Chapter 4
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Causes of War
› Rivalry Between Britain and
France
 French had more land
 British along coast, French
Inland
 B = farm, F = trapping
 French better with NAs
 June 1754 – delegates to Albany
 To strengthen ties with NAs
 Unify war effort
 Ben Franklin wanted a permanent union
 Plan was a grand council of elected delegates fro
each colony run by a president
 Similar to Iroquois League
 Approved but colonies rejected
 Didn’t want a central government
 British lost at beginning
 1735 – 900 F and NA attacked
 Militia – armed citizens who served as soldiers
 British – open areas and straight lines
 F and NA – hiding and spread out
 1756 – Britain declares war
on France
 William Pitt = British Prime
Minister
 Raised taxes and borrowed
money to fight
 British now better prepared
 Won several major battles
 French retreated
 1763 – Great Britain, France,
Spain met in Paris
 Ended French and Indian
War and Seven Years’ War
(Europe)
 French lost everything
 English got Canada, all
land west of Mississippi
 Spain got Cuba for Florida
 Thought colonies didn’t help enough
 Colonists would have fought under
other colonists rather than British
officers
 Considered treasonous
 Loss of respect for British military
 Colonists not getting enough respect
 Thought they should be on their own
› Changing British Policy
 Proclamation of 1763
 NA worried about British
farmers
 destroyed land
 Unlike French British hated
NAs
 Stopped dealing with
them
 King George
closed area west of
colonies
 1764-1766 Peace
treaties with tribes
 Colonists continued
to settle
 Cut duty on foreign molasses in
half
 Raised the tax
 Hoped people would buy
foreign molasses and pay tax
rather than smuggle
Enforcement
 Ships could be seized if
though smuggling
 Judges got 5% commission if
ship found guilty
 Colonies had to provide shelter and food
for British soldiers
 Colonists very angry but went along
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What is the Stamp Act?
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Stamp Act – tax on anything on paper
Royal stamp to prove tax paid
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Outrage was widespread and extreme
Affected everyone
October 1765
Delegates from 9 colonies met in New York
Leader – James Otis, lawyer from Massachusetts
Taxation without representation
Sent petitions to the king about rights
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Boycott of British goods
Boycott – refusal to buy certain products as
act of protest
Groups known as Sons and Daughters of
Liberty
Founder – Samuel Adams
Went to stamp distributers homes – resign or
house burned
Eventually no one left to sell stamps
1766 – Act was repealed
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1767 –Put duty on things like glass and tea
New finance minister Charles Townshend
Raised duties rather than taxes = safer
Colonists still upset about taxes with no rep.
Boycott again
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British troops sent to deal with violence in Boston
March 5, 1770
Small crowd threw snowballs at troops
Troops killed 5
Crispus Attucks – 1st African American to die in
Rev.
Next day, 9 British charged with murder
John Adams defended them
7 found not guilty, 2 guilty of lesser crimes
Punishment – Branded thumbs
Parliament cancelled Townshend Act but kept tea
tax
 May 1773 – Tea Act to help
British East India Company
 BEIC didn’t have to pay taxes
 Made it cheaper than
smuggled tea
 Some harbors wouldn’t let ships
in
 December 16, 1773
 Colonists disguised as
Indians boarded three
ships
 Broke open every crate
and threw in the water
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Spring 1774 – punishment for Tea Party
Harsh laws that were ridiculous
Limited town meetings to once a year
Colonies called for group of people to fight back
First Continental Congress formed
September 5, 1774
56 delegates in Philadelphia
Founder Fathers
Renewed boycotts and
create militias
 Direct appeal to King
 Left October 26, met again
in spring if issues not
resolved
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Groups of fighters called
Patriots
Massachusetts Militia
created stockpile of
weapons in Concord
April 18, 1775, British
marched to get supply
Patriots found out and
Paul Revere and two
other rode to tell
THE BRITISH ARE COMING
 In Lexington, fighting took
minutes, 18 Americans dead
or wounded
 Destroyed some of supply in
Concord, left for Boston
 4000 Patriots stood in their
way
 Shot at them from behind
walls and buildings
 240 British killed/wounded
 Became first battle of
Revolutionary War
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The Delegates
 Second Continental Congress met in May 1776
 Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock
 Divided between solution and independence
 Olive Branch Petition
 Wanted Peaceful solution
 End fighting and stay loyal to Britain
 Denied
 June 1776 – wrote Declaration of Independence
 Thomas Jefferson wrote most the document
