American Revolution Intro

American Revolution

Take notes as you go through the lesson to help you with the questions.

Key Concepts

• consent of the governed - belief that the British should gain permission from the colonists to pass taxes; main reason for American Revolution

• Intolerable Acts - the British response to the Boston Tea Party; increased tension between colonists and British

• Unalienable Rights - rights all people have from birth: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness; Declaration of Independence

The English 13 colonies were getting crowded. People wanted to move west, so they decided to fight the French for the rich lands in the Ohio River Valley. This war was called the French and Indian War, and the colonists and Britain won. After the war, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that the colonists were not allowed to move west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists were not happy and many moved away.

The French and Indian War was costly. Great Britain was losing money in the colonies, so they decided to start placing duties (taxes) to make up for it. Parliament passed many acts like the Sugar Act and Stamp Act without the colonists' consent. Colonists were unhappy about colonial laws being created by only Parliament because they believed in the "consent of the governed", which means that the colonists should have some say in the laws. The colonists were angry and felt that their civil liberties had been violated.

Groups formed, and people started speaking out and acting out against the acts and taxes. One night colonists dressed as Natives and dumped 342 chests of tea in the Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act. The British government responded by passing the Intolerable Acts, which increased tensions.

The American Revolution began with the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Colonists who supported Britain were called "Loyalists," and colonists who rebelled were called "Patriots." Patriot George Washington was highly respected and became the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

During the war, Patriot Thomas Paine wrote common sense and got people thinking about declaring independence. Then, Thomas Jefferson was asked by the Continental Congress to write the Declaration of Independence. In that document, he wrote about unalienable rights, which are rights all humans receive at birth. These rights include: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He felt Great Britain was violating these rights and the colonists should be completely free from the British government's rule.

The war raged on. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the war because France joined the Patriots. The war ended with the British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown. The British then signed the Treaty of Paris 1783, recognizing that the colonies were now independent and the United States of America.

Multiple Choice

What was the main reason for the American Revolution?

• Proclamation of 1783

• consent of the governed

• Intolerable Acts

Multiple Choice

What stopped colonists' expansion west?

• Proclamation of 1783

• consent of the governed

• Intolerable Acts

Multiple Choice

What was the result of the Boston Tea Party?

• Proclamation of 1783

• consent of the governed

• Intolerable Acts

Multiple Choice

What was the cause of taxes being put on colonists without their consent?

• Great Britain was in debt and losing money in the colonies.

• The Intolerable Acts were passed.

• The British signed the Treaty of Paris 1783.

• The fighting was over.

• Colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Multiple Choice

What was the effect of Great Britain issuing the Proclamation of 1763?

• Great Britain was in debt and losing money in the colonies.

• The Intolerable Acts were passed.

• The British signed the Treaty of Paris 1783.

• The fighting was over.

• Colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Multiple Choice

What was the effect of the Boston Tea Party?

• Great Britain was in debt and losing money in the colonies.

• The Intolerable Acts were passed.

• The British signed the Treaty of Paris 1783.

• The fighting was over.

• Colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Multiple Choice

What was the effect of the British being surrounded by land and water at the Battle of Yorktown?

• Great Britain was in debt and losing money in the colonies.

• The Intolerable Acts were passed.

• The British signed the Treaty of Paris 1783.

• The fighting was over.

• Colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Multiple Choice

What caused the British to recognize the United States as its own independent country?

• Great Britain was in debt and losing money in the colonies.

• The Intolerable Acts were passed.

• The British signed the Treaty of Paris 1783.

• The fighting was over.

• Colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Multiple Choice

-defined in the Declaration of Independence

-received by all humans at birth

-government responsibility to protect

-includes: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness

These items are referring to?

• civil disobedience

• consent of the governed

• grievances

• unalienable rights

Multiple Choice

"We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard, and we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water."

What was the result of the event described above?

• The Intolerable Acts were passed.

• The Treaty of Paris 1783 was signed.

• Thomas Paine's Common Sense was written.

• The French and Indian War occurred.