Creating a Nation
Self-Government
• The British governed the colonies loosely and taxed
them heavily, so American colonists began to selfgovern.
• Economic principles called mercantilism held that a
nation’s power was directly related to its wealth. But
colonial merchants wanted to make money for
themselves, not for Britain.
• Britain passed the Navigation Acts, laws that
restricted colonial trade, to ensure that the colonies
stayed profitable.
• Local rebellions helped some colonies regain elected
assemblies. Others were ruled more strictly as a result.
• Several colonies formed the United Colonies of New England,
or the New England Confederation in 1643.
• Salutary neglect, which was the British officials’ tendency to
rule the colonies leniently, benefited the colonies.
• Local governments (town meetings, counties, parishes and
local governors) ruled daily life for colonists.
• Colonists elected assemblies that were based on the British
Parliament’s bicameral (two house) system, with
– A governor's council with executive and legislative powers
– An elected assembly like the Parliament’s House of
Commons
• When the House of Commons in England gained more power,
so did the colonial assemblies, winning rights such as freedom
of speech in debate and the right to pass money bills.
America and the Enlightenment
• A period in Europe that was known for its use of logic
and reason to improve government, law, and society
• The ideas of the Enlightenment began in the European
upper classes but soon traveled to the American
colonies.
• John Locke believed the government should protect
citizens’ “natural rights.” His ideas influenced
Americans such as Jefferson and Franklin.
• Locke’s ideas are found in the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution, including limited
government and divided powers.
• Later, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common
Sense echoed John Locke’s Enlightenment
thinking, calling for independence from Britain.
The Great Awakening
• The Enlightenment led some colonists to
question religious beliefs.
• In 1730, the clergy, trying to bring people
back to church, began the Great
Awakening, a major religious revival in the
colonies.
• Jonathan Edwards was an influential
religious leader of this period.
• The Great Awakening made religion
accessible to the people and church
membership grew. It’s new ideas influenced
the growing colonies.
The Great Awakening
Causes of the American Revolution
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Great Britain passed a series of laws.
The Sugar Act - 1764
First British law to raise war debt money from colonists
Taxed sugar from French and Spanish West Indies, forcing colonists to buy British sugar
Colonial leader Sam Adams called this “taxation without representation.”
The Stamp Act - 1765
Required colonists to pay for an official government stamp on certain paper items
Marked the first time the British had taxed the colonists directly, which Americans openly protested
Parliament eventually repealed the Stamp Act.
The Quartering Act - 1765
Required colonists to provide food, drink, fuel, living space, and transportation to British soldiers
living in America
Was the policy in Britain, but colonists saw it as an attack on their rights
The Townshend Act - 1767
The Townshend Acts taxed certain goods imported from England.
It also also gave customs officers the right to search any house for smuggled goods — without a
search warrant.
Powerful opposition to these acts forced Britain to send troops to enforce them.
Boston Tea Party
• In 1773, the Tea Act gave the British East India control
over the tea market.
• Colonists resisted Britain’s control by throwing the
company’s tea overboard.
• Furious British officials enacted four harsh laws, known
as the Intolerable Acts, to punish Massachusetts and set
an example for other colonies.
Continental Congress
• In September 1774, delegates from 12 colonies
met in Philadelphia at the First Continental
Congress.
• The delegates agreed to issue a Declaration of
Rights, boycott goods, form a military force of
minutemen, and meet again in the spring.
• They did not want to break free at this point.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
• Before the Continental Congress could meet
again, war broke out.
• Colonial alarm riders, including Paul Revere,
rode out to warn the Patriots.
• By the time the British reached Lexington,
about 70 minutemen were waiting.
• A shot rang out and fighting began, killing
eight colonists in the Battle of Lexington.
Declaring Independence
• The Second Continental Congress met a few
weeks after the Battles of Lexington and
Concord, and included Benjamin Franklin, John
Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson.
• The Congress created a Continental Army, led by
George Washington.
Declaration of Independence
• The Declaration of Independence formally
announced the break with Great Britain. It expressed
three main ideas
– “Inalienable rights” such as life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness
– King George III passed unfair laws and unfairly
taxed the colonies
– Britain had violated the social contract by passing
these laws.
• Jefferson wrote the first draft, but the final document
was presented on July 2, 1776. Congress approved it
two days later on July 4th.
In the End
• The Battle of Yorktown was the last major
battle of the Revolutionary War.
