Breaking Away from
Britain
UNIT 1 LESSON 2: ORIGINS OF THE AMERICAN NATION :
REVOLUTION
L.E.Q.:
Why did the colonists
fight a war for
independence against
Great Britain?
Drill:
Consider what you now
know about the British
Colonies and life of a
colonists. Why might you
begin to resist British law
and influence in the New
World?
Seeds of Revolution:
1. New ideas developed in the 1600s (Age of Reason/Enlightenment) =
govt. should protect the natural rights of life
2. Disagreements over the way in which Great Britain treated the
colonies versus the way the colonies felt they should be treated
L.E.Q.:
Why did the colonists
fight a war for
independence against
Great Britain?
Drill:
What were the Townshend
Acts?
A: Tax's on sugar
B: Duties on glass, lead,
paint, paper, and tea
C: Laws against murder
D: Laws against freedom of
religion
Seeds of Revolution:
British Red Coats arrive in Boston in 1768 to enforce the heavy tax
burden imposed by the Townshend Acts of 1767: tax on glass, lead,
paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies
1770 – Boston Massacre – 5 Bostonians killed by British soldiers
The Stamp Act of 1765 - imposed a tax on all paper documents in the
colonies
Seeds of Revolution:
1773 – Boston Tea Party – act of defiance and protest against taxes
by colonists in Boston; threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
Coercive Acts 1774 – closed Boston Harbor, Quartering Act,
restrictions on Fur Trade, restricted town meetings in Massachusetts,
immunity for British soldiers
The Patriot: Council meeting
The Revolutionary War
First shots rang out April 19, 1775 in Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Saratoga in 1777 was the first great American victory of
the war and a turning point, the French join as American ally
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, and Great Britain
acknowledged America's independence
American casualties = 4,435
Weapons
Muskets w/ bayonets
Cannons
Flintlock Pistol
Swords an Sabers
L.E.Q.:
How was
government
crafted through
compromise?
Drill:
What is the purpose
of the Constitution
of the United
States?
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense,
promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States
of America.” Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
The Articles of Confederation
Adopted in 1777 and went into effect 1781
Established a framework for a central national government
The states were sovereign and the central government was weak
sovereignty – the ability to rule absolutely within a territory