 List of reasons for leaving and why
 Jefferson influenced by the
Enlightenment of 1700s
 Science and Reason were
keys to improved society
 Used John Locke’s ideas for
government
 July 4, 1776
 Delegates approved Declaration
The Siege of Boston
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Patriots surrounded Boston for protection
Others attacked British forts to get supplies
General Thomas Gage in charge of British
forces
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June 17, 1775 – Gage wants hills for lookouts
Attacked in tight blocks, easy target for muskets
Retreated and attacked again, retreated, attacked a
3rd time
Able to take Breed’s
Hill b/c Patriots ran
out of ammo
Forced Patriots off
Bunker Hill as well
Half of British 2400
died, only 400
Patriots
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July 1775 – George Washington put in charge of newly
named Continental Army
January 1776 – Gen Knox brought cannons to south of
Boston
Fired on British
and their ships
in the harbor
British flee with
1000 loyalists
(people still
devout to
England)
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The British
 Well equipped, disciplined and trained
 Supported by best navy in the world
 Loyalists and some NAs helped fight
 Hired 30000 mercenaries to fight
 Mercenary – paid foreign soldiers
 Called Hessians (German)
 Problem – war not popular in England
 Citizens resented the taxes
 Troops had to fight in hostile territory
 Fighting on their own
territory
 Officers familiar with
successful fighting
tactics
 Lacked equipment
and stable fighting
force
 British won many battles
 Washington wanted a spy
 Nathan Hale crossed lines and got
information
 Caught before he could give information
 Hung – Famous Last words
“I regret that I have but
one life to give for my
country.”
 British took NY, pushed
Patriots to Penn.
 Troops deserted and
Washington thought
army was falling apart
 Thomas Paine wrote
“The Crisis” to get
people back on board
 Washington had to be creative due to lack of
everything
 Fought during winter
 Battle of Trenton – crossed Delaware River and
captured entire Hessian force
 Did same thing at Princeton
 British Gen. Cornwallis
saw troops coming
but were pushed back
 Patriot morale went
up due to wins
 Had no money and couldn’t require taxes since
their was not yet a government
 Asked for help from colonies
 Issued paper money to buy supplies
 Nothing to back it up, if lost – money was
worthless
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Fighting in the West
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Col. George Rogers Clark fought and won in
IN/IL
Claimed the Ohio River for Patriots
Fighting in the South
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Worst fighting happened in South
Loyalist vs. Patriots
Several battles lead by British Gen Cornwallis
Retreated to Yorktown on a peninsula
Patriots blocked way out
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French and Continental Army combined
Bombarded Yorktown with ammunition
Escape was impossible
Cornwallis surrenders on October 19, 1781
 England, France,
Spain, US
 1783
 US becomes
independent
 Canadian boarder set
 Mississippi sets
boarder between
colonies and Spanish
territory
 Florida given back
to Spain
 England removes all troops
 Pledged to not harm any Loyalists (did anyway!)
Chapter 5
 People believed they were citizens of states – not
a country
 Did not want a central government
1777 – Continental Congress adopted the articles
Approved in 1781
Established a limited national government
Most power lay with the states
One branch – legislative (Congress)
Congress did job of all three branches
(Executive/Judicial)
 States maintained own courts
 As many delegates as state wanted but only one vote
 Laws required 9 of 13 to pass
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Economic Problems
 Wealthy worried too
much power for
people
 1786 – National Debt
$50 million
 Printed more money
with no backing
 Each state had own
money
 States taxed each
other
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1780s = Nationalist immerged
wanted to strengthen national government
Washington, Madison, Hamilton
Needed strong government and courts
People didn’t agree
Thought articles were doing their job
 Learning from History
 Men were well educated
 Knew European countries had tried and failed
 Annapolis Convention
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1786 – Nationalist Convention
Plan to regulate interstate and foreign trade
Did not address AOC weaknesses
12 men from five states
Set up 1787 convention
in Philadelphia
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People who gave money for war wanted it back
Mass. – heavies direct tax had to be paid in specie
Specie – gold or sliver coin
Farmers couldn’t afford it and complained
State refused to repeal
Daniel Shay, war vet and farmer
1786- lead rebellion to tax
Drove off collectors, protested, riots
State had no money to fight them until 1787
Rebels left for Vermont or NY
