SS8H3a
Explain the immediate and long-term causes of
the American Revolution and their impact on
Georgia; include the French and Indian War
(Seven Years War), Proclamation of 1763,
Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, and the
Declaration of Independence.
Concepts:
Individuals – Groups – Institutions
Governance
Conflict and Change
Rule of Law
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3a
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What was the French and Indian
War, and how was it a cause of
the American Revolution?
French and English Collide
• The “French and
Indian War”, the
colonial part of the
“Seven Years
War” that ravaged
Europe from 1756
to 1763, was the
bloodiest
American war in
the 1700’s. It took
more lives than
the American
Revolution.
• The war was the product of a clash
between the French and English over
colonial territory.
– Both claimed the area of the Ohio River Valley
• British had begun to trade with Native Americans
• Colonists in Virginia wanted to turn the land into
farmland
• 1754-Washington tried to
drive the French out of the
Ohio River Valley-the French
were too strong
• The English then built Fort
Necessity to keep them out of
the British settlements.
– The English hoped to
convince native people that
England was the stronger
force, so that they would ally
with the British rather than
the French.
• French soldiers and their native allies overwhelmed Fort
Necessity on July 3, 1754, marking the start of the
“French and Indian War” in North America.
• The French permitted Washington and his men to return
to Virginia safely, but made them promise they would not
build another fort west of the Appalachian Mountains for
at least a year.
• England did not officially declare war until 1756.
• The tide turned for the
British in 1758
– peace with important
Indian allies
– began adapting their war
strategies to fit the
territory and landscape of
the American frontier
– Spain joined the French
The end and a new war
• 1762 France and Spain asked for peace
• 1763 Treaty of Paris
– Britain demanded that the two countries give up great
portions of their claims to land in North America
• France gave up its claims to Canada and all territory
east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans
• Spain lost Florida
– But the Spanish still held their territory west of the
Mississippi River and in Central and South America.
FRENCH & INDIAN WAR
1754-1763
CAUSE
• ENGLAND AND
FRANCE WANTED TO
CONTROL THE SAME
LAND THAT WAS WEST
OF THE APPALACHIAN
MTNs AND EAST OF
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
• FRANCE HAD INDIAN
ALLIES THAT THEY
TRADED WITH
• ENGLAND HAS
CONFLICT
COLONISTS WHO
WANTED TO SETTLE
and
THE OHIO RIVER
VALLEY
CHANGE
EFFECT (CHANGE)
• ENGLISH WON THE
WAR
• COLONIES EXPANDED
THEIR BOUNDARIES
WESTWARD (GEORGIA
BOUNDARY BECAME
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
• ENGLAND ACQUIRED
FLORIDA FROM SPAIN
• BRITISH GOV’T BEGAN
TAXING THE
COLONISTS TO HELP
PAY FOR THE WAR –
THIS BECAME THE 1ST
CAUSE OF THE
AMERICAN
REVOLUTION
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3a
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What was the
Proclamation of 1763?
The Proclamation of 1763




Was a British decree made in favor of
Britain’s Native American allies
It reserved land west of the Appalachian
Mountains for the Native Americans
Colonists who were living in this area
were commanded to leave
This made the colonists angry
PROCLAMATION OF 1763
Source: Georgia in the American Experience Textbook
PROCLAMATION
OF 1763
• Violent incidents
such as Pontiac's
Rebellion prompted
the English crown to
attempt to mandate
an end to
encroachments on
territory promised to
the Indians.
• Settlers were not to
establish
themselves west of
the “Proclamation
Line.”
• The effort was
unsuccessful and is
viewed by many to
be a leading cause
of the Revolutionary
War.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3a
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How did the Stamp Act and
Intolerable Acts cause the
American Revolution?
Taxation without Representation



The French and Indian War cost
money
Because of this debt, King George III
raised money by taxing the colonists
But the colonists didn’t have
representatives in Parliament
Taxation without Representation


In 1764, Parliament passed the
Sugar Act, which taxed non-British
imports of sugar, textiles, coffee,
wine, and indigo dye.
The Stamp Act of 1765 set a tax on
all legal documents, permits,
commercial contacts, newspapers,
pamphlets, and playing cards.
STAMP ACT - 1765
Definition: First direct British tax on American colonists.
Every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public and legal
document had to have a Stamp, or British seal, on it. The
Stamp, of course, cost money. The colonists didn't think they
should have to pay for something they had been doing for
free for many years, and they responded in force, with
demonstrations and even with a diplomatic body called the
Stamp Act Congress, which delivered its answer to the
Crown. Seeing the hostile reaction in the colonies, the British
government repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766 but at the
same time passed the Declaratory Act, which said that Great
Britain was superior (and boss of) the American colonies "in
all cases whatsoever." The Stamp Act gave the colonists a
target for their rage. Indeed, the Sons of Liberty was formed in
response to this Act. The Stamp Act Congress also gave the
colonists a model for the Continental Congress.
- SocialStudiesForKids.com
Stamp Act