– Though some hoped that America would
remain part of the British Empire, the
September 3, 1783, Treaty of Paris
formalized America’s independence from
Britain.
Forming a Government
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After the Revolutionary War, America still worked under the Articles of
Confederation, which established an association of independent states.
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Under the Articles, the central government had power to set national policies and
carry on foreign relations.
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The Articles also had several weaknesses:
– Congress could not impose taxes to repay war debts.
– Congress could not regulate trade.
– 9 of 13 states needed to agree in order to pass laws.
– All states had to agree to amend the Articles.
– No executive branch to enforce laws passed by
Congress.
– No judicial branch to interpret laws passed by Congress.
The Constitutional Convention
• Frustration with the Articles of Confederation built for years among
many Americans.
• In the fall of 1786 George Washington and James Madison
convened a meeting of the states in Maryland, but delegates from
only five showed up.
• Congress then called the states to meet in Philadelphia in 1787 for a
Constitutional Convention.
• James Madison kept a diary with a detailed account of this event,
which was a turning point in American history.
• Because of his role, James Madison is often called the Father of the
Constitution.
• The convention unanimously chose George Washington as its
president.
Plans for Representation in
Government
Virginia Plan
• Proposed a new form of
government with three
branches: executive,
judicial, legislative
• The legislature would be
bicameral, with an upper
and lower house.
New Jersey Plan
• Retained many of the
features of the
Confederation
• Gave Congress
additional powers
• Members would be chosen
in proportion to each
state’s population.
• Suggested a one-house
legislature with equal
representation for each
state
• Disliked by small states
that would have less power
• Tried to equalize power
for states
Great Compromise
•A Connecticut plan to balance state
powers
•Two-house legislature: upper house
Senate represented the state, the
lower house the population.
•The Three-Fifths Compromise allowed
only part of the slave population to
be counted.
The Preamble
• States the purpose of the Constitution.
– 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.
Bill of Rights!
• The Bill of Rights are the first 10 amendments
to the Constitution.
• Finally added in 1791 it was the topic of much
debate.
• Find the Bill of Rights Here!
The Constitution
Providing Check and Balances
• The delegates needed to find a balance of
power between the Congress and the
president.
• Questions arose about states’ rights versus
federal powers.
• The outcome was a compromise: instead of
people directly choosing a president, state
legislatures chose electors to do it.
• The delegates set up a system of checks
and balances.
Branch Powers
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Legislative Branch
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Makes the laws
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Gives advice and consent to president
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Can pass over vetoes with two-thirds vote
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Executive Branch
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President and cabinet
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Carries out laws
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Makes treaties and nominates judges
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Vetoes laws
• Judicial Branch
• Supreme Court and lower courts
• Interprets laws as they relate to the Constitution
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights protected individual rights.
• The first eight amendments dealt with individual civil liberties.
• The Ninth Amendment stated that listing certain rights in this document did
not mean that other unlisted rights did not exist.
• The Tenth Amendment defined two types of government powers: delegated
and reserved powers.
– Delegated powers are those given out to the three branches of
government.
– Reserved powers belonged to the states or the people.
• Most of the amendments echoed rights listed in the Virginia Declaration of
Rights, written by George Mason.
Federalism
Expansion
• The Louisiana Purchase
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The purchase of new territory raised complicated questions for
Jefferson.
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Jefferson finally decided that the right to purchase territory was
implicit in the constitutional power to make treaties.
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Once the purchase was approved, Jefferson sent out expeditions,
including the Lewis and Clark expedition.
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The Lewis and Clark expedition reached the Pacific Ocean and
mapped and surveyed much territory along the way.
Expansion leads to conflict
• Jackson’s presidency is marked by conflict with the
Native Americans, especially five major groups in the
Southeast whose land settlers wanted.
• Jackson’s solution was the Indian Removal Act, which
called for the relocation of Native American groups to an
area west of the Mississippi River.
• The U.S. Army supervised the relocation, in which Native
Americans were forced to march hundreds of miles in
miserable conditions.
• So many Cherokees suffered and died that the march
became known as the Trail of Tears.
James Monroe
Foreign Policy
• The War of 1812 sparked national pride for
Americans.
• Monroe’s foreign policy included
– The Adams-Onís Treaty (1819): Acquired Florida as
a boundary between Louisiana and Spanish land;
let Americans settle Oregon for 10 years
– The Monroe Doctrine: Made America off-limits to
European colonization; stated that America should
stay out of European affairs and vice versa