Colonial era, Enlightenment, Government structure and War of Independence

-History of USA
Colonization of the New World
 European countries fighting for
resources and wealth
 1492: Christopher Columbus
secures funding for voyage to find
shorter route to India
 Stumbles upon North America-
what a discovery!
 Colonization of the New World
 Columbus's maiden voyage marked the beginning of the
colonization of the “New World”
 Colony: a country or area under the full or partial political
control of another country, typically a distant one, and
occupied by settlers from that country
Colonization of
the New World
• France: Looks for Fish and Fur, not as many
settlers

• Spain: Looks for silver and gold, sends

Catholic priests, move into Latin and Central
America

• England: Looks for gold, minerals, raw

materials, settle on East Coast
Mercantilism
 Mercantilism:
› Economic theory that the best way for a nation to become strong was to
acquire the most gold and silver (wealth equals power)
 Mercantilism
 Colonies are vital to Great
Britain because they have
raw materials not available
to the mother country
 Great Britain imports
these raw materials and
sell finished goods to
accumulate more wealth
 British Trade in
the Mercantilism System
 Raw Materials from Colonies:
› Lumber
› Sugar
› Wool
› Tobacco
› Rice
› Indigo
 In turn, the British used the
colonists as a ready market for
manufactured goods:
› All finished goods were sold by the
British to the colonists at a higher
price
Mercantilism Recap:
Tobacco
 Becomes the cash crop of the
colony
 Cash crop: a crop produced for
its commercial value rather than
for use by the grower
 Saves the colony after John Rolfe
introduces it to area
Tobacco

 Labor intensive crop

› Indentured servants come to work the
tobacco fields
› Indentured servants were men and
women who signed a contract (also
known as an indenture or a covenant) by
which they agreed to work for a certain
number of years in exchange for
transportation to Virginia and, once they
arrived, food, clothing, and shelter.
 Relations with Native
Americans
 Powhatan, native chief, led a confederacy of
Native American tribes during Jamestown’s
founding
 He helped develop a trade relationship between
the natives and the English
Tobacco Grows
 England becomes addicted to
tobacco, colonists expand tobacco
production
 Moving further westward inland
infringes on the American
Natives’ land
› This increases the conflicts
between natives and English.
Southern Colonies Review

 Reasons for settlement

› Agriculture
 Cash crops like tobacco, indigo, rice
 Impact of geography:
› Rich soils in the coastal regions and
along the river valleys
› Deep rivers so inland farmers were able
to ship cash crops - tobacco, indigo, corn,
and rice - directly from their farms to
European markets
Southern Colonies Review

 Impact of location on colonial settlement:

› Large estates, spaced out, few towns- plantations near
waterways, agriculture rules society
› Large colonies with smaller populations
› Few large cities, more small towns with citizens spread out
The Colonies Grow

Agriculture, commerce, and trade grow

As the population of the colonies
increased
 Commercial New England

 Large-scale farming was difficult due to the long winters and thin,
rocky soil. Farmers grew just enough to meet their needs. This is
called subsistence farming.
 Lumber from New England’s forests provided timber for the
booming shipbuilding industry
 Objectives
1. Identify the three concepts of government that influenced the
American colonies.
2. Explain the influence of three landmark English documents.
3. Describe the three types of colonies that the English
established in the American colonies.
 In Brief/Facts
 American colonists/English settlers brought with them the English
tradition of ordered, limited, and representative government..
 This tradition was based on landmark documents, including the
Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and the English Bill of Rights,
which established basic concepts of government and rights of
individuals.
 In Brief/Facts (Continued)
 The English established 3 types of colonial governments, all of
which provided training for the colonists in the art of government:
Royal, proprietary, and charter.
 Enduring Understandings
 Early colonists in America benefited from English traditions of
government.

 The colonies served as a school for learning about government.

 What ideas and traditions influenced government in the English Colonies?

English customs and ideas about government, including:

 The idea of ordered government
 Need for orderly regulation of relationships between colonists.
 The principle of limited government
 Government is not all powerful
 The principle of representative government
 Government should serve the will of the people.
What ideas and traditions influenced government in the English Colonies?

