American Revolution & Founding Documents

1. American Revolution & Founding Documents Powerpoint created by Robert Martinez

2. When England sought to impose new taxes on the colonists without their consent in the 1760s and 1770s. This set off a chain of events that ended with American Independence.

3. Americans struggled in organizing a new national government under the Articles of Confederation (1st constitution), which they later replaced with the US Constitution.

4. The colonists enjoyed several democratic institutions based on English political tradition. In the Magna Carta of 1215, the English king promised not to take away property or to imprison freemen except according to the laws of the land and after a trial by jury. In addition, the king agreed not to impose new taxes without consent by a council of his nobles.

5. Representative Government Later, the English developed a representative legislature known as Parliament (U.S. has the Senate and House of Representatives.)

6. Colonial Government • Other democratic traditions developed among the colonists themselves. Virginia established its own House of Burgesses, elected representatives who helped govern the colony.

7. Reasons for Colonial Assemblies 1. Distance from England. 2. Tradition of Participating in Government. 3. Stronger Parliament. Colonial assemblies shared power with Royal Governor maintaining power to tax.

8. French and Indian War (1754) • In 1754, Britain and France became engaged in the French and Indian War. By 1763, the British had defeated the French and gained control of Canada, but had incurred a large debt in the course of the struggle.

9. War Debts • The British Parliament quickly imposed new taxes on the colonies to help pay off the war debt.

10. Taxation without Representation The Stamp Act (1765) required colonial newspapers, books, and documents to carry an official government stamp. Colonists objected to the tax since they were not represented in Parliament. After a wave of protests, Parliament repealed the stamp tax, but replaced it with new taxes on paper, glass, and tea.

11. Quartering of Troops The British also sent troops to the colonies, some of which were quartered in colonist’s homes. The colonists again protested . The British finally repealed all the new taxes except the tax on tea.

12. In 1773, a group of protesters threw tea off British ships in Boston Harbor. As a result of the “Boston Tea Party,” the British government closed Boston Harbor and banned public meetings until the tea was paid for. Angered, representatives of the colonies met in Philadelphia as a Continental Congress.

13. Lexington & Concord In 1775, British soldiers exchanged gunfire with colonial volunteers at Lexington and Concord, marking the start of the American Revolution. Colonial assemblies throughout the colonies quickly voted to join the struggle.

14. Declaration of Independence By mid-1776, members of the Continental Congress agreed on seeking independence. A committee was formed to draft the Declaration of Independence. A young Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, became its main author.

15. John Locke The Declaration of Independence, not only declared the colonies independent, but also proclaimed a theory of government based on 18th century beliefs of John Locke &his Social Contract. According to this theory, people have certain “unalienable rights.” Enlightened Philosopher John Locke and his Social Contract.

16. Unalienable Rights Basic human rights that cannot be taken away from them. The job of government is to protect its citizen’s unalienable rights.

17. The Declaration of Independence announced that “all men are created equal,” and that they enjoy certain unalienable rights – “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

18. The Declaration went on to state that if a government failed to protect the very rights it was created to protect, then its citizens had the right to change their government – by revolution if necessary.

19. Grievances (Complaints) The Declaration followed with a list of specific grievances the colonists felt had been committed by the King against them. For example, the King had imposed taxes on the colonists without their consent.

20. Military Struggle (1777-1783) The Continental Congress appointed George Washington to command the Continental Army. At first, the colonial army suffered several defeats.

21. Battle of Saratoga • However, the British surrender at Saratoga in 1777 marked a turning point in the war. It showed the British could be defeated and convinced France to help the Americans.

22. Battle of Yorktown With French help, Washington was able to defeat the British several years later at Yorktown, Virginia (final battle). Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1783) ending the war, the British recognized American independence and gave the new U.S. all the lands stretching west to the Mississippi River.

23. Republic With independence, each former colony became an independent state. Each state chose to establish a republic – government by popularly elected representatives. In this system of government, ultimate power rests in the hands of the people.

24. Articles of Confederation,(1781) Americans soon recognized the need for some kind of central government uniting all thirteen states. An agreement known as the Articles of Confederation went into effect in 1781. The agreement created a weak federal government.

25. The Articles of Confederation had a number of shortcomings. Under the Articles, each state had one vote in the new Confederation Congress. Support of all 13 states was needed to pass an amendment.

26. There was no national executive or national court system. The Confederation Congress could not levy taxes or enforce its laws or decisions. Each state government remained more powerful than the new national government.

27. Constitutional Convention Many Americans felt that the new central government had too little power to do its job. Delegates were sent to Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. They quickly decided to abandon the Articles and drafted a new Constitution.

28. Constitution Debates Before the Constitution could go into effect, the delegates decided nine of the 13 states should ratify (approve) it. A great debate followed on whether the new plan of government should replace the Articles of Confederation.

29. Federalist Papers • Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote a series of essays in favor of the new Constitution, which became known as The Federalist Papers. These essays persuaded people to support the new Constitution by explaining its principles.

30. Federalists • Supporters of the new Constitution and a strong national government. In the end, they compromised with the Anti-federalists in adding the Bill of Rights. Alexander Hamilton

31. Anti-Federalists • Supported the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. They were fearful that the federal government would be too powerful. Patrick Henry

32. Constitution Ratified(1789) By the end of 1788, twelve states had voted to ratify the Constitution. The new Constitution went into effect in 1789.