In April of 1775, the Colonists and the British broke into war. The battles took place mainly in Lexington and Concord. The battles were provoked by Thomas Gage when he gave the order to arrest John Hancock and John Adams and also to seize the arms and ammunitions that were stockpiled at Concord. The people that fought back against the British were not from any army, there were full time farmers and part time soldiers. Though they didn’t win at their first encounter, the Minute Men won the next ones with excellent battle strategies such as hiding behind trees.
In may of 1175, the Second Continental Congress agreed on sending the Olive Branch Petition to the King of England, but the king did not accept their petitions, instead, he sent more troops.
Was born on February 22 of 1732 and died on December 14 of 1799.
He was the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and as the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.
Because of his significant role in the revolution and in the formation of the United States, he is often revered by Americans as the "Father of Our Country".
The Continental Congress appointed Washington commander-in-chief of the American revolutionary forces, the following year; he forced the British out of Boston, and crossed the Delaware River in New Jersey, defeating the surprised enemy units later that year. Because of his strategy, Revolutionary forces captured the two main British combat armies at Saratoga and Yorktown.
He presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787.
Washington became President of the United States in 1789 and established many of the customs and usages of the new government's executive department. He sought to create a nation capable of surviving in a world torn asunder by war between Britain and France.
He supported plans to build a strong central government by funding the national debt, implementing an effective tax system, and creating a national bank. Washington avoided the temptation of war and a decade of peace with Britain began with the Jay Treaty in 1795.
He was awarded the first Congressional Gold Medal with the Thanks of Congress in 1776.
Washington died in 1799.
Henry Lee, delivering the funeral oration, declared Washington "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen". He is considered as one of the greatest United States presidents.
Was Born on December of 1734 in Boston, North End and died on May 10 of 1818 in Boston Massachusetts.
He was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution.
In his lifetime, Revere was a prosperous and prominent Boston craftsman, who helped organize an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the British military.
After his death he was famous for his role as a messenger in the battles of Lexington and Concord, and his "midnight ride" are well-known in the United States as a patriotic symbol.
Paul Revere later served as an officer in the Penobscot Expedition, one of the most disastrous campaigns of the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he was early to recognize the potential for large-scale manufacturing of metal.
Was born on October 30 of 1735 and died on July 4 of 1826.
He was a politician philosopher, and the second president of the United States of America after being the First Vice President of the United States, was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States.
Was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he persuade Congress to declare independence, and assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.
He was a major negotiator of the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain.
Adams' revolutionary credentials secured him two terms as George Washington's vice president and his own election as the second president of the United States.
The major accomplishment of his presidency was his peaceful resolution of the Quasi-War crisis with France in 1798.
Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States.
Was born on September 27 of 1722, in Boston Massachusetts and died on October 2 1803.
Samuel Adams was politician philosopher and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Was a leader of the American Revolution. He was a second cousin to John Adams.
He graduate from Harvard College, he was an unsuccessful businessman and tax collector, was an influential official of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and was a part of a movement opposed to the British Parliament's efforts to tax the colonies without their consent.
His 1768 circular letter calling for colonial cooperation prompted the occupation of Boston by British soldiers, eventually resulting in the Boston Massacre of 1770.
Continued resistance to British policy resulted in the 1773 Boston Tea Party and the coming of the American Revolution.
After the coercive acts he a attended the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. He helped guide Congress towards issuing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and helped draft the Articles of Confederation and the Massachusetts Constitution.
Was born in January 23, 1737 Quincy, Massachusetts and died on October 8 of 1793.
He was a merchant and a Prominent Patriot of the American Revolution.
He was the first and third Governor of the Massachusetts Commonwealth and serve as the president of the Second Continental Congress. He is very famous for his large and stylish signature on the
United States Declaration of Independence. He used his influence to ensure that Massachusetts ratified the United States Constitution in 1788
John Hancock, before the American Revolution, was one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies, having a profitable shipping business from his uncle. He began his political career in Boston as a protégé of Samuel Adams. Protégé means A person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced person or mentor.
When the conflicts between the colonists and Great Britain increased in the 1760s, He used his wealth to support the colonial cause. He became very popular in Massachusetts, especially after British officials seized his ship Liberty in 1768.
Hancock was one of Boston's leaders during the crisis that led to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775. He served more than two years in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and as president of Congress was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. Hancock returned to Massachusetts and was elected as governor of the Commonwealth for most of his remaining years.
British empire was angry against the colonists because of the waste of the tea. Since they couldn't blame anyone in specific, they closed ports of Boston until they paid for the tea and also the taxes. They also created the Administration of Justice act, which said that if any British officer commited any crime, he would be sent to Britain for trial. Colonits were so annoyed that they assalted anyone who spoke in favor of royalty.
