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Why was The Battle of Saratoga a turning point of the war?
The Americans won the battle even though they were fighting against a larger army.
Weakened the British, especially in the North.
France agrees to help the Americans because they don't like the British either.
Loyalists, patriots, and neutralists and their %s. Why were the neutralists neutral?
Loyalists did not want independence and mostly lived in the South. 20%
Patriots did want independence and mostly lived in the North. 40-50%
Neutralists did not choose sides and were found all over. 30-50% They did not want to pick a side because it could result in danger and life threat.
Closed the port of Boston
Took away Massachusetts' self government
Allowed British officials to be tried in Britain
Forced colonists to house British soldiers
Intolerable act
Who wrote the D of I?
Jefferson
"A free country. A free country."
John Adams
What did the U.S. gain after the war?
Independence, all land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, from Canada to Florida. British had to leave
How did women contribute to the war?
Nurses, cooks, spies, and soldiers in secret. Debrah Sampson, and Sally Saint Claire. when the men were off fighting in the war, the women maintained the farms, ran the businesses, and helped produce guns and cannons.
This act let Britain sell cheaper tea but kept the tax, making colonists feel their rights were being ignored and leading to the Boston Tea Party.
Tea act
First section
Also called the preamble, this section says:
Sometimes a people need to break away from a government.
When they do, they should explain why to the rest of the world.
All people are created equal.
People are born with natural rights, like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Governments exist to protect those rights.
If a government fails to do that, the people have the right to change or get rid of it and create a new one.
So basically, the government should help, not hurt.
"I'm not a Virginian, I'm American."
Patrick Henry
What did the British gain after the war?
The colonists had to pay back any debt they owed. The colonists had to give back anything they took from the Loyalists.
Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the war (not counting Boston Massacre)
Minutemen, or colonists resisted in Lexington, and fought back at Concord
They sort of started the war, triggered by British troops marching to seize colonial arms in Concord
British's side: 73 killed, 174 wounded
Colonist's side: 49 killed, 39 wounded, 5 missing
The Continental Act was an agreement by the colonies to boycott British goods in protest of unfair British laws.
Continental act
Second section
This part lists all the complaints the colonists had against King George III.
Basically, it says:
The king abused his power
He made unfair laws
He taxed the colonies without consent
He took away colonists’ rights
He controlled courts and the military unfairly
The point of this section is to prove that the king was a bad ruler and justified breaking away from Britain.
"May the sword of the parent never be stained by the blood of their children."
John Dickinson
Differences between Radicals and Moderates
Radicals: Wanted big, immediate changes in government.
Often supported full independence from Britain.
Willing to take risks or fight to achieve their goals.
Short version: Radicals wanted major changes and were ready to act fast.
Moderates: Preferred small, gradual changes.
Often wanted to work with Britain instead of breaking away immediately.
Tried to avoid conflict when possible.
Short version: Moderates wanted slower changes and tried to stay peaceful.
The Stamp Act taxed paper goods and made colonists protest unfair British taxation.
Stamp act
Third section
This is the “we’re done” part.
It says:
The colonies are free and independent states
They no longer answer to Britain
They have the power to:
Make war
Form alliances
Trade with other countries
Govern themselves
This section officially cuts political ties with Great Britain.
"We will now all hang together or surely all hang separately."
Ben Franklin
Timeline
French and Indian War 1754-1763
Navigation Acts of 1756
Proclamation of 1763
Sugar Act of 1764
Currency Act of 1764
Quartering Act of 1765
Stamp Act of 1765
Townshend Acts of 1767
Boston Massacre 1770
Tea Act of 1773
Boston Tea Party 1773
Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts of 1774
Battles of Lexington and Concord 1775
Battle of Bunker Hill 1775
Declaring Independence 1776
The Battle of Saratoga 1777
The Battle at Yorktown in 1781
Treaty of Paris 1783
The Proclamation Act of 1763 was a British law that banned colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflicts with Native Americans, which angered colonists who wanted land and felt Britain was limiting their freedom.
Proclamation Act
"No gentleman by declaring independence unprepared as we are would be to brave a storm in a skiff made of paper."
John Dickinson