The American Revolution

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Before The Revolution 1648 - 1763

By the time they had established themselves in the Tidewater region of what is now Virginia in the early 1600s, the English were relative latecomers to the world of exploration and empire. Both the Portugese, Spanish and the French were already quite well established in the region— not to mention many millions of natives who'd lived in North America for as much as 15,000 years. But following their successful settlements at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620, the British would eventually establish themselves as the leading cultural and political force in North America. By the Revolutionary period in the 1770s, there was an estimated 2.5 million European colonists living in British North America, which included about 500,000 people of color—most of whom were enslaved. Some of the most significant events in this period before the War for Independence that led to revolution and the creation of the American Constitution include:



1648

The Peace of Westphalia in Europe marked a profound turning point in the history of western civilization. Many historians recognize the Peace of Westphalia as the "official" end of the middle ages and the beginning of the modern period and the creation of an international order under which we still live— in which individual nation states are considered autonomous and equal entitles on the world's stage, and that no state should determine the political or religious character of another. When combined with the principles of the enlightenment and natural rights which were starting to gain a real following in France and America, the 1648 Peace of Westphalia directly led to the democratic revolutions that began in the 18th century and continue until this day.



1649

Charles I was beheaded in England, ending royal rule (for a few years at least ). Charles was the son of King James, for whom Jamestown had been named. Part of the ongoing English Civil War, Charles I was captured, tried and executed for being a tyrannical monarch. The Protestant English Puritans in Parliament took control under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, who essentially ruled as a dictator of the English Commonwealth.



1651

British Parliament passed the first in a series of protectionist Navigation Acts to try and control trade in the American colonies. A result of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, the Dutch had finally won their independence from Spain, which freed Holland from a Spanish embargo and quickly led to a boom in Dutch trading on the high seas— all of which made merchants in London quite nervous about the competition. Their solution was a legislated monopoly: use the power of Parliament to pass laws that would force American merchants in the colonies to trade only with the British. But the colonial economies depended on free maritime trade routes with a variety of ports throughout Europe. Smuggling goods in and out of American ports became more common— to which Parliament responded by passing Writs of Assistance. The series of British Navigation Acts that began in 1651, and the on and off again efforts to enforce the Acts, increasingly angered the colonists and was a powerful factor that led to Revolution.



1688

After a series of struggles for power, the monarchy was restored in the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 with the ascension of Queen Mary and her husband (and first cousin) the Dutch King William III. The significance of the Glorious Revolution was to establish the precedence that a monarch could only govern with the consent of an elected representative government of the people. The American colonists would point to this established principle time and time again during their revolution.



1689

As part of the "Glorious Revolution," Parliament adopted the English Bill of Rights, which established the power of the people over the monarchy. The Bill identified specific rights that would always be held by Englishmen including: the right to bear arms, the right to oversee the courts and laws, the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution, the right to resist taxes unless they have been approved by Parliament, the right to free speech, and the right to be free of cruel or unusual punishments. During the American Revolution, the colonists vociferously objected to the repeated violation of these very rights that they insisted they held as Englishmen.



1733

Parliament adopted the Molasses Act, putting a six-penny per-gallon tax on any molasses imported to America from all colonies other than British ones. This was a tariff that Parliament enacted to purposefully make molasses coming from the British West Indies cheaper than the then-preferred inexpensive molasses coming out of the French West Indies. The Molasses Act (which expired in 1763) was yet another in a series of moves by well-connected business interests in Britain to use the power of the state to monopolize and control commerce in the American colonies.



1763

The French and Indian War in North America came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on February 10. This effectively ended the Seven Years War, which had been the World War of the 18th century, fought between a number of sovereign state powers across the globe. The North American theater of that larger conflict saw the British and French— with shifting alliances of native tribes— vying for control of the interior of the continent. Unintended consequences of a British victory in the war included both the American and French revolutions in the coming decades.

