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French and Indian War
French colonists in New France enjoyed better relations with Native Amer (needed local people in their fur trade)-led to French-Indian military alliances. Area of Contention between French and Great Britain-Ohio river valley, west of Pennsylvania and Virginia. French built Fort Duquesne despite Virginia gov giving land to wealthy planters. Virginia gov send milita to evict French- srt of war 1st battle- French defeat Virginians. Washington aides Braddock-attempt to attack fort but fail -
Writs of Assistance
Authorized by governor of Massachusetts. (ensured English merchants weren't doing buis with French) A general search warrant that allowed British customs officials to search any colonial ship or building they believed to be holding smuggled goods- enabled British officials to enter and search colonial homes whether there was evidence of smuggling or not (many merchants worked out of their residences). colonists outraged -
Treaty of Paris 1763
Ends war. Brit king select new leaders to run gov in 1757. Brit begins to win battles under William Pitt. Result-earns support from Iroquois to counterbalance French Native allies. Sept 1759 in Plains of Abraham,Quebec- Brit secretly attacks French troops at night & becomes victorious. Treaty result- GB claims Canada and almost all of North Amer east of Mississippi River, took Florida from Spain (allied with FR). Permits Spain to keep land west of Mississippi & city of New Orleans 1762 -
Proclamation of 1763
Established a Proclamation Line along Appalachians which colonists were not allowed to cross. Colonists were eager to expand westward and ignored the proclamation. Before- British gov wanted to avoid costly conflicts with Native Americans and prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mount. -
Sugar Act & colonists' response
King George hoped to lower the debt. Halved the duty on foreign made molasses in hopes colonists would pay low tax than smuggling. Placed duties on certain imports that had not been taxed before**Colonists accused of violating the act were tried in vice-admiralty court (single judge) rather than a colonial court Result-merchants complained it would reduce their profits & claimed Parliament had no right to tax colonists bc no reps to body- had little effect on colonist cept merch&trad -
Sons of Liberty is formed & Samuel Adams
A secret resistance group to protest Stamp Act. Samuel Adams- one of the founders -
Stamp Act & colonists response
Imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as wills, newspapers, and playing cards. A stamp would be placed on the items to prove that the tax had been paid- affected colonists directly bc it was levied on goods & services. May- colonists formed Sons of Liberty to protest. Colonial assemblies declared Parliament lacked power to impose taxes, colonists not represented in Par. Oct- ppl boycott Brit goods and prepare Declaration of Rights and Grievances, stamp act repealed -
Declaratory Act
passed by Parliament-asserted their full right "to bind the colonies and people of America in all cases whatsoever." -
Townshend Acts & colonist's response, why they were repealed
Passed by Parliament, named after Charles Townshend (leading gov minister) Taxed goods that were imported into the colonies from Britain, such as glass, paper, and paint. Imposed a tax on tea (most popular drink) - stations troops at major colonial ports to protect customs officers. Colonists protested "taxation without representation" and organized new boycott against imported goods. -
Boston Massacre
A mob gathered in front of the Boston Customs House and taunted British soldiers standing guard there. Shots were fired and five colonists, including Crispus Attucks, were were killed or mortally wounded. Colonial agitators labeled it as a massacre and publish a dramatic engraving depicting the violence -
Tea Act
devised by Lord North to save nearly bankrupt British East India Company. Granted the company the right to sell tea to the colonies free of the taxes that the colonists tea sellers had to pay. This action would've cut colonial merchants out of the tea trade by enabling East India Company to directly sell its tea to consumers for less- North hoped colonists would by cheaper tea but protested -
Boston Tea Party
A large group of Boston rebels disguised themselves as Native Americans and proceeded to take action against three British tea ships anchored in the harbor - dumped 18,000 pounds of East India Company's tea into the waters of the Boston harbor. -
Intolerable Acts- all 3 parts
King George III pressed Parliament to pass. 1. Shut down Boston harbor 2.Quartering Act- authorized British commanders to house soldiers in vacant private homes and other buildings 3. General Thomas Gage (commander in chief of Brit forces in America) appointed as governor of Massachusetts- placed Boston under martial law, rule imposed by military forces -
First Continental Congress meets
Response to Intolerable Act- committees of correspondence assembled First Cont. Congress. 56 delegates met in Philadelphia and drew up a declaration of colonial rights. They defended the colonies' right to run their own affairs and stated that if British used force against the colonies, the colonies should fight back. -
Midnight Riders: Revere, Dawes, Prescott
Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott rose out to spread the word that 700 British troops were headed out toward Concord.- rang church bells and gunshots, signals that the British were coming -
Battle of Lexington
Redcoats reach Lexington and see 70 minutemen drawn up in lines on the village green. The British commander ordered the minutemen to lay down their arms and leave, and the colonists began to move out without laying down their muskets. Then someone fired, and British soldiers fired at will. 8 minutemen were killed and 10 were wounded, one Brit soldier wounded. First Battle of Revolutionary War- lasted 15 min -
Second Continental Congress