English historical documents, including:

 The Magna Carta
 The Petition of Right
 The English Bill of Rights
 The Magna Carta
 Signed by King John in 1215

 Created by English barons to put

limits on the once absolute power of
the King.

› Guaranteed certain fundamental rights for

the privileged, such as trial by jury and
due process of law. Over time, these rights
were extended to all English people.
 The Petition of Right
 The Petition of Right was signed by
King Charles I in 1628.

› Banned the king from imprisoning or

punishing people without first
following the laws of the land.
› Kept the king from declaring military
rule in times of peace or making
people house soldiers.
› Required the consent of Parliament for
taxation.
 The English Bill of Rights

The English Bill of Rights was drawn up by Parliament in 1689 to prevent

the abuse of power by all future monarchs.
 Required the consent of Parliament for taxation and suspension of
laws.
 Promised the right to a fair trial, and to petition the monarchy to
correct injustices.
 American Rights
 This chart compares the rights
guaranteed by the Magna Carta
and the English Bill of Rights
with the freedoms listed in the
Virginia Bill of Rights and the
Bill of Rights in the U.S.
Constitution.
 Background Info –
Early Colonial Governments

The earliest English settlers in America recognized the need to establish

orderly societies under the rule of law.
Before the Mayflower landed in 1620, the Pilgrims signed the
Mayflower Compact, an agreement to enact laws and abide by them for
the general good of the colony.
The government of Plymouth Colony was later based on this
document.
 Background Info –
Early Colonial Governments
In 1639, the Puritans in Connecticut adopted the Fundamentals Orders of
Connecticut, the first written constitution in the American colonies.
- The plan of government set out the Fundamental Orders
included
* Representative legislature
* Governor elected by male landowners.
- Reflected ordered, limited, & representative government.
 The Thirteen Colonies
 The colonies were established over a span of 125 years.
› Virginia was the first colony, founded in 1607.
› Georgia was the last, formed in 1733.

 The similarities among the colonies ultimately outweighed their

differences.
› All shaped by English origins
› Each colony was established on the basis of a charter granted by the king.
› These charters granted some governing authority to the colonies and kept some
for the king.
 Three Types of Colonies
 Royal colonies were directly controlled
by the king.

 Proprietary colonies were run by a

proprietor chosen by the king.

 Charter colonies were run mainly by

elected legislatures and were the most
independent.
 Checkpoint Question:
What is the difference between a proprietary colony and charter colony?

 Proprietary colonies were organized by, and the governor was

appointed by, a proprietor to whom the king granted land.
› The proprietor could set up the government as he saw fit.
 Charter colonies were self-governing, and the governors were
elected.
› Charter colonies placed most of the power in the hands of the elected
members of the colonial legislature.
 Road to Revolution 1775-
1783
What caused a group of colonies to rebel against the most
powerful empire of the time?
 Causes of American Revolution

 OVERALL MAIN IDEA:

American resentment and resistance increased as the
British government passed new laws to pay for, protect
and control the colonies after the French and Indian War.
 Behind the Revolution…
 The Enlightenment (ca. 1600s-early 1800s)

o Cultural movement of intellectuals beginning in

the 17th century

o challenged old ways of thinking

 Behind the Revolution…
 The Enlightenment (ca. 1600s-early 1800s)
› Hobbes: People are incapable of ruling
themselves and need the iron fist of a strong
leader
 Behind the Revolution…
 The Enlightenment
(ca. 1600s-early 1800s)

o Voltaire: “Man is free at the instant he

wants to be.”

