HTAV Student Lectures
Sunday October 13th 2013
Lauren Perfect
Haileybury
lauren.perfect@haileybury.vic.edu.au
The Exam – Section A
American Revolution
Suggested Resources
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http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au
http://alphahistory.com/
https://tutorondemand.com.au/
Textbooks, reading compilations etc.
Written notes, reading summaries etc.
Lectures and presentations
Podcasts, wikis, apps, social media sites
Classmates and forums
Your teacher and other teachers 
Section A, Qu 1 & 2 of the Exam
The Task
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2 extended questions
Answer both
1 page per response
10 marks each response
Total 20 marks
Spend 30 minutes maximum
Section A, Qu 1 & 2 of the Exam
The Content
• Revolutionary Ideas, Leaders, Movements
and Events
• 1763 (End of French and Indian War) –
1776 (Declaration of Independence)
Concepts to Consider
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Mercantilism
Acts of Trade and Navigation
Salutary Neglect
Self Government in Colonies
French and Indian War (1757-63)
Key Legislation and responses…
(Events)
The Proclamation Act (1763)
• Aimed to avoid conflict with native Americans
• Prevent settlement territory difficult to control or
govern
• Proclamation line ran through the Appalachian
Mountains
• All who had settled West of this line were
ordered to return East
Colonial Response: The Proclamation Act (1763)
• Some colonists (particularly new settlers and
land speculators) were angered
• Desire to expand further into the West (the Ohio
valley)
• Colonists believed it was their right to expand
following victory over the French
• Despite anger, only temporary
• Difficult to enforce Act, no government control or
police on the frontier
• Some colonists ignored the act and crossed the
line
The Sugar Act (1764)
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Existed since 1733
Part of Acts of Trade and Navigation
Renewed every 5 years
Renewed in 1763, for 1 year only
Reviewed and found to be inefficient and
corrupt
The Sugar Act (1764)
• Revenue Act (1764) – known as the Sugar
Act
• Reduced duty on foreign molasses to
three pence a gallon (previously sixpence)
• Sweeping powers to customs officials
• Increased patrols to prevent smuggling
• Revenue to defend colonies
Colonial Response: The Sugar Act (1764)
• Merchants and distillers were angered in
New England
• Official protests lodged
• Otis and Adams – come to the forefront in
protest, later discussed in ‘ideas’ section
• No genuine unity in protest between
colonies
The Stamp Act (1765)
• First tabled in 1764
• Revenue raising act
• Aimed to finance defence of the colonies and
also to enforce mercantilist policies
• All revenue raised would be returned to England
• A tax on legal documents: titles, bills of sale,
wills, contracts, diplomas, playing cards and dice
• Stamp indicated the tax had been paid
• Paid for in coin (specie)
Colonial Response: The Stamp Act (1765)
• Wide-reaching act, all classes of society
impacted
• Virtually no stamps sold
• Otis, ‘The Rights of the British Colonies
Asserted and Proved’ (July 1764)
• Boycott of British goods in protest
• ‘No Taxation without Representation’
Results: The Stamp Act (1765)
• Trade slumped and British merchants
pressured British parliament to repeal the
act
• Henry ‘Virginia Resolves’ (May 1765)
• Sons of Liberty and the Stamp Act Riots
(August 1765)
• The Stamp Act Congress (October 1765)
• Repealed March 1766
The Declaratory Act (1766)
• Passed at the same time the Stamp Act
was repealed
• Stated that Britain had the right to pass
laws relating to her colonies in ‘all cases
whatsoever’
Colonial Response: The Declaratory Act (1766)
• Significance unrecognised by many
• A ‘face-saving’ measure after the Stamp Act was
repealed?
