I. The American Revolution: Causes and Results (1775-1783)

A. English Law

1. England’s constitution is called the Magna Carta.

2. What does the Magna Carta say?:

a. no person can have his life taken away without a trial that includes a jury.

b. no person can have his property taken away without a trial that includes a jury.

c. the government cannot create tax laws without permission from the people.

d. “Rule of Law”- the King and the Queen must follow the law just like everyone

else.

3. English Bill of Rights (1689) – a list of rights that all English people have that the

government cannot take away – example: trial by jury.

4. England’s congress is called PARLIAMENT.
5. The leader of Parliament is called the PRIME MINISTER.

B. The American Revolution (1775-1783)

1. What caused the American Revolution?

a. The French and Indian War and British tax policies after the French and Indian

War caused the American Revolution.

1) The French and Indian War (1754-1763)

a) Britain and France fought the French and Indian War to gain control of

North America.

b) Treaty of Paris 1783 ended the French and Indian war; Britain won the

war and France lost ALL of its colonies in North America.

c) Britain raised taxes on the American colonies in order to pay for the

French and Indian War.

d) The American colonists believed that the tax laws violated the Magna

Carta because they did not have a chance to vote on the laws

2) Some British tax laws that helped to start the American Revolution:

a) creation of “writs of assistance” (c.1764)

b) Sugar Act (1764)

c) Stamp Act (1765)

d) Declaratory Act (1766)

e) Townshend Acts (1767)

f) Tea Act (1773)

g) Intolerable Acts (a.k.a. “Coercive Acts”) (1774)

3) Events leading to the America Revolution:

a) Boston Massacre (March 1770) – British soldiers kill 5 colonists when

they are attacked by an angry anti-tax mob in Boston; the soldiers were

tried for murder and found “not guilty” … but … many colonists now

believe that the British will kill to enforce unfair tax laws.

b) Boston Tea Party (December 1773) – In Massachusetts, members of

the “Sons of Liberty” (an anti-tax group started by John Hancock and

Samuel Adams) dump a large shipment of British tea into Boston Harbor

to protest the Tea Act. King George III declares that “the colonies are in

a state of rebellion” and sends more troops to the colonies to enforce the

law.

c) Intolerable Acts (1774) – Parliament passes these laws to punish Boston

for the Tea Party; Boston harbor is closed, public meetings are made

illegal, and military rule was imposed in the colony until the tea was paid

for.

d) Battle of Lexington and Concord (April 1775) – FIRST BATTLE OF

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; British troops leave Boston to

search for weapons being stored by the Sons of Liberty and to arrest

John Hancock and Samuel Adams; warned by Paul Revere, nearly 4,000

colonists attack the British soldiers as the march from Boston to Concord

and then back to Boston. The British suffer 273 casualties; the

Americans 90.

C. The War: Battles and Events from the American Revolution

1. Events from the American Revolution (1775-1781)

a. Battle of Lexington and Concord (April 1775) – FIRST BATTLE OF THE

AMERCIAN REVOLUTION took place near Boston Massachusetts.

b. Battle of Bunker Hill (April 1775) – Continental Army kills a large

number British soldiers near Boston Massachusetts – it will be a long war!

c. Second Continental Congress (Spring 1775) governed the U.S during the

American Revolution; they did the following things during the war:

1). Olive Branch Petition (Spring 1775) – a letter to King George III Britain

asking for a peaceful solution to the problems between Britain and the

American colonies; King George III ignored the letter.

2) Formation of the Continental Army (Spring 1775) – Congress created the

Continental Army and appointed George Washington of Virginia as

commander of the army.

3) Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) – written by Thomas Jefferson of

Virginia

a) What does the Declaration of Independence say?