o Believed in tolerance, freedom of religion

and speech
 Behind the Revolution…
 The Enlightenment
(ca. 1600s-early 1800s)

o Rousseau: No man has any natural

authority over any other man.
o Everyone is equal
o Believed in social contract – an
agreement by people to submit to law for
the good of all
 Behind the Revolution…
 The Enlightenment
(ca. 1600s-early 1800s)

o Montesquieu: argued for separation of

powers in government – that the
government should be separated into a
law-making branch, a law-enforcing
branch, and a judicial branch
 Behind the Revolution…
 The Enlightenment
(ca. 1600s-early 1800s)

o John Locke: Government should only

exist to protect the natural rights of people
o If the government does not protect its
people’s rights, then the people have a
right to overthrow that government
Locke
 Locke believed that human nature
was essentially good.
 Humans were born with natural
rights of life, liberty, property…..
 Purpose of gov was to protect those
rights
 If gov abused it’s authority as
Britain had done people had a right
to overthrow the gov
SEVEN YEARS’ WAR 1754ish-1763
FRENCH and INDIAN WAR

• French ally with Native Americans to fight the British

VS
 Albany Plan of Union 1754
 Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan
for the colonies to join together under
one government partly so they would
be a stronger force against the
French.
 Each colony would have to give up
some power for the sake of unity, but
several colonies did not want to
surrender power
 The union failed
FRENCH and INDIAN WAR
• France and Britain are fighting over
land in the Ohio River Valley

• Britain spent lots of $$$ on the war

but eventually defeated the French
• The British have just spent A
LOT of money to finish a way
with France and Native
Americans

• Proclamation Line of 1763-

To avoid further conflict with
Native Americans, King
George III drew a line at the
Appalachian Mountains and
told the colonists in America
that they were not allowed to
settle west of that line
 PROCLAMATION LINE of
1763

o King George III declares that the

colonists cannot settle west of the
Appalachian Mountains

o Colonists see this as an interference

into their affairs
Causes of American Revolution
 QUESTION for Discussion

› Britain has just fought and won a very

expensive war. How do you think they are
going to try to pay for that war?

HINT:
Mercantilism
 Causes of American Revolution
 MERCANTILISM

o The British thought of the American

colonists as tenants in the mercantilist system

o The American colonists resented the fact that

they existed only to produce more wealth for
Britain felt used.

o Navigation Acts- any goods bought by

colonies from other countries had to go to
England first
o Why do you think???
 Causes of American Revolution
 SUGAR ACT 1764
(to enforce mercantilist policies)

o “Act” = a law/decree

o Sugar Act - tax on sugar imports

 To make more $$$ for Britain

o Reaction: colonists resented

Britain because they were not
making $$$
 Causes of American Revolution
 STAMP ACT 1765
› Every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public
or legal document had to be printed or written
on paper with an official stamp (seal) on it –
the stamp had to be bought

o Reaction: protests – the colonists are angry

that they have no say in these taxes
o “Taxation without representation”- wanted to
be part of the government
o Colonists boycotted British goods
o This leads to the repeal of the Stamp Act
 Causes of American Revolution
 STAMP ACT
(continued)

o Unlike other “hidden

taxes” on goods, this tax
was paid at the time of
purchase, which caused
strong reactions

o boycotting, riots,
harassment of tax collectors
 Causes of American Revolution
 STAMP ACT Congress

o “Stamp Act Congress”- delegates from 9

colonies met in N.Y.
o They sent a letter to the King declaring only
colonists could tax the colonists
STAMP ACT is repealed
 Causes of American Revolution
 TOWNSHEND ACTS 1767

o Britain repealed the Stamp Act, but now introduced a new

set of taxes

o These Acts imposed taxes on many goods used in the

colonies
o Reactions
 Resentment
 Sons of Liberty
 Pamphlets, newspapers, political cartoons (propaganda)
 Causes of American Revolution

 Sons of Liberty
o Spoke and acted out against the King and
Parliament

 Daughters of Liberty
o urged Americans to wear homemade
fabrics and produce other goods that were
available only from Britain before
o believed this would help the American
colonists become economically
independent
 Causes of American Revolution
 Boston Massacre
1770
o Presence of British
soldiers in Boston
angers colonists
o Group of colonists taunt
British soldiers and
throw snowballs
o Soldiers fire shots into
crowd – killing several
protestors
 Causes of American Revolution

