Revolution Research Tracker

REMEMBER, THIS IS TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR RESEARCH. IT WILL BE PART OF YOUR SUMMATIVE GRADE.

Why did the revolution happen? ● Proclamation of 1763

○ One of the first reasons for the American Revolution is the
Proclamation of 1763. After the French and Indian war the British
crown declared the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains were
meant to be preserved for the Natives. This created anger in the
colonists because they fought for a war of 7 years and now they
couldn't even enter that land.

● The Stamp Act of 1765

○ In this stamp act the King restricted everything that was printed
including books, deeds, newspaper, cards and dice. This created an
anger in the American population because these taxes were meant to
pay the expenses of the 7 year war. The British country was running out
of money so they took the colonists' money.
● 13 Colonies
 ○ North Carolina, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Georgia
○ The colonies produced raw materials for English manufacturing
● The British are broke and have a lot of dept and they taxed the colonists
● 1764 Sugar Act
○ They put an act on the import of molasses and sugar to the
colonists.
○ They restricted the illegal import of sugar and molasses from the
French and the Dutch.
○ The people had to buy the molasses and sugar and then they had
to pay the sugar tax
○ They only could import molasses from the British and had to pay
a tax for the import.
● Stamp Act 1765
○ Paper and official documentations were put a tax on.
○ Even cards had this tax
● No representation
○ The colonists had no place in the Parliament so they couldn’t
share their concerns of the taxes.
○ This started protests all around the colonies for representation.
○ “Give me liberty or give me death
○ The colonists boycotted British goods
○ People loyal to the British were harassed
○ Colonists believed they were English citizens and therefore were
entitled to the rights of English citizens
○ While the colonies had their owned colonial government
assemblies, they were not represented in the English parliament
 ○ Without representation in Parliament, colonists felt the English
government had no right to tax them
● “No taxation without representation.”
● The British were forced to remove the stamp act
● Quartering Act 1765
○ House and quarter royal soldiers
○ Provide food, wine, bed for troops
○ Created violent protests/destruction

● 1766 Declaratory Act

○ This act was made the same day that the Stamp Act
○ It showed that the British were not surrendering any control and
they still could create laws binding the American colony. (Library
of congress)
● 1767 Townshend Acts
 ○ A year after the declaratory act the British crown implemented
the Townshend Acts which put a tax on glass, lead, paint, paper
and tea.
○ Tea taxes 1767
● Forced colonists to buy tea only from the British East India
company
○ Due to these extensive taxes the Americans decided to boycott
these goods from the British which affected the British.
● The British removed this tax on everything except tea and
send troops to control the colonists
○ Lead to the Boston Massacre
● March 5, 1770 The Boston Massacre
○ “ A band of local Patriots began heckling a British guard at the
Customs House” (Oversimplified 5:19 - 5:22)
○ More Americans joined in the protest and more British troops
went to defend the Customs House.
○ Americans threw snowballs, ice, rocks and oysters shells at them
○ The soldiers panicked because they were outnumbered so they
opened fire to the Americans.
● Five civilians killed
○ Stronger boycotts against British goods
○ All of the Townshend Act taxes repealed except for the tea tax
● Boston Tea Party
○ More boycotts
○ December 16, 1773
● Sons of liberty disguised themselves as Native Americans
and marched to Boston Harbor
● They dumped 344 causes of tea in the harbor
● The Intolerable Acts 1774
○ Passed to try to try and keep hold of the colonies and punish
Boston
● Closed the harbor until the tea was paid for
● Banned tow meeting
● Forced Bostonians to shelter British soldiers
 ● Took away colonists rights / curfew, freedom of speech,
freedom to congregate.
● Dissolved the General Assembly
○ Other colonies helped to support Boston

Who was involved in the revolution? ● Patriots

○ The ones who supported the American Revolution
○ Wanted to rebel from the British control
○ Attacked loyalists who were in America
○ Volunteered to join the Continental Army
● Loyalists
○ Were loyal to the British crown even though they were colonists
○ Opposed the independence
○ Spied on the American colonists
○ Supported Great Britain
○ Volunteered to join the British Army
● Continental Army
○ This was the Army of the American colonists in the revolution
○ George Washington led the army
○ Soldiers were from the 13 colonies
● British Army
○ The military force of Britain
○ Professional soldiers
○ Hired mercenaries
● African Americans
○ African Americans fought on both sides
■ Bothe free and enslaved
○ The African Americans usually joined the British
■ They were treated better and had better chances of gaining their
freedom