(1) all people are created equally and are entitled to

certain basic rights like life, liberty and happiness

(2) the purpose of government is to protect the people’s rights

(3) if the government does not protect the people right’s, then the people

have the right to rebel against the government and create a new

government

(4) lists the ways in which Parliament violated the colonists rights under the

Magna Carta

(5) declared that the American colonies are an independent nation separate

from Britain

4) Articles of Confederation (1777) the first constitution of the United States

2. “Common Sense” published (January 1776) – book written by Thomas Paine – it

contained simple and powerful arguments in favor of independence – many

people read the book and began to support independence

3. “The Crisis” published (December 1776) - book written by Thomas Paine – the

colonists were losing the war and this book convinced many to continue fighting

even though they were losing – some say it convinced Washington to attack

Trenton!

4. Battle of Trenton, New Jersey (Dec 1776) – Continental Army crosses the

Delaware River to surprise and capture 900 German troops in Trenton on

December 26, 1776.

5. Battle of Saratoga, New York (Fall 1777) – 6,000 British soldiers surrender to the

Continental Army in New York – after this battle France becomes an American

ally against Britain

6. Battle of Yorktown (October 1781) – LAST BATTLE OF THE AMERICAN

REVOLUTION; with the help of the French navy and army, the Continental

Army defeats the British near Yorktown, Virginia; the British surrender ending

the American Revolution

D. Results of the American Revolution

1. Treaty of Paris 1783 – this is the treaty that ended the American Revolution

a. What did the Treaty of Paris 1783 say?

1) The English colonies in American are independent from England are area

new nation: United States of America.

2) The treaty created the borders for the U.S.A.; which were!!:

North – to the Great Lakes

South – to, but not including, Florida

West – to the Mississippi River

East – to the Atlantic Ocean

Review: Causes and Results of the American Revolution Name:

(1775-1783)

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete this assignment on a separate sheet of paper using your textbook,

class notes, complete homework and class work for reference.

VOCABULARY: Provide complete definitions for each of the following terms.

export import subsistence farming

cash crop diversity overseer

mercantilism apprentice speculator

literacy militia patriot

loyalist tory mercenary

guerrilla warfare blockade committee of correspondence

triangular trade smuggling writs of assistance

resolution effigy boycott

repeal propaganda minutemen

petition preamble ratify

ambush

PEOPLE: How did the following people contribute to, or work against, American independence from

Britain?

George Washington Thomas Jefferson Thomas Paine

John Adams John Hancock George III

Samuel Adams Benjamin Franklin Benedict Arnold

Marquis de Lafayette

MAIN IDEAS: Write your answer to the following questions in a complete sentence.

1. Place each of the following events into the correct order.

French and Indian War begins Treaty of Paris 1763

Declaration of Independence is written Sugar Act passed

Stamp Act passed Boston Massacre occurs

Intolerable Acts passed Boston Tea Party occurs

Townshend Acts passed Battle of Lexington and Concord

Battle of Yorktown Treaty of Paris 1783

Tea Act is passed

2. Give the name of the war fought in North America between England and France in the

mid-1700’s. Why did England and France fight this war? Who won the war, England or

France?

3. What was the Iroquois Confederation?

4. How did the Treaty of Paris 1763 change the lands controlled by England and France

in North America?

5. Why did the English decide to tax the American colonies after the French and Indian War?

6. Why did the American colonists believe that the tax laws created by the English after the

French and Indian War were illegal?

7. What is the name of England’s constitution? What does England’s constitution say about

taxes?

8. What is meant by the phrase “no taxation without representation”? List three tax laws that the

colonists believed were illegal.

9. List three actions taken by the colonists to show their opposition to English tax laws.

10. Explain why the following battles are important in the history of the American Revolution:

Battles of Lexington and Concord Battle of Bunker Hill

Battles at Trenton Battle of Saratoga

Battle of Yorktown

11. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? What does the Declaration of Independence say

about the following items:

What rights are all men (and women) entitled to?

What is the purpose of government?

What should the people do if the government does not protect them?

12. Who wrote the publications listed below? Explain in what way each of these publications

influenced American public opinion during the American Revolution:

Common Sense

The Crisis

13. Which European nation became an American ally during the American Revolution?

14. What were the borders of the United States as created by the Treaty of Paris 1783?