give me liberty 7th edition - chapter 5: the american revolution

best practiced through flashcard mode (answer by definitions)

Stamp Act

• 1765

• tax on all printed materials, $ from tax, wanted to get money without consent from assemblies

• affected ALL colonists

virtual representation

british believed that everyone under crown was represented by government, rejected by colonists— they believed representation was based on location, not class

Sugar act and Currency act

• 1764

• loosely enforced

• prohibit paper money, trade only through england (=lots of smugglers), threaten profits and economy (already bad bc of 7 years war)

Colonist reaction to stamp act

• protests and mock funerals emerge

• committees and organizations resisted against stamp act

• sons of liberty- no real effect in municipal but had big following, burned ppls houses + protested in streets

• 1766- Parliament repealed stamp act bc lashback

• revolution not on table yet, were owed rights as british citizens to have consent to tax

• no taxation without representation

no taxation without representation

colonists didnt consent to being taxed by parliament

declaratory act

• passed after stamp act

• parliament could pass whatever laws they wanted in colonies

• elected representatives couldn’t collect taxes

regulators

• mid 1760s

• south carolinians upset about underrepresentation for west settlements in south carolina asssemblies

• no courts = no law and order = devious hooligans

• condemned elite colonists

• ended 1771 - all overpowered by militia

Townshend acts

• 1767

• tax on glass, tea, lead, paint

• united american colonists because everyone participated in resisting

• americans: self sacrifice, british: self indulgence, luxury

how did colonists resist against Townshend acts

• only bought american goods, nonimportation

  • allowed Chesapeake landowners to hide the fact they were in debt to british

• daughters of liberty: women were in charge of buying goods for household so women support helped cause, they homespun clothing

first dispute end

• 1770- merchants profits declined, elite couldn’t live without british goods, nonimportation boycott abandoned when townshend act repealed

• first in the pattern of british falling to political corruption

1770 boston massacre

• march 1770

• british deal with riots since 1768

• crispus attucks- first martyr, symbol of revolution

tea act

• 1773

• east india company broke, english ship/sell their tea to america

  • smugglers/merchants already sold dutch tea, angry bc threaten profits

• lead to boston tea party

1773 boston tea party

• because of tea act

• colonists disguised as native americans, dump $4 million worth of tea into harbor

• lead to intolerable acts

1774 intolerable acts

• because of boston tea party

• parliament mad, closed harbor, limit democracy (no longer elect council), quartering (let british soldiers live in private houses)

quebec act

• part of intolerable acts

• toleration to catholics, scared protestants

  • liberty now bc of god

continental congress

• 12 influential politicians came together to coordinate resistance against intolerable acts

  • all colonies except GA and FL

  • no longer separated by location, ALL AMERICAN

• give me liberty or give me death! - patrick henry

continental association

• no trade with britain or west indies but fr this time (unlike townshend acts)

• committees of safety- power from established governments→volunteer/grassroots

  • artisans/propertyless men now could discuss issues + hold power

  • 1774- merchants/shopkeepers half of elected committee

spread of liberty through country

• pamplets + sermons

• colonists of all backgrounds against britain like germans

• based on john locke’s natural rights

  • still british

beginnings of war

• 1775

• second continental congress- war already in mass

• battles of lexington-concord

• battle of bunker hill

• continental army

battles of lexington and concord

• 1775

• shot heard around the world

• paul revere

• first major battle

battle of bunker hill

• proved us could hold their own

continental army

george washington commander, fighter in 7 years war, southerner (enforce colonial unity)

colonies’ thoughts on revolution

• end of 1775: still hesitant

• massachusetts, south, in favor

  • massachusetts most affected by intolerable acts

  • va/south mad at dunmores proclamation, love liberty

• new york, pennsylvania mixed feelings

  • leaders didn’t want resistance bc british laws made small farmers/artisans have a voice in politics

  • independence = more conflict = security meant staying with british

1776 common sense

• ATTACK: called british government tyrannical, preferable a democracy with elections, written constitution for rights

• INDEPENDENCE: membership to britain was burden, limited by navigation acts, got enemies like france/spain bc under britain

• VISION: home of freedom, asylum for mankind

common sense impact

• original because of HOW and for WHO expressed ideas

  • before political writings for educated elite

  • pioneer new style of writing, clear and direct, no complex/latin

• us declared independence 6 months after publication

declaration of independence

• july 4 1776

• grievances: quartering, taxes with no consent

• british aim: absolute tyranny

• slavery part removed bc ga + sc were pussies

• rights so basic no government could take away, if did, people had right to abolish

• rights of englishmen → rights of mankind

• inspired by john locke

  • property → pursuit of happiness (tradition no longer a thing)

american exceptionalism

only america was refuge from tyranny, symbol for rest of world

global impacts of declaration

• colonists wanted international recognition didnt rlly care about human rights for all mankind

• written constitution inspired china 1911 and vietnam 1945

• principle of political authority rests on will of ppl- literally everyone adopted

british vs american power

Britain had a well trained army, most powerful naval force in world, but war would be expensive, underestimated support for independence (americans didnt gaf about 7 years war)

america had experience from 7 years war and lots of passion

black people in war

• dunmore proclamation- if slaves join british army, would grant freedom - this made washington allow black people to enlist

• most joined british bc more freedom

Attack on hessians

christmas 1776, boosted morale bc lost a LOT in the beginning

battle of saratoga

october 1777, TURNING POINT because victory persuaded france to give usa aid, saw as oppurtunity to weaken britain

native americans in revolution

American victory but native losses, both british and american forces destroyed native settlements, most sided with british bc thought would give them more freedom

1778-1780

• rough years of the war

• congress bankrupt so couldn’t pay soldiers→mutinies, benedict arnold defected, loyalists + slaves to england, civil war in north/south carolina between loyalists/patriots

battle of yorktown

• 1781, british surrendered

• 1783- treaty of paris, british recognize america as independent