Tommy's American Revolution Hyper Doc

The American Revolution

Directions:

● Read through each slide carefully
● Complete the activity packet as you explore each slide
● Inspect the pictures and provided videos
● Explore the outside links when included
● Create your own slides throughout the activity to

demonstrate your knowledge

The American Revolution Part One: Causes

Must Know Word

Parliament: The British Government

Watch the Beanbody Histories The American Revolution
Part One: Causes

After the video, you should be able to:

● name at least five actions of Parliament that led to
the American Revolution.

● explain what the “Stamp Act” was and why it
angered the colonists.

● recount the events of “The Boston Massacre” and
“The Boston Tea Party.

There were many causes of the American Revolution. One cause of the The French and
American Revolution was the founding of the colonies. Most of the Indian War
American colonies were firstly founded by the people who were trying to
escape the religious persecution England. As the British government
became more involved in the affairs of colonies, people began to worry that
they would once again lose their freedoms. Another cause was the French
and Indian War. The French and Indian War took place between the French
and the American colonies. Both the French and the American colonies
were aligned with various Native American tribes. This war lasted for 7
years, which was 1754-1763. British troops didn’t just help the colonists win
the war, but they were stationed in the colonies for protection after the war.
These troops were not free and Britain needed to pay the troops with some
money. The British Parliament decided to tax the American colonists to help
pay for the troops.One last cause of the American revolution is the laws,
taxes, and more taxes. Prior to 1764, the British government basically let
the American colonists govern themselves. In the year 1764, they began to
impose new laws and taxes. They implemented a number of laws including
the Sugar Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act, and the Stamp Act. The
colonists were furious with the new taxes. The colonists said that they
should not have to pay British taxes because they had no representatives
the British Parliament. The colonists had made a new motto; “No Taxation
Without Representation.”

The Boston Tea Party occured on December 16, 1773. It was one The Boston Tea Party
of the major events that lead to the American Revolution. The
Boston Tea Party was a protest by the American colonists against
the British government. The colonists staged the protest by
boarding three trade ships in Boston Harbor and throwing the
ships’ cargo of tea overboard into the sea. They threw 342 chests
of tea into the water. Some of the colonists were disguised as
Mohawk Indians, but the costumes didn’t fool anyone. The British
knew that the colonists had destroyed the tea. Tea was the
favorite beverage for the colonists and the British. It also was a
major source of income to the East India Trading company. This
company belonged to the British, and they were told that they
could only buy tea from this company. They were also told that
they had to pay high taxes for the tea. This tax was called the Tea
Act. This did not seem fair to the colonies as they were not
represented by the British Parliament and didn’t have a say on
how the taxes should be done. The colonists had refused to pay
taxes for tea and asked that all the tea be returned to England.
When the tea was not returned to England, the colonists decided
to protest Britain's unfair taxes by throwing the tea into the ocean.
As a result, the colonists threw 342 chests of tea overboard.
That’s 90,000 pounds of tea! In today's money that would be
around one million dollars worth of tea!

The Boston Massacre was took place on March 5, 1770 when British soldiers The Boston
opened a fire on a group of American Colonists. The fire had killed five colonists. Massacre
Prior to the Boston Massacre, the British had taxed the American colonists for
things like tea, paper, paint, glass, and lead. These laws were a part of a group
called the Townshend Acts. The colonists were not happy with these laws. They
felt like the laws were a violation of their rights. The colonists began to protest
and the British brought in soldiers to keep order. The Boston Massacre started
on March 5, 1770 with a small argument between British Private Hugh White and
a few colonists outside the Custom House in Boston on King Street. More
colonists began to harass and throw sticks and snowballs at Private White.
There was soon over 50 colonists at the scene. The local British officer of the
watch, Captain Thomas Preston, had sent many British soldiers over to the
Custom House to maintain order. The sight of the British soldiers were armed
with bayonets. They started to shout at the soldiers, daring them to fire. When
Captain Preston arrived, he had tried to make the crowd disperse. Unfortunately,
an object that was thrown by one of the colonists had hit a British soldier and
knocked him down. He fired into the crowd. After a stunned silence, a number of
other soldiers fired into the crowd. Three colonists were immediately killed and
two more died later after wounds. The Boston Massacre became a rallying cry
for the patriotism in the colonists. The sons of Liberty was one of the groups that
used the Boston Massacre to show the evils of British rule. Although, the
American Revolution would not start until another five years, it certainly made
people look at British rule in another light.

