EOC Test Preparation: Birth of a Nation. American Revolution Causes – Mercantilism: countries grow wealthier through exporting more than they import –

EOC Test Preparation: Birth of a Nation

American Revolution

• Causes– Mercantilism: countries grow wealthier through

exporting more than they import– Navigation Acts: required colonies to sell certain

goods only to England– French and Indian War– Taxes: Stamp Act

American Revolution• French and Indian War

(1754)– French settlers had

made alliances with Native Americans

– Tensions arose between British colonists and French and NA

– 9 years of fighting, France lost• Gave up all territory in

Canada and lands east of Miss. R.

American Revolution

• Tensions Rise Between Colonists and British– GB held colonists responsible for war debt, forced

to pay more taxes – Writs of assistance: general search warrants that

allowed British authorities to search for whatever, whenever

– Native Americans were attacking colonists, so King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763• Colonists could not settle west of the App. Mnts.

American Revolution

• Tensions (cont.)– 1760s: Parliament passes series of laws and taxes

• Quartering Act• Stamp Act

– Stamp Act Congress– James Otis: No taxation w/o representation

– Colonists boycott British goods• Sons of Liberty: sometimes violent• GB cancelled the law

– Declaratory Act: Parliament had authority to impose laws on colonies

American Revolution• Tensions (cont)– 1767: Parliament passes

Townshend Acts• Tax on imported goods (glass

and tea)• Troops had to be sent to

Boston to stop protests

– Boston Massacre• March 1770-mob of

protesters are fired on and several are left dead

The Revolutionary Cause

• Salutary neglect caused Americans to want more control

• Dec. 1773: colonists dressed as Mohawks and raided ships hauling tea and goods into the Boston Harbor

• Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts:– Parliament’s response to Boston Tea Party– Military governor over Mass. – Expanded Canadian border to take land away from

Colonists

The Revolutionary Cause

• Nearly every colony sent a representative in Sept. 1774 to the First Continental Congress– Want to be represented in

British gov. • Lexington and Concord– April 1775– British troops were going to

seize arms stored by colonists in Mass.

– Met by colonial militia– “Shot heard ‘round the world”

The Revolutionary Cause

• Second Continental Congress met to discuss what to do next

• Thomas Paine (1776) and Common Sense– Independence

Declaration of Independence

• June 1776• Thomas Jefferson

drafted the document• Egalitarianism-all men

are created equal– Inalienable rights: life,

liberty, pursuit of happiness

Declaration of Independence

• After signing the document, 13 states were official and made their own state constitutions

• Declaration eventually formed the foundation of the Constitution

• What were the ethical issues of the Declaration??

The War for Independence

• British did not believe it would be a long way– Strong army and navy

• Americans were more motivated to win and were fighting at home, not abroad– If they lost, what would happen to the leaders of

the American side??

The War for Independence

• Loyalists vs. Patriots– Loyalists were loyal to

the British King• Many southerners due

to economics

– Patriots supported fight for independence

The War for Independence

• Battle of Bunker Hill– Serious fighting between Americans and British– British won but suffered serious casualties

• George Washington– Commander of the Continental Army– Washington not successful at first– Odds were against him– First big victory in Dec. 1776: crossed the Delaware River

on Christmas and attacked the Hessians in Trenton, NJ– Moved on to another surprise attack at Princeton

The War for Independence• North– Saratoga, NY• General Horatio Gates

led the US to victory• Convinced French to

help the US

– Valley Forge• Harsh winter for

Continental Army in PA• Many men died, but

surviving the winter made men more determined to win and gain more training

The War for Independence

• South– SC won a big victory in Charleston against British

navy• Palmetto tree

– But by 1780, British had captured Charleston and Savannah

– General Lord Corwallis sought to invade NC following win at Camden

– But Patriots were victorious at Kings Mountain and Cowpens

The War for Independence

• South (cont.)– Francis Marion (Swamp Fox) and Thomas Sumter

(Gamecock) each led their own groups of guerilla forces• Attacked British

– Cornwallis did invade NC eventually• Nathanael Greene led US forces to VA and tired out

Cornwallis and supplies • Battle of Guilford Courthouse (Greensboro): British won

but at a huge cost

The War for Independence• Yorktown– After Greensboro, Cornwallis needed supplies and

marched forces north of Yorktown, VA– Washington marched south to trap him between

the 2 sides of the Continental Army– French navy blockaded British ships that were

attempting to rescue Cornwallis– Oct. 19, 1781: Cornwallis surrendered • Basically the end of the war

Establishing a Government

• Articles of Confederation– Nation’s first set of laws– Limited central gov.– Confederation would have

more power– Ratified in 1781, failed b/c it

did not give enough power to fed. Gov.