• Many colonists ignored it
• In reality it was a clear signal that the British
government intended to take further steps to tax
the colonies to recover the cost of colonial
expenditure
The Townshend Acts (1767)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer, Charles
Townshend exerted powers in William
Pitt’s absence
• Government accused by opposition as
being ‘soft’ on colonials
• A series of revenue-raising acts
• Import taxes or duties placed on a variety
of items: glass, lead, paints, paper and tea
Colonial Response: The Townshend Acts (1767)
• Again, the colonists were angered
• Boycott of British goods again
• Non-importation agreements strengthen
protest
• Active protest to British parliament
• Confidence high after the repeal of the
Stamp Act
Colonial Response: The Townshend Acts (1767)
• Circular Letter 1768 (Sam Adams)
• Mob violence
• Increased British Redcoat presence in
Boston
• Increased tension
• Boston Massacre 5 March 1770
Results: The Townshend Acts (1767)
• Duties removed in 1770
• Severe slump in trade
• British merchants pressured the
parliament to remove it
• Duty on tea remained
• Peaceful period follows (three years)
The Tea Act (1773)
• Aimed to force the colonies to buy tea
from the East India Company
• Fledging British company with a surplus of
tea
• Act would ensure a virtual monopoly on
tea sales in American colonies for the
company
Colonial Response: The Tea Act (1773)
• Colonists outraged
• Didn’t feel parliament had the right to
restrict trade
• Boycott of British tea
• Smuggling of foreign tea
• Boston Tea Party December 1773
• Tea tipped overboard in symbolic act of
protest (Boston Port)
Results: The Tea Act (1773)
• Immediate impact in Britain
• Colonists were forced to repay the East
India Company for the cost of the tea and
the duties owing
• Strengthening of control over the colonies
by British parliament (especially
Massachusetts)
The Coercive Acts (1774)
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British response to the Tea Party
Four acts
Tightened British control on the colonies
Boston Port Act
Massachusetts Government Act
Administration of Justice Act
Quartering Act
Quebec Act – passed in conjunction, but not
actually part of the Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts (1774)
• The port of Boston was closed
• A military governor was appointed in
Massachusetts, the Upper House was now to
only comprise of members appointed by him
• Trial of British for offences in Massachusetts
could now be tried in England or another colony
• Colonists were ordered to quarter (pay upkeep
and potentially house) British troops
Colonial Response: The Coercive Acts (1774)
• Colonists labeled them the ‘Intolerable Acts’
• Active protests and petitions to the King
• Virginian support leads to dissolution of House
of Burgesses and meeting at Raleigh Tavern
• Meeting called for a continental congress to
discuss the crisis (Henry)
• Massachusetts House of Representatives echo
this call
• The first unified meeting of the 13 colonies was
destined to take place
The First Continental Congress (1774)
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Commenced September 1774
Philadelphia
45 representatives
12 colonies (Georgia not represented)
Petitioned the King, pledging loyalty
Number of resolves
The First Continental Congress (1774)
• Enforced boycotting all British imports and
trade until the acts had been lifted
• Henry, “I am not a Virginian but an
American”
• Suffolk Resolves adopted
• Galloway Plan (Plan of Union) - rejected
• End October 1774
• Resolved to meet again May 1775
British Response:
The First Continental Congress (1774)
• King and British Parliament did not falter
• Believed it was better to ‘nip rebellion in
the bud’ in a short war rather than address
issues later
• British raised military ready to suppress
the rebellion in colonial America
Second Continental Congress (1775)
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Commenced May 1775
48 members
Georgia represented
Plan of Union not likely
War had already broken out – Lexington
and Concord (April 1775)
• Washington attends in militia uniform
Second Continental Congress (1775)
• Adopt army made up of colonial militia
• Washington appointed commander
• Declaration of the ‘Causes and
Necessities of Taking up Arms’
• Justified why war was necessary
• Olive Branch Petition to King – arrived
after the King had already rejected
conciliation with the colonies
During the Congress
• Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ January 1776
• Challenged the authority of the British
government and the royal monarchy
• Used plain language to appeal to the
common people of the colonies
• Change in ideological thought – openly
asked for Independence
• Push towards separation
Declaring Independence (1776)
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Second Continental Congress
Drafted by Jefferson
Approved July 4th 1776
Declaration of Independence signed
during the Congress confirming separation
of Britain and America
Declaration of Independence (1776)
Key ideas:
