The American Revolution and Confederation 1774 1787 APUSH

The American Revolution and Confederation, 1774 -1787 APUSH

First Continental Congress � All colonies except Georgia met in Sept 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts � No intentions or desire for independence at this time � Just wanted to protest British taxes and go back to the way things were prior to the French and Indian War � Delegates included: Patrick Henry, John Adams, George Washington, & John Jay

Actions of the First Continental Congress Created the Suffolk Resolves which called for immediate repeal of the Intolerable Acts, makes military preparations, and boycotts British goods � Issued Declaration of Rights and Grievances to the King and Parliament � Formed “The Association”, urged creation of committees to enforce boycotts � If Britain didn’t make changes, they promised to meet again �

Britain’s Response � King George III angrily dismisses the petition of FCC � Declared Massachusetts in a state of rebellion � Sent additional troops to deal with the unruly colonists � Fighting will soon erupt

Lexington and Concord April 18, 1775 � General Gage and his British soldiers go to Concord to seize colonial supplies � Paul Revere and William Dawes warn the militia that the British are on their way � In Lexington, the militia is forced to retreat and the British continue their march to Concord � In Concord, they destroy some colonial military supplies

Lexington and Concord � While returning to Boston, the British soldiers were attacked by militiamen and suffered 250 casualties � Very humiliating for the British � Unclear which side actually fired the first shots

Bunker Hill (Breeds Hill) June 17, 1775 � Actual battle, not a scuffle like Lexington and Concord � Occurred on the outskirts of Boston � British managed to capture the hill from the militia but suffered heavy losses � British had about 1, 000 casualties

Second Continental Congress � Met in Philadelphia in May 1775 � Some delegates wanted to declare independence, some still wanted to make peace with Britain � Congress adopted plan to establish an army, led by George Washington � Sent the “Olive Branch Petition” to King George III as a last attempt at peace

Common Sense � King George III rejected the petition and declared the colonies in a state of rebellion � Thomas Paine published his essay, Common Sense which persuaded many colonies to push for independence � He said it went against common sense for a tiny country (England) to rule a large country (America)

Declaration of Independence � Lee Resolution was adopted on July 2, 1776, formally declared independence � Committee was formed to write a statement to support the resolution � Thomas Jefferson drafted the declaration which included a list of grievances against the king and other reasons for revolution � Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776

Patriots � Most were from New England Virginia � Continental Army was made up of farmers that would fight for a while then leave to go home and work � Washington only had about 20, 000 troops at one time � Short on supplies, poorly equipped, and rarely paid

Patriots � African Americans participated in most of the military actions of the war � 5, 000 would fight on the side of the Patriots � Most were freemen from the North � Some fought in units of mixed race, some fought in all African units � Peter Salem was an African recognized for his bravery

Loyalists � Tories: Americans who maintained their support of the King � Tories fought alongside the British and provided food, supplies, and information � About 520, 000 -780, 000 Tories during the war � Most from Georgia, New York, and New Jersey � Most Tories were wealthy government officials or Anglican clergymen

Native Americans � Tried to stay out of the war at first � Attacks by Americans led most Native Americans to side with the British � British promised to limit colonial settlement in the west

Initial American Losses 1775 -1777 went badly for Washington’s troops By the end of 1777, the British controlled New York and Philadelphia � After losing Philadelphia, Washington and his troops suffer through the winter at Valley Forge (2, 000 die from exposure) � Trade was difficult, supplies were scarce, and inflation was rampant � American paper money was considered worthless � �

Alliance with France � Turning point for Americans was the Battle of Saratoga in Oct 1777 � Diplomatic result was most important � The American win persuaded France to join their side against the British � Marquis de Lafayette and Benjamin Franklin both worked as ambassadors to secure this alliance � French provide money, supplies, and troops

American Victory � British started to concentrate their efforts in the South were there were more Tories � 1781 the last major battle will occur at Yorktown, VA � British General Cornwallis was trapped between Washington and the French navy and forced to surrender

Treaty of Paris 1783 After Yorktown, the war lost support in England because the toll it was taking on the economy � Treaty stated: � › › Britain would recognize American independence Mississippi River would be the west boundary Americans would have fishing rights off Canada Americans would pay debts owed to British merchants and return Loyalists property

State Governments � By the end of the war, most colonies had a written constitution � Each constitution had the following: › List of rights and freedoms (basic) › Separation of powers (executive, legislative, judicial) › Voting (property holders) › Office-holding (property holders)

Articles of the Confederation Structure Created by John Dickinson and submitted to the states in 1777 for “ratification” � Finally ratified in March 1781 � Created a central government with a unicameral Congress � Each state got one representative � 9 out of 13 states had to agree to pass a law � To amend the articles, all 13 states had to agree �

Articles of the Confederation Powers � Congress could wage war, make treaties, borrow money, and deal with foreign nations � Congress was NOT given the powers of regulating trade, collecting taxes, or enforcing its own laws � There was no president, executive branch, or federal courts

Articles of the Confederation Accomplishments � The Articles, although weak, accomplished the following: › Winning the war and negotiating a favorable treaty with Great Britain › Land Ordinance of 1785: surveyed western lands and set aside land in each for public education › Northwest Ordinance of 1787: set rules for creating new states in the west

Articles of the Confederation Problems � Financial: Congress could not tax to raise money � Foreign: Other nations did not repect the US because the national government was weak and it couldn’t pay off debts � Domestic: Shay’s Rebellion highlighted problems of debt and worthless currency. Made national government weaknesses obvious

Social Change � US would not grant titles of nobility � States adopted the policy of separation of Church and State � Women still treated as second class citizens even though they had kept the farms and businesses running during war. Some even fought in battles � Many called for end to slavery but Southern states thought it was essential to their economy