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The Revolutionary Period 1764 - 1765

In the wake of the French and Indian War, the British treasury was severely depleted and the national debt had risen ten-fold. Members of Parliament looked to the American colonists to help repay that historic and crippling debt. They sought any means necessary to pull money from the American economy— they raised taxes and tariffs, they quartered troops in colonists' homes to save money, they issued more intrusive search warrants (writs of assistance) to stop free trade by colonial merchants.

From the American point of view, all of this denied colonists the rights they were due as British subjects- rights that were guaranteed to them under the English Bill of Rights of 1689. The result of course was armed revolution and the creation of a free and independent nation. Working to bring together disparate interests in a series of political compromises, the founders drafted a unique and powerful document that they hoped would steer the course of this new nation into an unknown future. Among the most significant events to occur during this revolutionary period are:

 

1764

Parliament adopted the Sugar Act,  a blatant attempt to raise money from the colonists to pay for the costs of the French and Indian War. The very Preamble to the Act read in part: "It is expedient that new provisions and regulations should be established for improving the revenue of this Kingdom ... and ... it is just and necessary that a revenue should be raised ... for defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same."



1764

The same year Parliament passed the Sugar Act, it also adopted its second Currency Act. This law forbid the colonies from using any of the paper currency that they'd been using during the French and Indian War to handle the increased wartime costs. Now in the years after that war, the paper currency had severely depreciated— yet colonists were still trying to pay their debts to London merchants with the often worthless paper money. Like all these measures at this time, the Currency Act was an attempt by the members of Parliament— and by explicit association, the reigning commercial interests in London— to secure its control over the economy of the British colonies in America.



1765

Two bombshells hit the American colonists this year: the Stamp Act and the Quartering Act. The latter forced colonists to pay for provisions and housing for British soldiers. The Act allowed the soldiers to take up free residence in any house that sold wine or rum, any inns, or any outbuildings—in effect, pretty much anywhere they wanted to. The colonists had never had a standing army on their soil in peacetime. Despite winning the French and Indian War, Parliament did not call the soldiers back to England. In fact, they sent even more troops to America and passed this law that compelled colonists to provide for them— even though there was no war. With increasing numbers of British soldiers on street corners in places like Boston and New York, there was the very real sense of martial law in colonies.



1765

The infamous Stamp Act of the same year was another law aimed at doing nothing other than demonstrating Parliament's power over the colonies and diverting money out of the American economy and back to London. Any printed materials—legal documents, magazines, broadsides, newspapers, official government documents— had to use pre-stamped paper. Imagine if the United States government today passed a law which stipulated that every copier and printer in the country had to use officially sanctioned government-issued paper, and the price on each sheet was inflated so that the government could skim money off the top? Needless to say, the colonists were incensed.



1765

In May 29-year old Patrick Henry made an impassioned now historic appeal in the Virginia colonial legislature against the acts of Parliament that were in effect denying the colonists their rights as Englishmen. While he was supported by the younger, more revolutionary burgesses from the Virginia backcountry, he was opposed by the older members of the Tidewater elite who had profitable business relationships with merchants in England.



1767

Parliament passed a series of new laws— collectively known as the Townshend Acts — aimed at increasing taxes on a number of items the colonists regularly imported from England including paper, paint, glass, lead and tea. Opposition led to boycotts, rioting and mob violence throughout the colonies against British troops and customs agents in charge of enforcing the laws— which of course led to more troops, more resistance, and eventually war.



1770

The newspapers called it the "Boston Riot" or the "King Street Attack." History knows it as the "Boston Massacre." On Monday night March 5, hundreds of Bostonians gathered in the street before the customs house, where controversial British imports were stored and taxes were paid. The angry mob spit on, taunted, and threw icy snowballs at about 10 British soldiers. Fearing for their lives, the soldiers fired on the crowd. Five Americans died. Their deaths represent a pivotal turning point in our history. A few weeks later, Parliament finally repealed its unpopular taxes— except those on tea.



