders were John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Boston Massacre March 5, 1770, a squad of British soldiers patrolling the streets of Boston were being harassed by a rowdy mob throwing rocks & snowballs. Some of these men were Sons of Liberty seeking to cause violence. The soldiers fired into the crowd and 5 colonists were killed. Crispus Attucks, an African American, was one of the first to die in the Revolution. Tea Act Parliament passed an Act granting the king s English East Indian Tea Company a monopoly on the colonial tea trade. Colonists could only buy East Indian tea, upon which they had to pay a tax. Boston Tea Party In response, the Sons of Liberty threw the Boston Tea Party on December 16, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded British ships and dumped 90,000 pounds of the Kings tea into the harbor. 1

2 Coercive Acts To punish Massachusetts, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts to force Massachusetts to pay for the tea. Colonists called these acts the Intolerable Acts. Until the tea was paid for by the Massachusetts Colony, the following punishments would remain in affect: Boston Harbor was closed. Massachusetts colonial assemblies were suspended. Soldiers were to be quartered in colonial homes. Citizens were arrested without charge. Accused citizens were denied the rights of fair trial. First Continental Congress All the colonies but Georgia sent delegates to Philadelphia to discuss the growing crisis. They debated what to do about Taxation without Representation and the growing violence in Boston and Williamsburg. Many of the colonies chose to boycott British goods. In the end, the Congress sent a letter to King George III, warning that peace was running out. King George III ignored the petition. Peace Ran Out Late night on the 18th of April, over 1000 British soldiers marched secretly out of Boston and headed for the town of Concord. Their objective was to arrest the Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams and seize rebel arms (muskets and ammunition). Paul Revere Patriot spies were waiting and spread the word of the British advance. Paul Revere, a Son of Liberty, made his famous Midnight Ride waking the countryside, warning that the Regulars are coming! He was captured and detained by Redcoats before his ride was finished, but his friends William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott, finished the ride for him. Shot Heard Around the World April 19 th, Lexington Green. Dawn. 70 Minute Men, led by Captain John Parker, gathered to stop the soldiers on Lexington Green (on the road to Concord). Both sides faced off... A single shot was fired. This was the Shot heard around the World. It began a revolution that would change everything. British Regulars won the battle in moments. 8 colonist were killed and 9 were wounded. Concord The British continued on to Concord. After ransacking the town, they were stopped at the Old North bridge by the Minutemen. The British then turned back to Boston; it was a thirteen mile march back to safety. Along the entire highway, hundreds of rebel Minutemen hid in the trees along the road and ambushed the Redcoats. 273 British soldiers were killed and wounded. The War for American Independence had begun. 2

3 Battle of Bunker (Breeds) Hill A group of militia marched on Boston. During the night they fortified Breeds Hill overlooking the city. They meant to dig in on Bunker Hill. In the morning, 1500 British soldiers attacked the rebel position. The Redcoats expected the militia to run. They didn't. As the Redcoats advanced, Colonel Prescott gave his famous order. "Hold your fire until you see the whites of their eyes." Two times the Regulars marched within yards of the rebel lines, only then did the Patriots opened fire. The British fell back after suffering massive casualties. After repelling two Redcoat attacks, the Patriots ran out of ammunition. On the third try, the British finally overran the rebel position. Results of Breeds Hill The British Regulars won battle. Approximately1000 British veteran soldiers were killed or wounded. 100 Americans were killed, 300 more were captured or wounded. Americans proved themselves against the greatest musketmen in the world. Continental Victory at Boston The British held Boston but the Continental (patriot) militia surrounded the city. General George Washington was put in command. His siege of Boston lasted all winter. To break the standoff, his continental soldiers hauled cannons 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga through the snow to the hills above Boston. British General William Howe had no choice but to surrender. Early 1776, the Redcoats left the city and sailed for Nova Scotia.1500 Tories (Loyalist) left with them. Patriots and Tories Patriots % of the colonists actively supported Independence. Tories - 20%-33% of the American colonists remained loyal to England and King George III. 3

