The Birth of the American Republic• The original 13 English colonies were set

up to provide raw materials to Great Britain.

• The Navigation Acts were enforced under Cromwell’s commonwealth.

• The colonies had a variety of religions and ethnic groups.

• After the 7 years’s War relations between the colonies and England became strained. King George III said pay up

Growing Discontent with Great Britain• Britain imposed old taxes that it had never

enforced. The Stamp Act, the Townsend Acts.

• The colonists protested against no taxation without representation.

• The Boston Massacre in 1770, British troops opened fire on snowball throwers.

• In 1773 - The Boston tea Party protested against the Tea Act or a tax on tea.

• In April 1775 - Lexington and Concord

Declaring Independence• John Adams, George Washington, Thomas

Jefferson and Ben Franklin all risked their lives to support American independence.

• They met in the Continental Congress to vote for independence.

• George Washington led the Continental Army and Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. ( July 4, 1776)

• Best Army vs Rag Tag Revolutionaries

Declaring Independence• The turning point in the Revolutionary

War was the battle of Saratoga 1777. The French joined the side of the Americans.

• Spain and the Netherlands also joined to help. ( The British win without this help)

• 1777 -1778 Brutal winter of Valley Forge.• On October 19, 1781 the British

surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown.• 1783 - Treaty of Paris was signed and

Britain recognized U.S. independence.

THE CONSTITUTION