1773

By 1772, the East India Company was faced with a financial crisis and a tremendous glut of tea for which it desperately needed to find a market. Arguably the most significant commercial enterprise in Great Britain, the Company was — to borrow a more recent phase— too big to fail. So friends in Parliament passed the Tea Act on May 10, 1773, which allowed the East India Company to bypass middlemen and dump the tea in the American market on consignment— at a greatly reduced price when compared to the more popular smuggled Dutch Tea. In words we're more familiar with today, this was a government bailout and a government-created monopoly that favored one corporation over a number of small business owners in the colonies. The Tea Act led of course to what we now call the Boston Tea Party. On Thursday night December 16, 120 colonists, masquerading as Mohawk Indians, climbed aboard three of East India's ships. From about 7-10pm they dumped over 340 containers of Black Chinese tea overboard.



1774

Parliament reacted to the Boston Tea Party by passing a number of laws, known to Americans as the Coercive or Intolerable Acts, collectively aimed at punishing and controlling New England and by extension all the colonies. That fall, delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies (Georgia did not participate) gathered in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress, launching what would eventually become the United States Federal Government.



1775

Just days after the battles at Lexington and Concord in the spring, a Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. The delegates found themselves overseeing a war effort, outfitting an army, and mobilizing national sentiment in support of an all-out revolution. The following year, the delegates approved a Declaration of Independence, which was followed by the Articles of Confederation, the colonists' first attempt at an American Constitution.

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Making of the U.S. Constitution 1775 - 1789

Beginning in 1775, the American colonists stepped up their defiance against the authority of Parliament and King George with increasing acts of civil disobedience and street protests. That defiance quickly evolved into outright rebellion and war. By the time the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, a violent revolution was already underway. While more reluctant delegates dragged their heels-- still hoping to reconcile with Mother England-- others pushed for independence. The Congress officially declared independence in 1776 and approved the Articles of Confederation in 1781. That was followed up by the United States Constitution in 1789.



1775

On June 14 the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army, originally comprised of a number of militia groups near Boston. George Washington-- who'd shown up at the Congress wearing his military uniform as an indication of his eagerness to serve-- was appointed Major General and Commander-in-Chief.



1775

Hoping to avert a disastrous war that America was not likely to win, the delegates to the Congress sent an historic "Olive Branch Petition" to King George, affirming their loyalty to England. But before the Petition even arrived, the King issued his "Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition" in which he made clear his intention to use military force to put down the American revolution and demonstrate his authority over the colonies.



1776

On January 10, an underwear salesman-turned-journalist released what would prove to be one of the most influential books in American history. The little 48-page pamphlet argued with passionate conviction for American independence and urged colonists to join the right for liberty and freedom. It quickly became one of the most read and talked about books of its time-- and is to this day reported to be the best-selling book in U.S. history (when factored for population). Out of concern he would be arrested and put to death for treason, the author did not put his name to the book. It said simply, "Written by an Englishman." This little book helped to change the course of American history. Who was the Englishman and what was the name of his book?



1776

On July 2 the Second Continental Congress voted to dissolve any ties that America had to Great Britain and to declare independence. Two days later, on July 4, a final draft of a Declaration of Independence was approved.



1777

On November 15 a final draft of the Articles of Confederation was approved by the delegates to the Second Continental Congress. This proved to be America's first attempt at a written constitution and would serve as the unifying document for the American states until the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1789. The Articles of Confederation were fully ratified by all thirteen states in the March of 1781.



1781

Thanks to the aid of the French fleet, the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia on October 19. The Treaty of Paris was signed two years later (September 3), effectively ending the American Revolution.



1787

After a few years of struggling under the ineffectual and often useless tenets of the Articles of Confederation, congressional leaders gathered in Philadelphia for the specific task of rewriting that agreement. But some delegates to the convention, which met from May through September, aimed to create an altogether new constitution that could better unite the various states into a stronger and more potent union. The result was the United States Constitution, which was approved by the convention that fall and sent to the states for ratification.