4 Declaring Independence "Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry 1775 Thomas Paine Common Sense Revolutionary Thomas Paine wrote an extremely popular pamphlet called Common Sense which encouraged the British-American to embrace revolution. Second Continental Congress John Hancock- President of the Congress Notable delegates: John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Paine. The 13 colonies all sent delegates to Philadelphia to lead the Revolution and decided whether to seek peace or declare Independence. War or Peace Olive Branch Petition. July 5, 1775 Many delegates were not ready for war, so they wrote the king asking for peace. The King rejected the Olive Branch petition. They appointed George Washington as commander and chief of the Continental Army. Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776 The United States of America declared independence. The Declaration of Independence was a document signed by the Second Continental Congress representing all 13 colonies in creating a new and independent nation called the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. He had been inspired by the philosophies of John Locke s Nature s Laws, and by Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense. John Locke and Thomas Paine argued that people have a natural right to rule themselves. Declaration of Independence Purpose of the Declaration: Declared the independence of the United States of America. Explained why the colonies were rebelling by providing a list of grievances against the king. Proclaimed the self-evident truths that (1) all men are created equal and (2) all people have rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Ended with an oath that the Patriots would sacrifice all they had for the cause of independence. 4

5 Invasion of the United States July 1776, the English army invaded New York under General William Howe with over 30,000 British Regulars and German Hessians. The English captured New York city. Trenton and Princeton Battle of Trenton - Washington needed a victory desperately, so on Christmas night 1776, the Continental army snuck back across the Delaware river into New Jersey and captured 900 Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. No Americans were killed. Battle of Princeton: Washington attacked further into New Jersey and won another victory America s Darkest Hour Americans lost battle after battle to the British throughout the year. William Howe was a more effective general than George Washington. Also, the British Regulars were better soldiers. Then in the summer of 1777, a second British army under General Burgoyne invaded from Canada in an attempt to cut the United States in half. Victory at Saratoga! Continental soldiers led by General Gates and General Benedict Arnold were sent up the Hudson river to stop Burgoyne s invasion. Using guerilla tactics, the Continental soldiers surrounded the Redcoats and captured Burgoyne s army, taking 5700 English prisoners. France Joined the War With the American victory at Saratoga, Benjamin Franklin was able to convince France to join the war against their old enemies, the British. 19 year old, the Marquis de Lafayette, sailed immediately to America to help the Continental army. George Washington adopted Lafayette and made him a general. 1778, the French Army under general Rochambeau arrived in the United States. Valley Forge At the close of 1777, a retreating and beaten Continental army wintered at Valley Forge. They were low on food and supplies such as blankets and shoes. The Patriots faced freezing cold temperatures, and 25% of the 10,000 soldiers died. Von Steuben at Valley Forge German General von Steuben arrived from Prussia to train the Continental Army. He drilled the men through the freezing cold, starvation, and depression. Though he was a harsh taskmaster, he instilled the Continental soldiers with pride and self respect. A New Hope When the spring arrived, the Americans left Valley Forged as a hardened, disciplined army. The American s no longer stood alone; the French army arrived on the field. England faced an entirely different enemy. 5

6 War at Sea The Continental Navy was composed of nothing more than a few converted American merchant ships, some borrowed French ships, and privateers. England had the best navy in the world. Captain John Paul Jones John Paul Jones was founder of the American navy. One day, his ship was patrolling the Atlantic when they ran across a British convoy led by a powerful English warship, the Serapis. Jones closed in and attacked. Outgunned, his ship went up in flames. Instead of surrendering, John Paul Jones shouted "I have not yet begun to fight!" The Americans boarded the Serapis and fought handto-hand in the moonlight. Captain Jones and his men captured the Serapis. Pirates Joined the War at Sea Over 50 American warships and 2000 privateers (pirates) prowled the Atlantic by the end of the war The Road to Victory For three more years the Americans and French battled the remaining two British armies. The British won major victories at Camden, and Guildford Courthouse. The Continentals won major victories at Vincennes, Kings Mountain, and Cowpens. Southern Militia Under Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, the South Carolina militia employed guerilla tactics (hit and run) to keep Cornwallis s British army occupied in the south. Miracle at Yorktown After losing the battle of Cowpens, the British army under General Cornwallis was forced to retreat to the Yorktown peninsula in Virginia. Instead of continuing his campaign against the Redcoats in New York, Washington secretly marched his army hundreds of miles to Yorktown, Virginia to join with the American forces from the South. 16,000 Americans and French soldiers and 36 French warships surrounded Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown. American and French artillery bombarded the British all day and night. October 19, 1781 Cornwallis was forced to surrender. The British laid down their arms at Surrender Field. Cornwallis hid in shame during the surrender. The War Ends! March 1782, Parliament voted to give up the war against the Americans. The last of the British soldiers left New York The Treaty of Paris officially ended the war. 6