THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION

Revolution and the Birth of a Nation

 The Seven Years’ War/The Indian and
French War 1754-1763
New France: • England: Wanted more territory
• The English were able
• Hurons to win the war after
• Algonquians • French: Wanted to continue trading William Pitt plowed
with Native Americans
• Abenakis tons of money into
• Mikmaqs winning it. The
• Spain: Wanted access to sugar islands colonist would later
English: and precious metals
• Iroquis have to repay this
debt through taxes.
• Cherokee
 The British Forces
Win!
• 1754, George Washington sent to Ohio
River valley to set up fort. He establishes
Fort Necessity.
• 1755, George Washington and Edward
Braddock attack Fort Duquesne and are
defeated. Braddock Dies.
• 1756, England Declares War
• By 1760 the British had captured the Ohio
Valley, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Upstate
New York.
• The French Acadian were forced out of
Acadia and resettled in New Orleans.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
 British After Seven Years’ War

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

The Acadians are called Cajuns in the USA
Gumbo Jambalaya

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

 The Treaty of Paris (1763)
England won
• Canada
• Spanish Florida
• Some Sugar Islands
• The Seven Years’ War was the first real global
war, and by the end of it established England as
the most powerful empire in the world.
 Proclamation of 1763
• The Proclamation of 1763 established that lands west of
The Appalachian Mountains were Native American
reservations, and that colonist were not allowed to
settle there.
• This was established because England didn’t want to
start a war with Indians.

• This infuriated the colonists.

 A Road to Revolution Timeline

1765-1775 1773 The 1775 1775-1783 1776

1765 Stamp 1783 Treaty of
Unrest in the Boston Tea Lexington and Revolutionary Declaration of
Act Paris
Colonies Party Concord War Independence
Why Were The Colonists So Unrestful?
• 1764 Sugar Act (Navigations Acts), all non-British goods delivered to colonists were
taxed.
• 1764, Currency Act, colonists could not issue their own currency.
• 1765, Stamp Act Established. Taxed newspaper, almanacs, pamphlets, legal
documents, playing cards. A stamp was placed on the item to show the tax had
been paid.
• 1765, The Quartering Act. Colonists were forced to house British soldiers in their
homes.
• 1765, The Massachusetts Assembly, All but 4 colonies were represented. They sent
grievance to England stating that all colonists had the same equal rights as British
citizens and that they couldn’t be taxed without representation.
• 1770, The Boston Massacre. 5 Bostonians were killed by 9 British soldiers. This
turned most colonists against George III and the British Empire.
List of Grievances
• The British army had been stationed in America without
the consent of the people.
• Navigation Acts- Colonists could only trade with Britain
or face high taxes from imports from other countries.
• For taxing without representation.
• Depriving the colonists of a trial by jury.
• For transporting colonists to England to be tried for fake
offences.
Where Did Thomas Jefferson Get His
Ideas For Declaration of Independence?
• 1776, Deceleration of Independence signed. It was
needed to bring France into the conflict
• The ideas of the Declaration of Independence found
their origin in 1600-1700’s Enlightenment thinking.
I. The Enlightenment promoted reason of religious
thinking
II. The Enlightenment questioned government and
believed that commoners were just as equal to kings.
 John Locke’s Influence
• Two Treatises on Government

Social Contract
1. A “contract” between the people and their government whereby the
government derived its power directly from the people.

Natural Rights
1. Everyone endows with natural rights given by nature. The right to
liberty, property, and life.
2. In Europe kings had more rights and power than ordinary people
(monarchy)

Thomas Jefferson would go on to add that when the government was

destructive then it was the right of the people to abolish it.
Articles of Confederation Timeline
1775-1783 1781-1789 1787 1787
American Articles of Constitutional Northwest
Revolution Confederation Convention Ordinance

1776 Second 1786 Shay’s 1789

Continental Rebellion Ratification of
Congress U.S.
Constitution
Articles of Confederation
• Created in 1777
• All states had one vote in the legislative.
• The central government was weak, so
states had a lot of leeway and flexibility to
act independently.
• It was a response to being under a
monarchy
Why was wrong with the Articles of
Confederation
• The central government didn’t have the authority
to raise taxes.
• The central government couldn’t negotiate trade
agreements. Instead, the states negotiated their
own trade agreements.
• The states all printed different money. One state’s
currency could be worth more than another’s.
Shay’s Rebellion
• Started in 1786
• The government couldn’t not raise money
because it couldn’t raise taxes to pay soldiers
whom fought in the American Revolution.
• Those soldiers rebelled.
• This made the states realize that a central
government with power was necessary.
Questions Surrounding New Government
• Who has more representation big states or little
states?
• Do slaves count as population?
• Do we have a single president or many?
• How do we elect the president?
The Constitutional Convention
• Occurred in 1787
• Rhode Island wasn’t interested in a central
government, so only 12 of 13 states showed up.
• George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison
were some notable attendees.
The Virginia Plan
• The Virginia plan was a plan put forth at the
convention.
I. Lower house of representatives decided
by population
II. Upper house of representative also
decided by population
III. Bigger states would have more
representation than smaller states.
The New Jersey Plan
• The New Jersey Plan was a plan put forth at the
convention by small states.
I. Gave one vote to each state
II. Had a single legislative chamber.
III. The population of smaller states would
have more voting power than the bigger
states.
The Connecticut Compromise (The Great Compromise)
• There would be two legislative chambers.
• The lower house would be decided by population.
• In the upper house each state would have two
senators regardless of population size appointed
by state legislators.
The U.S. Constitution (1789)
• 7 articles
1. Article 1:Legislative branch
2. Article 2: Executive Branch
3. Article 3: Judicial Branch
4. Article 4: States and relationship to central government
5. Article 5: Amendment
6. Article 6: Debt, Supremacy, Oaths
7. Article 7: Ratification
Legislative Branch
• The most powerful Branch
• Tax the people
• Make laws
• Raise an army
• Create money
Executive Branch
• The president
• Enforces the law made by congress
• Wage war
• Negotiate treaties
• Appoint government officials
Judicial Branch
• The Supreme Court
• Interprets the law according to the constitution
Checks and Balances
• Each branch has the power to check and stop another
branch, so no branch becomes too strong.
1. The president chooses who is on the supreme court
2. Congress makes laws, and the president can veto those laws
3. Congress can impeach the president
4. The decisions of the president can be stopped by the supreme court if
unconstitutional
5. The decision of Congress can be stopped by the supreme court if
unconstitutional.
6. Congress can impeach justices and change jurisdiction of lower courts.
Checks and Balances

• Each branch has the power to check and stop another branch, so no
branch becomes too strong.
1. The president chooses who is on the supreme
court
2. Congress makes laws, and the president can
veto those laws
3. Congress can impeach the president
4. The decisions of the president can be stopped
by the supreme court if unconstitutional
5. The decision of Congress can be stopped by
the supreme court if unconstitutional.
6. Congress can impeach justices and change
jurisdiction of lower courts.
Social Consequences of Constitution

•“All men are created equal” led

many to question slavery.
•Women drew on constitution motto
and would start the women’s rights
movement in the 1800’s.
THE END