Carnes & Garraty: Chapter 4 – Guided Reading Notes

  1. What actions did the First Continental Congress take in response to British policies? ______
  1. Where did the British believe the main colonial resistance resided? ______
  1. At what point did the British government decide to use force against the colonies (primarily targeted at the area listed in question 2)? ______
  1. What did the colonials do to prepare for conflict with the British?
  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______
  1. Who were the leaders of the Massachusetts assembly that the British wanted to arrest? ______& ______
  1. Where were the first shots of the Revolution fired? ______
  1. The British objective, ______, where Americans had stocked an armory, was where the battle transpired between the British army and American militia where the British sustained 273 casualties on the road back to Boston.
  1. The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and appointed ______as President and ______as commander of the Continental Army.
  1. What motivated the British to attack the colonials on Breed’s Hill? ______What was the outcome of the battle? ______
  1. What did the Second Continental Congress do to try and preserve their Union with Britain? ______. After the British rejected this, war seemed imminent.
  1. In 1775, even though battles had been fought and tensions were high, Americans were still unwilling to break away from the British Empire. What two significant events happened in 1776 to change this sentiment?
  1. ______
  2. ______
  1. What was the message of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense? ______How many copies were sold in the first half of 1776 alone? ______
  1. Who authored the Declaration of Independence? ______
  1. The Declaration of Independence consisted of two parts. Describe them…
  1. ______
  2. ______
  1. What long-term disadvantages did the British have with regard to war?
  2. Distance - ______
  3. Commitment - ______
  4. Enemies - ______
  1. In 1775, the Americans took the Canadian city of ______, but failed to take ______
  1. According to historians’ estimates, ______of Americans favored rebellion, ______were loyalists, or as they were otherwise called, ______, leaving ______as neutral or undecided. However John Adams believed the balance to be even at ______for each.
  1. Describe the Tory & Patriot relationship. ______. During battle ______
  1. In 1776, the British captured ______and set up their winter quarters. However the Americans scored a victory at the end of the year at ______where Washington surprised and defeated the ______soldiers fighting for the British.
  1. What American victory turned the tides of war for the Americans by convincing the French to ally with the Americans? ______
  1. After this battle, Lord North tried to win the Americans favor by repealing the ______and ______and pledged to ______, but this was rejected by the Americans.
  1. Why did the British switch the focus of the war to the South in 1778?
  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______
  1. The Americans had some success in the South once ______took charge. He used swift movements and calculated strikes to outmaneuver the British.
  1. Who was John Andre? ______. This exposed American General ______as a traitor.
  1. The British commander in the South, ______, moved from the Carolinas to the ______peninsula to establish a base on water where he could be supplied by the British fleet. In a coordinated effort, the French fleet under ______defeated the British fleet in the Chesapeake Bay cutting off the British via the sea. Also George Washington and French General ______marched South from New York to Yorktown, met with French General ______, and trapped the British in the Peninsula forcing their surrender.
  1. The treaty that ended the Revolution was the ______. The Americans agreed to negotiate a peace jointly with the French. The French contact was ______. Why did the American diplomats not trust him? ______
  1. How were the Americans able to get the British to negotiate a favorable peace agreement without the French or Spanish involved? ______
  1. Some of the terms of the treaty were…
  1. America was recognized as a sovereign nation
  2. Boundaries - ______
  3. Fishing - ______
  4. Troops - ______
  5. Tories - ______
  6. Debts – ______
  1. What was the first American constitution and who authored it? ______it was completed in ______, but did not get ratified until ______. Why did Maryland hold off on ratifying this Constitution for so long? ______
  1. Borrowing large sums of money and printing new money at the federal and state levels paid for the war, but devalued the American currency, destabilizing the economy. ______, was appointed superintendent of finance and created efficiencies to help stabilize the economy.
  1. State constitutions, most completed by 1777, tended to create executive, legislative and judicial branches, but which branch was given the most power? ______
  1. Legislators were ______of the people, not superior people who decided public policy based on their own judgment (which is how they were viewed in England). People were no longer ______, but ______.
  1. Most state constitutions contained a Bill of Rights, which did what? ______

The idea of a written constitution was different than the vague manner of rule imposed by the British who had no governing document outlining the powers of authority. This constitutionalism would define how government worked, placing sovereignty more with the people and establishing rules for the peaceful transition of power. This was quite different than any other major society in the world.

  1. State constitutions dealt with issues that would significantly impact society. What are a couple of issues mentioned in the text that the states decided to tackle?
  2. Religion - ______
  3. Slavery - ______
  1. How did the role of women in society change in the wake of the revolution?
  2. Divorce - ______
  3. Work - ______
  4. Education - ______