George Washington- revolutionary

After serving in the British army during the French and Indian war he returneds to his favorite labor that was plantation at Mount Venom. His plan was to remain there he enjoyed his work he could supervise his crops, manage the slaves and play cards.

After this he decided to join the House ofn Burgesses but was defeted on his first attempted to be elected. He tried again in 1758 and won, he took his place in Williamsburg thinking that he was going to follow his lead of the British government. the burguesses were thinking about taxing him but the parliament ignored this, so he was memeber on the unhappy members the king sent back to their homes.

He was send to the First continental congress, Washington returned to northern Virginia with a mission, organize the groups of the militia and he also wanted to be elected to the Second continental congress, he was succesful on both of his goals.

There were both of groups patriots and loyalists he decided to get together with the patriots.

He join the Gran American Army which they were fighting for their own freedom and they thought that only George Washington could get them there.

George Washington as a civilian

George Washington was a surveybor, a succesful plantation owner, a husband and stepfather and respected militar.

He was borned on february 22, 1732, in Virginia. He´s mother died when he married his father he was the first son on this marriage, he has an older half brother named Lawrence who was a very important person in his life. He learn plantation of large farms with him, became familiar with the study of mathematics, he learn to appreciate music, theater and books.

His most big importan dream were to join the army and to run his own plantation.

The governor of Virginia gave him an appointment as the leader of the militia. He left the army in 1758 with plans of becoming a gentleman farmer.

He was a delegate of the First Continental Congress and was elected to the Second Continental Congress, they thought they need a good leader for was so he accepted to make sacrifices of taking on risk his good name and family.

Loyalists Fear Disorder

Many Loyalists opposed the British taxes, they felt that the crown most be obey.
They feared that the resistance was not ready to fight.
And in summer of 1774 John Adams a Patriot was walking down a street with Jonathan Sewell a Loyalist and Jonathan Sewell told John Adams that the British will take action against the resistance and John Adams answer to this was that the colonists were determined to keep this way and that nothing will change their point of view.

The Second Continental Congress

In May 1775 delegates from 13 colonies came to Philadelphia to fight for liberty, this was name the Second Continental Congress.
The Congress assumed the responsibility for the wars. They looked for armed volunteers to march to the north of Boston. This army they made was known as the Continental Army.
The Congress gave command of the Continental Army to a man named George Washington; he was born in Virginia the largest and most powerful colony of all. He had served as an colonial officer at the French and Indian War.
In July 1775 after 3 months of war the colonists sent a petition to the king of England known as the “Olive Branch Petition” in which they asked for peace to the king and the king rejected the petition and in response to these he sent more troops to America.
Many colonists supported the Continental Congress and decided to boycott a British import and only the minority preferred the British rules, these people were named the Loyalists. The Loyalists were the people that remained loyal to Britain. The Loyalists were people that liked law and order, and thought that the patriots committees were illegal and brutal.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

Battle of Lexington and Concord

Aprile 19/1775 the war erupted at Lexington and Concord, this are two county town at Massachusetts.
Gage provoce the battle because he sent his troops to arrest: John Hancock and Samuel Adams that were in Lexington.
Also he wanted seized all the weapons stocked in Concord.

Paul Revere: was the man who adviced that the British were coming.
So the local patriot rollied to send troops back to Boston.

The militia full time farmers they gathered lexington green. They were dispersing one shot was off, shuting started at the end 8 colonists died

Later they went to Concord, they had little fights between small bodies of soldier. Couldnt find weapons, went back to Boston.

Declaring Independence

In 1776 the leaders of British colonists made 3 important decisions: 1. declare independence from Britain, 2. choose republican model for their new gov. , 3. confederate the 13 states of Unites States.

WAR BEGINS
1775--> there was a dispute bitween the British government against the colonist wich they had a drastic change.
Cohersive Act: path plus the placement of new militar commandor: Ben Thomas Gage as the Massachusetts governor.

Johan Hancock and other colonial leaders convience the provincial congress to govern Massachusetts without Gage.

