American Revotution

2. Much more than a revolt
against British taxes and
trade regulations, the
American Revolution was
the first modern
revolution. It marked the
first time in history that a
people fought for their
independence in the name
of certain universal
principles such as rule of
law, constitutional rights,
and popular sovereignty.

3. American Revolution
1754–1763 The French and Indian War
1763–1766 The Sugar and Stamp Acts
1767–1774 The Boston Massacre and Tea Party
1772–1775 The Revolution Begins
1776–1777 American Society in Revolt
1776 The Declaration of Independence
1775–1783 The Revolutionary War

4. Before and during the French
and Indian War, Britain
essentially left its American
colonies to run themselves in an
age of salutary neglect. Given
relative freedom to do as they
pleased, the North American
settlers turned to unique forms of
government to match their
developing new identity as
Americans. They established
representative legislatures and
democratic town meetings. They
also enjoyed such rights as local
judiciaries and trials by jury in
which defendants were assumed
innocent until proven guilty.

5. The British defeated the French and
their Indian allies in the French and
Indian War (1754-1763). The result
was British control over much of
North America. But the war had
cost England a great deal of money
and Parliament decided it was time
for the Colonies to pay a share for
their own defense.

6. To raise money, Parliament passed the
Stamp Act in 1765. This law required the
purchase of tax stamps to buy paper.
It was an act of the Parliament of Great
Britain that imposed a direct tax on the
colonies and required that many printed
materials in the colonies be produced
on stamped paper produced in London,
carrying an embossed revenue stamp.
These printed materials were legal
documents, magazines, playing cards,
newspapers and many other types of
paper used throughout the colonies.
Like previous taxes, the stamp tax had to
be paid in valid British currency, not in
colonial paper money

8. A law passed by the British Parliament in
1764 raising duties on foreign refined
sugar imported by the colonies so as to
give British sugar growers in the West
Indies a monopoly on the colonial market.

12. The people of Boston were most
outspoken and violent in their
reaction to taxes. They threatened
and harmed British customs
officials trying to collect taxes. So,
the British quartered troops in
Boston to protect their officials. In
1770, the Boston Massacre occurred
as British troops fired into a group
of protesters, killing five of them.
This was the first blood.

13. In 1773 the East India Company was
granted a virtual monopoly on the
importation of tea. In protest, a group
of Boston citizens disguised as
Mohawk Indians boarded a ship and
dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston
harbor.

14. Parliament responded with the "Intolerable Acts.“
•Accused Colonists could be tried in England
•American homes were forced to host British troops
•Boston Harbor was closed

15. Twelve colonies sent delegates to discuss how to return to a state of harmonious
relations with the Mother Country — not revolution! But radical thinking won out.
Parliamentary acts were declared "unconstitutional."
Taxes were not paid, an import-export ban was established, and Colonists were
urged to arm themselves.
This resulted in the First Continental Congress, in 1774, which met at
Philadelphia's Carpenters' Hall.

16. The "shot heard 'round the world" was
fired at Lexington were armed colonists
tried to resist British seizure of an arsenal.
8 Americans died in the skirmish. By the
time the British returned to their lines, 273
British were killed, three times more than
the number of colonists killed.

17. The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May 10,
1775 and they declared themselves the government. They talked
about ways to make Britain treat the colonies
more fairly. Britain ignored these ideas and sent troops to
control the colonists.
The colonists organized their own army, commander of which
was George Washington . The American Revolution began.

18. In June 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill
resulted in about 400 American and 1,054
British casualties. The first major battle of
the War gave the Americans great
confidence.

19. Skirmishes in late 1775 led to the capture of Fort
Ticonderoga in New York and a win at the Battle of
Crown Point, under the command of Ethan Allen.
However, Benedict Arnold's attempt to capture
Canada for the Americans failed.

20. Colonists wanted independence from
Britain. They thought the British were
treating them unfairly. In 1776,
Congress asked Thomas Jefferson and
others to write a declaration of
independence.
They needed a document to declare
why the colonies had to become
independent of Britain. In this
document, Jefferson wrote what many
Americans believed about their rights.
Jefferson wrote that
people have the right to live, the right
to be free, and the right to seek
happiness. The Declaration explains
why the colonies should break away
from Britain.
It says that people have rights that
cannot be taken away, lists the
complaints
against the king, and argues that the
colonies have to be free to protect the
colonists’ rights.

21. On July 4th, 1776, Congress adopts the
Declaration of Independence. The
United States was born.

22. Results Of
the American Revolution

23. The revolution had a large
political effect on the
world. Since the colonists
won, a new nation was
born.
This new nation would
create new laws and new
ideas such as insuring
domestic peace, providing
for the common defence,
and promoting the general
welfare.
It would also become a
world leader and set an
example for centuries to
come.

24. The Revolution played an
important role from an
economic view as well. Like
most wars, the American
Revolution strengthened the
economy. It created a great deal
of business for small shop
workers. However, after the
war, the new nation was in
debt because of all the money it
borrowed to fight the war.

25. The Revolution was
very important from
a social side too.
It showed the world
that the strong and
mighty army of
England was in fact
vulnerable.

26. About 7,200 Americans
died in battle during
the Revolution. Another
10,000 died from
disease or exposure
and about 8,500 died in
British prisons.

27. A quarter of the slaves in
South Carolina and Georgia
escaped from bondage
during the Revolution. The
Northern states outlawed
slavery or adopted gradual
emancipation plans.

29. The states adopted written
constitutions that guaranteed
religious freedom, increased the
legislature's size and powers,
made taxation more
progressive, and reformed
inheritance laws.

30. The success of the Revolution
in America inspired other
countries to fight for a fairer
and more equal society
including France and Ireland.
Many of the French soldiers
who had fought on the side of
the colonists brought the
revolutionary ideas home
with them.