American Revolution Notes

Grade 5

Social Studies

Vocabulary:
1. Assembly - 137
2. legislation - 137
3. tributary - 149
4. territory - 149
5. French and Indian War - 153
6. Treaty of Paris - 154
7. Proclamation of 1763 - 154
8. Stamp Act - 157
9. boycott - 157
10. repeal - 157
11. delegates - 159
12. Continental Army - 167
13. Declaration of Independence - 168
14. patriots - 171
15. Loyalists - 172
16.Treaty of Alliance - 180
17. blockade - 187
18. Treaty of Paris in 1783 - 187
Ideas:
I. English Kings allowed colonies to make own laws, but the laws had to be approved
by the King. Some laws protected and expanded peoples rights and freedoms.
Colonists felt independent from England. Colony governments were unfair to many
groups -women, Native Americans, servants, enslaved people. Only white men who
owned land could vote.
II. Colonial governors fought with their assemblies. Governors appointed by the English
King. CN and RI elected their governors. Governors job was to represent the interests
of the King. assemblies job was to represent the people. Governor could reject laws.

American Revolution Notes

Grade 5

Social Studies

III. In New England - male colonists held town meetings. At meetings they debated
local issues, elected local officials, made laws. Southern colonies - had county
governments. Governor appointed by county officials.
IV. John Locke - believed people naturally good and had natural rights - like freedom,
right to own property.
V. John Peter Zenger - from Germany - started newspaper in New York called New
York Weekly journal. Published articles about the governor of New York. Governor sued
Zenger, Zengers lawyer, Alexander hamilton, said Zenger had right to print the truth.
Later freedom of the press became part of the Constitution.
VI. Phillis Wheatley (African American) - Published poems at age 13. She urged
colonists to fight for freedom. George Washington praised her work - she became a
slave at age 7 - purchased by John Wheatley in Boston. In 1773, she at 20, published a
book of poems and was freed from slavery.
VII. French colonists explored Mississippi River - Jacque Marquette & Louis Joliet - fur
traders. Traveled by canoes as far as the Arkansas River.
VIII. Robert de Lalle led expedition down Mississippi River. Built a fort in Memphis, TN.
Continued to paddle to Gulf of Mexico. Claimed Mississippi River for France. Called the
Louisiana territory. eventually killed by his own men.
IX. By 1600 France claimed most of United States and Canada. Almost no Europeans
settled in Louisiana territory. French were in danger of losing land to England or Spain.
In 1698, french governor agreed needed more people to live in area and control
Mississippi River. 1706, he died, and his brother took over. 1781 he founded New
Orleans. The settlement drew many settlers to Louisiana. New Orleans became largest
French settlement in Louisiana. Worked mainly in the fur trade. Colonists built
plantations on river. Planter enslaved Africans to do work. 1740 - France claimed land
from Canada to Mississippi River to Gulf of Mexico. 85,000 settlers there - compared to
2 million in English colonies. French prevented English from moving west.

American Revolution Notes

Grade 5

Social Studies

X. Fighting broke out between English settled on land claimed by France in the Ohio
River Valley. French trappers feared English would cut down forests and hurt their trade.
Dispute over the land caused French and Indian war. French and Native Americans
were allies and fought the British.
XI. 1754 - 1st battle - george Washington sent to Fort Duquesne, near Pittsburgh, PA,
he defeated the French but did not capture the fort. 1755 - again attacked the fort - this
time English were defeated. 1758 - William Pitt and English soldiers again fought
French at the fort. This time they captured the fort. Called it Fort Pitt.
XII. Treaty of Paris of 1763 - ended the French and Indian War. After the treaty England
claimed all of the French colonies in North America. Proclamation of 1761 - set aside
land west of Appalachian Mountains for Native American groups. British victories united
the colonists.
XIII. War was costly. King George III - 1763 - thought taxes should raise taxes to pay
for war debt. British citizens already paying high taxes, so he raised taxes on colonists.
XIV. Stamp Act - 1765 - had to buy stamps and put them on all documents, including
letters, wills, and playing cards. Colonists said British could not tax them with out their
consent. November 1, boycotted and refused to use the stamps. Adams formed Sons
of Liberty to protest the Stamp Act. 1766 COngress repealed the act. They taxed
factory made goods like glass, paper, and paint. Colonist boycotted these items also.
British thought boycotts would lead to violence, so sent troops to Boston.
XV. Boston massacre - March 6, 1770 - colonists gathered in Boston Commons -were
taxes on British goods were paid - Crispus Attucks (escaped from slavery) Crowd
insulted British soldier-he knocked down a boy-some threw snowballs at soldiers-British
soldiers fired on crowd killing 5 colonists - including Attucks.

