STANDARDS SS 8 H 3 Analyze the role

STANDARDS: SS 8 H 3 Analyze the role of Georgia in the American Revolutionary Era. a. Explain the causes of the American Revolution as they impacted Georgia; include the French and Indian War, Proclamation of 1763, and the Stamp Act. b. Interpret the three parts of the Declaration of Independence (preamble, grievances, and declaration) and identify the three Georgia signers of the document.

Road to the Revolution Causes of the American Revolution

Competition • Great Britain, France, and Spain had been competing for land in North America for centuries. • By the mid-1700 s, France had become Great Britain’s biggest rival. • In 1756, fighting broke out between the two countries over fur trading territory in the Ohio Valley.

F & I War • This war was known as the French and Indian War in America because the local American Indians joined forces with the French troops. • They were worried that the British settlers would take over their land. • In Europe, the war was called the Seven Years’ War.

F & I War • Great Britain won the war. • In the Treaty of Paris 1763, France was forced to give up all of its North American colonies, including Canada and all the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. • Even though the British won the war, the economic cost of the war was incredible and left the country virtually bankrupt.

Georgia • The Treaty of Paris 1763 also gave Spanish Florida to England. • Georgians were happy with this decision because there would be no more Spanish threat to the colony. • Georgia’s borders were also expanded to the St. Mary’s River to the South, the Mississippi River to the West, and land around Augusta to the North.

Georgia’s Boundaries, 1763

Proclamation • In 1763, King George issued a statement prohibiting colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains. • Colonists who lived there had to pack up and move back east, and they were not too happy about that!

King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763.

Indians • Much of the land was given to American Indians to avoid uprisings and violence with the settlers. • The intent was to stabilize relations between Great Britain and the American Indian tribes who lived in the area. • Because the British were nearly bankrupt from the Seven Years War, they could not afford to fight another costly war with American Indians over territory.

Proclamation of 1763 – New Colonial Boundaries © Brain Wrinkles

Goals • In addition to making peace with the American Indians, the proclamation had two other goals. • King George III wanted to build a trade relationship with American Indians in order to capitalize on the fur trade business. • Also, Great Britain planned to build forts along the Proclamation Line in order to better defend and maintain its colonies.

Reaction • The colonists, many of whom participated in the war in hopes of gaining new land, were extremely upset by the Proclamation of 1763. • Many frontiersmen ignored the treaty and moved west into areas that are now Kentucky and Tennessee.

Many frontiersmen moved into the Appalachian Mountain region, despite the King’s orders.

Georgia • People in Georgia did not share the same reactions to the Proclamation of 1763 as other colonists. • The colony was relatively small and most colonists were still settled along Georgia’s coastline. • Also, Georgia gained land resources from the Spanish after the French and Indian War. • This new land opened up new coastal areas for Georgians to settle, which was great for

Control • Throughout the 1700 s, the American colonists had become increasingly independent. • Great Britain had left the colonies alone to manage their own affairs for years. • During the 1760 s, England began to assert more control and the colonists were not happy. © Brain Wrinkles

Taxation • To help alleviate the debt incurred from the war, the British Parliament felt that the colonists should be responsible for some of the financial burden by paying new taxes. • Many colonists were angered by the taxation, particularly because there was no colonial representation in the British Parliament.

Stamp Act • In 1765, England imposed the Stamp Act, which required colonists to buy a government stamp for nearly every paper document. • It put a direct tax on items that were commonly used by almost every colonist, including newspapers, licenses, and legal documents. • Many colonists rebelled, saying that the government should not tax them when they had no representation in Parliament.

Notice of the Stamp Act in a newspaper. Colonial newspaper predicted the Stamp Act would lead to the end of journalism.

Stamp Act • Due to colonial pressure, the British Parliament eventually repealed the Stamp Act (but continued to issue others). • These acts caused even more discontent and began to set the stage for the Revolutionary War…

Georgia • Georgia’s response to the Stamp Act was not as violent as in other colonies. • Georgia was actually the only colony where the hated stamps were sold. • Georgia’s royal governor, James Wright, had much to do with the colony’s calm reaction.

Wright • Governor Wright was well liked and had really improved the quality of life in Georgia. • Many Georgians knew that he cared about them and wanted to see the colony be prosperous. • Governor Wright was very loyal to King George III, and he urged the colonists to remain loyal as well.

Liberty Boys • Despite Governor Wright’s influence, there was some resistance to the Stamp Act. • On November 6, 1765, a group affiliated with the Sons of Liberty called the “Liberty Boys” was established to oppose the Stamp Act. • The Liberty Boys, along with many other Georgians, were unhappy with the unfair tax on paper goods.

Georgia’s Liberty Boys meeting in Tondee’s Tavern in Savannah.