• All men had the right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness
• It was the duty of governments to protect
these rights
• Reflected the liberal Enlightenment ideas
(discussed in ideas section)
Leaders
George Washington
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The most prominent figure of the revolution
French and Indian War
Virginian landowner and planter
Member of Virginian House of Burgesses
Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army
First President of United States of America
Outspoken critic of England’s colonial policies in
the 1760s
Thomas Jefferson
• Member of the Virginian House of Burgesses
• Author of the Virginian Constitution, Declaration
of Independence
• Many other important documents
• A Summary View of the Rights of British
America, 1774
• Not a prominent speaker or ‘active’ leader
• Contribution is ideological and in penning key
documents
Benjamin Franklin
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The most famous American of his time
Scientist
Pennsylvania Assembly delegate
Agent in England for the colonies – intercepted
personal letters of Hutchinson and Oliver
• Slow to support independence of the colonies,
but a strong believer in unity
• Suggested that the 13 colonies unite in 1754 –
‘Albany Plan’ – ‘Join or Die’
Thomas Paine
• A prominent pamphleteer
• Penned two of the most important
revolutionary documents
• Common Sense, January 1776
• Written using plain language, expressed
why the colonies must become
independent
• The American Crisis, late 1776 (out of this
AOS)
• Strengthened morale following a series of
defeats in late 1776
Samuel Adams
• A prominent activist in Boston
• Leader of the Sons of Liberty, Committees of
Correspondence (1772), Solemn League and
Covenant (1774)
• Organiser of the Boston Massacre (1770) and
Tea Party (1773)
• Prominent and inspiring speaker and author
• ‘The Rights of the Colonists’ (1772)
• ‘Grass-roots’ contribution - able to recruit,
organise and communicate with common people
Patrick Henry
• Questionable impact on the revolution, despite
fame
• Member of Virginian House of Burgesses
• Biographer reconstructed two most famous
‘radical’ and ‘inflammatory’ speeches in the
Virginia House of Burgesses
• Caesar/Brutus speech - “If this be treason, make
the most of it!” (1765)
• “Give me liberty, or give me death” (1775)
Other Leaders
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John Adams
Paul Revere
James Otis
John Dickinson
John Hancock
Consider other prominent individuals
Movements
Sons of Liberty
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Most famous movement
Existed in almost every colony
August 1765
Based in large cities such as Boston
Created and spread propaganda
Organised acts such as the Stamp Act Riots
(1765), Boston Massacre (1770), Boston Tea
Party (1773)
• Harassment of the British and loyalist colonists
Committees of Correspondence
• Existed temporarily since 1764 - dealt with
current issue and then disbanded
• 1772 established – Adams and Warren
• Sometimes intertwined with the Sons of
Liberty
• Various and existed in many colonies
• Purpose was to spread the word about
events, ideas and British ‘tyranny’
• Also to protect the natural rights of colonists
• Usually spread their message through letters
and pamphlets but sometimes by meetings
Continental Congress
• Is this a revolutionary movement?
• It formed illegally and passed laws that led
to revolutionary events
• Nominated representatives from the 13
colonies
• However, not democratically elected
• Can this body be considered as a
revolutionary government?
Continental Army
• The military branch of the revolution
• Not ideologically based
• However, many sympathetic to the
revolutionary cause
• National unity and identity grew out of this
group
• For many, this was the first contact with
men from other colonies
Ideas
The Enlightenment
• A period during the 1600s and 1700s
• Questioning of the traditional world order
• Science, medicine, philosophy, politics
and art also questioned
• Much revolutionary thought stemmed from
this period
Natural Rights
• ‘Natural rights of man’
• John Locke
• It was suggested that the purpose of
government was to serve the people,
rather than vice versa
• Also suggested that the role of
governments was to protect natural rights,
not control or limit them
• Otis developed this idea into his theory of
Natural Law
Popular Sovereignty
• Challenges divine right
• The right of governments to rule came
from the people, not from the birthright of a
monarch
• Widely expressed through the idea of
‘taxation without representation’ – the first
key grievance of the revolutionaries
Actual and Virtual Representation
• Actual representation - each person in an
electorate is directly represented in the
assembly by an elected figure
In opposition
• Virtual representation - parliamentarians
represented the best interests of constituents,
whether they had directly elected them or not
Nationalism
• Developing notion of nationalism – a
separation from being ‘English’
• Lived thousands of miles away – different
geography, people, climate, values etc.
