Lecture 7

Plan
1. The American Revolution 1775-1781.
2. The Declaration of Independence.
1. The American Revolution 1775-1781
Relations between the American Colonies and Great Britain began to break
down during the mid-1700's. Little by little, Britain tightened its control over the
colonies. Its leaders passed laws that taxed the colonists and restricted their freedom.
The colonists had accustomed to governing themselves, and had developed the sense
of unity and independence. As a result, they deeply resented what they considered
British interference in their affairs.
On April, 19, 1775, the Revolution War broke out between the two sides. The
main reason for the revolution was the French and Indian War, which is
considered to be a turning point in American history.
Territorial changes following the French and Indian War: land held by the
British before 1763 is shown in red, lend gained by Britain in 1763 is shown in pink.

Great Britain and France had struggled for control of eastern North America
throughout the colonial period. As their settlements moved inland, both nations
claimed the vast territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi
River. The struggle led to the outbreak of the French and Indian War in 1754.
The British won the war. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1763, Great Britain gained
control of all of what is now Canada, and all French territory east of the Mississippi
River except New Orleans. Britain also received Florida from Spain in 1763. As a
result, the British controlled all of North America from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Mississippi River.
But the French and Indian War created a lot of problems for the British. After
the war, Britain had to find ways to strengthen its control over its enlarged American
territory. But to manage it was not easy.
Besides, Britain had spent much money fighting the French and Indian War that
its national debt had nearly doubled. George III, who had become king of Great
Britain in 1760, instructed the British Parliament to establish policies to solve these
problems. Parliament soon began passing laws that restricted the freedom of the
American colonists and taxed them. Americans found these taxes intolerable and
grew revolved.
In 1763, Parliament voted to station a standing army in North America to
strengthen British control. Two years later, in the Quartering Act, it ruled that
colonists must provide British troops with living quarters and supplies. Britain also
sought to keep peace in North America by establishing good relations with the
Indians. The Indians had already lost a good deal of territory to the white settlers.
A British proclamation of October, 1763, prohibited American colonists from
settling west of the Appalachian Mountains until treaties with the Indians might open
up areas there.
King George and Parliament believed the time had come to start obeying trade
regulations and paying their share of the cost of maintaining the British Empire. In
1764, Parliament passed the Sugar Act. The law provided for the efficient collection
of taxes on molasses brought into the colonies.
The Stamp Act of 1765 extended to the colonies the traditional English tax on
newspapers, legal documents. The Stamp Act required them to buy and place revenue
stamps on all official legal documents, deeds, newspapers. The Stamp Act
represented a cunning attempt by Britain to seize control of taxation from the
representative colonial assemblies and to tax the colonists without giving them
representation in government.
Colonists strongly opposed the Stamp Act and all the new British policies. New
taxes on East Indian sugar and on newspapers, marriage licenses and other legal
documents enraged many colonists, who organized boycotts and openly criticized the
Crown. They claimed that the British government had no right to restrict their
settlement or deny their freedom in any way.
The colonists also opposed British taxes, as they were not represented in
Parliament. They considered that Britain had no right to tax them. The colonists
expressed this belief in the slogan, “Taxation Without Representation is Tyranny".
To protest the new laws, colonists organized a widespread boycott of British
goods. Many colonists joined secret clubs called the Sons of Liberty. The members
of these clubs forcibly prevented the distribution of stamps and forced the resignation
of the stamp collectors.
In October 1765, representatives of nine colonies met in the Stamp Act
Congress in New York City to consider joint action against Britain. The delegates
petitioned the king for repeal of the act, denouncing it as taxation without
representation. Many British merchants joined in this appeal.
The colonial boycott and resistance alarmed Britain's leaders in 1766,
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. Later in 1767, Parliament passed the new Acts,
which taxed lead, paint, paper and tea imported into the colonies. As tension between
the Americans and British grew, Britain reacted by sending troops into Boston and
New York City.
The sight of British troops in the city streets aroused colonial anger. British
troops were sent to demonstrate the Crown's resolve. On March 5, 1770, British
troops opened fire, killing five people and wounding several more. This event, known
as the Boston Massacre, proved the growing crisis.
In 1770, the British removed all the duties except for the one on tea. Three years
