2Y: The American Revolution

Question 1

How man states were there in the American colonies?

Answer 1

2nd half of 18th Century, there were 13 states on the East Coast of America.

Question 2

What were these states known as?

Answer 2

• These states were known in Britain as colonies. They were made up mostly of people who’s ancestors had come from Britain.
• They were part of the British Empire, and were ruled by the English Parliament and by George III.

Question 3

What were the causes of the Revolution? (4)

Answer 3

1. The Enlightenment
2. Taxes
3. The Boston Massacre
4. The Boston Tea Party

Question 4

What was ‘The Enlightenment’?

Answer 4

• This was a time in the mid 18th C. when educated people came up with new ideas.
• Writers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau said that people should be free to rule themselves.
• When this idea spread to America, the colonies started to despise being ruled by Britain.

Question 5

Why were ‘Taxes’ a cause?

Answer 5

• American Indians constantly attacked the Colonies.
• France controlled Canada at this time and their forces attacked the Colonies also.
• Britain sent an army and with the help of the Colonies they defeated the Indians and drove the French out of Canada.
• This cost the British a lot of money and they believed the Colonies should help pay.
• They passed a ‘Stamp Tax’ (1975)– Putting a tax on American documents, such as newspapers and wills.
• The Americans objected strongly to this tax.
• “No taxation without representation” – this was the slogan used by the Americans.
• They believed the British had no right to tax them because they had no representatives in the British Parliament.

Question 6

What was the Boston Massacre?

Answer 6

• 1770 protesters of the tax threw stones at British soldiers and the soldiers opened fire and killed 5 people.
• This became known as the Boston massacre.
• There was so much anger throughout the colonies that the British cancelled some of the taxes.
• The British however kept an unpopular tax on tea.

Question 7

What was the Boston Tea Party?

Answer 7

• Colonists smuggled tea into America to avoid paying the tax on tea.
• Some Americas grew rich from this smuggling.
• November 1773 – English ships arrived into Boston carrying tea that was taxed.
• 16th December – group of Colonists dressed up as Indians and dumped the tea into the harbour.
• This became known as the Boston tea party.
• The British were furious and closed the port.
• They also replaced local councillors with officials from London.

Question 8

When and what was the First Continental Congress?

Answer 8

• 1774 – Delegates from the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia for an important meeting called the First Continental Congress.
• The meeting called for an end to British taxation and the return of elected councils.
• It also told every colony to train an army to right against the British if necessary.

Question 9

When did the American War of Independence begin?

Answer 9

War began April 1775 when American troops ambushed the British at Lexington and Concord near Boston. 300 British ‘redcoat’ soldiers were killed.

Question 10

What happened at the Battle of Bunker Hill?

Answer 10

• American rebels hid in trenches and attacked the British soldiers when they got very close, resulting in over 1,000 British fatalities, while the rebels lost 400.
• American rebels in towns between Concord and Boston hid behind trees, farmhouses, and walls and ambushed British soldiers, killing over 250, while the rebels lost 100.
• American rebels were outnumbered 70 to 700 by the British soldiers and were forced to retreat, leaving their supplies and ammunition, as the British took command of the hill.

Question 11

Who was appointed Commander in Chief of the Colony Army?

Answer 11

In May 1775 – Continental Congress met for a 2nd time. George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the army.

Question 12

When was the American Declaration of Independece made?

Answer 12

On the 4th July 1776 - at the 3rd meeting of Continental Congress, the American Declaration of Independence was made.

1. It stated that the ‘United States of America’ was ‘free and independent’ of Britain.
2. It also stated ‘all men are created equal’.
3. And a President rather than a King should rule a free USA.

Question 13

How did the War progress through 1777 - 1778?

Answer 13

• 1777 – British captured New York and Philadelphia. The British were now winning the war, although the Americans got a boost as they defeated the British at the battle of Saratoga.
• Winter 1777-78 Washington’s army trained in a remote place called Valley Forge. They lived in terrible conditions and many died or ran away. The colonists looked certain to be facing defeat in the war.