Georgia • The American colonists held a Stamp Act Congress in 1765, but Governor Wright did not want Georgia to participate. • He refused to call Georgia’s legislature into session to vote on the issue. • Nine other colonies sent delegates to the Stamp Act Congress, while Georgia sent none.

Boston • The American colonists were becoming more and more rebellious, particularly in Boston. • The Boston Massacre occurred in 1770 when British soldiers fired into an angry mob of protestors, killing five colonists. • The 1773 Boston Tea Party took place when colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act.

The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor (A few of the colonists disguised themselves as American Indians. )

st 1 Congress • Other American colonies were outraged and joined in sympathy with Massachusetts. • These colonists were unified in a belief that the British Parliament was violating their rights. • Every colony except Georgia sent representatives to the First Continental Congress of 1774.

st 1 Congress • The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774. • The members wrote protests to England decided to boycott British goods until taxes and trade regulation were repealed. • They also pledged military support to Massachusetts if they were attacked by

Fight • King George III said that the colonists would not become independent without a fight. • On April 19 th, 1775, the first battle of the American Revolution took place at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. • After several more battles, the Second Continental Congress met in May 1775. • At first, the Congress tried to find a peaceful solution, but the king would not compromise.

Declaration of Independence

Declaration • The Second Continental Congress chose to officially declare independence. • The Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson to pen a statement outlining the reasons for the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. • On July 4, 1776, the delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed to the world that the American colonies were united in the fight for independence.

Thomas Jefferson was the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. ”

Declaration • The Declaration announced to King George III that the colonists were united against him. • It stated why the colonists declared their independence, and the colonists hoped to win support from countries all over the world. • The Declaration also expressed the colonists’ belief that everyone deserves natural rights. • There are three main parts of the Declaration: the Preamble, a list of grievances, & the official declaration.

Preamble • The introduction to the Declaration of Independence is called the Preamble. • It states that “all men are created equal” and that people have natural rights that should not be denied by governments. • The Preamble explains why the colonists decided to separate from Great Britain.

Grievances • The middle section of the Declaration of Independence is a list of 27 grievances, or complaints, against King George and the British Parliament. • This is the largest part of the Declaration and it clearly states the ways that the king had wronged the colonists.

Grievances • Some of the grievances include: • The king issued taxation without the colonists’ consent. • The king denied the colonists’ right to self-government by dissolving their legislatures. • The king kept an army in the colonies at all times.

Declaration • The final part of the Declaration officially declared the colonies free from British rule. • It announced the formation of the United States of America and declared they were no longer connected to Great Britain. • The conclusion also contains the signatures of 56 signers from all 13 states. • Three Georgians signed the document: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton.

Gwinnett • Button Gwinnett was born in England in 1735 and arrived in Georgia in 1765. • He was a merchant, plantation owner, and an important figure in Georgia’s politics. • During the Revolutionary War period, Gwinnett was an influential member of the Whig Party and became the leader of the radical St. John’s Parish patriot group.

Button Gwinnett – Gwinnett County was named in his honor.

Gwinnett • After signing the Declaration of Independence, Gwinnett became chairman of the committee who wrote the Georgia Constitution of 1777. • In 1777, he became Georgia’s governor, but only served a few months. • While in office, Governor Gwinnett challenged his enemy Lachlan Mc. Intosh to a duel and was shot. • Gwinnett died of his injuries three days

© Brain Wrinkles

Hall • Lyman Hall was a minister and a doctor from Connecticut who practiced medicine in Georgia and South Carolina. • He moved to Georgia in 1760 and joined Button Gwinnett in leadership of the St. John’s Parish. • Hall was a member of the Georgia delegation to the Second Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.

Lyman Hall – Hall County is named in his honor.

Hall • After the American Revolution, Hall returned to his medical practice. • He was elected governor in 1783, and focused on important issues like rebuilding Georgia’s economy and dealing with Loyalists and American Indians. • Hall was also instrumental in the

Walton • George Walton was a successful lawyer who became involved in Georgia politics during the Revolutionary War. • Walton served in the provincial congress and was the president of the Council of Safety. • Walton was a delegate to the Continental Congress and was the third Georgian to sign the Declaration of Independence.

George Walton – Walton County is named for him.

Walton • During the American Revolution, Walton served as a Patriot colonel. • He was wounded and captured by the British and ended up walking with a limp for the rest of his life. • When the war ended, Walton remained active in Georgia politics for the next 30 years. • He was a representative to Congress, circuit court judge, chief justice of Georgia, governor of Georgia, and US senator.

eorgia’s Delegates’ Signatures

Road to Revolution Directions: Complete the chart below after discussing the presentation. What/Who was it? French & Indian War Proclamation of 1763 Stamp Act Declaration of Independence Button Gwinnett Lyman Hall George Walton Symbol