Transcript Enlightenment and Revolution Section 3 The American Revolution Preview • Main Idea / Reading Focus • Change and Crisis • Faces of History: George Washington • Struggle.

Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
The American Revolution
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Change and Crisis
• Faces of History: George Washington
• Struggle for Independence
• Map: The Revolutionary War
• Forming a New Government
• Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
• Video: The Impact of the Declaration of Independence
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
The American Revolution
Main Idea
Enlightenment ideas led to revolution, independence, and a new
government for the United States.
Reading Focus
• What were some of the causes of change and crisis in the
American colonies?
• How was the struggle for independence affected by
Enlightenment concepts?
• How did American colonists form a new government?
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
Change and Crisis
By the mid-1700s dramatic new Enlightenment ideas had spread to
North America, inspiring the British colonists to forge a new nation.
Forming a New Identity
Mid-1770s
• British colonies had expanded
rapidly along east coast since
early 1600s
• Population over 2.1 million
• Offered opportunities not
available in Great Britain
– Land plentiful, cheap
– Class system absent
– Good chance for
advancement through
intelligence, hard work
• Allowed large measure of
independence, though still
British subjects
• Colonies had been
established nearly 150 years
• Each had own government,
made own laws
• Began to identify less with
Britain
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Opposing British Policies
• Britain began to assert its right to impose laws on colonies
• Britain defeated France in French and Indian War, 1763
• France had to give up its North American colonies
• Britain decided to make colonies pay part of war costs in taxes
New Tax
• Stamp Act, 1765, required colonists to pay tax for official stamp on
all newspapers, legal documents, other public papers
• Colonial leaders outraged Parliament taxed them without
representatives there to plead case
• Called for boycott of English goods, act repealed 1766
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Opposing British Policies
Townshend Acts
• 1767, British imposed taxes on glass, paper, paints, tea
• Boston merchants called for another boycott
• British sent troops to keep order, Bostonians harassed troops
Boston Massacre
• 1770, British discipline snapped
• British troops shot, killed five men
• Most of Townshend Acts partially repealed, tax on tea remained
Boston Tea Party
• 1773, Sons of Liberty boarded ships in Boston Harbor, dumped crates of tea
overboard, British closed port
• Parliament passed Intolerable Acts, regulations limiting freedom of colonists
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Opposing British Policies
First Continental Congress
• Called in Philadelphia, 1774
• Colonists listed grievances against British
– Plan to reconcile differences with British presented
– Plan voted down
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
Revolution Begins
Shot Heard ‘round the World
• Sons of Liberty expected war,
hid weapons in countryside and
towns west of Boston
Common Sense
• Not all colonists wanted
independence from Britain
• April 1775, British troops
marched out of Boston to find
weapons
• Thomas Paine argued in 1776
pamphlet, Common Sense, that
colonies no longer needed
British rule
• British troops confronted
colonial militiamen in Lexington
• Said colonies deserved
independence
• Shots rang out; the American
Revolution began
• Paine’s pamphlet helped gain
popular support for cause
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Compare
What did the Stamp Act and the Townshend
Acts have in common?
Answer(s): Both imposed taxes on the colonies.
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Struggle for Independence
The American Revolution was the first war in which old ideas about
government were challenged by the ideas of the Enlightenment. The
Patriots created a nation based on these ideas.
Declaring
Independence
• Second Continental
Congress, 1776
• Committee formed
to write document
declaring colonies’
independence
Committee
Declaration
• Members familiar
with Enlightenment
concepts
• Elegant expression
of Enlightenment
political philosophy
• Adams, Jefferson,
Franklin
• Drew ideas from
English Bill of
Rights, 1689
• Jefferson wrote
draft incorporating
ideas from Locke,
Rousseau
• Individual, society
rights, freedoms
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
The Revolutionary War
Commanding General
• Second Continental Congress
assigned George Washington
as army’s commanding general
• Courageous, resourceful leader
Early Battles
Beginning of Revolution
• Evacuated Boston, June 1775
• Began poorly for British
• Americans positioned cannons
overlooking city
Valley Forge
• British defeated Washington in
Battle of Long Island
• British defeated Washington in
New Jersey
• Washington crossed Delaware,
engineered surprising victory at
Trenton
• Washington moved into
Pennsylvania, spent bitter
winter at Valley Forge
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
The Revolutionary War
The British won battles in upstate New York during the summer of
1777, but in October the Americans won the Battle of Saratoga. The
victory was crucial as Benjamin Franklin was in Paris seeking aid from
the French. This alliance became a turning point in the war.
Strategies in the South
• American forces strengthened over
next two years
• British tried to divide colonies in two
• Captured Savannah, 1778,
Charleston, 1780
• Americans made numerous attacks
on British in South Carolina
Victories in the North
• French and American armies
surrounded British, Yorktown,
September 1781
• Lord Cornwallis surrendered after
siege of several weeks
• American colonists won
independence, October 1781
British government formally recognized the independence of the United
States with the Treaty of Paris, in September of 1783.
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
The Revolutionary War
The Treaty of Paris
• Set the geographic boundaries for the new United
States
– Gave Americans much greater territory than original
13 colonies
– Americans gained all land east of Mississippi River
and north of 31st parallel
• End of war just the beginning
• Americans faced task of building new nation
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Sequence
What events led to the signing of the
Declaration of Independence?
Answer(s): Second Continental Congress
declares colonies' independence from Britain;
Washington assigned commander of army;
American forces strengthened; French and
American armies defeat British army; colonists win
independence
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
Forming a New Government
The Articles of Confederation
•
•
•
•
•
Colonists had to learn to work together, form new government
First government established by Articles of Confederation, approved 1781
National government made deliberately weak to avoid abuses of power
Government had no power to tax, could not negotiate with foreign nations
Articles produced government too weak to govern effectively
The Constitution
Federal System
• Delegates met at Constitutional
Convention, 1787, to revise Articles
• Instead wrote Constitution
• George Washington presided over
convention
• James Madison negotiated main
points
• Constitution created federal
system of government
• Certain powers reserved to federal
government, others for states
• Three branches of government:
executive, judicial, legislative
• System of checks and balances
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Forming a New Government
• Influence of Enlightenment thought on Constitution
very powerful
– Founding principle, government exists for the people
– Reflected Locke’s and Rousseau’s idea of
government by consent of people
– Division of government into three branches reflected
Montesquieu’s idea of separation of powers
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
The Bill of Rights
• Opponents to Constitution said it failed to protect citizen’s rights
• Wanted protection of individual’s rights added to Constitution
• Congress added Bill of Rights, first 10 amendments to Constitution
• Protected natural rights advocated by Voltaire, Locke, Rousseau
Impact of American Government
• News of successful American revolution impacted other governments
• Although French King Louis XVI supported Americans, France
experienced own revolution, 1789
• America had shown it was possible to oppose tyranny
• Soldiers’ courage, Constitution framers’ wisdom, shining examples
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Find the Main Idea
How did the Constitution and the Bill of
Rights change the government and society
of the United States?
Answer(s): caused anger about taxation without
representation; colonial leaders supported
creation of new nation; committee formed at
Continental Congress; Jefferson wrote draft;
adopted by the Congress
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 3
Video
The Impact of the Declaration of
Independence
Click above to play the video.