THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION
I. Causes of the Revolution
A. French and Indian War
1. France, Spain, Indians VS England – England wins
2. Taxes placed on colonists to help pay for protection of
colonies and to pay off war debt.
B. Taxation Without Representation
1. The Sugar Act (1764)
a. England began enforcing a tax on molasses (used
to make rum)
b. Smugglers go to trial in England’s courts
2. Stamp Act (1765)
a. Tax on all printed material
3. Townsend Act (1767)
a. Tax on imported goods like coffee, tea, wine, glass,
and paint.
4. Tea Act (1773) – the last straw
a. Told colonists they could only buy tea from the
East India Tea Company – a British company
b. Colonists did not like being told where they could
buy tea, even though it made their tea cheaper.
WRITING ASSINGMENT – PUT IT RIGHT IN YOUR NOTES:
Imagine you are a colonist in the 1773, you are suddenly
confronted with a lot of extra rules and taxes. Create a
magazine ad that expresses how you feel about England and
their new rules. In your ad you will need to tell your fellow
colonists about these new laws, how they effect their lives, and
what they can do about it. Make them JUMP out a people, this
is an ad.
C. Arguments against British laws
1. Consent of the governed
a. Governments can rule only as long as citizens
agree to be ruled.
2. Representative government
a. People have a right to elect people to represent
them and make decisions that effect their lives.
3. Limited government
a. People have natural rights government can’t take away
b. Such as life, liberty and property
D. Actions of the Colonists
1. The Boston Massacre
a. Frightened British soldiers fired into a crowd of angry
Boston citizens – 5 dead, 6 wounded.
WRITING ASSISNMENT (IN
YOUR NOTES – write the
question)
1. Describe in detail each
depiction of the Boston
Massacre.
2. Which depiction is more
realistic and WHY?
3. Why would Paul Revere make
a print that is historically
inaccurate?
2. The Boston Tea Party (1773)
a. The Sons of Liberty – a group in Boston trying to stir
people to action against Britain – they often used violence
and intimidation to accomplish their goal.
b. Sons of Liberty dress up like Indians and throw 342
chests of tea into the Boston Harbor
WRITING ASSINGMENT:
You are a member of the
Sons of Liberty and you
have just participated in the
Boston Tea Party or the
Boston Massacre. Write a
letter to a friend in Georgia
telling them about what
happened and why it
happened and England’s
reaction. Include specific
details about the event – be
creative, make it fun to
read. AT LEAST ONE
PAGE!
E. England’s reaction – The Intolerable Acts
1. Boston Port Act
a. England closed the Boston port until the Tea was paid
for
2. Massachusetts Government Act
a. Massachusetts cannot elect officials or hold meetings
without approval of Royal Governor
3. The Quartering Act (1774)
a. All colonists are required to house and feed British
soldiers
II. Revolution – time for action.
A. Battle of Lexington and Concord
1. British troops try to destroy patriot military supplies.
2. Colonial messengers alert minutemen who go to
Concord to fight the British Redcoats
3. First battle of War for Independence
a. Colonial victory
B. Second Continental Congress (May 1775)
1. Delegates from all colonies meet to decide what to do
a. Would it be war or peace?
2. July 4, 1776 – Declaration of Independence
3. Georgia Delegates:
a. Button Gwinnett
b. Lyman Hall
c. George Walton
WhyBenjamin
didn’t the
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Thomas
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slavery?
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Signing of the Declaration of Independence
C. More on the declaration of independence
1. The declaration included the following ideas:
a. All men are created equal
b. Everyone is born with certain right, such as life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
c. Government gets its power from the people
d. The people can get rid of a government they no
longer approve of.
D. Where did these ideas come from?
Look back in your notes, match these ideas from the
Declaration of Independence with the arguments
against British rule.
III. Georgia in the Revolution
A. Whigs (patriots) vs. Tories (loyalists)
1. Most Whigs lived in the backcountry and had been in
Georgia longer
2. Most Tories lived on the coast and relied on England
for trade.
B. Savannah held by British troops for most of the war.
1. Whigs controlled Georgia from 1776 - 1778
2. British troops took Georgia in 1778 and held it until
the end of the war (1783)
3. Siege of Savannah
a. In 1779 a group of patriots and French soldiers
tried to retake Savannah
b. The siege failed after 3 weeks – British troops
lost 150 men, Americans and French lost 1,000
- Count Casmir Pulaski was killed in a cavalry charge.
IV. End of War
A. Treaty of Paris 1783
1. British General Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
NOW … the newly freed STATES had to deal with a whole
new set of problems …