Shay and others were caught, but freed eventually
 People determination against authority
 Need to strengthen national
government to avoid civil unrest
› Convention Assembles
 Constitutional Convention – meeting of
May 1787
 In Philadelphia
 55 delegates from all but Rhode Island
 Ages 27-81, rich to middle class
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James Madison (36)
Attended every meeting and took notes
Spent year before learning history, law, government
Drew on Enlightenment thinkers
Believed a Constitution was best
› Division at the Convention
 1st act – George Washington elected president of
convention
 Unanimous vote
 Divided – amend AOC or new document
 Bicameral – two houses
 Representation – by population or
financial support
 Representatives
 Lower house – popular vote
 Upper House – nominated
 Popular among larger state
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One house
Representation – equal for each state
Representatives – elected by state legislature
Popular among little states
 The Great Compromise
Introduced by Connecticut
Took from both
Bicameral
Representation
 Two houses
 Senate – two regardless of size
 House of Representatives – based on
population
 Approved on July 16th, 1787
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 Dealt with slavery
 Southern states wanted to use
slaves for representation
numbers
 Northern states with few slaves
didn’t like this
 Formula made for population
count
 Three fifths compromise – 3 of 5
slaves would count toward
population
 Didn’t let slaves vote or have
rights (NA too)
 Final draft approves
September 17, 1787
 Hasn’t changed much
in 200 years
 Specific but flexible
 Only 27 changes
(Amendments)
› The Federalist View
 To become law, 9 of 13 had to ratify
 Ratify - approve
 Those who favored called Federalists
 Wrote “The Federalist Papers” 85 essays supporting
 Explains the new government and why each part
is good
 Federal government was only slightly more
powerful than states
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People who opposed Constitution
Posed a threat to state and individual rights
Seen as a betrayal of the Revolution
Federal Government was going to rule peoples lives
Uneasy about taxes
Feared loss of liberty again
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Submitted on September 28, 1787
Federalists campaigned to get Constitution ratified
Drew on idea that the AOC had many problems
All Federalists were behind the Constitution, AFs didn’t
have plan
Well organized and communicated
George Washington was Federalist
Everyone expected him to be the first president
Good leader, intelligent, gave up army voluntarily
Small states ratified first – most to gain
May 1790 – Rhode Island – last of 13 to ratify
 Protecting Individual
Rights
 Clear declaration of
rights
 September 1789 – James
Madison offers BOR
 Took effect December
15, 1791
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1 Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly & petition
2 Right to bear arms
3 No quartering of soldiers in private homes
4 No unreasonable search and seizure
5 Double Jeopardy, Taking of private land, Selfincrimination
6 Fair and speedy trial
7 Right to a jury trial
8 No cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail
9 People have more rights than the ones listed
10 Power not given to the Federal government go to
state or people
 Against the Bill of Rights
 Federalist saw no need for these
 Saw it unnecessary to state these rights
 “people surrender nothing”
 For the Bill of Rights
 Anti-federalist needed clarification
 Used to restrain the Federal government
 Jefferson wanted a list of “unalienable
rights”
 Wanted clear, detailed language
 Compromise worked, passed
 The New Leaders
 April 30, 1789 –
Washington inaugurated
 Inauguration – Official
swearing in
 Won in unanimous vote
 John Adams – vice
president
 Started choose cabinet
(Leaders of major
departments)
 Had been Governor of
Virginia and Ambassador
to France
 Became involved in
Domestic affairs
 Federalist with liberal
views
 Well educated and
sense of duty made him
good politician
 Choose because he
knew France well and
was trusted
 Well educated, leader in
army
 Headed largest department
of federal government
 Believed the government
could accomplish anything
 Things went smoothly for first
few years
 Economy got better
 Large and small problems faced
by Washington
 Set many precedents
 Example: Mr. President
 Office was made for him
 Was surrounded by much
ceremony
 Won reelection – 2nd term
was very hard
 Set the standard for presidency
New York and Philadelphia served as capitals
Residence Act of 1790 set aside 10 square mile area
Between Maryland and Virginia – not in a state
Run by the Federal Government
Benjamin Banneker (AA mathematician and inventor)
and Pierre-Charles L’Enfant (French artist)
 Created plans for buildings, White House, Capital,
streets and parks
 Originally District of Columbia
 Added Washington after GW died in 1799
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