1 / 17

Colonial America: The Revolutionary Era

Colonial America: The Revolutionary Era. U.S. History. The Boston Massacre. March 5, 1770 Argument between soldiers and civilians became bloody Five colonists killed , six wounded Soldiers put on trial, but 6 of 8 were acquitted. Site and Mass Grave Today.

johnavon
Download Presentation

Colonial America: The Revolutionary Era

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Colonial America: The Revolutionary Era U.S. History

  2. The Boston Massacre • March 5, 1770 • Argument between soldiers and civilians became bloody • Five colonists killed, six wounded • Soldiers put on trial, but 6 of 8 were acquitted

  3. Site and Mass Grave Today State Street in Boston, at the rear of the Customs House; Gravestone in Old Granary Burial Ground in Boston

  4. The Boston Tea Party • December 16, 1773 • Resulted from Tea Act protests • “Sons of Liberty” members, some dressed as Indians, destroyed tea belonging to East India Company • Patriot leader Samuel Adams defended action as a rightful protest, not a crime

  5. Old South Meeting House Today Where the “Tea Party” was started… nearly 5,000 people attended meeting

  6. British Response to the “Tea Party” • British Parliament passed “Coercive Acts” in 1774 - called the “Intolerable Acts” by colonists • Closed port of Boston, took direct control of Massachusetts government, allowed British officials to be tried in Great Britain, allowed for quartering of soldiers in colonies • Increased hatred of British rule throughout colonies • Led to formation of First Continental Congress that met in Philadelphia in September 1774 – first organization of colonies

  7. The Revolution Begins… • April 19, 1775 – 800 British troops left Boston, searching for weapons and rebel leaders in nearby Lexington and Concord • Patriotic riders warned towns of British approach so supplies could be moved (Paul Revere) • Local militia units gathered to put up a stand against “redcoats” – known as the “Minutemen”

  8. “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” • Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first fight of the Revolution • 247 dead Redcoats and 93 Patriot casualties. The British retreated back to Boston • Second Continental Congress called in May – decided to raise a colonial army and chose George Washington to lead it

  9. Divided Loyalties • Colonists were divided over Revolution – many colonists still loyal to Britain – Why? • More support in New England and Middle Colonies than in South – Virginia was the exception – Why? • Americans Indians and free & enslaved African-Americans fought for both sides – Why?

  10. Independence or Compromise? • Olive Branch Petition (July 1775) – letter from Continental Congress to King George III, hoping to avoid war and begin negotiations on taxes – rejected by King • Thomas Paine – wrote Common Sense (1776), a short, but influential book urging American independence

  11. The Colonies and Britain Compared Advantages of the Colonies Advantages of the British We had a cause! We were on the defensive! We were rugged outdoorsmen! Guerilla Warfare! George Washington’s leadership! France: The deciding factor! • Arguably the best-trained & equipped Army in the world! • The most powerful Navy in the world! • Greater population! • More $$$ and resources! • Experience: Britain had been busting heads around Europe for a long , long time!

  12. The Colonies and Britain Compared Disadvantages of the Colonies Disadvantages of the British • No real government! (i.e. Continental Congress) • No real money! (i.e. Continental Currency was unstable and mistrusted) • Militias were poorly fed, trained, & equipped! • No Navy! • Desertions were common! • Only 1/3 of Colonists actually favored the cause! • Poor Leadership: Prime Minister Lord North was weak and indecisive. • Many in Parliament (the Whigs) didn’t support the war! • Distance! • The colonies had no real center. France has Paris; Britain has London. • The soldiers really didn’t want to be here!

  13. Declaring Independence • Summer 1776 – Patriot leaders met in Philadelphia • July 4, 1776 – Declaration of Independence announced

  14. Fighting the War • Fall 1776 – British took NYC & Washington retreated to NJ • In spite of victories at Trenton & Princeton, in late 1776, the army was tired and camped at Valley Forge, PA for winter • The British occupied Philadelphia in the fall of 1777 • Success of Revolution looked bleak

  15. Turning Point – Battle of Saratoga • October 1777 – American Army defeated a large British force in New York – captured 6,000 Redcoats and 5 British generals • This victory convinced France to join the colonists • The French Navy, Army, money, and equipmentproved to be the difference and helped us win the war

  16. Victory at Last - 1781 • October 1781 – Washington and French General Lafayette trapped General Cornwallis & 8000 British and Hessian soldiers at Yorktown, VA • The British surrendered – the last major fight of the Revolution

  17. Treaty of Paris (1783) • New United States gained all land from Appalachian Mountains to Mississippi River • British kept control of Canada, but had to give Florida back to Spain • United States became a new independent nation

More Related