Colonists ignored the Stamp Act
 Colonists boycotted British goods;
they put pressure on Parliament to
repeal the Stamp Act; created the
Stamp Act Congress
 Parliament voted to end the Stamp
Act in March 1766
This cartoon depicts the repeal of the Stamp Act as a funeral, with Grenville
carrying a child's coffin marked "born 1765, died 1766". - wikipedia.com
INTOLERABLE ACTS
To bring the colonies under control, Britain’s
Parliament passed 4 laws:
1. closing of Boston Harbor until damages from Boston
Tea Party were paid for
2. Cancelled Massachusetts’s royal charter
3. British troops in colonies who committed a crime
were tried back in British courts, not colonial courts
4. Quartering Act – house and feed British soldiers
As a result of these laws, the colonists formed the
First Continental Congress to discuss how to
respond to the British
SS8H3a
Explain the immediate and long-term causes of
the American Revolution and their impact on
Georgia; include the French and Indian War
(Seven Years War), Proclamation of 1763,
Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, and the
Declaration of Independence.
Concepts:
Individuals – Groups – Institutions
Governance
Conflict and Change
Rule of Law
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3a
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What role did the Declaration of
Independence play in the
American Revolution?
Georgia and The Revolution



Georgia did NOT send a representative to
the First Continental Congress because
they had done well as a royal colony and
they worried they needed the help of the
British troops against Native Americans
The FCC formed the Association – they
banned trade with Britain
Georgia sent Lyman Hall to represent
them in the Association
Georgia and The Revolution

The Second Continental Congress formed in
1755; Georgia joined the other colonists to fight
for independence from Great Britain
 On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental
Congress approved the Declaration of
Independence; this document announced the
separation of the 13 colonies from Britain and
was signed by reps from all 13 colonies
DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
The Declaration of
Independence was a formal
document that was written
to officially announce the
colonies' break from Great
Britain.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3b
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What role did Button Gwinnett,
Lyman Hall, and George
Walton play in the American
Revolution?
Button Gwinnett
Was a planter who was elected to
Georgia’s Commons House of Assembly
When the war began, he led opponents of the
Whig Party from all parts of GA
He helped ensure the passage of Georgia’s
first constitution in 1777.
In 1777, he was appointed Georgia’s president
and commander-in-chief
Gwinnett County was named for him.
Lyman Hall
Represented St. John’s Parish in the
Second Continental Congress
He could not vote though because he did not
represent the entire colony.
He signed the Declaration of Independence.
He became governor of Georgia in 1783.
He helped establish UGA.
Hall County is named after him.
George Walton
He was a patriot and active in the
revolutionary government.
He signed the Declaration of Independence.
He was elected governor of Georgia in 1779.
He also served as a U.S. Senator and justice of the
state superior court.
Button Gwinnett, George Walton, and Lyman Hall were the
three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence.
SS8H3b
Analyze the significance of people and
events in Georgia on the Revolutionary War;
include Loyalists, patriots, Elijah Clarke,
Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart, Button
Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton,
Battle of Kettle Creek, and
siege of Savannah.
Concepts:
Individuals – Groups – Institutions
Conflict and Change
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3b
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What’s the difference between a
LOYALIST and a PATRIOT?
American Revolution Groups
LOYALISTS
Though Georgians opposed
British trade regulations,
many hesitated to join the
revolutionary movement that
emerged in the American
colonies in the early 1770s
and resulted in the
Revolutionary War (177583). The colony had
prospered under royal rule,
and many Georgians thought
that they needed the
protection of British troops
against a possible Indian
attack.
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
PATRIOTS
Colonists who opposed British
rule and wanted to break
away and form their own
country. These colonists were
angered over the many ACTS
(rules and taxes) that they
were forced to pay, especially
since they had no voice in
government (Parliament).
The slogan “no taxation
without representation” was
what they rallied behind. The
Patriots would eventually fight
the British in the American
Revolutionary War.
Loyalist v. Patriot

Loyalist – colonists
who stayed loyal to
Britain. They were
also called Tories.
They wanted Britain
to continue ruling the
colonies.

