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The American Revolution:
The Birth of a Republic
KEY IDEA Enlightenment ideas help spur the American colonies to create a new nation.
Life in the American Colonies• The British colonies in North
America grew in population and wealth during the 1700s.
• The 13 colonies also enjoyed a kind of self-government.
• People in the colonies began to see themselves less and less as British subjects.
The Navigation Acts
• In the 1660s the British Parliament passed laws that governed the colonies.
• The Navigation Act was a set of laws banned trade with any nation other than Britain.
• The colonists found ways of getting around these laws.
• Some merchants smuggled in goods to avoid paying the high British taxes.
• British customs agents had a very difficult time enforcing the Navigation Acts.
Taxation Without Representation
• The high cost of the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763, led Parliament to pass laws that put taxes on the colonists.
• Because the American colonies had benefited greatly by Great Britain’s victory, Britain expected the colonies to help pay the costs of war.
The Stamp Act of 1765The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act which was a law that forced colonists to pay a tax to have an official stamp put on wills, deeds, newspapers and other printed material.
• The colonists became very angry. They had never paid taxes directly to the British government before.
• Colonial lawyers determined that the taxes violated their rights.
• Since Parliament had no members from the colonies, they said, Parliament had no right to pass tax laws that affected the colonies.
The Colonists Rebel
• They met the first tax, passed in 1765, with a boycott of British goods.
• Their refusal to buy British products was very effective and forced Parliament to repeal the law.
• Over the next decade, colonists and Britain grew further apart.
• Some colonists, like Samuel Adams, wanted to push the colonies to independence. They encouraged conflict with the British authorities.
The Boston Tea Party• Some colonists took
actions that caused Britain to act harshly.
• In 1773, Samuel Adams organized a protest whereby the colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston harbor.
The Boston Tea Party
• The British responded to the colonists protest by occupying the city and closing the Port of Boston.
The Revolution Begins• The harsh responses of the
British, in turn, angered some moderate colonists. Eventually, the conflict led to shooting.
• On April 19, 1775 British and American soldiers exchanged gunfire on the village green in Lexington, Massachusetts. This event marked the beginning of the revolution.
America Declares Independence
• Representatives of the colonists met in a congress and formed an army.
• In July of 1776, they announced that they were independent of Britain.
An Enlightened Document• The Continental Congress
issued a Declaration of Independence that was based on the ideas of the Enlightenment.
• They justified their right for independence because King George had stubbornly refused to grant the colonists the same political rights as were granted to the people in Britain.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence which was clearly influenced by the political philosophy of John Locke.
Locke’s Philosophy
• Remember, John Locke asserted the right of the people to rebel against an unjust ruler.
• Jefferson found a legitimate argument for revolution in Locke’s political philosophy.
The Revolutionary War
• From 1775 to 1781, the colonists and Britain fought a war in North America.
• The colonists had a poorly equipped army and the British were powerful.
America’s Advantages in War
• American’s motivation for winning was much stronger than Britain’s because they were defending their homeland.
• The British generals underestimated the fighting skill of the colonists.
• British citizens did not support the war because it was so costly.
The French Contribute to Victory
• France was eager to weaken their rival the British so Louis XVI committed troops in 1778.
• In 1781, American and French troops cornered British General Lord Cornwallis near Yorktown, Virginia where he surrendered.
England Recognizes America’s Sovereignty
• In 1783, the two sides signed a treaty in which Britain recognized the independent United States.
The Articles of Confederation• The 13 states formed a new,
very weak government based on the Articles of Confederation.
• The new nation struggled for a few years, but states held all the power and the central government had little.
Shays’s Rebellion• High taxes and an unstable currency
was only one of the problems of the weak American confederation.
• Debt-ridden farmers began demanding reforms to the financial instability. When their pleas went unresolved, Daniel Shays, led a protest by attacking several courthouses.
• The Massachusetts authorities crushed the rebellion swiftly. This rebellion led to the writing of the Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution• In 1787, many leaders met
again and wrote a new framework of government.
• The Constitution of the United States drew on many Enlightenment ideas.
Constitutional Controversy
• The greatest debate in ratifying the Constitution was over how much authority a central government should have.
• There was a split between the Federalists who favored a strong central government and the Antifederalists who favored a system where states had more power.
The Bill of Rights• The conflict was resolved by
the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
• These first ten Amendments in the Constitution were added to insure and protect basic rights such as freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly advocated by Voltaire, Rousseau and Locke.
Montesquieu’s Separation of Powers
• From Montesquieu, it put in effect the separation of powers into three branches of government.
• Each branch was able to prevent other branches from abusing their power.
Locke’s Natural Rights• From Locke, the
Constitution put power in the hands of the people.
• It upheld the doctrine that government gets its power from the consent of the governed.
Voltaire’s Freedoms
• From Voltaire, it protected the rights of people to free speech and freedom of religion.
Becarria’s Justice System
• Beccaria’s ideas of a fair system of justice were adopted.
U.S. Constitution: An Enlightenment Document
Enlightenment Idea U.S ConstitutionLocke:
A governments power comes from the consent of the people
Montesquieu: Separation of Powers
Rousseau: Direct Democracy
Voltaire: Freedom of speech, religion, press and assembly
Becarria: Accused have the right to a speedy trial, no torture
Preamble “We the people of the United States” to establish legitimacy
Creates representative government
Limits governments powers
Federal system of government
Powers divided among three branches
System of checks and balances
Public election of the president and Congress
Bill of Rights provides for the freedom of speech, religion, assembly and press.
Bill of Rights protects the rights of the accused and prohibits cruel and unusual punishment
