Making the American Revolution

Making the American Revolution

1. the English had not interfered much with colonial life; colonies had their own governors and legislatures set up, and were fairly independent

   • The Navigation Acts
     • The Proclamation Line of 1763
       • The Stamp Act
         • The Townshend Acts
           • The Tea Act
             • The Intolerable Acts
               • The Second Continental Congress
                 • The Declaration of Independence
                   • The Articles of Confederation
                     • The American Revolution
                       • France and Spain were happy to help, since it would weaken England
                         • Britain joined officially in 1776, sending 32,000 troops to NY
                           • Battle of Saratoga - British surrender, France officially backs America
                             • British take Savannah, GA, Charlestown, SC, and most of SC territory
                               • Battle of Camden - Americans lost
                                 • Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens - Americans won
                                   • Battle of Guilford Courthouse - tie
                                     • Cornwallis retreats to Yorktown for evacuation - French fleet and GW army trap them and force a surrender in October of 1781
                     • written earlier, but ratified in 1781, increasing Congress' power
                       • had to ask for permission from the states to tax them, had no courts or executive branch, but a council of 13 to enforce laws, and 9 out of 13 states had to agree to pass a major law
                   • written July 4, 1776
                     • Preamble - basic human rights
                     • 27 grievances against England
                     • declaration of war and separation
                 • met in 1775 and raised another militia with George Washington as the Commander
                   • Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" was written - sounded like a sermon and easy for everyone to understand - "nothing but independence"
               • meant to punish Boston for the Tea Party
                 • closed their ports, disbanded the Massachusetts legislature, and forced citizens to quarter troops
                   • First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, 1774 - 55 delegates sans Georgia
                     • decided to boycott, withhold taxes, and raise a militia
                       • British soldiers were sent to enforce law, met colonial militia at Battles of Lexington and Concord
             • England gave the East India Tea Company permission to sell directly to the colonies while still taxing tea
               • this led to the Boston Tea Party of 1773, which made Parliament furious
           • taxed glass, lead, paper, and paint products
             • there was another boycott, and the Boston Massacre (1770) fueled the fire
               • the boycott eventually worked, but England kept the tax on tea to make a point
         • taxes all paper goods, which hit the lawyers and the newspapers hardest
           • the colonies boycotted and petitioned for "no taxation without representation"
             • the boycott worked, and the Stamp Act was repealed
       • Indians were uprising again just after the French and Indian War
         • Parliament ordered colonists to remain East of the Appalachian Mountains
     • the colonies had traded with the French during the French and Indian War
       • the Acts were made in the 1660s, but not enforced until 1763 as a result of their betrayal