chapter 2 section 2. colonists owed allegiance to the monarch and british government colonies served...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 2 Section 2
Uniting for Independence
Colonists owed allegiance to the monarch and British government
Colonies served as a source of raw materials
Colonist became accustomed to governing themselves
Colonists remained loyal in return for self-rule and protection from the French
The Colonies on Their Own
French and Indian War1754-1763Tightened Britain’s hold on the continentStarted as land struggle between France and
BritainGreat Britain won the war
Britain Tightens Control
Left the British with a large war debt – expected the colonies to help repay
George III had different ideas about how the colonies should be governed
To help pay for the war, taxes were levied on tea, sugar, glass, paper, other products
Stamp Act of 1765First direct taxTax on legal documents, pamphlets,
newspapers
Taxing the Colonies
Britain’s revenue increased
Colonial resentment grewProtests
Refusal to buy British goodsBoston Tea Party – British tea dumped into Boston
Harbor
Intolerable ActsClosed the Boston HarborWithdrew the right of MA to govern itself
Albany Plan of Union1754Benjamin FranklinPlan for uniting the coloniesColonies rejected it
Gave too much power to an assembly made up of representatives from all 13 colonies
Colonial Unity
British policies spurred an American sense of community
Colonist began to think of themselves as Americans
Stamp Act Congress1765New YorkDelegates sentFirst meeting to protest King George’s Action Petition sent to king
Taking Action
Committees of Correspondence1773Colonial committees urging resistance to the
British and keeping in touch with one another as events unfolded
Samuel Adams established first committee in Boston
Delegates from all the colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia in 1774
Key LeadersPatrick HenrySamuel AdamsRichard Henry LeeGeorge Washington
The First Continental Congress
Embargo – an agreement prohibiting grade, on Britain, and agreed not to use British goods
April 19, 1775British arrive – Lexington and Concord
“Shot heard ‘round the world”
Assumed the powers of a central government
President – John HancockVoted to organize an army and navy and to
issue money
George Washington – commander of the Continental Army
The Second Continental Congress
Served as the acting government of the colonies throughout the war
Purchased supplies, negotiated treaties, rallied support for the colonists’ cause
Common SenseThomas PaineArgued that monarchy was a corrupt form of
government; George III was an enemy to liberty
Samuel Adams declared that America was already independent
Independence
CommitteeJohn Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas
Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman
Prepare a written declaration of independence
June 28, 1776 – edited draft to Congress
July 4, 1776 – Congress approves final draft
The Declaration of Independence
John Hancock first to sign
56 delegate signatures
“The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America”
Ideas from thinkers such as Locke and others
Set out the colonists reasons for proclaiming their freedom
Justify the revolution and to put for the founding principles of the new nation
Key Parts of the Declaration
No government at that time had been founded on the principles of human liberty and consent of the government
Three PartsBegins with a statement of purpose and basic
human rights
The middle section lists specific complaints against George III
The conclusion states the colonists’ determination to separate from Great Britain
Transformation of the colonies into states subject to no higher authority
By the end of 1776, 10 states had adopted written constitution
The First State Constitution
Most contained a bill of rights
All recognized the people as the sole source of authority in a limited government with only those powers given by the people