Colonists, feeling threatened by the acts, created the First Continental Congress. Representatives from all the colonies assisted except from Georgia. In this meeting they agreed on boycotting against British imports.
New Taxes Lead To New Protests
British still needed to raise money to pay what they spent and the salaries. In 1767 Charles Townshend , financial chief officer, thought that they should tax the colonists indirectly by adding taxes to the glass, paints, lead, paper and tea among others. But the colonists still protested that they wouldn’t pay any type of taxes to the British government.
Large riots rose, mostly from Boston; one of the most famous being The Boston Massacre. This involved a group of protestants that started throwing rocks to the soldiers that were guarding a custom house. In defence, the soldiers shoot to five colonists.
After this happening, Samuel Adams created the Committee of Correspondence. The function of this was a form of communication between the colonies so that they could have a fast comeback to any decision the British government took against them. This was vital for the independence; it provoked colonial unity.
Still the colonists had to fight against the taxed of the Parliament. The Parliament was starting to worry because their way of getting money was not working. They decided to emit an act declaring that The British East India Company (that was going bankrupt because colonists didn’t buy their tea) could sell directly to the consumer and that lowered the Price, making it better to buy that tea rather than the smuggled Dutch Tea. But the colonist still did buy their tea, instead in December of 1773, a group of Boston Patriots disguised as Indians , boarded a tea ship, broke every tea container and threw it to the sea. This act is known as the Boston Tea Party and it is still celebrated on the United States.
The resistance the colonists had against the taxed took three different types:
- Intellectual Protests
- Economic Boycotts
- Violent Intimidation
Protests for their rights were influenced by many ideas, one of them being the Enlightenment. This movement was initiated at Europe long before the 18th century. The Enlighten believed that human reason could be used to combat ignorance, superstition, and tyranny and to build a better world; John Locke being one of them.
People thought that theses were three basic rights: life, liberty & property. They considered a government to be good if they protected these three rights.
One of the Intellectual Protest was led by Patrick Henry in which he drafted a document called “Virginia Resolves” in which he declared that only colonists had the right to tax themselves.
During this time, a group of people that defended their rights of taxing were called Sons of Liberty, being Samuel Adams one of them. They led groups for public protests. The angry crowds assaulted anyone who was with the King or anyone who collected taxes. Tax Collectors suffered the Tarring and Feathering assaults, in which colonist poured tar and then feathered the man; sometimes they also poured hot tea in their mouth. By the end of 1765, there was no one to collect who collected the taxes.
To describe the Economic protests, the colonies agreed on abstaining from buying anything that came from England; this action is called a boycott. English merchants’ economy became endangered because they lived from exporting their products to the colonists.
During this time, women became very important, they were called Daughters of Liberty and they became much respected. Their job was to make homespun clothes.
The three combinations of protests did work; the Parliament repelled the Stamp Act in 1766. But the Parliament also emitted another act in which they stated that they had the right to tax the colony because they were part of the British Empire.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Glittery texts by bigoo.ws
Causes of the Revolution
One of the causes of the American revolution were the French and Indian war that lasted 7 years. They had this war because they got allied to get back their land for revenge against the British. In 1756 the British forts were destroyed. Two years later the British stopped French ships from arriving America. In 1759 they took over Quebec and Montreal. The government was forced to surrender all Canada leaving a treaty of Paris in 1763. This treaty ended the war in favor of the British, which kept with Canada and the Great Lakes an the boundary between British and French was the Mississippi.
Models of Government
BRITISH:
It had 3 branches:
1. Executive: => Monarchy
2. Legislative: => Parliament - House of Lords
3. From Parliament: - House of commons
COLONIES:
Had 2 house legislation (Except Pennsylvania) :
1. Legislature: => 1) Elected Assembly
2) Council of Prominent: They served the King, appointed and represent the King. Life Term.
Only Connecticut and Rhode Island elected their own government, the others were appointed by the king.
The colonist did not elect anyone from the british parliament. The British Model was far from democracy.
Difference in colonial Governments
The British didn't have official document, like a constitution, they have a collection of laws from several years.
The colonist have formal documents.
2/3 of the colonial man can vote.
In England only 1/4 of men can vote.
The Slaves couldn't vote because they were a majority.
In 1760 meanwhile the King was busy with the wars in Europe, the assemblies, here in America were getting power, the governors were not royal, the rich people paid the governor.
The british officials wanted to raise taxes, to have salaries for the royals.
The colonist didn't like to leavy taxation because they didn't have anyone that could represent them in the parliament; they felt they were at the same level with the parliament of England.
