Good Hope School

S2 History
6. The American Revolution
I. Background
 Thirteen Colonies
 In 1606, the English established the first permanent colony in North America (The Colony of Virginia) at
Jamestown.
 Over the next few decades, a total of thirteen colonies were established by the British
 Each of the thirteen colonies had their own governor. (總督)
 Although the colonists could vote and elect a local assembly to make laws, the laws had to be
approved by the British Parliament in London.
 The governors of the thirteen states
were appointed by the British monarch
and ruled the colonies on his/her behalf
– the colonists had no political
representation, and their interests were
often shunned.
Region Colony
New England Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Middle Delaware
Colonies New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Southern Virginia
Colonies Maryland
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia

 British Mercantilism
 Mercantilism: restrictive trade policies
 A series of legislations were passed to ensure that the American colonies served British commercial
interests only:
 Colonies could only sell their raw materials and produce to British merchants and forbidden to trade
directly with other powers or colonies
 Example: Navigation Acts (1650s – 1690s)
 Seven Year’s War (1756 – 1763)
 In 1763, the British defeated the French and became the dominant colonial power in America and India
 The war, however, was a huge financial burden and Britain was in serious financial hardship
 In order to raise revenues, the British decided to impose a series of taxations on the affluent Thirteen
Colonies.
II. Causes of the American Revolution
 Economic
 Trade
o British mercantilist policies
benefited the economic and
industrial development of Britain,
but this was achieved at the
expense of the colonists
o Slow industrialization, unfavourable
economic policies
 Taxation
o A series of taxations were levied on
the colonists by the British
Parliament
o E.g. Sugar Act (1764), Currency Act
(1764), Stamp Act (1765) 1766 political cartoon celebrating the repeal of the Stamp Act
o Boycott of British goods and protests
against new taxations
 Political
 Representation
o Inferior political status of the Thirteen Colonies
o Not represented in the British Parliament
o Colonists believed that their ‘rights as Englishmen’ were violated
o ‘No Taxation Without Representation’ – a popular slogan among colonists who demanded more
political representation for the colonies
 Autonomy
o Declaratory Act (1767) – as a result of rising resentment against the new taxation policies, the
parliament reasserted its authority over the colonies (declared that the British Parliament as
the supreme authority in the colonies, overriding all local autonomous bodies)
 Ideas of the Enlightenment
 Writers such as Paine and Jefferson criticized the British colonial government
 Republicanism, Liberalism

Enlightenment thinkers who inspired the revolutionaries

(From left to right): John Locke, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson
III. Events leading to the Revolution
 Conflict over taxation (1763 – 1773)
 In the 1760s, a series of new taxes were imposed on the Colonies, in an
attempt to raise revenue for the British treasury after the costly victory
of the Seven Years’ War
 E.g. Sugar Act (1764), Stamp Act (1765)
 The colonists protested against the unfair taxations imposed on them
 Economic hardship and frequent protests and increase in smuggling
activities
 Relations between the colonists and the British worsened (see next
point on the Townshend Acts)
Under the Stamp Act, anyone who used or
purchased anything printed on paper had to buy
 Townshend Acts (1767 – 1768) a revenue stamp (above) for it.

 Purpose:
o Further raise tax revenue
o Taxation on imported goods (e.g. glass, paper, paint, tea)
o Increase parliamentarian control of the colonies
o Enforce trade regulations and reduce the effect of smuggling
(common in the colonies)
 Relations between Britain and the Thirteen Colonies deteriorated
further
 Gaspee Affair (1772): HMS Gaspee (A British naval ship) was captured
and burned by angry colonists
Mock stamp used in protest of the Stamp Act

 Boston Massacre (1770)

 In March 1770, Nine British soldiers opened fire after a violent confrontation between an angry Boston
crowd of 400 and the British garrison, five colonists were killed
 The soldiers were tried, two found guilty of manslaughter (and received reduced sentences) while the
rest were acquitted
 The incident highlighted the growing tensions between the British and the colonists.

Conflicting depictions of the Boston Massacre, by the British (left) and colonists (right)
 Boston Tea Party (1773)
 As part of the Townshend Acts, the
Tea Act (1773) allowed the British
East India Company to sell its tea
(from India and China) directly to the
Thirteen Colonies (duty free)
 The colonists called for the boycott of
British tea imports
 In December 1773, a group of
colonists (known as the Sons of
Liberty) dressed up as native
Americans and boarded British Boston colonists throwing British tea imports to the Harbour
merchant ships docked at Boston
Harbour
 Upon boarding the merchant ships, the colonists threw the tea shipments to the Harbour as a sign of
protest against the British and the Townshend Acts
 The British condemned the incident as Treason and responded harshly (see the Intolerable Acts)

 Intolerable Acts (1774)

 In response to the Boston Tea Party (which the British condemned as an act of treason), a series of
punitive laws were passed:
1. Boston Port Act: Boston Harbour was forcibly closed by the Royal Navy until the destroyed tea
had been compensated by the colonists of Boston
2. Massachusetts Government Act: Abrogation of Massachusetts’ charter and installed direct
British control over the colony (ruled directly by the King)
3. Administration of Justice Act: Trials of British officials in Massachusetts were allowed to take
place in Britain or elsewhere in the Empire, rather than in the colony
4. Quartering Act: Governors allowed the house soldiers in other unoccupied buildings if suitable
quarters (housing for soldiers) were unavailable

 First Continental Congress (1774)