Boston Massacre

Colonists Took Actions

Fortunately for Massachusetts the other colonies also took actions, they viewed British as a tread for their freedom. Delegates from each colony meet in Philadelphia. The first Continental Congress included Patrick Henry, he said “give me liberty or give me death” and he also said “I am American”.
The Distinction between New Yorker, Pennsylvania and New Englanders no more, I am not Virginian but American.
After the congress they organized a boycott in all the colonies and there was people that checked that the boycott was follow by everybody that was suppose to follow it.
In spring 1775 a new person in the colony wrote in his diary that all the men in the colony were all free he wrote “They are all liberty man”.
By the year of 1774 the Patriot John Adams had already established that that he was living in a new country named America.

Intolerable Acts

• Quebec Act: they extend their borders to Canada.


• They closed many ports.


• Trailing of British soldiers on Great Britain.


• Housing to the British soldiers.


• Taxing and repaying of damages on tea.
  

If the British soldiers commit a crime in the colony the British took the soldiers back to England and the colonist totally dislike this. They were also in disagreement with the fact that the British thought that they had the right to change the colonial governments and to close their ports.
They rejected the idea that British could change their way of living, rural Massachusetts citizens armed themselves, they reacted with violence and armed themselves with guns and they enforced to shut down British forces, they attacked anyone who was in favor of the British, or anyone that asked for the taxes, the tarring started again.

Boston Tea Party

Because they didn’t put down taxes on tea people started to buy smuggled tea, this made the British East Indian Company go down. The British company tried selling the tea directly to the consumers but it didn´t work anyways.
Ø December 16 1773, English threw all the crates of tea to Boston Harbor.

Colonists Unite Against Harsh Measures
The colonists had to pay the tea and the tax for the tea they bought. They also increased the power of the colonists; they send war ships to Boston to defend their colonies.
Ø In addition of closing ports British were allowed to enter man houses.

Violence Irrupts In Boston

Massachusetts legislations made a public letter denouncing the Townslend duties and this made them dissolve the legislation.
To suppress the riot the English sent like 4000 troops to control the riots. A group of colonists threw snowballs and rocks to the soldiers guarding the custom house, the soldiers reacted badly by firing against the crowd. In the crowd 5 colonists died and Attekus a sailor also died and he was the first slave to die. This was called the Boston Massacre and this happened in March 1st 1772.
By 1773 colonists had comities of correspondence, this created a colonial unity, the parliament backed down and retired the troops, the troops went back to England and they took away all the taxes for exception of one.

Colonial Protests Intensify

The tax resistance took 3 forms: intelectual protest, economic boycolts and violent intimidation.

Leaders wrote pamphlets, drafted resolutions, gave speeches and delivered sermons were they defied taxes.

Protestants were influenced by many ideas one of those were the enlightment.

The enlightment believed that human reason could be used to combat ignorance or tiranny.

Three basic rights that they believed were life liberty and property.

If they defended these three rights they had a good government.

Patrick Henry was one of the most intellectual protest he drafted a document called VIRGINIA RESOLVES in which he declared that only colonists had the right to tax themselves.

New taxes Upset The Colonists

The French and Indian war double the English debt, colonists didnt payed taxes.

In 1764 the new primister was George Grenville.

A SUGAR ACT was placed in effect which consisted on lowered the price of molasses, which was the syrup of sugar.

In March 1765 the parliament passed another law STAMP ACT which require colonies to pay taxes including newspapers, books, land deeds etc.

Also in early 1765 there was the QUATERING ACT which demanded the lifehousing for soldiers.

The Stamp Act was from March to November, this made the direct taxation, there was a colonial leader and no representation in the parliament, there was a conspiracy to destroy american liberty.

After all Britains payed taxes but just 1/4 voted.

British Government Is a Model

In those times they had two types of power the executive power and the legislation power.

the executive power was about monarchy, and the legislation power were the parliament that was divided into two houses, the house of lords and the house of commons.

At the house of lords were involucrated the aristocrats, they were the nobility, the elite and the priviledged upper class.

House of commons were people elected.

All states had two legislations except for pennsylvania. Connecticut and Rhode Island elect their own governor and at Pennsylvania the whole assembly was elected.

American Revolution

The american revolution was a triangular trade between the revolution and the colonization, England, America and Africa were involucrated on this trade, there biggest trade were SLAVES.



American colonists enjoyed the benefits of it, they had everything almost for free without taxes. They also had trades in which they exchange tobacco and indigo. They take care of all the advantages and the political rights as political subjects.