5.+The+Revolutionary+War+Era

=﻿Topic Outline - 4. The Revolutionary War Era: 1754-1789 =

The French & Indian War
﻿The French and Indian War war between the British and the French. It lasted from 1754 to 1763. It lasted about nine years and the conflicts mainly happened in North America. Not too many people know The French and Indian War, but it claimed more lives than the American Revolution. The tensions between England and France had been growing for a while leading up to the war due to conflict over land ownership. The French and Indian War was apart of a larger war called the **Seven Years War** which was fought between Great Britain, Prussia, Hanover, Portugal, Iroquois Confederacy against France, Habsburg, Russian Empire, Spain, Sweeden and Saxony. The French were dominating in the first part of the war with wins at **Fort Oswego and Ticonderoga**. The British soon took over and dominated for the rest of the war after **William Pitt** took charge. The British soon allied with the once French allies, and the French soon collapsed in Quebec on September 13, 1759. The French officially surrendered a year later in Montreal. By the end of the French and Indian War, the British soon controlled most of the new American Frontier. George III signed the **Peace of Paris**, and the **Proclamation of 1763** showing that England had won the war, and gained all of Frances' land west of the Mississippi. The war left Britain in major debt, therefore, colonists had to pay higher taxes, etc.

The Imperial Crisis and Resistance of the British
By the late 1750s not many Americans saw any reason to object to their membership to the British Empire due to the many benefits of their imperial ties. They were offered opportunities for trade and commerce, military commerce and political stablity (something that the colonists did not have). By the early 1760s, the relationship between the British Empire and the American Colonies had perished and American colonists were starting to revolt against what used to be a very strong bond between the dominant empire and the blossiming nation. The conflicts that were starting within this pre-war era sparked an eight year long War for Independence - The American Revolution. Some conflicts that had erupted in this pre-war era:
 * **Sugar Act (1764):** Aimed to raise money for the British Empire to pay for their massive debt caused by the French and Indian War.
 * **Currency Act (1764):** Issued throughout the colonies to decrease inflation through banning the production of colonial paper money.
 * **Stamp Act (1765**): Also was created to increase British revenue by taxing all paper goods (newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, legal documents, playing cards) - then **repealed in 1766** due to the massive colonial riots against the tax along with decline in British commerce, London merchants convinced the gov't to repeal
 * **Townshend Act (1767**): Another source of attempting to gain British revenue - tax on 'luxury' items including paper, lead, tea and paint. Colonial reaction pushed for it to be repealed. Acts were **repealed in 1770**, except the tax on tea remained.

The War for Independence
The War for Independence, also known as the American Revolution, was fought between 1775 to 1783. The eight year war was fought between the British Empire against the British colonies in America with the help of France and Spain. Some of the major battles of the Revolution were: = =
 * **Battles of Lexington & Concord (1775):** 'The Shot Heard Around the World' - British troops were sent to Concord to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams but both men were warned about the British missions, so they had left town. The British came and the colonists (the minutemen) were already ready to fight. Someone had fired their weapon and colonists retreated. British troops started to fire at the retreating minutemen. The battle resulted in a Contiental victory.
 * **Battle of Trention (1776):** Included the Crossing of the Delaware River - Boosted Continental Army's confidence, significant win for the colonists; Surprise attack against the British & the Hesse-Kessel.
 * **Battle of Yorktown (1781):** Also known as the Siege of Yorktown or the Surrender at Yorktown; assault made by the colonists against the British forces lead by George Washington against Lord Cornwallis(Britain) Prompted the English to surrender to the colonists.

=State Constitutions & the Articles of Confederation = ﻿The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States. It was drafted in 1776-1777 but wasn't ratified until 1781. It was the first set of laws set out to specify how the government was to be set up and run. Many Nationalists complained tha the new set of laws were too weak and it was soon replaced by the current United States Constitution. Many state constitutions were written for religious freedom from England and others.