The Coming Of Independence

2-2

“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang

together”

Royal Control

• Colonial Administration

– London = 3000 Miles Away.

– 2 Months To Get Messages Back and Forth.

A Federal Relationship

• London Serves As A Central Government Structure

– Defense / Foreign Affairs

– Uniform Money System

D -

“No Taxation Without Representation”

• Little, At First, Was Taken In Taxes

• Until…• George III Ascends

To The Throne

New Taxes

• Taxes Imposed to Support British Troops

• Didn’t Need The Troops In The First Place

• Colonists Had To Submit or Revolt

Growing Colonial Unity

• Many Early Attempts Were Made At Unifying The Colonies

“League Of Friendship”

• Fend Off Attacks From Native Americans• Eventually Proven To Be Not Needed

The Albany Plan

• Address The French Presence– Allies With Native Americans Were The

French…Scoundrels…

Albany Plan Proposals

• Annual Congress of the 13

• Power To:– Raise Military– Make War / Peace– Regulate Trade With Native Americans– Levy Taxes– Collect Customs Duties

• Far Ahead Of Its Time

Albany Plan

• Colonists and Crown Turn It Down

Stamp Act Congress

• Stamp Act 1765– Isn’t official unless its stamped

Stamp Act

• 9 Colonies Attend– Declaration of Rights and Grievances

• First Time Coming Together To Write It All Down

Stamp Act Congress

• Parliament Repeals – Pass New Laws To Keep Colonies Closer

• Resented By Colonists– Boycotts / Mob Violence

• And Then…

Dun Dun Dun…

The Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre

Boston Massacre

• 5 People Die

• Crispus Attux First Casualty

Organized Resistance

• Committees of Correspondence

– Boston Tea Party (1773)

First Continental Congress

• New Laws Passed By Parliament– Punishment for Boston

• Denounced by Colonists– “Intolerable Acts”

First Continental Congress

• 9/5/1774 Meeting In Philadelphia

• Debate for 2 Months

• Declaration of Rights Sent to George III Protesting All English Policies

• Colonists Urged To Boycott

• Eventually All Colonies Supported The Declaration of Rights

Second Continental Congress

• British Despised The Declaration of Rights

Second Continental Congress

• 5/16/1775 The Revolution Has Been Going on Just Short Of a Month

• All 13 Colonies Send Representatives

• Greatest Combination of Minds Ever?

Second Continental Congress

• Newcomers:– Benjamin Franklin (PA)– John Hancock (MA)

• First Order of Business Was To Organize The Continental Army– “The Funky One” Put In Charge

George “Funky G Dubb” Washington

Second Continental Congress

• Thomas Jefferson Takes Funky G Dubb’s Seat (VA)

Clearly, A Little Less Funky.

First National Government

• British – Unlawful Assembly / Traitors• Americans - Necessity

National Government

• 7/76 – 7/81

• Unicameral – Each Colony Has 1 Vote

Declaration of Independence

• 6/7/76 Richard Henry Lee (VA)

• Committee of 5 to Write It

• A “Who’s Who”– Ben Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman,

Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson– Typical Group Work

D of I

• 7/2 Agree Wholly To The Document

• 7/4 Adopted D of I

• Ultimately A Justification / Explanation

• 13 Independent States!

• Hooray Founding Fathers!

First State Governments

• State Governments Write Own Constitutions

• Massachusetts 1780

Common Feature Of New States

• 1. Popular Sovereignty

• 2. Limited Gov’t

• 3. Civil Liberties

• 4. Separation of Powers

Fin.