• ‘New World’ vs ‘Old World’ of Europe
Republicanism and Constitutionalism
• Republicanism – a system of government
without a monarch (links to Roman
Empire)
• Constitutionalism – a written framework for
government
• Both major features of the new society –
this is central to AOS 2
2012 VCAA Exam
Question One
• Using three or four points, explain how
the groups known as the Sons of Liberty
contributed to the increased development
of the American Revolution between 1765
and 1776.
Provide evidence to support your answer.
2012 VCAA Examiners Report
Poor answers:
• Simply listed key members of the group
(Adams and Hancock)
• Simply listed key events the group was
involved in (Boston Massacre and Tea
Party)
2012 VCAA Examiners Report
Good answers:
• Identified the origins of the group (Loyal
Nine)
• Identified the reasons for the
establishment of the group (response to
Stamp Act)
• Identified key acts of disobedience
• Explained the desire of the group to alter
British policy
2012 VCAA Exam
Question Two
• Using three or four points, explain how
the ideas eventually contained in the
Declaration of Independence contributed
to a revolutionary situation between 1763
and 1776.
Provide evidence to support your answer.
2012 VCAA Examiners Report
Poor Answers:
• Did not focus enough on the whole period
of study (1763-1776) and how ideas
eventually contained in the Declaration of
Independence were prevalent prior to
1776
• Confused the Declaration of
Independence with the Constitution
• Generalised statements about ‘motherhood’
2012 VCAA Examiners Report
Good Answers:
• Covered the period 1763-1776
• Explored the notion of revolutionary
leaders crystallising guiding principles and
link them to key events before 1776 (e.g.
‘right to property’ linked to ‘no taxation
without representation’ and ‘righto to life’
linked to British troops threatening this e.g.
Boston Massacre)
General Advice for Section A,
Questions 1 & 2
• Learn your ‘facts’ – study techniques (cue cards,
timelines etc.)
• Ensure you are clear about the outcomes of particular
actions or events – study techniques (flow charts etc.)
• Respond to all parts of the question– highlight the key
terms, plan your response
• Structure your response in a logical sequence
• Signpost your answer to ensure clear points – use
‘firstly’, ‘secondly’ and ‘thirdly’, or language such as
‘furthermore’ to link points
• Refer to the key terms in the question throughout your
response, not only at the end (highlight these terms)
General Advice for Section A,
Questions 1 & 2
• Demonstrate a range of knowledge
• Use specific historical terms and include policies, events,
dates, places and names
• Establish links between your points, don’t simply ‘list’
information or provide a narrative
• Always explain the contribution to the revolution or
revolutionary situation – use these phrases throughout
• Take your response further – not only how the event,
idea, leader or movement caused the revolution, but
ALSO how the topic combined with a number of other
events or circumstances to create a ‘revolutionary
situation’
General Advice for Section A,
Questions 1 & 2
• Do not use historians’ views at the expense of factual
evidence
• Be careful to confine your discussion to the period set for
the area of study, which is stated on the examination
paper
• Information can be best presented in chronological order
to demonstrate the development of the revolution
• Do not use dot point format
• Try to stick to the allocated space and time
General Advice for Section A,
Questions 1 & 2
Possible Structure:
• U nity
• M ovements
• I deas
• L eaders
• E vents
• R elationship change
Student Sample Response
• Sample – high level response
Section A, Qu 3 of the Exam
The Task
• Write on the same revolution as Qu 1 & 2
• Document, commentary, visual
representation or interpretation
• 4 scaffolded questions
• 2 comprehension style questions
• 1 on context – “using your knowledge”
• 1 on “usefulness” or “reliability”
• Total 20 marks
• Spend 30 minutes maximum
Section A, Qu 3 of the Exam
The Content
• Creating a New Society
• July 1776
(Declaration of Independence)
– 1789
(Inauguration of George Washington)
Series of Crises and Responses
After the Declaration of
Independence
• The 13 colonies became
sovereign/independent states
• Unification?