1787

Beginning just a few weeks after the Philadelphia Convention ended, and running through August of the following summer, 1788, a series of 85 essays appeared in three New York newspapers, arguing in support of the new U.S. Constitution. The essays were published anonymously under the pseudonym "Publius" but are believed now to have been written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. The essays were published collectively in 1788 as "The Federalist" and beginning in the 20th century became known as "The Federalist Papers."



1788

By the end of the summer of 1788 all but two states (North Carolina and Rhode Island) had voted to ratify the Constitution. The first Congress convened under the new U.S. Constitution in the spring of 1789 in the nation's first capital city, New York. On April 21, 1789 George Washington was selected as the country's first president on and was sworn into office that very day.



1789

Congressman James Madison of Virginia, who'd helped to oversee the drafting of the new Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention, introduced an enumerated Bill of Rights to the First Congress. Following ratification by three-fourths of the states, this Bill of Rights went into effect in December 1791.

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How Much Do You Know?  Questions About the
United States Government

1. The fundamental beliefs inherent in The Declaration of Independence includes:

a. all men are created equal
b. the United States should be free from Great Britain
c. all men possess inalienable rights endowed to them by the Creator
d. to declare war against Great Britain
e. a and c

2. The original 13 Colonies declared independence from:

a. Great Britain
b. the divine right of the king and/or Parliament to reign sovereign over the Colonies
c. the Royal Governor residing in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1776
d. all of the above

3. What are the three branches of U.S. government?

(1) ___________________
(2) ___________________
(3) ___________________

4. The President of the United States is elected to office by:

a. the people
b. the people who are registered to vote
c. the Electoral College
d. b and c

5. A United States Senator's term in office is:

a. 2 years
b. 4 years
c. 6 years
d. 8 years

6. A responsibility of Congress is to:

a. create laws
b. impeach the President
c. initiate all bills for raising federal revenues
d. represent the people
e. all of the above

7. A more specific duty of the Senate is to:

a. propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills
b. confirm presidential appointments, ambassadors and cabinet members
c. assume legislative powers, along with the House of Representatives
d. appoint Supreme Court justices
e. a, b and c
f. all of the above

8. The total number of elected officials comprising the United States Senate is:

a. 25
b. 50
c. 100
d. 465

9. The number of representatives in the House of Representatives is:

a. 50
b. 100
c. 435
d. none of the above

10. If the President of the United States and the Vice President should die, the person to assume the highest office of the land would be the:

a. Secretary of State
b. Speaker of the House
c. longest serving Supreme Court Justice
d. President Pro Tempore of the Senate

11. The incoming President is inaugurated into office on which of the following days?

a. the first Friday after Thanksgiving
b. the first Tuesday in November
c. the 20th of January
d. the date of Presidents' Day in February every year

12. To be eligible to become elected President of the United States, a person must:

a. be a natural born citizen
b. have attained the age of 35
c. have been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
d. all of the above

13. The term of office of the President of the United States shall be:

a. 2 years
b. 4 years
c. 6 years
d. 8 years

14. The branch of government which possesses the power to declare war is:

a. the Executive
b. the Legislative
c. the Judicial
d. b and c
e. all of the above

15. The introduction of the Constitution of the United States of America is called:

a. The Articles of Confederation
b. The Introduction
c. The Preamble
d. The Bill of Rights

16. On July 4, 1776 the delegates to the Second Continental Congress approved which of the following documents:

a. The Declaration of Independence
b. The Articles of Confederation
c. The Bill of Rights
d. The Constitution of the United States of America

17. Since 1791, Congress has passed the following number of Amendments to the Constitution of the United States:

a. 10
b. 24
c. 27
d. 31

18. The four freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment are:

a. bear arms, vote, speech, religion
b. religion, speech, press, assembly
c. religion, speech, vote, sue
d. religion, speech, bear arms, privacy