later, Parliament reduced the tax on tea sold by the East India Company, a British
firm. The British actions offended the colonists in two ways. They reaffirmed
Britain's right to tax the colonists and gave the East India Company an unfair
advantage in the tea trade. Furious Americans vowed not to use tea and colonial
merchants refused to sell it.
On December 16, 1773, a group of American colonists staged the Boston Tea
Party to dramatize their opposition. Dressed as Indians, the colonists boarded East
India ships and threw 342 cases of tea into the sea.
Parliament responded to this with the Intolerable Acts, according to which the
port of Boston was closed. As a result, Americans summoned the First Continental
Congress in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. Delegates from 12 colonies took
part in it. The delegates called for an end to all trade with Great Britain until
Parliament repealed the Intolerable Acts.
The second Continental Congress of 13 English colonies, which opened also in
Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, faced the task of preparing the colonies for the war. It
organized the Continental Army under the command of George Washington (who
was one of the Virginia delegates to this Congress).
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress officially declared independence and
formed the USA by adopting the Declaration of Independence. It is the most
important document in the American history. It was written by Thomas Jefferson, a
landowner and lawyer from Virginia.
The Declaration said that all men are created equal, that men have a natural right
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also said that any government may be
dissolved when it fails to protect the rights of the people.
 The American Revolution actually began in April, 1775. It proved long and hard
to win. The war lasted for eight years and had four phases, each with a distinct
strategy and character. During the final phase of the war a treaty recognizing the
independence of the United States was signed in September 1783.
The Americans lacked a well-trained army. But they had a number of important
advantages. They were fighting on their own territory. Besides during the war the
rebellious colonies received crucial aid from France and Spain. The British, on the
other hand, had well-trained and well-equipped troops and officers, but they were
fighting in an unfamiliar land, thousands of miles from home.
In 1781, the Americans won a victory at the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia.
Soon after that, the British government asked for peace. On September 3, 1783, the
Americans and the British signed the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the
Revolutionary War. So Britain recognized American independence and agreed to
withdraw its troops from America. The greatest weakness of the American
Revolution was that it failed to abolish slavery. It was abolished only in
Massachusetts (1780) and New Hampshire (1784).
Effects of Revolution
-New political ideas (republic)
- New state constitutions (guarantee of rights)
- Voting rights expand (social class)
- Freedom of religion
- Educational changes
- American painters
US National Symbols
Ties with the British Empire on the one hand and the Declaration of
Independence on the other are reflected in the design and colors of the US national
flag, which is usually called the Stars and Stripes.
During the Revolution against Britain, George Washington asked Betsy Ross,
the Philadelphia woman, to make a flag as an encouragement for his soldiers. This
flag had 13 stripes, seven red and six white, and in one corner 13 white stars on a
blue background to represent the 13 states.
On 14 June 1777, it became the flag of the independent US. As each new state
became part of the US, an extra star was added. Now there 50 of them.
 Flag of USA
The flag would be made up of thirteen alternating red
and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field.
Stars have been added to the flag as new states join the
union.

The Bald Eagle

The official emblem of the US is the Bald Eagle. On the emblem, the eagle is
holding an olive branch (a symbol of peace) in its right foot and some arrows (a
symbol of war) in its left foot. The reverse side bears the Eye of Providence,
representing God, and a pyramid dated 1776. The bald eagle has received a number
of other names - "Bird of Freedom", "Bird of Washington", “American Eagle",
"National bird".
The Founding fathers decided choose an animal that was unique to the United
States. For six years, the members of Congress engaged in a dispute over what the
national emblem should be. As a result of the debate, the bald eagle was chosen
because it symbolized strength, courage, freedom and immortality and that it would
look much better as our national symbol.
Mount Rushmore
In the black hills of South Dakota, stands the national memorial, Mount
Rushmore, created by Glutton Borglum. It was designed as a testament to the growth
of the country and its great leaders. The faces of four great U.S. Presidents are
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham
Lincoln. The head of Washington was completed first, followed by Jefferson then
Lincoln and finally Roosevelt.
The Statue of Liberty
Is a statue in New York that symbolizes freedom throughout the world. Its
formal name is “Liberty Enlightening the World”. The statue was actually a gift
from the people of France.