Colonial leaders called for a second continental congress to debate their next move- some delegates called for independence while others called for reconciliation with Great Britain. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
General Thomas Gage strikes a militiamen on Bunker's Hill- sent 2,400 British soldiers up the hill. Colonists held their fire till the last minute and began to mow down redcoats before retreating. Colonists lost 450 men while British suffered over 1,000 casualties. Deadliest Battle of the war -
Olive Branch Petition
Second Continental Congress prepared for war but hoped for peace. Congress sends out Olive Branch Petition urging to return the "former harmony" between Britain and the colonies. King George rejects the petition and issued a proclamation stating that the colonies were in rebellion and urged Parliament to order a naval blockade to isolate a line of ships meant for the American coast. -
Minutemen
civilian soldiers who pledged to be ready to fight against the British on a minute's notice. General Thomas Gage finds out and orders troops to from Boston to nearby Concord Massachusetts, to seize their weapons -
Battle of Concord
British marched onto Concord and found an empty arsenal. As they marched back to Boston, 3,000 to 4,000 minutemen assembled and fired onto the marching troops from behind stone walls and trees. Many British soldiers died and marched back to Boston that night- colonists become enemies of Britain and and held Boston and its encampment of British troops under seige -
Continental Army
Congress agreed to recognize colonial militia as Continental Army that appointed George Washington as its commander in the Second Continental Congress. -
John Locke's Social Contract
Enlightenment Ideas spread- Locke maintained that people have the right to life, liberty, and property. Every society is based on a social contract- an agreement which people consent to choose and obey a gov so long as it safeguards their natural rights. If gov violates the social contract by taking away or interfering those rights, people have the right to resist and even overthrow the gov. -
Publication of Common Sense
50 page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine- attacked King George and the monarchy. Argued that the responsibility for the British tyranny lay with "the royal brute of Britain"- explained that his own revolt against kind began with Lexington and Concord. Declared that independence would allow America to trade more freely-stated that independence would give American colonists the chance to create a better society, one free of tyranny with social and economic opportunities for all. -
Declaration of Independence
Author- Thomas Jefferson
Statements made:
-"life liberty and the pursuit of happiness (locke)"
-gov's power can only come from the consent of the governed and if gov denies their unalienable rights then the people have the right to alter or abolish gov.
-all men are created equal
- July 2, 1776: delegated vote that American colonies were free
- July 4, 1776: DOI adopted -
Loyalists and Patriots
Loyalists- those who opposed independence and remained loyal to the British king, thought that British would win and wanted to avoid punishment as rebels or that the new Crown would protect their rights more effectively than new colonial gov would
Patriots- supporters of independence, saw economic and political opportunity in independent America. African Americans fought with patriots but some with British (freedom of slavery). Indians fought with Brits bc colonists were threat to land -
Redcoats push Washington's army across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania
Where- New York
What contributed to success- colonial troops were untrained and poorly equipped -
Washington's Christmas night surprise attack
Where- Trenton, New Jersey
What contributed to the success- led 2,400 men in small rowboats across Delaware Rivee, defeated garrison of Hessians in surprise attack. The British soon regrouped and in Sept 1777, they captured the American capital in Philadeliphia -
Saratoga
What was Burgoyne's plan- planned to leas an army down a route of lakes from Canada to Albnay, where he would meet British troops as they arrived from NYC. The two regiments would join forces to isolate New England from colonies
Why did it fail-militiamen and soldiers from Continental Army, Brit officers did not meet with Burgoyne
What was the outcome-Amer. Troops surround Burgoyne & he surrenders -
French-American Alliance
Saratoga victory bolstered France's belief thst the Americans could win the war.
Result - French signed an alliance with Americans and openly joined them in fight. -
Friedrich von Steuben and Marwuis de Lafayette
The way in which they contributed to the war
Steuben-a Prusdian captain and talented drill master, helped train Continental Army
Lafayette- lobbied Francr for French reinforcements in 1779 and led a command in Virginia in last years od the war -
British victories in the South
Where- took Savannah, Georgia. British under Generals Henry Clintom and Charles Cornwallis captured Charles Town, South Carolina. Clinton left for New York while Cornwallis continued to conquer land throughout the South.
What contributed to their success-
1.colonists continurd to battle Cornwallis-hindering his efforts to tske thr Carolinas.
2. British general move the fight to Virginia -
Valley Forge- Pennsylvania
Continental Army fought to stay alive at winter camp with desperstely low food and supplies. More than 2,000 soldiers died, yet survivors didn't desert -
British surrender at Yorktown
What contributed to the success of the Continental Army- French naval forcr defeated a British fleet and then blocked the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, thereby obstructing British sea routes to the bay. 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the British on Yorktown oeninsula and began bombarding them day and night -
Treaty of Paris
Delegates signed treaty which confirmed US independence and set boundaries of the new nation. Unitrd states now stretched from Atlantoc Ocean to Mississippi River and from Canads to the Florida border
