Chapter 11: american revolution Flashcards
What was the first british colony?
Virginia
How big was the population in 1760?
Two and a half million
How was britain ruled in the eighteenth century?
It was a constitutional monarchy
What does constitutional monarchy mean?
It meant there was a king but the king had to share power with the westminister parliment
When did King George III become king of england?
In 1760
Who was king in 1760?
King george III
Why did King George III appoint a governer to each of the 13 colonies?
Because he had to rule from 3000 miles away and couldn’t keep track of everything
How was america ruled in the eighteenth century?
Each colony had a governor and each colony got to elect an assembly similar to the british parliment which advised the governor
When was the time of the enlightenment?
Mid-eighteenth century
What was the enlightenment?
It was a time when many educated men and women began to question traditional ideas. One of these ideas of the divine right of kings.
What was the divine roght of kings?
It was the belief that kings were picked by God to rule on His behalf
What happened in 1756? (REVOLUTION HISTORY)
Brotain and France went to war
What was George Washingtons first experience of warfare?
Fighting alongside the british in the england-france war of 1756
Where was George Washington from?
Virginia
What shift of identity led to a growing resentment to the british in the american colonies?
Imigration from countries like Germany and Holland reduced the British identity of the colonies. People started reffering to themselves as ‘american’ instead of ‘british’.
How was the idea that Westminister parliament was a foreign parliment reinforced?
The colonies were not allowed to have representation at Westminister.
What sparked the unrest in the thirteen colonies?
The colonists had no say in the decisions that were made about matters that affected their daily lives.
Who were the leaders of the American revolution?
Thomas Jeffereson
John Adams
Benjamin Franklin
What was the Navigation Acts and what were some example of them?
The Trade Acts were trade restrictions. E.g
- americans could only sell tobacco to britain for whatever price they wanted to pay for it
- they were forced to buy sugar from british plantations in the west indies
Who were the sugar plantations in the west indies owned by?
Members of the westminister parliament and british nobles
What did the british parliament decide to unwisely introduce in the 1760s?
A number of new taxes.
- the quartering act: americans had to pay the costs of keeping the in North America to protect them from Indian attacks
- the stamp act: a tax on all legal documents, it increased the cost of claiming legal title to new lands
What was the solgan for the american revolution?
No Taxation Without Representation
What were the Townshend acts?
Another series of taxes on everyday items such as tea and glass
What was the Boston Massacre and when did it happen?
In 1770 the british army shot five people dead who were protesting against The Townshend Acts.
Why did the King and westminister parliament keep taxes on tea?
They withdrew most of The Townshend Acts but kept tea because they wanted to show who was in charge
What happened on the 16th of december 1773?
A group of colonists boarded a number of british ships dressed as american indians and dumped valuable cargo of tea in the habour. This became known as the Boston tea party
When did the Bsoton Tea Party happen?
The 16th of decemeber 1773
What did the british do after the Boston Tea Party?
They saw in an open act of rebellion and closed down the port and city of Boston and created new laws the colonists nicknamed ‘The Intolerable acts’
What were The Intolerable Acts?
New laws the british made in in retaliation to the Boston Tea Party
What happened in 1774?
AMERICAN COLONIES
The representatives of the 13 colonies met in Philidelphia to discuss the rebellion. This meeting became know as the ‘First Continental Congress’.
What happened at The First Continetnal Congress?
1774 the representatives met in Philidephia to discuss the recent events. They condemed the intolerable acts and called on each army to train its own militia
When did the first fighting of the american war of independence happen?
In 1775 near Boston. The British Governor attempted to seize militia weapons in Concord. The british were first attacked at Lexington but were fought their way to Concord, where they were forced to retreat back to Boston
When did america declare its independence?
On the fourth of July 1776
When was George Washington appointed?
At the second continantal congress in May 1775, Philadelphia
When and where was George Washington born?
In Virginia in 1732
What happened when Washy was 11?
His father died and he went to live with his older brother, Lawrence
What was Washy trained to do as a young man?
He was trained as a Surveyor and worked in the wilderness, mapping the course of the Ohio river and the shenandoah valley
What happened to Washy at only 20 years old?
His brother, Lawrence, died and he inherited the huge Mount Vernon plantation which contained 5 seperate farms and covered 8000 acres
How did Washy narrowly escape death in the 1756 war?
When Washy was serving in the british army four bullet ripped through his coats and he had two horses shot from beneath him
What happened in 1759 and why was it so significant (AMERICAN REVOLUTION: WASHY)
Washy married Martha Dandrige who also owned a large plantation. This was significant because Washy was now one of the largest landowner in Virginia and therefore one of the most important men in the colony
What happened to Washy when war broke out?
He was appointed as commander-in-chief of the continental army
Why did some people not want to foght a war of independence in 1775 and why did their views change?
Some people still felt some loyalty to the idea of being british and to King George III. Public opinion changed in 1775 when americans read an article written by an englishman called Thomas Paine. The article was very popular and support for a rebellion gained strength
What was the article by Thomas Paine about?
His article, called Common Sense urged americans to fight against the british and stated that any man that refused to do so had the heart of a coward and the spirit of a sychophant.
What happened at the third continental congress meeting and when did they meet?
In 1776 on the fourth of july they officially declared the independence of britain
Who wrote the Declaration Of Independence and what did it say?
Thomas Jefferson wrote it and it said ‘all men are created equal’ therefore there was no king, they would elect a president. The doccument also stated every man had the right to ‘life, liberty and persuit of happiness’
What was guerilla warfare?
Poorly armed americans would ambush better armed british soldiers
When did the british succeed in capturing Philadelphia?
In september 1777
What did the americans prove at the battle at Saratoga?
They proved they were capable of defeating the redcoats in a full scale battle
Who led the battle at Saratoga?
General Horatio Gates
What was the turning point of the war of independence?
During the winger of 1777-78 Washington brought his army to a rural part of Pennsylvania called Valley Forge and trained them to be stronger and more capable of fighting the british
What problems did they face in the winter of 1777-78?
Desertion and disease
Why did eighteenth cenutry armies not fight in the winter?
The roads turned to mud and the weather conditions made fighting too difficult
Who was Washy aided by in the winter of 1777-78?
Frederick Von Steuben
What did Benjamin Franklin do to help the war?
He spent two years trying to persuade the french to help the americans
Why were the French reluctant to get involved in the war?
They had just fought a costly war against the british
When did the frnech agree to help the americans?
When the news of the victory in Saratoga reached Paris
What did the French do to help the Americans?
They sent six thousand troops but more importantly they attacked the british navy making it difficult for the british to supply their army overseas
What battle ended the war of independence?
When Washy defeated General Cornwallis at yorktown on the 19th of October 1781
When did Britain recognise the idependence of her former colonies?
When her representatives signed the treaty of paris in 1783
What were the effetc of the american war of independence?
- france went practically bankrupt in 1789 because of the amount spent helping america
- the war inspired other rebellions such as the successful french revolution and the unsuccessful irish rebellion
- america had an official constitution on how the country should be governed. It also had a bill of rights which guaranteed certain rights and freedoms to its citizens. These documents helped spread democracy around the world
- washy became the first president from 1789 to 1797
- the united states continued to spread westwards, the 13 colonies eventually became 50
