UNIT 2: CREATING THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC

I. Events leading to American Republic (1773-1775)

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C. Colonists upset:
claim “no taxation without representation”
violent protests- “Sons of Liberty” formed,
Stamp Act Congress organized a boycott
of British goods
D. Parliament repeals Stamp Act
1766 Declaratory Act in enacted- Britain had
the right to tax the colonists

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E. 1767 Townsend Acts- indirect tax on glass, paint, tea, etc.
Colonists revive their protests and boycotts
British send troops to Boston

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F. 1770 Boston Massacre- British soldiers kill 5 colonists
Committees of Correspondence were formed

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G. British withdrew troops and dropped most of the Townsend taxes
except the one on tea

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H. 1773 Tea Act- British East India Company could sell tea cheaper than even the
Smugglers
Colonists responded with the Boston Tea Party

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I. 1774 Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)-
Boston Harbor was closed until the tea was paid for
Renewal of the Quartering Act (in Boston specifically)
Crimes by British officials committed in the colonies were tried in
Britain (not the colonies)
1774 First Continental Congress- Colonies met to renew the boycott of British goods
Colonists saw the Coercive Acts as a threat to their liberty and it united
them in protest against the Acts

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J. Battles of Lexington and Concord-
General Gage and British troops searched for John Hancock, Samuel
Adams and weapons
Patriot militia (Minutemen) kill/ wound more than 200 British soldiers and
follow them back to Boston
First shots of the war
Second Continental Congress-
Colonies meet and name George Washington commander of Continental
Army

V. Strengths and Weaknesses of British and Patriots

BRITISH STRENGTHS
·  Support of the loyalists
·  Strong, well-trained Army and Navy
·  Strong government with money
·  Indian allies / PATRIOT STRENGTHS
·  Superior weapons and marksmen
·  Inspiring cause: Independence
·  Leadership of George Washington
·  Familiarity of home ground
·  Experienced officers and soldiers trained in past colonial wars
BRITISH WEAKNESSES
·  3000 miles from Britain to the battle front
·  Unfamiliar battlefronts
·  Weak military leaders
·  Inability to use loyalist effectively / PATRIOT WEAKNESSES
·  Short supply of food and ammunition
·  Infant navy
·  No central government enforcing wartime policies
·  Most soldiers untrained, undisciplined

II. Ideas behind the Revolution

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IV. LOYALISTS

(10-20%)

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WHO WERE THEY

Artisans (craftsmen:blacksmiths,

silversmiths etc.)

Farmers

Wealthy elitists

Cultural minorities who feared oppression

Native Americans

Enslaved People

WHY WERE THEY?

Liked law and order.

Native Americans were Loyalists b/c the British kept the colonists from moving west and taking their land.

Slaves sought freedom by joining the British.

Thought the Patriots demanded more taxes than the British.

They were afraid of war and thought the colonists couldn’t defeat the British.

British allowed more free speech.

VI. Revolutionary War Battles and Leaders

GENERALS / BATTLES / OTHER
PATRIOTS
·  Washington
·  Marquis de Lafayette
BRITISH
·  Howe
·  Cornwallis
·  Burgoyne / ·  Early fighting in Mass. (Key battle: Lexington & Concord)
·  British leave N. E. in Jan. 1776
·  British attack the Middle colonies (seaports of NYC & Philadelphia)
·  Dec. 26, 1776 Washington crosses the Delaware River and wins the Battle of Trenton
·  Patriots win the Battle of Saratoga: April 1777
·  Britain invades the South and win battles in GA and SC
·  Oct. 1781 Washington and the French led by Lafayette force the British and Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown / ·  Saratoga is important because:
1. turning point of the war
2. France recognized American independence and joined the
War
·  Ben Franklin convinces the French to join the war and help the patriots
·  Winter of 1777-1778 Washington’s army endures difficult conditions at Valley Forge
·  1779 Spain joins the war as a French ally
·  Treaty of Paris 1783, ends the Revolutionary War