• Was this a revolutionary aim?
• The states were not ready to relinquish
autonomy
• On the whole, they pursued individual
interests
Political Structure of the States
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Written constitutions
Bills of Rights
State political structures
Delegates were appointed by election
Some states retained property
qualifications for voting, this differed from
state to state
Unity?
• States were essentially sovereign nations
• Very little altered in terms of structure,
however, now without British rule
• Most political power lay with the states
rather than the national Congress
Articles of Confederation
• Written 1777
• Ratified 1781
• ‘Loose union’
Crises under the Articles
The Confederation Congress was faced with
several problems:
• International relations
• Trade
• Economic management
• Defence
• Establishing a bureaucracy
Reasons for Crises
• Federal Congress was weak under Articles
• State legislatures held most power
• Congress had no coercive power or legal
authority over states
• Congress lacked the power to tax or manage
trade
• While Congress could request money from
states, they were not obligated to supply it
• Congress consisted of a legislative branch of
government only and had no judicial or
executive power
Reasons for Crises
• States possessed the power to act as they
pleased, without Congress approval
• Foreign powers maintained a presence in
the states, including Britain
• Britain did not honour the Treaty of Paris
(1783)
Limitations of Congress
• Confederation Congress - formed by the
Articles of Confederation
• Severely restricted
• Faced a variety of problems in the 1780s
• Compounded by national debt and loss of
trade with Britain that followed the
revolutionary war
Economic Crisis
• Congress unable to regulate trade – states free
to trade with foreign powers
• Also unable to control trade between states
• Difficult to establish clear markets for American
exports
• Unable to levy taxes
• Enormous war debt
• Not able to issue paper money
• Not able to prevent the states from printing their
own
Economic Crisis
• Economic crisis ensued
• New export markets required
• ‘Safe’ and established trading partner
Britain and her empire gone
• Unable to recoup severe war debt
• States issued large amounts of paper
money – e.g. Rhode Island
• Widespread hyperinflation
• Tension mounts between the states
Economic  Social Crisis
• Following revolutionary war returned
soldiers face severe economic problems
• Particularly farmers
• Suffered high levels of debt and state
taxation
• Compounded by low prices for produce
Economic  Social Crisis
• Urban merchants and creditors also under
financial pressure recall debts
• Farmers and working-class were generally
unable to meet repayments
• Debtors’ courts established
• Role of courts – to ensure payment of
debts or impose foreclosure on mortgages
or even imprison those in debt
Shays’ Rebellion
• Massachusetts
• August 1786 – June 1787
• Group of disgruntled farmers (Shaysites or
Regulators)
• Led by former Continental Army officer,
Daniel Shays
• Marched on Springfield and force the
debtors’ court to adjourn
Shays’ Rebellion
• It was argued the revolution had not
improved the lives of the people
• They had fought for key revolutionary
ideals that had not been achieved
• Some state assemblies cancelled the
debts of farmers and workers
• Sympathetic to the farmers? OR
• Worried about further rebellion?
Response: Shays’ Rebellion
• Congress and the Articles of Confederation were
unable to protect both groups involved
• Debtors – suffered poor trade, low prices, high
debt and high taxation
• Creditors – rights were not protected
• A Constitutional Convention was needed - elite
members of society called
• Philadelphia (1787)
• Purpose - revise the Articles of Confederation
and improve the system of government
Constitutional Convention
• Philadelphia (1787)
• Completely scrapped the Articles of
Confederation – revising impossible
• New governmental framework to be built
on a federal system
• Result – the Constitution
The Constitution
• National government significantly
strengthened
• Autonomy and powers of 13 states greatly
reduced
• Congress divided into two houses – House
of Representatives and the Senate
• Power to pass laws, tax, raise armies and
navies, control trade and commerce
The Constitution
• Executive branch (presidency) - to run the
government on a day-to-day basis
• Legislative branch – law makers
• Judicial branch (courts) – interpret laws
and make legal rulings
• ‘Checks and balances’
• Designed to prevent tyranny
Ratifying the Constitution
• Met with significant public debate
• Anti-Federalists - feared the return to a strong
central government and the potential for tyranny
(Jefferson and Henry)
• Federalists - supported the new system
(Madison and Hamilton)
• Became law following ratification by 9 of the 13
states
Ratifying the Constitution
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Ratification – a ‘crisis’?
