Learn about the economic mysteries in history. Why did the colonists go to war when they were free and prosperous? What were the economic causes and effects of the Declaration of Independence?

1. Solving History’s Economic Mysteries 2
The Revolutionary War &
Declaration of Independence
Deborah Kozdras, Ph.D.
University of South Florida
Stavros.coedu.usf.edu
dkozdras@usf.edu
http://tinyurl.com/historymystery2

2. Tea, Taxes, and Turmoil . . .
• http://ed.ted.com/on/efq3tnaX#watch

3. Why Did the Colonists Fight?
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/galleries/219-1763-1788-american-revolution-events

4. Apply the Guide to Economic Reasoning
1. People choose.
2. People’s choices involve costs.
3. People respond to incentives in predictable
ways.
4. People create economic systems that influence
individual choices and incentives.
5. People gain when they trade voluntarily.
6. People’s choices have consequences (positive
or negative) that lie in the future.

5. Why Did the Colonists Fight?
• At first glance the American Revolution
seemed inevitable:
– Sugar Act in 1764
– Stamp Act in 1765
– Tea Act in 1773
• Neither side was willing to back down.

6. The Sugar Act
• George Grenville "Chancellor
of the Exchequer”urgently
finding ways to pay bills left
over from a century of wars
• persuaded parliament to
pass the Sugar Act in 1764.
• replaced the Molasses Act of
1733 (not enforced )
• lowered duty from 6 pence
per gallon to 3 pence per
gallon.
• also put tax on coffee and
wines imported into colonies
• taxation without
representation

8. Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed by
the British Parliament on March
22, 1765. The new tax was
imposed on all American
colonists and required them to
pay a tax on every piece of
printed paper they used. Ship's
papers, legal documents,
licenses, newspapers, other
publications, and even playing
cards were taxed.

9. Tea Act
In an effort to save the
troubled enterprise, the
British Parliament passed
the Tea Act in 1773. The act
granted the company the
right to ship its tea directly
to the colonies without first
landing it in England, and to
commission agents who
would have the sole right to
sell tea in the colonies.

10. The Colonists: Safe and Free
Safe
• Colonists lived in relative
safety due to British
military protection.
– The Royal Navy protected
American shipping.
• The British spent heavily
to protect the colonies
from French forces and
their Indians allies.
– The French and Indian War
lasted from 1755-1763.
Free
• The colonies were a long way
from Britain and authorities
left colonists more or less
alone
• Transportation and
communications were slow.
• Samuel Eliot Morison (1965)
writes:
“British subjects in America
… were then the freest
people in the world.”
– Practiced in self government
– Freedom of speech, press and
assembly.
“The hand of government
rested lightly on Americans.”

11. The Colonists Were Prosperous
By today’s standards
colonial life was rough.
But by the standards of
their own time, colonists
enjoyed a high quality of
life.
– Growth of production
– Lived longer than most
– Average incomes were
as high or higher than
in England
“Even today, relatively
few countries generate
average income levels
that approach the
earning of free
Americans on the eve of
the Revolution.”
(Walton and Rockhoff, 2002)

12. Lesson 7: Mystery
• The British colonies in America grew and
prospered. Since the colonists were
economically successful under British rule,
why did they seek independence?
• Why would colonists fight a revolution
against Great Britain, one of the world’s
most powerful nations and, in many ways,
the wellspring of their freedom and
prosperity?

13. Apply the Guide to Economic Reasoning
1. People choose.
2. People’s choices involve costs.
3. People respond to incentives in
predictable ways.
4. People create economic systems that
influence individual choices and
incentives.
5. People gain when they trade voluntarily.
6. People’s choices have consequences
that lie in the future.

14. People Choose
The colonists
decided that fighting
the Revolution
offered the best
combination of
benefits and costs
they could attain.

15. People’s Choices Involve Costs
• Questions of cost
loomed large.
• They risked losing:
– Guaranteed
market for some
goods.
– Subsidies and
bounties.
– Military protection
– Life

16. People Respond to Incentives
• After 1763, new
taxes and
regulations became
more restrictive.
– Sugar Act
– Stamp Act
– Tea Act

17. People Create Economic Systems
• The Navigation Acts
(1651, 1660, 1663)
changed the rules of the
game.
• Britain was more
willing to enforce the
rules resulting in
higher prices for
colonists.
• Trade was allowed
only in American or
British vessels.
• All imports were
through British ports.

