Study guide: The American Revolution

📋 Course Outline

1. Preparing for Revolution
2. Independence and Enlightenment Rights
3. Reasons for British Defeat
4. French Support and Peace
5. Articles of Confederation

📅 Key Dates

1. September 1774the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and brought together representatives of the thirteen colonies to oppose British policies
2. May 1775the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia after fighting had begun and created the Continental Army
3. 1776 to 1783the American colonists fought Great Britain for independence
4. August to December 1776British forces occupied New York after defeating American forces at major battles including Long Island and White Plains
5. January 1776Thomas Paine published Common Sense, which argued that Americans owed no loyalty to the English king, should declare independence, and should establish a republic rather than a monarchy
6. July 4, 1776the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, mainly written by Thomas Jefferson, to justify separation from Great Britain
7. 1777the French aristocrat and military officer Marquis de Lafayette joined the American forces and became an important ally of George Washington
8. October 1777the British surrendered approximately 5,700 troops at Saratoga, and the American victory encouraged France to support the American cause openly
9. 1778France signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States and, under King Louis XVI, provided troops, weapons, military supplies, and financial and naval support
10. October 1781American and French forces surrounded General Cornwallis's British army at Yorktown while the French navy blocked reinforcements and escape by sea

📖 1. Preparing for Revolution

📝 Essential Points

• The First Continental Congress adopted four measures:

  • refuse the Intolerable Acts
  • refuse to pay British taxes
  • create militias to prepare for possible armed conflict
  • establish Committees of Observation to enforce decisions and monitor loyalty

• George Washington, a wealthy Virginian and experienced military officer, was chosen as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.

💡 Memory Hook

Congress → army → Common Sense

📖 2. Independence and Enlightenment Rights

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Natural rights: fundamental rights identified in the Declaration of Independence as life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness

★ Must-know

📌 The Declaration of Independence states that governments exist to protect fundamental rights and that their legitimate power comes from the consent of the governed.

📌 The Declaration proclaimed that all men are created equal, but its final version removed Thomas Jefferson's passage condemning slavery and many signers remained enslavers. - Declaration of Independence, 1776

Further detail

• The Declaration listed grievances that included standing armies in peacetime without colonial consent, interference with colonial governments, restrictions on American trade, and encouragement of frontier rebellions and violence.

💡 Memory Hook

Universal equality proclaimed, slavery maintained

📖 3. Reasons for British Defeat

📝 Essential Points

• Approximately 95% of the American population lived in rural areas, so British control of major cities did not mean control of the entire country.

• The British underestimated the determination of the American population to continue resisting despite Great Britain's military power.

• French military, financial, and naval assistance significantly strengthened the American war effort and contributed to the British defeat.

💡 Memory Hook

Rural resistance plus French support → British defeat

📖 4. French Support and Peace

📝 Essential Points

• In September 1783, the Treaty of Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War and Great Britain recognized the former thirteen colonies as an independent sovereign nation.

💡 Memory Hook

Lafayette → French aid → Yorktown → Paris

📖 5. Articles of Confederation

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• League of friendship: a firm league of friendship among the thirteen states, each of which retained its own constitution and significant political independence

📝 Essential Points

• The Articles of Confederation were adopted during the Revolutionary War and served as the first constitutional framework of the United States from 1777 to 1789.

📌 The Articles created a unicameral legislature with one chamber in which each state had one vote regardless of its population or size.

📌 Under the Articles of Confederation, there was no executive branch and no president, so the central government had limited power.

💡 Memory Hook

Independent states, weak central government

📊 Synthesis Tables

Revolutionary War Turning Points

Date	Event	Significance
1776	British occupation of New York	Early British success
1777	Battle of Saratoga	Encouraged open French support
1778	British capture of Savannah	British control of an important port
1781	Battle of Cowpens	Important American victory
1781	Surrender at Yorktown	Decisive military victory