The American Revolution

Issues, People, and

Events

Background• 1st colony established: Jamestown in

1607• Independence Day is July 4, 1776• What happened in between?• Many types of colonies were

established.* Proprietary * Royal* CharterRegions

• New England• Middle• Southern

Background- Government

• By 1776 there were 13 colonies with similar governmental structures.A. the governor, appointed by the Crown or

by the proprietor, or proprietorsB. the council, also appointed by the

CrownC. the assembly or house of

representatives, elected by the people.

Each of these corresponded with the king and the two houses of Parliament. It resembled the British government.

Background- French & Indian War

• Up until the 1750’s the England had a policy not interfering with its American colonies called Salutary Neglect.

• Until….French and Indian War (actually between the British and French)– The British wanted to settle in the Ohio River Valley and – to trade with the Native Americans– The French built forts to protect their trade with the

Indians. – In 1754, George Washington led an army against the

French. – He was defeated.– Britain declared war on France.– The war for control of the valley. Victory for the British.

Background- Government

New Laws Enacted• Quartering Act –Colonists had to house British Soldiers.

Why?• Proclamation of 1763 (Result of F&I War).–Encacted to avoid more conflict with American

Indians– It recognized the Indians’ right to the land. – It did not allow colonists west of the Appalachian

Mountains. –The colonists were angry. They wanted to settle

on the land. They did not want the British soldiers to live among them.

Background- Economic• Mercantilism

– Colonies existed to provide raw materials to England– The benefit was to the English, not the colonists.

• French and Indian War– Expensive- Britain demanded increased amounts of

money from the colonies.• Sugar Act • Currency Act • Stamp Act • Townshend Acts • Tea Act (The Intolerable Acts)

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! YIKES!

Colonists Begin to Question Britain

• Committees of Correspondence– Beginning in 1772 were set up in colonies, often by

legislators– To coordinate action against Great Britain.

• Sons of Liberty- began in 1765 in Boston– Tradesmen who banned together to protest the Stamp

Act. – Soon spread to every colony. – Often times were violent in their protests, but used the

media to spread their messages.

• Daughter of Liberty- – Patriot women who urged boycotts British goods by

weaving their own cloth and creating American clothing. – Abigail Adams was a strong supporter. Also supported

troops during the war.

Colonial Responses

• First Continental Congress 1774.–Boycott on British goods.–Boston Tea Party.– Lexington and Concord (April 1775).• British troops attempt to seize

gunpowder and capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock.• 8 Americans killed at Lexington.• Concord- retreat of British troops who

lost 70 men.

Colonial Responses• Second Continental Congress/ May 1755

– The original purpose NOT to declare independence from Britain, but to present the grievances of the colonies,

– They formed the American Continental army to defend the colonies. George Washington was appointed as Commander-in-Chief.

– To finance the new military, Congress also voted to start printing money.

– Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman.

– All 13 Colonies were represented. (Gerogia a bit later.)– Battle of Bunker Hill

–Battle between Continental and British Armies.–King George declared the colonists in a state of

rebellion.

Two Groups Emerged• Loyalists- –members who wanted British POLICIES to

change toward the American Colony, but to remain LOYAL to the King of Great Britain

– Around 15 – 20% of the colonists are estimated to have been Loyalists

• Patriots- –members who opposed the King and wanted

independence and resulted to violence to get it. (Made up of various members of society)

The Move Toward Independence

• Thomas Paine– Urged colonists to fight for independence– It was simply “Common Sense” that they

should be free and independent states.

• June 11 – July 4, 1776– Committee to draft a Declaration of

Independence was established– Thomas Jefferson wrote it.–Many revisions before approval on July 2.– Signed on July 4!

“The Patriot” SynopsisBenjamin Martin is a South Carolina planter who is still haunted by his notoriously brutal past as a soldier in the French and Indian War. When the American Revolution comes, he chooses not to fight for the Continental Army because he wants to protect his family. But when the British Colonel Tavington threatens their welfare and kills one of his sons, he chooses to enlist. Martin becomes the leader of a makeshift militia, which consists of peasants, slaves, a minister, and assorted other irregulars. During the war Martin and his men discover that they will pay a steep personal price for their rebellion. But thanks to their courage and bravery, they are also destined to pay a pivotal role in turning the tide against the Redcoats.

“The Patriot” Benjamin Martin

The Characters:• The fictional character of Benjamin Martin

in The Patriot, a motion picture released in 2000, was based on Sumter and his actions, as well as on Daniel Morgan and Francis Marion.

• Francis Marion was the lead character in early drafts of the movie script, to allow for more dramatic storytelling, the fictional character of Benjamin Martin was introduced.

Fact vs. Fiction• Francis Marion/ Benjamin Martin

– was a known Indian fighter from the French and Indian War

– his most famous brush with Indians was leading his 30-man scouting party into a known Indian ambush to clear the way for the main force.

– Only ten men including himself survived. It was a massacre, but not of Indians.

– Francis Marion was known as the "Swamp Fox" and operated in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War.

– His base of operations was Snow's Island, which was located in the middle of the South Carolina swamps, not unlike how Benjamin Martin operated from the old Spanish mission located in the swamp.

– But unlike Martin, Marion was childless and did not even marry until after the war.

Fact vs. Fiction• Thomas Sumter/ Benjamin Martin

– was a soldier in the Virginia militia, – planter – brigadier general in the South Carolina militia

during the American Revolution, and politician. – He was later repeatedly elected to the

United States House of Representatives and to the United States Senate, where he served from 1801-1810, when he retired.

– He was nicknamed the "Carolina Gamecock" for his attack on British soldiers after they burned down his house during the American Revolutionary War and his fierce fighting style.

Fact vs. Fiction

Other real-life people who served as the basis for Benjamin Martin:

Daniel MorganElijah ClarkAndrew Pickens

Why do you think the writers pulled from so many people to create Benjamin?

Colonel Tavington• General Charles Cornwallis sent Lt. Colonel

Banastre Tarleton (inspiration for Colonel Tavington) after Marion. • Tarleton was unable to capture Marion, just as Tavington

was unable to capture Martin in the movie. • Marion was already actively raiding on his own when

Maj. General Nathanael Greene arrived in the South in 1781.

• After Greene's arrival, Marion began to coordinate his efforts with the Continental Army general's strategy for retaking the South.

"I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me and the cost is more

than I can bear."-Benjamin Martin-