18. People Create Economic Systems
• Enumerated goods
(tobacco, sugar,
cotton, indigo, rice,
and naval stores)
from the colonies
could only be
shipped to England.
• Townsend Act placed
new taxes on tea,
glass and paper.

19. People Create Economic Systems
• Agricultural land
was very
important to many
colonists.
• Quebec Act of
1774
– Enlarged the
size of Quebec.
– Destroyed
western land
claims of
Massachusetts,
Connecticut and
Virginia.

20. People Gain from Voluntary Trade
• Trade was very
important to the
colonial economy.
• Colonial producers
saw Britain’s
tightening mercantile
policy as an obstacle
to free trade.

21. Future Consequences
• Changes in British
policy increased the
risk that the future
would not be as safe
prosperous and free as
the past had been.
– Economic growth was
in doubt.
– Self-government was
threatened.
– Would they every
have liberty?

22. Solve the Mystery
(Activity on pp. 93-94)
• The colonists fought the Revolution
because benefits they had obtained - -
especially prosperity and self-government
- - were threatened.
• The prospect of fighting to secure these
benefits for the future outweighed the
other choices.

23. What about the 14th Colony?
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/3800/f3890/f3890.htm

24. Freedom Week:
The Declaration of Independence
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-you-might-not-know-about-the-declaration-of-independence-kenneth-c-davis#watch
Also on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKJMWHCUoiw

25. Editing the
Declaration of
Independence
President Thomas Jefferson wrote the
Declaration of Independence and John
Adams and Benjamin Franklin edited.
What does this draft show about the
process that Jefferson used to write
the Declaration of Independence?
How is Jefferson’s process similar to
your writing process?
How do you feel about changing your
writing?
How do you feel about other people
suggesting changes to your writing?
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/presidents/

26. Why Did the Founders
Write The Declaration
of Independence?
Historians have disagreed as to
whether the colonial leaders were
motivated by selfish or ideological
reasons.
1. What are some ideological
reasons? (equality, freedom)
2. What are some selfish reasons?
(preserve power/privilege of rich)
3. Hand out the two Historian’s
Interpretations and ask students
to fill in the chart on the next
page.
http://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/Lessons/Unit%203_Revolution%20and%20Early%20America/Declaration%20of%20Independence%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf

27. Why Did the Founders
Write The Declaration
of Independence?
Record what each historian believes in
the chart.
What was their claim?
What evidence did you find to support
their claim?
http://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/Lessons/Unit%203_Revolution%20and%20Early%20America/Declaration%20of%20Independence%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf

28. Why Did the Founders
Write The Declaration
of Independence?
Read the first part of Declaration.
Write in your own words.
Based on the words of the first part of
the do you think the Declaration of
Independence was written for selfish
of ideological reasons?
Do you agree with Bailyn or Zinn?
Create an argument.
http://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/Lessons/Unit%203_Revolution%20and%20Early%20America/Declaration%20of%20Independence%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf

29. Building an Argument
Here are my reasons!
1. _________________
_________________
_________________
2. _________________
_________________
_________________
3. _________________
_________________
_________________
You could argue that…
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
. . .but here is the
weakness . . .
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Here is what I think . . .
Evidence to back up my reasons
Strong Finish!
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

30. Activity: Why is the Declaration of
Independence Important?
http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/226/Lessons%20-%20Elementary/Grade%205%20Model%20Lesson%20One%20-%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.pdf

31. Fair or Unfair?
http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/226/Lessons%20-%20Elementary/Grade%205%20Model%20Lesson%20One%20-%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.pdf

32. Town Hall
http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/226/Lessons%20-%20Elementary/Grade%205%20Model%20Lesson%20One%20-%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.pdf

33. Town Hall
http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/226/Lessons%20-%20Elementary/Grade%205%20Model%20Lesson%20One%20-%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.pdf

34. Step into the Picture Activity
http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/226/Lessons%20-%20Elementary/Grade%205%20Model%20Lesson%20One%20-%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.pdf

35. Step into the Picture Activity
http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/226/Lessons%20-%20Elementary/Grade%205%20Model%20Lesson%20One%20-%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.pdf

36. A Picture Says a Thousand Words
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter11/painting.cfm?showSite=mobile
Interactive painting http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/Winter11/painting/