 In September, representatives from the
colonies held the First Continental Congress
in Philadelphia
 A petition was sent to King George III,
calling for the abolition of the Intolerable
Acts and an address of the grievances (e.g.
on taxation and lack of political
representation)
 The petition demonstrated the colonists
desire to remain as part of the British
Empire and their loyalty towards the King
 King George III, however, never replied to
the petition
IV. Course of the American Revolution

 Battle of Lexington and Concord (1775)

 19 April 1775, skirmishes between British
soldiers and colonist militias erupted in
multiple towns in Massachusetts (e.g.
Lexington and Concord)
 Marked the beginning of the American
War of Independence (1775 – 1783)

 Second Continental Congress (1775)

 In May 1775, representatives from the
colonies met again in Philadelphia
 The Patriot militias were reorganized into the Continental Army
 The Thirteen Colonies were united and renamed the United Colonies
 George Washington was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army
 In a final attempt to negotiate, the Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George III, the petition was
again ignored.
 Publication of Common Sense
 In January 1776, British writer Thomas Paine published a pamphlet named Common Sense, he called for
the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from Britain and the formation of a republic
 The publication of Common Sense helped construct a new American identity and support for American
independence increased

 Declaration of Independence (1776)

 4 July 1776: the Declaration of Independence was
signed, which marked the formal establishment of
the United States of America
 The Thirteen Colonies became a political union of
thirteen independent states without a central
government (formed later)

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 法國與美國在1778年簽訂的《法美同盟條約》是一個重要的歷史事件,其意義如下:

對美國獨立戰爭的影響:
這標誌著法國正式加入美國獨立戰爭,大大增強了美國反英的戰力。
 French Alliance (1778) 這為美國最終戰勝英國並獲得獨立奠定了關鍵基礎。
 France formed an alliance with the Continental Army in 1778, followed
by Spain and the Netherlands (all rivals of Britain) 所有競爭對手
 Escalation of the war from a civil war (war between Britain and her
colonies) into an international conflict
戰役經過:
美國和法國部隊包圍并持久圍攻了康沃利斯的軍隊數週。
他們用炮火狂轟英軍防線,切斷了英軍的補給線和增援。
 Siegeof Yorktown (1781)無計可施,康沃利斯最終被迫於1781年10月19日投降,全軍7000多人全
部投降。
 In 1781, George Washington captured Yorktown, a major British
約克敦之役是美國獨立戰爭的一個重要轉折點。它展現了美國殖民
stronghold 地與法國盟友的緊密合作,
直接導致了英國最終決定和談並承認美國獨立。
 Negotiations between Britain and the United States began as Britain
realized the futility of war and ended all hostilities
Marquis de Lafayette, French nobleman
who supported the Americans during the
1783年的《巴黎和約》是正式結束美國獨立戰爭的和平條約,它是英國與美國以及其他參戰國家(包括法國和西班牙)之間達成的。 War of Independence

 Treaty of Paris (1783)

 In 1783, the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris
 End of the American War of Independence
 Britain recognized the independence of the United States
 All territories east of the Mississippi River were ceded to the United States
 British withdrawal from the United States

End of the American War of Independence:

關於《巴黎和約》(1783年)的主要要點: Left: Surrender of British Commander Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown (1781);
Right: American representatives signing the Treaty of Paris (1783)
承認美國獨立:
該條約正式承認了美利堅合眾國作為一個獨立主權國家,脫離了英國的統治。
這是美國殖民地在成功革命後的一個重大外交勝利

領土讓渡:
英國將其北美殖民地的大部分地區讓渡給了美國,包括密西西比河以東、大湖以南、佛羅里達以北的地區。
這大大擴展了新成立的美國的領土範圍。
 V. Results and Impacts

 Founding of the United States of America

 The Patriots successfully secured the
independence of the United States of
America
 A Federal Government was formally
established in 1789
 The Constitution of the United States
was passed in 1787 and formally ratified
in 1789

 Constitution of the United States

 The United States was formally
established as a federal republic
 The Federal Government (central government) handled national defence, issues related to diplomatic
affairs, foreign trade, and currency
 The state (local) government handled state affairs
 George Washington became the first President in 1789
 Separation of powers: Executive, Legislature, Judiciary
 Bill of Rights: protected the rights of Americans. E.g. Freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and
religion; Right to life, property, and a fair trial.

 Spread of revolutionary ideas

 Inspired the French to overthrow their absolute monarchy (French Revolution)
 Inspired independence movements in Central and South American colonies (Decolonization of the
Americas)


Impact on European colonialism
 Decolonization of many European colonies in Central and South America
 Example: Spanish American wars of independence → disintegration of Spanish America (1833)
 Monroe Doctrine (1823): US opposition of European colonial expansion in the Americas
 Territorial expansion of the US: the
US annexed, purchased, acquired
huge swathes of territories in North
America → gradual retreat of
European colonialism in North
America
E.g. Louisiana Purchase (1803): the
US purchased large parts of
美國獨立戰爭對歐洲殖民主義的影響包括:
territories from France
動搖了歐洲殖民帝國的基礎
美國成功獨立脫離了英國統治,這向其他殖民地展示了反抗殖民統治的可能性。
這啟發了其他殖民地對自身獨立的渴望,逐步動搖了歐洲殖民帝國的根基。

確立美國在美洲的主導地位
門羅主義宣示了美國要維護其在美洲地區的特殊利益和影響力。
這標誌著美國取代歐洲成為美洲地區的主導者,奠定了其地區霸主的地位。
United States territories after the Treaty of Paris (Green)

門羅主義宣示了美國反對歐洲殖民主義在美洲的擴張,進而確立了美國在西半球的主導地位,對整個西半球的去殖民化進程產生了重要影響。