The American Revolution

1. The American Revolution

2. Origins of the American Revolution • Since the founding of Jamestown in 1607, American colonists had been subjects of Great Britain • This meant they were entitled to all the rights of Englishmen gained in the Magna Carta, English Civil War, Glorious Revolution and English Bill of Rights

3. Origins of the American Revolution • During the French and Indian War, Britain protected the American colonists from attacks by the Indians and the French in Canada • After the war, France was forced to surrender Canada to Britain and the colonists no longer had a fear of French invasion • They also hoped to expand settlements westward

4. Origins of the American Revolution • The British government had run up a massive debt during the French and Indian War • The British came up with new ways to tax the colonists, but they objected • Colonists felt these taxes were being imposed without their consent and thus violating their rights as English subjects • No one thought that the colonists could be represented in Parliament due to distance so instead, the colonists favored self government • However, the British Parliament felt it should have control over what happened in the colonies

5. Enlightenment and Revolution • Religious beliefs, the legacy of the Glorious Revolution and Enlightenment ideals all influenced the outbreak of the American Revolution • Some ministers even delivered sermons critical of the British government • The Glorious Revolution demonstrated that English subjects could be justified in overthrowing an oppressive ruler • John Locke and other Enlightenment thinkers made the colonists think it was unjust for the government to tax them without considering their views • “taxation without representation is tyranny!!”

6. Enlightenment and Revolution • To prevent unrest, the British government sent more troops • They gave up on many taxes but insisted the colonists pay a duty (tax) on tea to help the struggling East India Company • In protest, a group of colonists disguised as Indians, dumped tea from a ship into Boston Harbor (Boston Tea Party) • In response, the British closed the harbor

7. Enlightenment and Revolution • Colonists sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss the problem • In 1775, violence erupted near Boston between British troops and colonial volunteers • From Massachusetts, the war quickly spread to the other colonies • An English writer, Thomas Paine, published a pamphlet, Common Sense, applying the Enlightenment idea of reason to the problem • Paine argued that it was reasonable for the colonies, so far from England, to become independent • In 1776, the colonists declared their independence

8. The Declaration of Independence • Show 1776 Clip from File • Too Late to Apologize • Excerpt from the DOI • “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

9. Apply it! • What factors caused the colonists to want to separate from Britain? • What ideas did the colonists use to justify their actions?

10. The Shot Heard ‘Round the World • New demands were now heard in other parts of the world • Many Enlightenment reformers in Europe supported the American Revolution • They saw it as a realization of their new ideas • Volunteers like Marquis de Lafayette of France and Tadeusz Kosciuszko from Poland traveled to America to assist the colonists • They also helped persuade the King of France to ally with the colonists (he was yearning for revenge after the F&I War anyways)

11. A New Nation • America’s first government was called the Articles of Confederation • They did not want a strong central government for fear of continued tyranny • However, the AoC did not allow for taxation or much control and the country was soon faced with economic and other problems • In 1787, Americans sent representatives to a Constitutional Convention to create a new government • The challenge was to create a strong (but not too strong) national government that would not threaten individual liberties

12. The U.S. Constitution • The new U.S. Constitution created a system in which power was shared between the national and state governments (federalism) • The constitution also divided the three types of governmental powers…legislative, judicial, executive (separation of powers) • This was inspired by Montesquieu

13. The U.S. Constitution • In addition, the new Constitution gave each of these government branches several “checks” on the powers of the other branches (checks and balances) in order to assure that no one branch became too powerful or tyrannical • Later, a Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to include specific protections of individual liberties • Finally, the ultimate power rested with the people who elected officials—creating a system of popular sovereignty where the people are supreme

14. Apply it! • Why didn’t the Articles of Confederation work? • Why did they try it anyways? • What ideas inspired the Constitution and Bill of Rights? • Who was “left out” of the Constitution and Bill of Rights?