NC and the American Revolution

NC and the American Revolution

by Kelly Flaherty

​French Indian War

​

By 1750, the British had 13 colonies along the eastern coast of North America. The French had colonies in what are today Canada and

Louisiana. Both countries claimed lands in the Ohio Valley and around the Great Lakes.

​In 1754, war broke out between the British and French in North America. American Indians also

fought in the war. Some sided with the British, while others supported the French. The French

and Indian War, as it was known, lasted for nine years. The French lost the war. As a result, they

gave up most of their lands in North America to the British.

​Fighting the war had been costly for Britain.To help pay for the war, the British government passed new taxes. Many colonists felt they should not have to pay the new taxes. They grew angry that they did not have representation, or leaders to speak for them, in the British government.

Multiple Choice

Who won the French Indian war?

• The French

• The British

• The Spanish

• No one, it was a tie

Open Ended

List two effects of the French Indian war.

​Colonial Protest

​Angry colonists soon began to protest, or object to, the new British tax laws. Colonists in many

North Carolina towns held marches in protest. Others wrote letters to the British government.

Many colonists protested by boycotting, or refusing to buy, taxed goods.

​In 1766, the British government repealed, or took back, some laws. However, the British soon

passed new laws that taxed items such as glass, paint, and tea.

​

In 1773, colonists in Boston, Massachusetts, boarded a British ship to protest the tax on tea.

They dumped chests of tea into the harbor. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party.

Multiple Select

Why were colonists angry at the British governments? (Choose TWO)

• They did not feel they had representation

• They didn't like the tea

• Unfair laws and taxes

• They did not like the King of England

​On October 25, 1774, Penelope Barker of Edenton, North Carolina, led women in a protest meeting at her house. Known as the Edenton

Tea Party, it was one of the first times colonial women took political action.

Multiple Choice

Who was Penelope Barker?

• The first governor of NC

• The leader of the Boston Tea Party

• The winner of the French Indian war.

• The leader of the Edenton Tea Party

Open Ended

List two ways colonists protested the British laws and taxes.

​The Revolution Begins

​The British government acted to punish the colonists after the Boston Tea Party. On April

19, 1775, British soldiers fought members of the Massachusetts militia, or volunteer army, in the

towns of Lexington and Concord. This fighting marked the start of a long war called the American Revolution. A revolution is a sudden,

complete change of government.

Multiple Choice

Where did the revolutionary war begin?

• Boston

• Lexington and Concord

• Edenton

• Raleigh

​According to tradition, some people from

Mecklenburg County declared their independence from Britain on May 20, 1775. Today, that date appears on the North Carolina state seal and flag. A few weeks later, the Patriots signed a declaration, or official statement, called the Mecklenburg Resolves. A Patriot was a colonist

who supported the American Revolution.

On February 27, 1776, North Carolina Patriots

defeated a group of Loyalists at Moores Creek Bridge near Wilmington. A Loyalist was a colonist who stayed loyal to Britain. The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge slowed the British plan to capture and control the southern colonies.

​The Declaration of Independence

​In April 1776, leaders from different parts of North Carolina met in Halifax County. They wrote the Halifax Resolves, which called for North Carolina and the other colonies to break away from Britain. With the Halifax Resolves, North Carolina became the first colony to call for

independence.

Open Ended

Explain the important of the Halifax Resolves for North Carolina.

​On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, representatives from the 13 colonies approved the Declaration of Independence. It listed the

reasons that the colonies wanted to be free. It also declared that the colonies were independent states. North Carolinians Joseph Hewes, John

Penn, and William Hooper were among the representatives who signed the declaration.

​North Carolina leaders set up a new state government. They gave most of the power to an assembly made up of two parts—a House

of Representatives and a Senate. Each county elected one senator and two house members. Richard Caswell was chosen to be North

Carolina’s first governor.

Multiple Choice

Who was chosen to be North

Carolina’s first governor?

• George Washington

• William Hooper

• Richard Caswell

• Penelope Barker

​Battles In NC

​Most of the early fighting in the American Revolution took place in the northern colonies. In late 1778, British General Charles Cornwallis decided to attack the southern colonies. He hoped that Loyalists there would help the British.

​Cornwallis attacked Charlotte in September 1780. Instead of an easy victory, the British faced one fierce battle after another. The Patriots fought so strongly that Cornwallis called the area a “hornet’s nest.” The Patriots defeated the British a month later in the Battle of Kings Mountain.

​Cornwallis soon returned to the area with a much larger army. In March 1781, the British won the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. However, victory came at a high price. The British army lost many soldiers, and it never fully recovered.

In October 1781, the weakened British army was trapped at Yorktown in Virginia. Cornwallis

surrendered to American General George Washington.

​The Constitution

​In 1787, representatives from 12 states met to discuss ideas about the federal, or national, government. Some felt the federal government was not strong enough. Others wanted state governments to keep most of the power.

After meeting for months, the representatives created the Constitution of the United States. A constitution is a written plan for government. The Constitution divided powers between the federal and state governments.

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of a constitution?

• a written plan for government

• declared that the colonies were independent states

• a call for

  independence

• an official statement

​After the Constitution was written, it was sent to the states for their approval. North Carolina was one of the last states to ratify, or approve, the Constitution. State leaders wanted a bill of rights

added to the document. A bill of rights lists the freedoms and rights that people should have. Representatives agreed to add such a bill.

In 1789, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the Constitution. The Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution in 1791.

Multiple Choice

Why was North Carolina among the last states to ratify the Constitution?

• North Carolinians wanted to ratify the

  Halifax Resolves instead.

• The Constitution gave too much power to the states.

• North Carolina leaders wanted a bill of rights added to the Constitution.

• The American Revolution had cost the state too much money.