Patriot – colonists
who rebelled against
British rule. They
were also called
Whigs. They wanted
to break free from
British rule.
SS8H3b
Analyze the significance of people and
events in Georgia on the Revolutionary War;
include Loyalists, patriots, Elijah Clarke,
Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart, Button
Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton,
Battle of Kettle Creek, and
siege of Savannah.
Concepts:
Individuals – Groups – Institutions
Conflict and Change
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3b
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What role did Nancy Hart,
Austin Dabney, and Elijah
Clarke play in the American
Revolution?
Nancy Hart
Revolutionary Heroine
Georgia's most acclaimed female participant during the
Revolutionary War (1775-83) was Nancy Hart. A devout
patriot, Hart gained notoriety during the revolution for her
determined efforts to rid the area of Tories, English
soldiers, and British sympathizers. Her single-handed
efforts against Tories and Indians in the Broad River
frontier, as well as her covert activities as a patriot spy,
have become the stuff of myth, legend, and local folklore.
-
Nancy Hart
• She, her husband, and eight children lived outside of
Elberton, GA.
• Five Tories stopped at her house and demanded she
cook dinner for them.
• They were bragging about a murder they committed of a
Whig.
• While they drank, she took their guns and sent her
children to get help
• They figured out she had taken their guns, and when
they rushed her, she shot one of them.
• She held them at gunpoint until help arrived.
• Hart County is named after her (only county named after
a woman).
BATTLE OF KETTLE CREEK
The most important event to
occur at Kettle Creek took place
on Sunday, February 14, 1779.
On that morning 600 American
supporters of the British cause,
popularly known as Loyalists or
Tories, encamped atop a hill in
a bend of the creek.
Elijah Clarke and other patriot
soldiers were able to defeat the
loyalists and prevented the
British from invading northern
Georgia.
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
Elijah Clarke
Elijah Clarke was a
patriot and a hero of the
Revolutionary War from
Georgia. Clarke
County is named for
him. On February 14,
1779, Clarke led a
charge in the rebel
victory at Kettle Creek,
Georgia.
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
Austin Dabney
Austin Dabney was a slave who became a private in the Georgia militia
and fought against the British during the Revolutionary War (1775-83).
He was the only African American to be granted land by the state of
Georgia in recognition of his bravery and service during the Revolution
and one of the few to receive a federal military pension.
Born in Wake County, North Carolina, in the 1760s, Austin Dabney
moved with his master, Richard Aycock, to Wilkes County, Georgia, in the
late 1770s. In order to avoid military service himself, Aycock sent Dabney
to join the Georgia militia as a substitute. Serving as an artilleryman
under Elijah Clarke, Dabney is believed to have been the only black
soldier to participate in the Battle of Kettle Creek, one of the most
significant battles in Georgia, which took place near Washington on
February 14, 1779. He was severely wounded in the thigh during the
fighting, and Giles Harris, a white soldier, took Dabney to his home to
care for the wound. Dabney remembered Harris's kindness and worked
for the Harris family for the rest of his life. - New Georgia Encyclopedia
Austin Dabney
• He was an enslaved man who served
under Elijah Clarke
• He was the only African-American soldier
to fight in the Battle of Kettle Creek.
• In recognition of his bravery, the state of
Georgia gave Dabney some land.
SS8H3b
Analyze the significance of people and
events in Georgia on the Revolutionary War;
include Loyalists, patriots, Elijah Clarke,
Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart, Button
Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton,
Battle of Kettle Creek, and
siege of Savannah.
Concepts:
Individuals – Groups – Institutions
Conflict and Change
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SS8H3b
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What is significant about the
siege of Savannah during the
Revolutionary War?
Siege of Savannah
This drawing by a British officer details the failed attempt by American and
French forces to recapture Savannah from British troops on October 9, 1779.
Siege of Savannah
• Governor Sir James Wright returned to Georgia on July 14, 1779,
and announced the restoration of Georgia to the crown, with the
privilege of exemption from taxation. Thus Georgia became the first,
and ultimately the only one, of the thirteen states in rebellion to be
restored to royal allegiance.
• On September 3, 1779, a French fleet of twenty-five ships appeared
unexpectedly off the Georgia coast. Count Charles Henri d'Estaing
intended to oblige George Washington by stopping off on his way
back to France to recapture Savannah. He disembarked his army of
4,000-5,000 men on the Vernon River and proceeded to besiege
Savannah. Major General Benjamin Lincoln hurried over from South
Carolina with his army of patriots to join in the siege.
• On October 9, 1779, the allies launched a grand assault upon the
British lines and suffered 752 casualties, while the British defenders
lost only 18 killed and 39 wounded. Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish
nobleman who had volunteered to fight for the cause of liberty, died.
The battered French army withdrew to its ships, and Benjamin
Lincoln's troops returned to Charleston.
Siege of Savannah
• In 1779, GA’s royal governor Wright returned to
GA to restore the colony to the British Crown
• A French fleet surprised GA’s loyalists to
recapture Savannah for the patriots
• Soldiers from France fought with the patriots to
secure Savannah
• The patriots suffered 1,000 casualties and the
British only lost 18; the patriots were defeated
• The siege had failed; Savannah stayed under
British control until the end of the Revolution in
1782