Who are the key people that started the revolution? ● Samuel Adams
○ One of the Founding Fathers
 ○ Supported the British before the American Revolution
■ Here he contributed as an activist, he protested the British taxes
put on the colonists and told merchants to boycott the British
products.
○ Important part of the Sons of Liberty
■ Helped with the Boston Tea Party
○ Created propaganda against the British
● John Adams
○ One of the Founding Fathers
○ Second U.S. president
○ Had a career as a lawyer
○ Critizined the British power in the American colonies
○ He was a delegate in the Continental Congress
○ Helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris (1783) in Europe
■ This ended the American Revolution
○ First vice president
● George Washington
○ Commander in chief of the Continental Army
○ Served two terms as the first president of the U.S
■ His way of leading would lay a path for future presidents
○ Fought the French and Indian War
○ National hero because he led the continental army and the American
colonies to victory against the British
● Thomas Paine
○ English born philosopher and writer
○ Helped the American Revolution
○ Published “Common Sense” which was a pamphlet that promoted
American independence.
○ Wrote “The American Crisis” in the Revolutionary War
○ Later returned to Europe to help the French Revolution
● Benjamin Franklin
○ Statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat
○ Served in the Second Continental Congress
○ Helped with the writing of the Declaration of Independence
○ Help negotiate the Treaty of Paris
 ○ One of the Founding Fathers
○ Helped gain international support in the American Revolution
● Paul Revere
○ Silversmith, industrialist, propagandist and patriot
○ He helped the American Revolution in the Battles of Lexington and
Concord were he warned that the British were coming to attack which
helped the victory of the Battle of Concord

What was the outcome of the revolution? ● Independence

○ A statement that allowed for the American colonists the right to choice
their own government
■ Be out of the rule of the British
○ Treaty of Paris of 1783
■ Recognized United States independence
■ Established boundaries
● The start of a new nation
○ The United States of America was born
○ New democratic system created
■ Democracy
■ Individual rights
○ Creation of
■ Federal system of government
■ Separation of powers
■ Bill of Rights
● End of British colonial rule
○ The Treaty of Paris in 1783 involved Britain to remove all of its troops
in North America which ended their rule there
● Inspiration for other movements
○ The American Revolution was an example that a country can have their
independence and democracy
○ The most direct revolution that was influence was the French
Revolution
■ Revolt could occur even against a major country
■ There could be change
■ Influence by the ideas
Was the government the same or different following the ● The Revolution created a major impact to the leadership of the American
revolution? colonists
○ Before they were governed by the British Crown and Parliament
■ They weren’t represented nor considered British citizens
○ After the Revolution the United States created a new system of
government
■ Democracy and individual rights
○ The Articles of Confederation
■ 1781
■ Weak federal government
■ Limited powers
■ Believed to be inadequate for their new government
○ A group came together in Philadelphia and they created a new
constitution
■ This new Constitution was not accepted by everyone
■ They all agreed on giving the position of the first president of
the United States to George Washington
○ George Washington served for two termes and during his time there
was a start of a division questioning the true role of the federal
government
■ Political parties
○ The second president of the United States was John Adams
■ One term
■ Created the divisions to be even deeper
○ This followed to the third president of the United States, Thomas
Jefferson
■ Eight terms
■ He expanded the nation’s territory with the Louisiana Purchase
● He bought land from the french
○ The Fourth President was James Madison
■ One of the authors of the Constitution
■ War of 1812 with Britain to 1815
● The British thought that the Americans could be erased,
but they set their ground and showed the world that they
 were they to stay

How do you think people’s lives changed during the ● When the American Revolution started the people’s lives definitely changed
revolution? ○ The war was a cause of shortages of good
■ People couldn't get essential things like food, clothing, and
medicine
○ There were many people who had to flee their homes
■ When armies came to towns and cities and took over them
people had to escape
○ There was a lot of persecution and violence between Patriots and
Loyalist
■ Loyalists who were still loyal to the crown had their houses
burnt down and were harassed by the Patriots and vise versa
■ This happened especially to loyalist because they were viewed
as traitors
○ People had to fight the war which wasn’t theirs to fight
■ African Americans
● The African Americans had to fight for their freedom on
both sides of the war
■ Native Americans
● They were forced to fight with one side of the war
○ Women
■ Women's role changes for completely in the war
● They were spies
● They had to defend their home
● They entered the Continental Army by making
themselves look like men

