Alabama High School Graduation Exam

The American Revolution and

The War of 1812

Causes

• There are many causes for the colonists revolt against Great Britain. These include:1. Taxation2. The French and Indian War3. Lack of Free Trade4. Boston Massacre 5. Boston Tea Party6. Lexington and Concord

Taxation

• The colonists were not allowed to have representatives in the British Parliament, so each tax became law without their consent. This angered the colonists. Some of these taxes included:

1. Sugar Act 1764

2. The Stamp Act 1765

3. Quartering Act 1765

4. Declaratory Act 1766

5. The Townshend Acts 1767

6. Tea Act 1773

7. Intolerable Acts 1774

The French and Indian War• The War between French colonists and their native American

allies in Canada and American Colonists and their Native American allies. 1754 – 1763.

• The war was called the Seven Years War in Europe.• The British won control of Canada.• The British government under King George III went into debt

fighting the war.• New taxes were placed on the colonists (example Sugar Act), in

order to pay for the war. This angered the colonists.• The Proclamation of 1763 by the King prevented the American

colonists from settling west beyond the Appalachian Mountains and this further angered the colonists.

Lack of free trade• England practiced the economic system of colonialism with its

13 colonies.• Under this arrangement, the colonies supplied its raw materials

such as lumber to England in return for England selling the goods manufactured from them back to the colonies.

• England did not allow the colonists to openly trade with other countries, thus creating a monopoly.

• The Navigation Acts of 1651 and 1696 was passed by Britain to prevent the colonists from trading with other countries. British custom agents were issued a writ of assistance to search any colonial ship, house or store for foreign goods and seize them.

• This angered the colonists.

The Boston Massacre

• The colonists would regularly insult the British troops who enforced the Townshend Acts.

• On March 5, 1770, colonists shouted insults at British Troops at the Boston Customs House.

• For some reason, a soldier heard the word fire and shot into the crowd killing 5 people including a free black sailor named Crispus Attucks.

• The incident angered the colonists sparking protests throughout the colonies.

The Boston Tea Party• The colonists boycotted all British goods that had a tax

on it including tea.• The Tea Act of 1773 was a tax on tea imported to the

colonies from Britain.• On December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and other

members of The Sons of Liberty dressed as Native Americans snuck aboard a British tea Ship and dumped the tea into Boston Harbor.

• In response, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts and closed Boston Harbor.

• In response, colonial leaders organized the First Continental Congress in 1774.

Lexington and Concord

• Through out the colonies various colonial leaders called for independence from England

• Patrick Henry of Virginia stated in his speech “Give Me Liberty or Give me Death”.

• Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet “Common Sense” pushing for independence from England.

• The colony of Massachusetts organized the Minutemen, a local militia.• On April 18, 1775, 700 British Soldiers marched toward Concord,

Massachusetts to seize Patriot weapons.• Paul Revere, a Patriot rode on horse back warning that “the British are

coming”.• The Minutemen met the opposing British troops at Lexington.• The Battle continued at Concord and the American Revolution had

begun.

The Second Continental Congress

• On May 10, 1775, delegates met in Philadelphia to decide what to do next.

• The Congress sent one last peace proposal to King George III called the Olive Branch Petition. It was rejected by the King with the Prohibitory Act which branded those at the Congress as traitors punishable by death.

• The Congress then moved to appoint General George Washington as commander of the Continental Army.

• This would later led to the Declaration of Independence by the 13 colonies.

Declaration of Independence

• In the Spring of 1776, the Congress created a committee to draft a formal declaration of colonial independence.

• It became a foundation for a new American government based on John Locke’s idea of Natural Rights – Life, liberty and property or “happiness”

• Principles – All men are created equal, have unalienable or rights given at birth, government exists with the consent of the governed and can be changed if the government becomes unjust.

• Written by Thomas Jefferson and signed on July 4, 1776

Major Battles of the War• April 1775 – Battles of Lexington and Concord- first

battles of the war.• June 1775- Battle of Bunker Hill – British suffered

heavy losses in their victory.• December 1777- Battle of Saratoga- The Patriot victory

convinced France to help the colonists.• Winter 177-1778 Valley Forge- Washington with the

help of foreign generals prepared the troops.• 1778 -1781 Fighting shifted to the South. Battle of

Cowpens 1781. Use of Guerrilla warfare.• October 1781- Yorktown- Washington with the help of

the French fleet captured General Cornwallis and the British Army.

Treaty of Paris 1783

• September 3, 1783, Britain formally recognized the United States as a separate country.

• In 1812, war would once again break out between the United States and Britain.

• The war was over the impressment of American sailors into the British Navy and seizing American ships.

War of 1812

• In June of 1812, President James Madison called for war with Britain.

• Major Battles:

1. Horseshoe Bend in Alabama- General Andrew Jackson defeats the British allies the Creek Indians.

2. Battle of Fort McHenry- During the battle, Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner our National Anthem.

3. Battle of New Orleans- Battle fought after the peace treaty was signed in Ghent. News of the Treaty did not reach the Americans in time. Made Andrew Jackson a hero and later a future President.

4. Treaty of Ghent – Ended the war in 1814

Consequences of the wars• Other European countries recognized the

rights of the United States.• Nationalism or a feeling of pride in ones

country grew in the United States.• America was forced to develop its own

industries and not rely on England.• Created a unique democratic republic with

a strong federal government and a Constitution.