Question 14

What happended at the Battle of Saratoga?

Answer 14

• The Battles of Saratoga (Sept 19 and Oct 7, 1777) gave a decisive victory to the Americans over the British.
• British General John Burgoyne led a large invasion army southward from Canada, hoping to meet a similar British forces marching northward from New York City eastward from Lake Ontario; the southern and western forces never arrived.
• Burgoyne was surrounded by American forces in upstate New York.
• He fought two small battles to break out which took place 18 days apart on the same ground, 9 miles (14 km) south of Saratoga, New York. They both failed.
• Burgoyne found himself trapped by superior American forces with no relief, so he retreated to Saratoga (now Schuylerville) and surrendered his entire army there on October 17.

Question 15

When did the French join the War and what was the impact?

Answer 15

• Following the American victory at Saratoga, France decided to join the war on the colonists’ side. The French joining played a huge part in the Americans winning the war.
• The French sent an army of 6,000 experienced and well-trained troops.
• The French navy attacked the British navy and made it difficult for the British to send fresh troops or equipment to America.
• Spain and Holland, encouraged by the French, also joined the war on the side of the colonists.
• The tide had now turned in favour of the Americans.
• October 1781 – The Americans and French surrounded a big British army at Yorktown and forced it to surrender.
• This was the decisive battle.
• The Americans had won their War of Independence.

Question 16

Why did the Americans win the war? (3)

Answer 16

1. The intervention of France played a vital role in the war.
2. George Washington was a capable Commander in Chief of the American Army. Washington was an excellent motivator and reminded the army they were fighting for their homes. They were all determined to win.
3. The Americans had the advantage of fighting on home territory and they knew the land and territory very well. They successfully employed guerrilla (hit and run) tactics against the British.

Question 17

What happened after the War? (2)

Answer 17

1. The Treaty of Versailles (1783) followed the American War of Independence. At this Treaty, Britain recognised the United States of America (USA) as an Independent country.
2. George Washington later became the first President of the USA. Washington served as President from 1789-1797.

Question 18

What were the impacts to France from the American War of Independence?

Answer 18

• The American Revolution helped to cause a revolution in France.
• French soldiers who fought in USA admired the idea that people should rule the country. This soon gained popularity.
• France’s intervention in the American war cost so much money that the government of King Louis went into serious debt. This debt caused the French people to spark the events that led to the French revolution in 1789.

Question 19

What were the impacts to Ireland from the American War of Independence?

Answer 19

• Some Irish people looked at the achievement made by the USA and hoped they too could win independence from Britain by force of arms.
• They formed the Society of United Irishmen, which organised a rebellion against British rule in 1798.
• The rebellion failed, but it introduced into Ireland the idea that people should fight for an independent republic.

Question 20

What was the French and Indian War?

Answer 20

• Also known as the Seven Years’ War, this New World conflict marked another chapter in the long imperial struggle between Britain and France.
• When France’s expansion into the Ohio River valley brought repeated conflict with the claims of the British colonies, a series of battles led to the official British declaration of war in 1756.
• Boosted by the financing of future Prime Minister William Pitt, the British turned the tide with victories at Louisbourg, Fort Frontenac and the French-Canadian stronghold of Quebec.
• At the 1763 peace conference, the British received the territories of Canada from France and Florida from Spain.

Question 21

What was the ‘Common Sense’ publication?

Answer 21

• Thomas Paine published Common Sense in January 1776 in support of the Patriot cause. Using clear, plain language, Paine rallied the colonists to support the break from Britain.
• In arguing for American independence, Paine denounced the monarchy and argued that people are born in to a state of equality. An advocate of natural rights theory, Paine claimed that there are no natural rulers among men. He then proposed a system of representative government for the colonies.
• Finally, Paine stated his reasons why the time was right for the break from England. The pamphlet was published and widely read.
• Congress approved the Declaration of Independence months later, and Common Sense is believed to have greatly influenced support for the cause.
• Paine donated all his earnings from the sale of the pamphlet to the revolutionary cause.