Ch. 2 Lesson 3 The American Revolution

Ch. 2 Lesson 3: The American Revolution

• English Bill of Rights gave Parliament the right to make laws

• Parliament and other parts of the government controlled the 13 colonies

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Britain and the American Revolution

• Britain expanded the empire by conquering Canada and India

• British leaders wanted new revenue from the colonies after their victory

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Seven Years' War

Seven Years' War

A conflict over territories and colonies in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Britain defeated all other European nations involved.

• In 1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act. It required a tax on all printed materials.

• First Continental Congress met in 1774 in Philadelphia

• Fighting started in 1775 in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts

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The American Revolution Begins

Stamp Act

Stamp Act - this act required certain printed materials, such as legal documents and newspapers, to carry a stamp showing that a tax had been paid to Britain.

Multiple Choice

What was passed in 1765 that put a tax on all printed materials?

• Boston Tea Act

• Common Sense Law

• Treaty of Paris

• Stamp Act

Common Sense

• Many patriots believed most colonists were still loyal to the king

• Thomas Paine published Common Sense and changed public opinion about the revolution

• Paine claimed that monarchies had been set up by taking power away from the people.

• Common Sense - a persuasive pamphlet written by Thomas Paine intended to persuade colonists to support revolution

Multiple Choice

Who wrote Common Sense?

• Thomas Jefferson

• Thomas Paine

• George Washington

• James Madison

• The Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson

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July 4, 1776

Thomas Jefferson

"...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

The Declaration of Independence

• The writers of the Declaration of Independence claimed that a government only existed because of popular sovereignty.

• Declaration of Independence - a document passed by the Second Continental Congress that officially declared independence from Great Britain.

• Popular sovereignty - the right to govern through the consent of the people.

• These ideas inspired revolutionaries in Latin America, France, and other parts of Europe just decades later.

Open Ended

What is popular sovereignty? What impact did this idea have on the rest of the world?

• Jefferson was heavily influenced by John Locke, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton

• His ideas of religious freedom would influence the writing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

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Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

The author of the Declaration of Independence. An American revolutionary, Founding Father, and politician. Influenced by John Locke, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton

British Defeat

• Foreign countries wanted revenge against the British for defeating them in the Seven Years' War.

• France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic aided the Americans to eventually defeat the British in 1781.

Multiple Choice

Why would foreign countries such as France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic want to help the colonies defeat the British?

• They wanted revenge for defeat in the Seven Years' War

• To gain access to the colonies' natural resources

• To spread their own culture and beliefs

• To gain a foothold in the New World

Birth of a New Nation

• The Constitution would create a federal system in which the national government and the state government shared power

• The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government that lacked the power to deal with the nation's problems

Federal system

A system in which the national government and state governments shared power.

James Madison

• He was the master builder of the Constitution

• Believed in separation of powers, and that the balance of power would prevent another tyrant from ruling over the government

• James Madison - the master builder of the Constitution, creator of the Virginia Plan, and supporter of separation of powers.

Match

Match the following

• Writer of the Declaration of Independence

• Writer of the Constitution

• First President of the United States

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

George Washington

• Thomas Jefferson

• James Madison

• George Washington

The Bill of Rights

• Congress proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution

• The states approved 10, and together these became known as the Bill of Rights (just like England)

• Amendments - changes or revisions to the U.S. Constitution

Significance of the Revolution

• Europeans saw the American Revolution as a confirmation that the Enlightenment was behind the ideas of it.

• Many revolutions looked to the American Revolution as a model for other revolutions.

Match

Match the following

• Seven Year's War

• Stamp Act

• Popular sovereignty

• Common Sense

• Declaration of Independence

A conflict over territories in Europe, Asia, and the Americas

Required certain printed materials to be taxed

The right to govern through the consent of the people

A persuasive pamphlet written by Thomas Paine

A document passed by the Second Continental congress that declared independence from Great Britain

• A conflict over territories in Europe, Asia, and the Americas

• Required certain printed materials to be taxed

• The right to govern through the consent of the people

• A persuasive pamphlet written by Thomas Paine

• A document passed by the Second Continental congress that declared independence from Great Britain