American Revolution Notes

Grade 5

Social Studies

XVI. Boston Tea Party 1773- British repealed Townshend Act and passed the Tea Act.
Passed to help the British East India Company - they could sell tea without paying
taxes. The tax was paid when the colonists bought the tea. British East India Company
landed ships in Boston Harbor. Colonists refused to let the ships unload. December
16, 1773 - 50 Sons of Liberty dressed as native Americans boarded the ships and
emptied the chests of tea in to the sea. Similar attacks took place in Annapolis, and
New York City. British Parliament closed Boston harbor until the colonists paid for the
tea. Town meetings were banned. More soldiers were sent..
XVII. Intolerable Acts - united colonists against Great Britain. First Continental
Congress - delegates met to discuss what to do about Great Britain.
XVIII. Thomas Gage went 700 soldiers from Boston to seize weapons and arrest
Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Paul Revere - Boston Blacksmith - set off toward
Lexington to warn colonists the British were coming. Second rider, William Dawes took a different route. By time British reached Lexington - Adams and Hancock had
fled. Minute men- colonial soldiers ready to fight in a minutes notice. Minutemen were
ready when British arrived-8 were killed and British troops continued on toward
Concord. Many more minutemen waiting when soldiers reached Concord. Killed 90
British soldiers.
XIX. Ethan Allen - captured canons at Fort Ticonderoga. Allens men sneaked into the
Fort surprising guards and taking the fort without firing a shot.
XX.Bunker Hill- Twice British charged the hill and were held back. Americans ran out to
gun powder and balls. The British won the battle. 400 colonists were killed or
wounded-1,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded. Abigail Adams -wife of John
Adams- watched the Battle from her home. Colonel William Prescott said, Dont fire
until you see the whites of their eyes. Wait till the get close and fire dont waste
ammunition.
XXI. Loyalists- did not want to separate from Britains rule and protection. They thought
taxes and restrictions were not good reasons to rebel. Colonists now saw themselves
not as British citizens living in British colonies, but as citizens of a new country free of
British rule.

American Revolution Notes

Grade 5

Social Studies

XXII. John Hancock elected president of Continental Congress. Samuel Adams and
John Adams, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson wanted independence from Britain.
John Dickinson and others wanted to remain British subjects-but govern themselves.

Olive Branch Petition - July 1775 - asked King George to repeal his governing policies
for the colonies. Petition angered the King. He refused to even read it...instead he sent
more troops to the colonies. When word reached Congress most delegates agreed
independence was their only choice.
XXIII. Named George Washington commander of the Continental Army. France,
Netherlands, and Spain gave financial support to the colonists. Came to help the
colonists fight.
XXIV. Declaration of Independence - July 1776 - document stating colonies were
independent for Britain. Committee members were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,
Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote the draft. Took
2 weeks to write, Franklin and Adams made some changes. Jefferson listed a list of
crimes, he attacked the slave trade. Delegates argued and finally agreed in the
wording. July 4, 1776 John Hancock was first to sign.
XXV. Patriots - willing to fight for freedom. 10,000 American men faced army of 20,000
British soldiers. British controlled New York City. British chased Washington across
Hudson River.
XXVI. Know the strengths and weakness of British and American Armies listed on
pages 172-173.
XXVII. Mercy Otis Warren - she wrote a History of the American Revolution
Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley or Molly Pitcher - carried water to thirsty soldiers
on the battlefield.

American Revolution Notes

Grade 5

Social Studies

XXVIII. December 25 Washington decided to crass the Delaware River form

Pennsylvania and attack the Hessian soldiers in Trenton. Stormy night, patriots arrived
4AM. Washingtons plan worked - Hessians surrendered quickly - Washington lost only
2 men-both froze to death. January 3, 1777-patriots defeated British at Princeton captured supplies-food, weapons, shoes...now they Patriots had enough supplies.
XXIX. Battle of Saratoga was turning pint of the war. General John Burgoyne led
1,000s of soldiers from Canada to New York. British supply wagons got stuck. Patriots
stood and fought. By time Burgoyne arrived Gates and Patriots had 3 times more
soldiers. British had no chance to win. When news of Patriot victory reached France,
they were convinced to American could win independence.
XXX. French and Americans signed Treaty of Alliance. French troops and war ships
arrived to help patriots. 19 year old-French-Marquis de lafayette helped Washington
command army.
XXXI. Washingtons troops spent very cold winter at Valley Forge, PA. Low on food and
supplies-many diseases killed soldiers. 2,500 died. A German commanded - Baron
Fredrick von Steuben came to help. Steuben trained patriot army.
XXXII. Not all important battled took place in 13 colonies. Some took place west of
Appalachian Mountains. Troops marched through swamp land for a month and
attacked and defeated the British at Fort Sackville in Indiana. Hero of the Battle was
John Paul Jones he was known as the Father of the American Navy.
XXXIII. In1779 the patriots got money from Spain. Spain also closed the port of New
Orleans to Great Britain and opened it only to American ships. General Cornwallis took
command of British troops in the south. He chased Americans through South Carolina.
XXXIV. Battle of Yorktown - summer of 1778. Cornwallis stopped his troops in Yorktown
to wait fro new supplies. Patriots and French learned of his plan and French troops set
a blockade so British troops could not deliver supplies to Cornwallis. at the seam time
Washingtons army joined and surrounded Cornwallis troops. They battled for weeks.
On October 17, 1781 Cornwallis sent a runner to surrender to George Washington.

American Revolution Notes

Grade 5

Social Studies

XXXV. Soon after Yorktown, British began peace talks with France, Spain, and the
Americans. The talks took place in Paris. Called Treaty of Paris 1783 here Britain
recognized American Independence. Mississippi River became the nations new border.
The river was opened up to ships from France, Spain, Britain, and United States.
XXXVI. The war was over. The 13 colonies were now known as the United States.