Thomas Jefferson draws on Enlightenment ideas in drafting the Declaration of Independence. The colonies defeat Great Britain in the Revolutionary War.
The War for Independence
The Stirrings of Rebellion
Section 1
Conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies grows over issues of taxation, representation, and liberty.
Stamp Act Protests
• Samuel Adams helps found Sons of Liberty, secret resistance group:
- harass customs workers, stamp agents, royal governors
• Stamp Act Congress—colonies can’t be taxed without representation
• Colonial merchants boycott British goods until Stamp Act repealed
• Parliament repeals Stamp Act; Declaratory Act same day (1766)
Continued . . .
The Stirrings of Rebellion
Section 1
The Colonies Organize to Resist Britain
The Stamp Act
The Townshend Acts
• Townshend Acts (1767) levy duties on imported materials, tea
• Colonists enraged; Samuel Adams organizes boycott
• Women stop buying British luxuries; join spinning bees; boycott tea
• Customs agents seize John Hancock’s ship Liberty for unpaid taxes
• Colonists riot; 2,000 British soldiers stationed in Boston
The Colonies Organize to Resist Britain {continued}
The Boston Massacre
• Soldiers compete with colonists for shipyard jobs
• Boston Massacre (1770)—mob throws stones, British fire, kill five
• 1772, colonists burn customs ship; suspects to be tried in Britain
• Committees of correspondence discuss threat to freedom, form network
Continued . . .
The Boston Tea Party
• 1773 Tea Act lets East India Company avoid tax, undersell colonists
• Boston Tea Party—disguised colonists dump 18,000 lbs. tea in harbor
Tension Mounts in Massachusetts
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The Intolerable Acts
• King George III, British king, is angered by destruction of tea
• 1774, Parliament passes Intolerable Acts as response to Tea Party
• Acts close Boston Harbor, quarter soldiers in empty homes, buildings
• General Thomas Gage puts Boston under martial law—rule by military
• First Continental Congress claims colonial rights, supports protests
Tension Mounts in Massachusetts {continued}
“The Regulars Are Coming!”
• 700 redcoats sent to capture leaders, destroy munitions, April 1775
• Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott warn leaders, townspeople
To Concord, By the Lexington Road
• Civilian militia or minutemen begin to stockpile firearms, 1775
• Resistance leaders John Hancock, Samuel Adams hide in Lexington
Fighting Erupts at Lexington and Concord
“A Glorious Day for America”
• British shoot minutemen in Lexington; kill eight
• 3,000–4,000 minutemen ambush British in Concord, kill dozens
LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
Tensions increase throughout the colonies until the Continental Congress declares independence on July 4, 1776.
Ideas Help Start a Revolution
Section 2
The Second Continental Congress
• Second Continental Congress meets May–June 1775 in Philadelphia:
- debate independence
- recognize militiamen as Continental Army
- appoint George Washington commander
- print paper money to pay troops
Continued . . .
Ideas Help Start a Revolution
Section 2
The Colonies Hover Between Peace and War
The Battle of Bunker Hill
• British troops attack militia north of Boston, June 1775
• Costly British win: 450 colonist and over 1,000 British casualties
The Colonies Hover Between Peace and War {continued}
The Olive Branch Petition
• July, Congress sends Olive Branch Petition to restore “harmony”
• George III rejects petition, orders naval blockade
Common Sense
• Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense attacks king
• Argues independence will allow free trade and foreign aid
• Independence can give equal social, economic opportunities to all
• Almost 500,000 copies of pamphlet sold; convinces many colonists
Continued . . .
The Patriots Declare Independence
Continued . . .
The Patriots Declare Independence {continued}
Declaring Independence
• Congress urges each colony to form own government
• Congress appoints committee to prepare formal declaration
• Virginia lawyer Thomas Jefferson chosen to write it
• Declaration of Independence—formal statement of separation
Declaring Independence
• Declaration, based on John Locke’s ideas, lists complaints, rights:
- people have natural rights to life, liberty, property
- people consent to obey a government that protects rights
- people can resist or overthrow government
• “All men are created equal” means free citizens are political equals
• July 4, 1776 delegates adopt declaration
The Patriots Declare Independence {continued}
Loyalists and Patriots
• Loyalists—oppose independence, loyal to Crown for different reasons:
- work in government, unaware of events, trust crown to protect rights
• Patriots, almost half of population, support independence:
- think independence will mean economic opportunity
Americans Choose Sides
Taking Sides
• Groups divided: Quakers, African Americans on both sides
• Native Americans support British; colonists threaten their lands
After a series of setbacks, American forces win at Saratoga and survive.
Struggling Toward Saratoga
Section 3
Defeat in New York
• British decide to stop rebellion by isolating New England
• 32,000 British soldiers and Hessians take New York, summer 1776
• Many of Washington’s recruits killed; retreat to Pennsylvania
The Battle of Trenton
• Christmas 1776, Washington crosses Delaware River into New Jersey
• Washington surprises Hessian garrison, wins Battle of Trenton
• Eight days later, Americans win Battle of Princeton against British
Victory at Saratoga
• Gen. John Burgoyne leads British, allies south from Canada
• Burgoyne loses repeatedly to Continental Army, militia
• Surrounded at Saratoga, Burgoyne surrenders to Gen. Horatio Gates
General Benedict Arnold was key in this victory but was denied credit.
Continued . . .
The War Moves to the Middle States {continued}
A Turning Point
• Since 1776, French secretly send weapons to Americans
• French recognize American independence, sign treaty, February 1778
• France agrees no peace until Britain recognizes U.S. independence
The War Moves to the Middle States {continued}
Winter at Valley Forge
• Valley Forge—site of Continental Army’s winter camp (1777–1778)
• Of 10,000 soldiers, more than 2,000 die of cold and hunger
Colonial Life During the Revolution
Financing the War
• To get money, Congress sells bonds to investors, foreign governments
• Prints paper money (Continentals), causes inflation (rising prices)
• Few U.S. munitions factories; must run arms through naval blockade
• Some officials engage in profiteering, sell scarce goods for profit
• Robert Morris, Haym Salomon use own credit to raise money, pay army
Continued . . .
Civilians at War
• While husbands fight, women manage homes, businesses
• Many women go with troops to wash, cook, mend; some fight
• Thousands of African-American slaves escape to cities, frontier
• About 5,000 African Americans serve in Continental Army
• Most Native Americans stay out of the conflict
Colonial Life During the Revolution {continued}
Winning the War
Section 4
Strategic victories in the South and at Yorktown enable the Americans to defeat the British.
Winning the War
Section 4
European Allies Shift the Balance
Training the Continental Army
• 1778, Prussian captain Friedrich von Steuben goes to Valley Forge
• Trains colonists in fighting skills, field maneuvers of regular army
Lafayette and the French
• Marquis de Lafayette—aristocrat, joins Washington at Valley Forge
• Lobbies for French troops, 1779; leads command in last years of war
The British Move South
Early British Success in the South
The British Move South
British Losses in 1781
Victory at Yorktown
The British Surrender at Yorktown
Continued . . .
Seeking Peace
- confirms U.S. independence
- sets boundaries of new nation
- ignores Native American rights
- promises repayment of debts
- no date set for British evacuation of forts in U.S.
The Impact on American Society
The Challenge of Creating a Government
The War Becomes a Symbol of Liberty