– For any law passed by Congress to be final: 9/13 states had to agree• Rare

Establishing a Government

• Articles of Confederation (cont.)– Congress had to ask states for $, couldn’t raise

taxes– Impossible to create a national military

• Following the war, US experienced an economic crisis– Depression, currency was very low, $ was scarce,

falling farm prices meant ppl. Couldn’t pay off loans

Establishing a Government

• Shays Rebellion– Daniel Shay led a rebellion

due to Mass. Taxes despite the depression

– No national military to put down rebellion, Mass. Had to deal with it on their own.

– Showed the states that Articles needed to be revised

Constitutional Convention• US Constitution created in 1787– Convention was meant to revise Articles, instead they

scraped the document and started over– Not perfect...

• Great Compromise– Randolph and James Madison of VA introduced the VA Plan:

• Fed. Gov. made up of 3 branches • 2 houses made up of representatives based off of population

– NJ Plan:• 3 branches but one house and each state got one vote

– CT Compromise/Great Compromise: • 3 branches• Senate: 2 seats• House of Representatives: based off of state population

Constitutional Convention

• Three-Fifths Compromise– Issue with population when it came to slaves• How would they be counted?

Constitutional Convention

• Slave Trade Compromise– Northerners who opposed slavery agreed to allow

it to continue for 20 years– After, Congress would impose regulation

• Bill of Rights– First 10 amendments

Constitutional Convention

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists– Feds: strong central gov, supported the

Constitution• Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay• Loose interpretation• Federalist Papers• Won the most support

– Anti: opposed and wanted stronger state gov.• Thomas Jefferson • Strict interpretation

Political Conflicts

• Hamilton’s Economic Plan– Lots of debt, value of currency

was low– Proposed that fed. Gov. take on

state debts that were due to the war

– Raise revenue and strengthen economy by:• establishing an excise tax on

whiskey and imports (tariffs), • Start a national bank

Political Conflicts

• Thomas Jefferson went against Hamilton’s plan– Gov. had to follow what was strictly written in

Constitution• Hamilton argued that the “necessary and

proper clause” of the Constitution gave the government the right to charter a bank.

Political Conflicts

• Southerners opposed Hamilton’s plan due to tariffs and didn’t want to pay for other states’ debts.

• Whiskey tax unpopular in PA, MD, VA, NC– Whiskey Rebellion (1794)• Won’t pay tax, rebelled violently• President Washington sent military force • People felt like fed. Gov. was too strong

Political Parties Emerge

• Washington's farewell speech:– US should stay neutral, no alliances– Gov. should be based off of religion and

morality– Political parties were dangerous

• Federalist Party: strong national gov, upper classes should have the power, business over agriculture. – Hamilton

• Democratic-Republicans: stronger state gov., favor interests of small farmers and debtors– Thomas Jefferson

Political Party Issues

• Fear of getting entangled in foreign wars, as well as foreign wars influencing Americans causing more rebellion– Naturalization Act – Alien Act– Sedition Act– Voting restrictions

Political Party Issues

• VA and KY Resolutions– If a state believed a federal law to be

unconstitutional, did not have to obey or enforce it

– Doctrine of Nullification

Sections of the Constitution• Preamble and Article I– Preamble: first sentence– First article: established the

legislative branch and it’s roles• Article II– Established the executive branch

• Impeachment• Electoral College

• Article III– Established the judicial branch

• Articles are followed by 27 amendments

Sections of the Constitution

• Bill of Rights– First 10 Amendments

• 1st: PRAPS• 2nd: Right to bear arms• 3rd: restricts quartering of troops• 4th: protects against unreasonable search and seizure• 5th: cannot be imprisoned/deprived of property without due process• 6th: Rights of accused • 7th: Trial by jury for civil cases• 8th: Rights for those found guilty of a crime• 9th: More rights exist besides these listed• 10th: anything not specifically listed becomes a state power