American Colonies and the Revolution

The Colonies - Discovery

• 1492 – Christopher Columbus “discovers” America

– Columbus thought it was India

– Amerigo Vespucci saw that it was a “new continent”• America is named after Vespucci

Colonization

• England, France and Spain scramble for America

• Countries claimed large amounts of land for their king– Spain claimed most of South America– France claimed parts of Canada and areas near the

Great Lakes– England claimed the eastern shore of North America

Colonies - Maps

Settling the New World

• It took about 100 years for England to establish its 13 Colonies

Life in the Colonies

• Lets’ think about early life in the colonies:

• People came for many different reasons, but they didn’t all have the skills needed to start a colony

• How do you settle in the new and strange land?– What do you do for shelter (a house)?– What about food?– How do you survive?

Life in the Colonies

Activity

• Each student should write 6 things that they would need to start a new colony.

• Example: – You might need people to work and do other jobs– You might need a farm to grow food– You might need some sort of protection (from

other people already living there)

Activity

• Get into groups

• Discuss your 6 items

• Pick the three that you find the most important...be able to tell they class WHY you chose these items

Difficulties with Britain

• Before 1763, the people had to depend upon England

• Many of the colonies became wealthy and no longer depended as much on Britain

• The British government placed many strict policies on the colonists

Taxes

• England was in debt from its many wars– Placed taxes on the colonists to pay the debt

• The Stamp Act 1765– A tax on all legal documents, newspapers, etc.– Colonists protested by boycott of the tax– Boycott – refuse to buy or use

More taxes

• Townshend Acts 1767– Taxed all imported goods• Again, all the colonies boycotted

– Lead to the “Boston Massacre”– Tax was stopped in 1770 on all items except tea

• The Boston Tea Party 1773– Colonists broke into a cargo ship and threw chests

of tea into Boston Harbor

Bring the Colonies together

• The Americans’ success against the British taxes made them more confident

• The strict policies brought the Americans closer together

• The Colonies started became unified– First Continental Congress

Fighting starts

• The Battle of Lexington and Concord– Proved the Americans were willing to fight– During the Second Continental Congress the

leaders of the Colonies decided to take charge of the troops under George Washington (May 1775)

• By July 4th, 1776 the politicians drew up the Declaration of Independence– Let’s read the excerpt from pg. 59 in your books

The War of Independence (1775 to 1783)

• Key points– The war was difficult in the beginning for the

Americans– Battle in Saratoga, helped save New England and

the Americans made an alliance with France– With the help of France and other countries,

England could not send enough troops to America– 1781, After the battle of Yorktown, England

surrendered

Setting up the government

• The United States Constitution (1787)– The basis of today’s government– Gave much power to the states – Less power in the central government

• We can discuss this more when we cover the American government later in the course

The Bill of Rights• Added to the Constitution in 1791

1. Freedom of Speech2. The right to bear arms3. Do not have to house soldiers4. No unreasonable search and seizure5. The right to a fair trial6. Due process7. The right to a fair trial8. No cruel and unusual punishment9. Rights to not extend to all people (African Americans)10. Any powers not held by the government are held by the

people and the states