 Tea Act 1773

o passed by Parliament in
1773, this Act pushed the
sale of British tea in the
American colonies
Boston Tea Party
 Causes of American Revolution

 Intolerable Acts/ Coercive

Acts
o banned town meetings
o Boston Port – closed the Boston
port until colonists paid for lost tea
and damages of Boston
o Quartering Act- housing of British
soldiers ---> led to 3rd amendment
 Causes of American Revolution
 Colonist response to Boston
Massacre
› Patriots used the killings as
propaganda
› Formed committees of
correspondence – groups organized
in different colonies to communicate
with one another
 Causes of American Revolution

Colonists’ response to Intolerable Acts

 September, 1774
› First Continental Congress- Each colony sent
representatives to Philadelphia to discuss what should
be done in response to British actions

 Famous delegates: John Adams, Samuel Adams, John

Jay, George Washington, Patrick Henry
 Did not accomplish much…
 voted to boycott British goods
 called on colonies to prepare for possible fight
 Second Continental Congress
 In order to break away from Britain and protect
the rights of the people…
 The Second Continental Congress approved the
Declaration on July 4, 1776 and we celebrate that
as the Birthday of our nation.
 This document highlighted the Enlightenment
ideas about liberty, natural rights, and social
contract.
 But to truly be free, what did we still have to do?
The Declaration of
Independence
Background
 January 1776 – Common Sense is distributed
throughout colonies
 June 7, 1776 - Richard Henry Lee offers a
resolution to Congress that “these United
Colonies…ought to be free and independent”
 June 11, 1776 – Congress appoints a committee to
write a Declaration of Independence: Benjamin
Franklin, Roger Sherman, John Adams, Robert
Livingston and Thomas Jefferson
 More Background
 July 4, 1776 – Declaration of
Independence is adopted by Congress,
John Hancock was the first person to
sign it
 August 2, 1776 – Declaration of
Independence is signed by 50 present
members of Congress, Franklin
remarks “We must all hang together or
we shall hang separately.”
 The Declaration of Independence
› Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the
Declaration, though he received some help from
other notable Americans.
› The initial document was presented….
 86 Changes were made in 1 day!
 Nearly 1/5 of the document was eliminated
 Leaving 1,337 powerful words
 What Was at Risk?
› The Second Continental Congress decided that the DOI was needed and approved
the document after revisions were made.
› 56 Signers (at least one from each of the 13 colonies) were in attendance
› By signing their name to the document, each man was committing an act of
treason against the crown.
› “We must indeed all hang together,
or most assuredly, we shall all
hang separately.”
- Benjamin Franklin
 Who Were the Risktakers?
Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock, and Adams are well known – but many of the
other men have compelling stories as well…
Franklin was the oldest, eighteen were under 40, three were in their 20s, half
were lawyers, 9 were landowners, 11 were merchants, the rest were doctors,
ministers, & politicians…
What Did They Have to Lose?
 But Above All Else…
These 56 signers risked the ultimate…
Their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor
 The Signers of the Declaration

 The signers, as representatives of the American people, declared

American Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776!!!!
 (Most members actually signed on August 2 though)
 Was this treasonous? Why or Why not?
 Food for Thought…
Why are these statements significant?

› “My hand trembles, but my heart

does not.”
- Stephen Hopkins

› “I am no longer a Virginian, Sir, but

an American.”
- Patrick Henry
 Declaration of Independence
 There are four major components of the DOI:
› Introduction
› Rights of the People (Natural Rights)
› Complaints of the Colonists (Grievances)
› Declaration of a new Nation – the united States
Parts of the Declaration

 The Colonists were tired of the how they were being treated by
the British – they were IRCD (irked/annoyed)
 I – introduction
 R – rights of the people
 C – complaints against the king
 D – declaration of a new nation
 Introduction
 Explains why the Continental Congress drew up the Declaration
› “When in the Course of Human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…………….
a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the
causes which impel them to the separation…”
 Rights
 The second part of the Declaration lists the natural rights
of the citizens.
 It explains that in a republic, people form a government to protect their
rights (Social Contract).