19. The first person to sign the document that declared the United States of America's separation from Great Britain in 1776 was:

a. Thomas Jefferson
b. Benjamin Franklin
c. John Hancock
d. John Adams

20. The stars and stripes on the current flag of the United States symbolize:

a. 50 muskets that were fired at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
b. the 50 states and the 13 original colonies
c. liberty and justice
d. the 50 representatives to the Continental Congress and the 13 delegates to the first Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia

21. Which of the following states did not participate in the 1787 convention in Philadelphia when the Constitution was drafted?

a. Maine
b. Vermont
c. Rhode Island
d. All of the above

22. Who is considered "The Father of the Constitution"?

a. George Washington
b. Ray Charles
c. James Madison
d. J. Robert Oppenheimer

23. Which of the following rights are protected by the 14th Amendment?

a. All persons in the U.S. are entitled to equal protection of the laws
b. All persons born in the U.S. are citizens of the U.S.
c. States may not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law
d. All of the above

24. What was the source of the following phrase: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people"?

a. The Speech "I Have a Dream"
b. Declaration of Independence
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Gettysburg Address

25. The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:

a. Prayer in public school
b. Discrimination based on race, sex, or religion
c. The ownership of guns by private individuals
d. Establishing an official religion for the United States
e. The president from vetoing a line item in a spending bill

26. Which of the following statements is true about abortion?

a. It was legal in most states in the 1960's
b. The Supreme Court struck down most legal restrictions on it in Roe v. Wade
c. The Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that underage women must notify their parents of an impending abortion
d. The National Organization for Women has lobbied for legal restrictions on it
e. It is currently legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the life of the mother

27. In his "I Have a Dream" speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

a. Argued for the abolition of slavery
b. Advocated black separatism
c. Morally defended affirmative action
d. Expressed his hopes for racial justice and brotherhood
e. Proposed that several of America's founding ideas were discriminatory

28. The First Amendment

a. Guarantees the Right to bear arms.
b. Guarantees the free exercise of religion
c. Prohibits the governmental establishing religion
d. Both B and C
e. Both A and C

29. The number of U.S. Senators in each state is

a. Dependent on the population of each state.
b. Could increase or decrease if the country passes a new Amendment.
c. Is fixed at two per State.
d. All of the above
e. Both B and C

30. Which of these Presidents were elected to more than two terms as President?

a. George Washington
b. Franklin Roosevelt
c. Thomas Jefferson.
d. None of the above.
e. Both A and B.

31. How many U.S. Presidents were Catholic?

a. 0
b. 1
c. 2
d. 3
e. 4 or more.

32. How does someone become a Federal Judge?

a. Be appointed by the President.
b. Upon appointment, confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
c. Obtain a law degree.
d. All of the above.
e. Both A and B.

33. What is the current tenure of a U.S. Federal Judge?

a. Ten years.
b. Life tenure (absent retirement or impeachment).
c. They can be removed at the will of the President.
d. They are elected every six years.

34. How many times may the same person be elected to the House of Representatives or the Senate?

a. More than five times.
b. More than ten times.
c. None of the above.

35. Under the U.S. Constitution,

a. Adult male African Americans were given the right to vote before adult women.
b. Until 1940, only a man could legally be elected President.
c. No person may obtain marijuana for medical purposes.
d. None of the above.
e. All of the above.

BONUS QUESTION: Name the original 13 colonies.










Answers
1. e

2. d

3. Executive, Legislative, Judicial

4. d

5. c

6. e

7. e

8. c

9. c

10. b

11. c

12. d

13. b

14. b

15. c

16. a

17. c

18. b

19. c

20. b

21. d

22. c

23. d

24. d

25. d

26. b

27. d

28. d

29. e

30. b

31. b

32. e

33. b

34. c, there are no restrictions to how many times someone may be elected to Congress.

35. a


Bonus: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Virginia