Did life for people change after the revolution? How or ● Their government change
how not? ○ Before they were governed by the British Crown and Parliament
■ They weren’t represented nor considered British citizens
○ After the Revolution the United States created a new system of
government
■ Democracy and individual rights
 ○ The Constitution was created
■ Divided the power between the executive, legislative and judicial
branches
● Women
○ After the american revolution a women’s job changed drastically
■ More women started to be educated
■ They started to be more involved in politics
■ Motherhood and women started to be more respected
■ They started to buy products instead of having to make them
○ These changes may seem like a big step, but these weren't changes
made in the public perception

Did it create long-lasting change? Why or why not? ● Government

○ Established a new system of government, democracy
■ The United States Constitution was ratified in 1789 and since it
has been used to this day
● Ability to vote
○ Even though at the start only white men who owned land had the
ability to vote
■ This later became a right to women, all white men and people of
color
■ This as well is something used until now and it was an influence
for other countries
● American Nationalism
○ After the American Revolution nationalism surged from the nation
○ They started not to think themselves as part of a state instead as
Americans
■ This was so long lasting that it allowed for america to earn the
respect of other nations and win several other conflicts times to
Great Britain and other foreign nations
○ The Revolution helped form this national identity and pride that
became so strong to survive until now
● The power of America
○ The American Revolution marked the beginning of the United States
■ This paved the way for America to be a major world power
○ The American Revolution was the base for everything
For Political Revolutions:
What types of government emerged after the ● New System of government
revolution? Why? ○ Based on the principles of democracy and individual rights
○ The Articles of Confederation
■ 1781
■ First Attempt to create this new government
■ Weak federal government
■ Limited powers
■ Believed to be inadequate for their new government
○ A group came together in Philadelphia and they created a new
constitution
■ 1787
■ Federal system
■ Divided the power between the federal government and the
states
■ Separation of powers
● Divided the power between the executive, legislative and
judicial branches
■ Checks and balances
● No branch of government had too much power
■ Based on the idea that all men are equal and should have
inalienable rights
● Life
● Liberty
● Pursuit of happiness
■ Better represented the people
■ This new Constitution was not accepted by everyone
■ They all agreed on giving the position of the first president of
the United States to George Washington