 The document clearly expresses that purpose of government is to protect

natural (inalienable) rights, which are the basic rights that are entitled to all
human beings.
 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
 Complaints
 Lists the colonists grievances against the British government
 Examples-
He refused assent to laws (laws written by the Colonies)
 He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without Consent of our legislature (quartering
soldiers)
 He…has imposed taxes on us without our consent
 He has taken away our right to a trial by jury
 He has limited our judicial powers
 He has dissolved our legislatures
Overall the colonists were oppressed (unjust treatment) by the tyranny of the King.
 Declaration of a New Nation
 The final section declares that the colonies are “13 Free and
Independent States”.
 The states now had the power to wage war, to form alliances and to
trade with other nations.
 Vote was 12-0, New York being absent.
 As President of Congress, John Hancock scribbled his famous
signature.
 Independence Diary

“There were bonfires, ringing

bells, with other great
demonstrations of joy upon
the unanimity and agreement
of the Declaration.”

—Christopher Marshall (1776)

 What Happened to those who Signed?

• Five were captured by the

British, though eventually
released
• Approximately 12 had their
homes ransacked and burned
• One lost his son in the
Continental Army
• Several suffered wounds in
various battles
Revolutionary Armies – The British

• British Army most powerful in world

• Also well-equipped with weapons
• Highly trained and
disciplined for war on land
or high seas
 Revolutionary Armies

• Americans shot more

accurately
• British carried three days
provisions
• British gear weighed about 100
pounds
Revolutionary Armies – The Americans

• Revolutionary Army knew lay of

the land
• Used weapons appropriate for
landscape
• Wore pieces of different
uniforms
• Brown army clothing
British Advantages

• Well-equipped
• Disciplined
• Strongest navy
American Advantages

• Accuracy of the rifle

• Knowledge of the land
• Guerilla warfare tactics
• Superb command
Military Leaders—American
• George Washington:
Commander of
Americans Forces
• Nathanael Greene:
Top Strategist
• Henry Knox: Artillery
Expert
• Benedict Arnold:
Commander under
Washington
Major Battles

• Fort Ticonderoga
• Bunker Hill
• Trenton
 Yorktown

• Approximately 8,700 British troops surrendered

• Pinned in by
American and
French Naval
fleets
• General Benjamin
Lincoln accepted
the surrender
sword
• British bands played “The World has Turned Upside Down”
The Treaty of Paris

• 1783: The Treaty of Paris officially

ends the Revolutionary War
 The Treaty of Paris—1783

• Officially ended the American

Revolution
• Set many geographic
borders, including U.S. and
Canada
• British merchants must be
paid for lost items
• Loyalists must be paid for
lost property
The Aftermath:

• Penalties inflicted on
Loyalists
• Some Loyalists were
“tarred and feathered”
and put on ships bound
for Canada or Great
Britain
The Articles of Confederation

• Written by John Dickson in 1777

• Ratified in 1781
• Governed Americans in 1781-1787
• Paved way for new Constitution
 Strengths
 Wage war
 Issue money
 Sign treaties (make peace)
 Set up post offices
 Appoint ambassadors
 Settle conflicts between states
 Weaknesses

 NO President (Executive)
 NO Army
 NO Courts (Judicial)
 NO Taxing Power (monetary problems)
 No power to enforce laws (regulate trade)
 States were sovereign
 One vote per state regardless of population
 9/13 states to pass a law
 13/13 states to amend (make changes)
 Effects/Results/Outcomes

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

› Set up rules for statehood once 60,000 people

› Outlawed slavery in new states (Northwest territories)

› Free education in new states

 Effects/Results/Outcomes

Shays Rebellion
 Led by former Continental army captain Daniel Shay
 Farmers wanted government to stop taking their land
 Formed an army that attacked local militias
 Made Americans frightened of more uprisings.
 Showed that the Articles could not protect them.
Concluding Thoughts
• Eight years
• Timeless impact
• Subject of countless plays
and films
• Maker of heroes
• Birth of a nation