The American

Revolution
Mr. McCaskill

First of all
What is a revolution?
Revolution- A change in political
organization and the overthrow of
one government or ruler and the
substitution of another.

Colonies and trade

Throughout the 1600s and 1700s, British
colonists had formed a large and thriving
settlement along the eastern shore of
North America.
The colonies thrived on trade with the
nations of Europe.
In addition to that, the population grew
significantly each year.

British Americans
By the mid-1700s, colonists had been living in
America for nearly 150 years.
Each of the colonies had its own government,
and were independent.
Colonists saw themselves less as British and
more as Virginians or Pennsylvanians.
However, they were still British and were
expected to obey British laws.

French and Indian War

In 1754, war erupted on the North American
continent between the English and the French.
The French had also colonized parts of North
America throughout the 1600s and 1700s.
The conflict was known as the French and
Indian War. Sound familiar?
Britain emerged victorious!

Great Britain Winskinda

The victory, however, only led to growing
tensions between Britain and its
colonists.
In order to fight the war, Great Britain
had run up a huge debt.
To pay for this, Britain began to set laws
that stopped the colonist from trading
with other countries.

No TWR!
Britain wanted the colonists to pay the costs of
the war.
In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act.
The colonists were outraged.
They had never paid taxes directly to the
British government before.
The colonist accused the British of taxation
without representation.

No Taxes
In Britain the citizens consented to taxes
because they had representation in
Parliament.
However the colonist had no
representation in Parliament.
Thus, they argued they could not be
taxed.

Independence
Over the next decade, hostilities
between the two sides increased.
Some colonial leaders wanted
independence from Britain.
In 1773, to protest a tax on tea, a group
of colonists dumped a load of British tea
into Boston Harbor.
This would be known as the Boston Tea

Shots Heard Round the

World
In April 1775 British soldiers and American
militiamen exchanged gunfire in
Massachusetts.
Under George Washingtons command, The
American Revolution had begun!

Revolution and the

Enlightenment
Colonists used Enlightenment ideas
to justify independence.
The colonists felt justified to rebel
since the king broke the social
contract.

Declaration of
Independence
In July 1776, a group of colonist
wrote the Declaration of
Independence.
This document, written by Thomas
Jefferson, was based on the ideas of
John Locke.

THE PREAMBLE
We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, that
among these are life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.

John Locke and

America
Locke had stated that people had the
right to rebel against an unjust ruler.
The DOI ended by declaring the colonies
separation from Britain.
The British were not about to let their
colonies leave without a fight.
Shortly after the DOI, the two sides went
to war.

WHY WE WON

Several reasons explain the colonists success.

First, the Americans motivation for fighting was

much stronger.

Second, the overconfident British generals made

several mistakes.

Next, time was on the side of the Americans.

Fighting a war 3,000 miles away was very

expensive.

Last, France entered the war in 1778 changed the

face of the war.

Importance of the
Declaration
The United States was now a government in
which citizens rule through elected
representatives.
The Declaration of Independence marked a
turning point in peoples ideas about
government.
It put Enlightenment ideas into practice.
They expressed a view that reason and reform
could prevail and that progress was inevitable.