The process had the potential to fail
Debate and propaganda ensued
Madison’s Federalist Paper – in support
Support of George Washington as a
strong figurehead convinced many
Ratifying the Constitution
• Passed in 1788
• Promise that a Bill of Rights (a series of
ten amendments) would be added after
ratification
• Appeasement for the anti-federalists?
• Many believed the protection of natural
rights was not inherent in the Constitution
• Bill of Rights – to protect the natural rights
of individuals and avoid tyranny
Bill of Rights
• 1789
• Guaranteed freedoms of speech, religion,
the press, of association and assembly
• Ensured a due legal process
Inauguration of Washington
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George Washington
Appointed the first president
Inaugurated on 30 April 1789
Elected convincingly
Relieved many who feared the president
as a virtual monarch
2012 VCAA Exam
• Written, secondary source –
• Morton Borden, Parties and Politics in the
Early Republic, 1789–1815, Harland
Davidson & Wiley, New Jersey, 1967, pp.
9–11
• Debates concerning the Constitution
between Federalists and Anti-Federalists
• See 2012 VCAA paper for extract
2012 VCAA Exam
Question Three
a. Identify two achievements of the
Constitution.
b. Identify two national problems.
2012 VCAA Exam
c. By quoting from the extract and using
your own knowledge, explain the major
differences between the Federalists and
Republicans (or anti-Federalists) in 1787.
d. Evaluate to what extent this extract is
useful in understanding the debates over
the Constitution in the new society. In
your response, quote parts of the extract
and refer to different views of the
Constitution.
2012 VCAA Examiners Report
Poor Answers:
• Did not read question d carefully – did not
focus on the debates surrounding the
Constitution in the new society, rather
focussed on historians views too much
2012 VCAA Examiners Report
Good Answers:
• Used the extract effectively
• Identified key differences between the Federalist and
Anti-Federalist debate – focussing on the amount of
federal power to be afforded
• Recognised the extract explored the key aspects of
debate and the visions of the revolutionaries to create a
new strong and united federal government
• Discussed the debates surrounding the Constitution in
the new society
• Explored historiography discussing the motivations of the
Founding Fathers
General Advice for Section A,
Question 3
Questions 3a & b
• Ensure you read the comprehension questions carefully
and answer the question that is being asked
• Many ‘easy’ marks are lost through misunderstanding or
incorrectly focused responses
General Advice for Section A,
Question 3
Question 3c
• Read carefully to ensure a correctly focussed response –
highlight key terms
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the topic
• Avoid a narrative of events, you need to contextualise
the document or graphic
• Use reading time to ensure you are clear on the
viewpoint of the document or graphic – use the captions
and unpack the symbols
• Clearly link your answer to the document or graphic –
quote, identify features, interpret symbols, use linking
phrases (“as stated in the extract” or “as seen in the
visual”)
• Question ‘c’ does not require historiography
General Advice for Section A,
Question 3
Question 3d
• Avoid simply listing your knowledge or comparing historians
• Analyse the view of the document (perhaps start with this) and
make specific reference to it and the author – use linking phrases
• Address the ‘strengths and limitations’ of the document as evidence
• Also refer to the strengths and weaknesses of the event itself
• Incorporate outside factual knowledge relevant to the document and
question, do not simply reply on content from the document
• Ensure your historiography is relevant to the document and question
– agree or disagree? (school is not essential)
• Do not simply list schools of thought, label and compare and
contrast historians views
• Use of ‘bias’ and clichés
• Structure your ideas clearly and logically
Student Sample Response
• Sample – high level response
Please feel free to contact me should you
have any questions or comments:
Lauren Perfect
Haileybury
lauren.perfect@haileybury.vic.edu.au
Best of luck for the exam on November 8th 2013!