APUSH Unit 4

road to revolution (12/14/2025)

Roosevelt Thesis

America was revolutionary from its conception

Reluctant Revolution Thesis

Americans were not revolutionary, but England was the true revolutionary because of the end of salutary neglect

Economic Revolution Thesis

fight between mercantilism and free market capitalism drove the revolution

French and Indian War left…

massive debt

Enlightenment believed in…

man as a “state of nature”

Thomas Hobbes

believes that people are naturally evil, government should keep people in line

John Locke (life, liberty, property)

people were naturally good, government protects the rights of the people

Rousseau

“state of nature”- man was free, government took away those freedoms

Baron de Montesquieu

separation of powers, parliamentary monarchy

Voltaire

freedom of speech and press

Beccaria

crime and punishment should be portioned

Benjamin Franklin believed…

civic virtue was essential to healthy society, science and reason guide decisions

Thomas Jefferson

“(white) men are created equal”, believed in natural aristocracy/meritocracy

Republicanism

the people’s interests are represented directly through elected officials (rule of law, self sacrifice)

Parliament Monarchy (England)

consisted of “virtual representation”

virtual representation

each member of Parliament represents the whole of the Empire

Whig Party

opposed the tories, believed power was dangerous, INTELLECTUAL BACKBONE OF AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Mercantilism

economic theory that argued the more gold and silver a country had the more powerful

favorable balance of trade for “Mother Country”-Navigation Acts

negatives of Mercantilism

limited free trade, blocked competition, stagnated colonial economy

Sugar Act marked…

the end of Salutary Neglect

indirect tax

a tax that is collected by the consumer and goes to the government

Sugar Act threatened…

American free-market economy

Admiralty Courts

no trial by jury→guilty until proven innocent

Writs of Assistance

allowed non-specific warrants

Proclamation of 1763

said that the American colonists couldn’t settle west of the App. mountains

resistance of proc. of 1763

Scots Irish ignored, Rangers (Paxton Boys) → violence on Natives

British refuse to protect Natives

smuggling

Quartering Acts

required that colonial assemblies pay for the housing and feeding of royal troops

Colonists were enraged at Quartering Acts because….

British had too much control now in America, and they saw the Ohio River Valley as THEIRS

squatters

Scots Irish who occupied land without legal permission

New York Assembly closed because of the Quartering Act?

because they refused to provide salt and pepper to the soldiers

Stamp Act 1765

required all paper goods have affixed a stamp indicating that a tax was paid (Direct Tax)

the Stamp Act impacted

ALL PEOPLE

Stamp Act Slogan

“NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION”

tax agents would

attack, tarr and feather, burn houses

British response to Stamp Act resistance

shocked because tax was so low

boycotting as protests

most effective form of protests, stamp agents refuse to enforce the law and so it was repealed before effect→NONIMPORTATION AGREEMENT

forms of colonial protest

speeches

violence

congresses

boycotting

committee of correspondance

organized resistance between towns and colonies

The Declaratory Act of 1766

British repeal Stamp Act before it goes into effect but it gave British full power over colonies

Response to Declaratory Act from Britain

sent more troops to colonies, especially Boston

The Townshend Acts of 1767

extremely light, but required taxes on tea, glass, paint and paper

Liberty Incident

John Hancocks ship seized for smuggling, John Adams defends him and charges are dropped→jury nullification (charges dropped despite evidence)

Boston Massacre of 1770

British soldiers taking jobs away from people in colonies, and colonies can’t compete with them so riots break out→5 colonists killed

Cripus Attucks

runaway slave from Framingham, Son of Liberty and longshoreman, organizes protests → “FIRE”

Phillis Wheatley

wrote about injustice of British Empire and advocated for non-importation of British goods and establishments of Black Businesses

Boston Tea Party 1773

British East India Tea Co. had millions of pounds of tea→granted a monopoly by British (made colonists feel bad and less than)

Old South Meeting House

Sam Adams: “there is nothing else we can do for our country”→ Boston Tea Party

Edenton Tea Party

Penelope Barker led a boycott of British tea and goods→most effective forms of protest

Intolerable Acts of 1774

Admin. of Justice Acts

Mass. Gov. Act

Quartering Acts

Mass Port Act

Quebec Act (All land in Ohio River Valley is going to French Canadians)

Colonist Response to Intolerable Acts

mad at Boston, but more mad at England’s reaction

First Continental Congress

creates Association, adopts Suffolk Resolves, declaration of grievances to Britain

Association

agreement not to import British goods until the Intolerable Acts are repealed

Suffolk Resolves

justification for colonists behavior

King George III

very family oriented, believed all power belongs in hands of people, very tolerant

Negatives: poorly informed

Lexington and Concord

700 British troops marched on the towns of Lexington and Concord

Objectives of Lexington and Concord

capture John and Sam Adams, capture g-ns and powder in Boston

Battle of Lexington Green

sees 8 colonists killed and 10 wounded, British continue to march

Battle of Old North Bridge, Battle Road

British troops pushed back

Powder Alarm

Paul Revere called upon neighboring troops and alarmed them of British movement (in Charlestown and Salem)

Second Continental Congress (After Lexington and Concord)

creates Continental Army, George Washington as commander, Olive Branch Petition, Declaration of Independence

Battle of Bunker Hill

Purrhic victory for Britain→over 1,000 casualties including officers (proved that militia could stand up to British military)

Fort Ticonderoga

Americans capture British Cannon

Battle of Dorchester Heights

used cannon and fortifications to force British to evacuate Boston

Battle of Long Island

32,000 British troops arrive under Gen. Howe

Washington is forced to retreat through city

Americans almost lose revolution

Battle of Trenton and Princeton

Washington launches sneak attack on new years eve

Captures Hessians (German Mercenaries)

British withdraw to NYC

Von Steuben

German-creates Continental Army

Valley Forge

low point of the war, very harsh winter and most died of diseases at camp Valley Forge

Camp followers

women that accompanied the American Army to cook and sew in return for money and food

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation

freed slaves to accompany the British side → Ethiopian Regiment

Penelope Barker

from North Carolina, mocked by British