● First continental Congress/ September 1774

○ First time colonies met together in Philadelphia
 ○ 56 delegates of the 12 colonies
○ Letter of grievances and complaints to the king (George III)
○ If issues not addressed by the king, they would meet again
○ Drafted right of colonies: “No taxation without representation”, Voice (get rid of the acts), No power abuse
○ Ignored by parliament
○ Congress will meet again
● Second continental Congress - May 1775
○ Justified why they were fighting the British
○ Approved and signed the Declaration of Independence
○ Congress ask George Washington to be their commander of the continental army
● Battle of Lexington and Concord April 19, 1775
○ Kicked off the American Revolutionary War
○ On the dawn of this day British troops marched from Boston to Concord
○ 700 British troops encountered 77 militiamen
○ The British wanted to take the americans weapons that were located on Concord
○ The American colonists got a warning of this plan which gave them time to move their inventory of armory
○ The battle started in Lexington
● Several American casualties
○ The british continued to concord
● Weapons were moved
○ On their way back to boston they were ambushed by the colonists
● Firing from behind trees, walls, and buildings
○ British lost a lot of men
○ This was the start of the American revolution
● “The shot heard ‘round the world”
● From this war onward African American people joined the war on both sides with the promise of freedom
○ After the war many African Americans didn't actually earn their freedom, specially the ones who fought alongside the
americans
● Winter in Valley Forge
 ○ September 18, 1777
● British troops raided Valley Forge because the Amwrcians had resources there and storage facilities
● The British managed to steal supplies and burn some buildings
○ Later QWashington and his troops arrived at Valley Forge
○ The soldiers constructed 1,500 to 2,000 huts for all of the troops, women and children.
○ Troops suffered from cold and starvation
○ Lack of organization, food and money
○ Lack of proper clothing and lack of shoes
○ Soldiers where left several days without food
○ 2,000 died of disease
○ These diseases include influenza, typhus, typhoid fever and dysentery
○ Poor hygiene and sanitation
○ Friedrich Wilhelm Rudolf Gerhard August, Freiherr von Steuben
● Prussian military officer
● Arrives at George Washington’s encampment at Valley Forge
○ Friedrich was a recommendation from the French minister to Benjamin Franklin as a resource
● 1777
○ Benjamin mentioned this resource for the continental army to George Washington and on February 23, 1778 Friedrich was
already in Valley Forge
○ Trains the Continental Army which gives them more confidence and discipline
○ Friedrich showed the Continental Army an efficient method of firing and reloading weapons
● June 1779 the Spanish officially joined the revolution
● Battle of Camden
○ South Carolina
○ August 16, 1780
○ Continental Army lead by General Horatio Gates
○ British Army lead by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis
○ British won this major battle
○ The continental army suffered a lot of casualties
 ● Lost control of the south
○ Turning point
○ The americans mostly had mulitia and inexperienced troops
○ Defend South Carolina
○ The British troops were better-trained and equipped
○ The battle started when Gates led the continental army to a poor location to attack the British
○ This resulted in the British attacking even harder the american troops
● The americans became disorganized and panicked
● Many just left and others were captured or killed
○ Worst defeats because the British were able to get control of the south forcing the americans to flee north
● Battle of Yorktown
○ October 19, 1781
○ French isn't contributing a lot to the American Revolution until the summer of 1780
● 5,500 French troops landed in Newport, Rhode Island to help the American
● Comte de Rochambeau
○ The Americans needed a big victory so that they could finally defeat the British and made the 13 colonies independent
○ The Continental Army was in New York
○ Washington and Rochambeau created a fake attack on Clinton, but they were actually going to attack Cornwallis
○ They constructed a fake camps where Clinton could see them and believe that they were staying a long time there
○ They even created false attack plans that landed into British hands
○ On mid-September 1781 Washington and Rochambeau arrived about 13 miles from the tobacco port of Yorktown where they
start to build tranches to give damage to the British
○ A couple of days earlier on September 8, 1781 the French naval fleet defeated the British ships outside Chesapeake Bay
● This helped insure that Cornwallis and his British troops couldn't escape Yorktown
○ Here Cornwallis's men had 10 small forts
○ Because of the lack of soldiers and the discoveries that they were being surrounded, Cornwallis asked Clinton, in New York, for
help and he was promised with a fleet of 5,000 British soldiers
○ Due to this New York was running on low soldiers which allowed for the small group of Americans and the French who stayed
back, were able to dig their own trenches 800 yards from the British troops.
 ○ On October 9 they had a week-long artillery assault
○ Clinton’s departure from New York was delayed
○ The troops created a new trench 400 yards closer to the troops in New York in October 11
○ Meanwhile in Yorktown on October 9 Washington fires the first cannon from this battle to penetrate British defenses
○ As the American Troops came closer and closer to the british army in Yorktown they began to surround them so that they had
no way to escape
○ Charles Cornwallis and his army surrendered to the American and French troops on October 19, 1781
● Military victory
○ This declared the end of the American Revolution
● Last major battle
○ Showed again Washington’s great leadership
● Treaty of Paris 1783
○ Britain started to realize that the war was too costly and decided to start negotiating peace in Europe
○ This lead to the Treaty of Paris of 1783 which consisted on
● Recognizing the United States of America as an independent nation
● Establishing that the land east of the Mississippi River and the north of florida, except of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
belonged to the United States
● All people who still lived in the United States who were loyalists would be treated fairly
● Withdraw of all British troops from the United States
● Granted Americans to be able to fish in the Grand Banks and other waters in Canada
● The Americans would repay any debts owed to the British
● Release of prisoners of the war, from both sides
● Declaration of Independence
○ First adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776
○ Primarily written by Thomas Jefferson
○ Showed that they would be independent from the British Empire
○ There were three parts to this document
● The introduction
● What was the purpose of the document
 ● The list of grievances
● The colonists’ complains of the British government and King George III
● Taxation without representation
● Quartering of troops
● Etc.
● The resolution
● Declares the colonies independent from Great Britain
● Declares themselves as a new nation called United States
○ Signed on July 4th 1776 and is celebrated annually
○ Symbol of freedom and democracy
● Aid eventually came from England’s
○ France, Spain, and the Netherlands were eager for England to lose power
● 1783-Americans won their independence with the signing of the Treaty of Paris
● Confederacy-Alliance between states (colonies)
● Constitution: fundamental principles
● 13 colonies agreed with the Article of Confederation
● It gave states and the central government
● Benedict Arnold
○ Hero of the American Revolution
○ Helped capture the British garrison of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775
○ Detained the British invasion of New York from Lake Champlain
● 1776
○ Brough the surrender of British General John Burgoyne’s army at Saragora
● 1777
○ Arnold never received recognition for these accomplishments
○ In 1779 he asked the British army for a negotiation
● He offered to give them America’s plans and the U.S. post at West Point
● In return he wanted money and a command in the British army
 MLA
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