American Revolution

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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION OR

WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

13 North American Colonies GREAT BRITAIN

VS

British colonies in

North America

New England

Middle Colonies

Southern Colonies

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-Fought between the English and French over control of the land in North America.

-The English wanted to push west, but the French blocked them. The war started over land disputes between the two nations.

-Each side used Native Americans to help fight the war.

1. FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR: (1754-1763)

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-England won the war.

-France lost colonies in North America.

-War was very expensive for the English. The British Parliament wantedAmerican colonists to help pay for the cost of war.

North America: 1750 North America: 1765

This map shows both the French and English lands in North

America.

This map shows the English colonies and new land taken from the French in

North America.

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Sugar Act (1764): England places a tax on sugar, coffee, indigo, and molasses.

Sugar Cane used to make sugar. Sugar used to make molasses. Molasses used to make rum. Rum was one of the most popular and common drinks in the colonies.

BRITISH PARLIAMENT PASSES NEW LAWS: -Parliament passes taxes to control the colonies and raise money to pay for the war.

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Stamp Act (1765):

-England placed a tax on all legal documents: bills of sale, contracts, wills, newspapers, cards. -Americans are angry with tax: Say the tax is unfair: “No Taxation Without Representation.” -Americans begin to organize and protest against the taxes.

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Boston Massacre: March 5, 1770

-Started as a protest against British government by colonists.

-Colonists threw snowballs at soldiers and taunted them by calling them names.

-Soldiers fired on crowd killing 5 colonists. Someone from the crowed yelled “fire.”

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Tea Act (1773):

-British Parliament passed a law which lowered the price of tea, but still left the tax on the tea.

-Colonists saw the law as a way of hurting American merchants.

Boston Tea Party (1773):

-Colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded ships in Boston Harbour. They dumped crates of tea into the harbour as a protest against Tea Act.

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AMERICAN COLONISTS TAKE ACTION

“No Taxation Without Representation”

Colonists very angry over new taxes and laws. Colonists felt that Parliament and the king did not have the right to tax the colonists without colonial representation in Parliament.

How it worked:

1. All taxes and laws are made by the King of England and Parliament.

2. Only people living in England may elect members to Parliament.

3. If Americans cannot elect members to Parliament, then they have no representation there.

4. These Americans say the taxes are unfair and refuse to pay them. They say that they have the same rights as Englishmen and want representation.

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First Continental Congress (1774):

Representatives from colonies meet in Philadelphia to discuss their rights. -Send petition to King to try to restore peace. -Asked King to repeal the Acts. -Said they had the right to make colonial laws. -Threatened to halt exports to Britain -Organized a boycott of British goods. -Parliament responded by adding new taxes to the colonies.

-Colonies form militias to prepare for war.

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The American ( Patriot) Army

In the beginning, the American Army was made up of farmers, frontiersmen, and townspeople who left their homes to fight the British. Many believed the war would be short.

-At first, they had to provide their own weapons, ammunition, and uniforms.

-Over time, they would be formed into regular units with uniforms and proper equipment.

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The Battle of Saratoga:

The British met an American army

at Saratoga, north of New York.

This is seen as a turning point in the

war. The Americans won this battle.

The French then began to send help

To the Americans

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Declaration of Independence (1776) Written by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and several others.

-Declared independence and created the United States of America.

-Purpose: Break ties with England and create United States of America.

-Purpose of Gov’t: Protect the rights, liberties of the people.

-Power comes from the people.

-Ideas did not apply to women, slaves, or Indians.

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“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of

Happiness”.

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Reasons why the American colonists believed that they would win the war.

ADVANTAGES: 1. They were fighting for their homes, families, lives, and freedom. 2. George Washington was a strong leader 3. They were fighting on their home ground. 4. They used guerilla tactics 5. They had a large area and no one capital so they simply kept moving

DISADVANTAGES: 1. Poorly trained army and no navy. 2. No money to fight a war. 3. Inexperienced government. 4 .Poor equipment and lack of food. 5. Soldiers could leave when they wanted.

Reasons why most people believed that England would win the war.

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Reasons why England believed it would win its war with America.

ADVANTAGES: 1. Professional army and navy organised to carry out different attacks. 2. Factories to make war materials. 3. Money to feed and supply an army. 4. A government to make decisions. 5. Indians on British side.

Reasons why England might not win the war.

DISADVANTAGES: 1. England had a 3000 mile supply line. 2. America is a large piece of land and not easy to control or conquer. 3. It took 2 - 6 months for instructions to arrive from the UK by which time the situation had changed 4. The British did not trust the Loyalists fully

Philadelphia Convention, June 1787

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Treaty of Paris, 1783

The “official” end of the war

North America After the Treaty of Paris, 1783

Disputed Territorial Claims Between Spain & U. S., 1783-1796