The Search for Independence

The French and Indian War (1754)

• A conflict between Britain and France over North American territories.

• Known as the Seven Years' War in Europe (1756).

• British victory over France and Spain led to:

  • Native Americans losing land to colonists.

  • British taxation of colonies to fund war expenses.

    • Weakened relations between Britain and its colonies.

  • Colonists felt less dependent on British protection.

Key Policies and Acts

1. Proclamation Line of 1763: Set the western boundaries of the colonies at the Appalachian mountains.

2. Stamp Act: Taxed on stamps and printed items (later repealed)

3. Sugar Act: Taxed on sugar

4. Quartering Act: Colonists had to allow their homes to be used as shelter for British soldiers.

5. Townshend Act: Taxed various goods, sparking protests and the Boston Massacre.

6. Tea Act: Tax on tea benefitting British East India Company.

The Boston Massacre

• Incident: British soldiers killed five colonists under harassment.

• Crispus Attucks: The first to die, celebrated as a martyr until the 1840s.

  • He was a runaway slave and sailor.

Boston Tea Party

• The sons of Liberty, dressed as Indians, dumped tea into the Boston Harbor as an act of protest.

  • Britain responded with harsh economic policies.

• This caused the first battle of the American Revolution.

  • Took place at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.

The Declaration of Independence (1776)

• Authored by Thomas Jefferson (a slave owner), listing grievances against King George III.

• Famous line: "All men are created equal."

• Signed on July 4, 1776.

• African Americans' Perspective: Thought the ideals of liberty applied to them.

Intellectual Influences

• Isaac Newton: Advocated for a universe governed by natural laws.

• John Locke: Applied Newton’s natural laws (life, liberty, property), to human society.

  • According to John Locke, the natural rights to all people includes Life, Liberty, and Private property.

African Americans and the Revolutionary War

Participation

• Loyalists: Supported England.

• Patriots: Opposed English rule.

• African American chose whatever the side they thought would offer freedom.

• Dunmore’s Proclamation (1775): Offered freedom to slaves fighting for Britain.

  • Caused George Washington, alongside other reasons (Troop shortages) to end the ban of black soldiers fighting in the war.

  • Lord Dunmore was the governor of Virginia.

Key Contributions

• Black Patriots: Joined the fight after Washington lifted the ban on Black soldiers due to troop shortages and Dunmore’s Proclamation.

• Black Loyalists: Often labored for British; some listed in "The Book of Negroes."

• France: France sent military assistance to the U.S.

  • England was fighting on two fronts, The North and The South.

• Washington and his men marched from New York to Virginia while the French sailed to the lower Chesapeake Bay to confront the British.

  • The plan was a misdirection because the British had been convinced that the Patriots would attack New York.

Outcomes

• The Battle of Yorktown, VA: The final battle of the American Revolution.

  • British Commander, Cornwallis, was defeated by a combination of Patriot and French forces

    • After a Formal treaty was signed, Britain recognized American Independence.

• The British still had conflicts in Europe to deal with.

  • Fighting both Spain and France

• The remaining British troops sailed from New York back to England.

Impact of the Revolution

• Northern States began to emancipate slaves gradually.

  • Gradual emancipation was a way to slowly end Slavery in the middle colonies and new England.

• Southern slaves continued escaping to large southern cities or the North.

Regional Impacts of the Revolution

1. Chesapeake:

   • Freed slaves who fought for independence.

   • Shifted agriculture to wheat, reducing reliance on slavery.

   • Free Blacks were a darker complexion

     • Free numbers increased.

2. South Carolina & Georgia:

   • Increased slave population through imports.

   • Absent slave masters during the war increased the separation between Blacks and Whites.

   • Free Blacks remained rare and often of mixed descent. (Lighter complexion)

     • Usually children of slave masters

Hardships faced by Blacks

• There were few economic resources presented by shop opening.

  • When slaves were set free, they received no money to start out.

• There were legal means to excluding Blacks from economic competition.

  • They created laws to prevent Blacks from taking loans to build a business.

• Masters couldn't understand the reasons why Blacks didn't want to remain either as slaves or workers.

• During this time, Blacks assumed last names such as Freedom or Liberty.

  • Biblical names were also used.

• Slaves wanted to run away because of a fake disease that was made up by masters.

Cultural and Intellectual Contributions

Phillis Wheatley

• Enslaved poet educated by her owners.

  • Allowed her to learn to read and write

    • Became a poet at the age of 13.

• First African American woman to publish a book of poetry.

• Supported patriotism as a path to uplift African Americans.

Benjamin Banneker

• Born free; skilled in mathematics

  • He attended school and had access to his neighbor's library.

• He built a working clock out of wood.

• Created an almanac and corresponded with Thomas Jefferson on slavery.

• He helped to survey Washington D.C.

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ARE INFORMATION FROM GOOGLE FORMS AND HAVEN’T BEEN FACT CHECKED SO INFORMATION MAY NOT BE 100% ACCURATE

Lenape History and European Interactions

The Lenape (13,000 years in the region)

• Key Values: Freedom, balance, women’s leadership.

• European Encounters:

  • Initially hospitable to traders.

  • Conflicts over land ownership, leading to tensions and violent incidents like Swaanendaele.

Disease Impact

• Diseases like smallpox devastated Native populations, killing up to 90%.

Colonial Powers and Early Settlements

New Sweden

• Founders: Swedish royalty and settlers like Peter Minuit.

• Notable leaders: Johan Printz and his daughter Armegot Printz.

• Conflict: Region fell under Dutch and later British control.

Quaker Pennsylvania

• Founder: William Penn, a Quaker advocating for tolerance and Native rights.

• Early opposition to slavery with efforts like the Germantown Petition.

Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia

• Early challenges: Poverty-stricken and disorganized city.

• Innovations: Lightning rod, bifocals, public libraries.

• Political leadership: Prominent role in the Revolution and Constitutional Convention.

Prominent African Americans

• Benjamin Banneker: Highlighted slavery’s hypocrisy and made significant contributions to science and society.

• Zumbi dos Palmares: Leader of a Brazilian maroon community resisting Portuguese colonization.

Here is the raw study guide notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lU0EXAaPFzuIbfpJBGEbb0uRI6JDRGSLiot1n8DbpYg/edit?tab=t.0