The Intolerable Acts were five laws The Intolerable Acts
that were passed by the British
Parliament against the American
Colonies in 1774. They were
named the “Intolerable Acts” by the
American Patriots who felt they
simply could not “tolerate” such
unfair laws. Britain imposed these
new acts as a punishment for the
Boston Tea Party. These acts were
The Boston Port Act, The
Massachusetts Government Act,
The Administration of Justice Act,
The Quartering Act, and The
Quebec Act. These laws were a
rallying cry for patriots in America.
They felt like these acts took away
some of their basic freedoms. In
many ways, these acts helped to
unite the colonies and pushed
them one step closer to the
American Revolution.

The American Revolution Part Two: The War Begins

Watch the Beanbody Histories The American Revolution Part
Two: The War Begins

After the video, you should be able to:

● recount beginning battles of the war like Lexington and
Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

● tell the importance of Thomas Paine's “Common Sense”.
● name at least five major battles of the war and tell who

won them and why.
● discuss why George Washington was so qualified to lead

the Continental Army.
● explain how Washington was able to overcome the

strength of Britain’s military.
● tell why America’s alliance with France was so important to

winning the war.

The battles of Lexington and Concord signaled the start of the American Revolutionary War on The Battle of
April 17, 1775. The British Army sent out from Boston to capture rebel leaders Samuel Adams Lexington
and John Hancock in Lexington as well as to destroy the Americans store of weapons and
ammunition in Concord. The Colonists were warned however, by riders including Paul Revere, The Battle of
that the British Army was approaching. Sam Adams and John Hancock were able to escape Concord
and the militia was able to hide most of their ammunition and weapons. The battle of
Lexington was a very small fight. You could hardly call it a battle, but it’s important because it’s
where the Revolutionary War started. When the British arrived, there were only about 80
American militiamen in town. They were lead by captain John Parker. They were up against a
much larger British force lead by Major John Pitcairn. Neither side expected ever to fight, but
in the midst of the confusion a gunshot went off, forcing the British to attack. Some of the
colonists were killed and the rest fled. The gunshot was the first shot of the Revolutionary War
an the start of the war. It was called “the shot heard around the world” by Ralph Waldo
Emerson in his poem Concord Hymn. No one is actually sure who fired the first shot or if it
was an American or British Soldier. After the Americans fled from Lexington, the British
marched to the city of Concord. When they first got to Concord, they met little resistance and
began to search the town for the militia's hidden stash of weapons and munitions. The
Americans had retreated to the outskirts of Concord and observed the British from other side
of the North Bridge. As the Americans waited, more and more local militiamen arrived making
their forces stronger and stronger. The Americans decided to cross the North Bridge back into
Concord. They defeated the British troops at the North Bridge, giving the Americans renewed
confidence. Soon the British commander, Colonel Francis Smith, realized that the American
militia resistance was rapidly growing and it was time to retreat. Once the British decided to
retreat, they began the long march back to the city of Boston. The Americans decide to gain
forces and continued to attack and harass the British during their retreat. By the time the
British reached boston they had lost 73 men and 174 were wounded. The Americans lost 49
men and 41 were wounded.

The battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, just a few months after the American The Battle of
Revolutionary War started. Boston was being besieged by thousands of American militia. The British Bunker Hill
were trying to keep control of the city and control its valuable sea ports. The British decided to take
two hills, Bunker and Breeds, in order to gain a tactical advantage. The American forces heard about
it and went to defend the hills. Battle of Bunker Hill by Pyle Where did it take place? This seems like
the easiest question ever, doesn't it? Well, not really. There were two hills that the British wanted to
take in order to be able to bombard the Americans from a distance. These were Breeds Hill and
Bunker Hill. The Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place mostly on Breeds Hill. It's only called the
Battle of Bunker Hill because the army thought they were on Bunker Hill. Sort of a funny mistake and
it makes for a good trick question. The Leaders The British were led up the hill by General William
Howe. The Americans were led by Colonel William Prescott. Maybe this should have been called the
Battle of the Williams! Major John Pitcairn was also one of the British leaders. He was in command
of the troops that started the fighting at Lexington that began the Revolutionary War. From the
American side, Israel Putnam was the General in charge. Also, leading patriot Dr. Joseph Warren
was part of the battle. He was killed during the fighting. The American soldiers learned that the
British were planning on taking over the hills around Boston in order to gain tactical advantage. As a
result of this information, the Americans secretly moved their troops onto Bunker and Breeds Hill,
two unoccupied hills just outside of Boston in Charlestown, Massachusetts. They built up
fortifications during the night and prepared for battle. The next day, when the British found out what
had happened, the British attacked. Their commander William Howe led three charges up Breeds
Hill. The Americans fought back the first two charges, but started to run out of ammunition and had
to retreat at the third charge. The British gained the hill, but their costs were great. Around 226
British were killed and 800 wounded while the Americans did not suffer nearly as many casualties.
Battle Map - Click to see larger picture Result of the Battle Although the British won the hill and the
battle, they paid heavy costs with so many soldiers dying, including many officers. This gave the
Americans courage to know that they could stand up to the British in battle. Many more colonists
joined the army after this battle and the revolution continued to grow in strength.

Thomas became interested in the Thomas
Revolutionary War which began on April 19, Paine’s
1775 when the first shot was fired during the Common
battle of Lexington. On January 10, 1776 he Sense
published the pamphlet Common Sense.
Common Sense put forth an argument that
the colonies should break away from British
rule. Thomas wrote in such a way that the
average reader could understand his
argument and would be forced to make a
decision. Many people of the time were still
undecided. After reading Common Sense,
they became convinced that revolution and
independence from Britain was the best
direction for the colonies. Common Sense
Pamphlet Common Sense became a
bestseller. It sold over 100,000 copies in just
a few short months. Through his writing
Thomas Paine had convinced many
undecided people to become patriots. For
this reason he is sometimes called the
Father of the American Revolution.

The American Revolution Part Three:
Battles and Strategies

Watch the Beanbody Histories The American
Revolution Part Three: Battles and Strategies

After the video, you should be able to:

● name at least five major battles of the war and
tell who won them and why.

● discuss why George Washington was so
qualified to lead the Continental Army.

● explain how Washington was able to overcome
the strength of Britain’s military.

● tell why America’s alliance with France was so
important to winning the war.

Why was George
Washington the perfect

person to be
Commander in Chief of
the Continental Army?

● He was willing to serve without pay and risk ● Was a Southerner, which politically and
the serious consequences geographically balanced the hotbeds in
Massachusetts and the Northern colonies
● Was one of the wealthiest men in the
colonies, although most of his wealth was ● Had military, leadership and combat
tied up in land and slaves experience with the British Army and
colonial militia as an officer
● Showed up at the Continental Congress in a
military uniform ● Had a tall, impressive and commanding
physical and personal presence with
impeccable manners and dignity

Ben first became known to the public as the Benjamin Franklin
publisher of the newspaper the Pennsylvania
Gazette. He gained some notoriety as an
American spokesman when his testimony to the
House of Commons in England helped to get the
hated Stamp Act repealed. During the
Revolutionary war, Ben became Pennsylvania's
representative to the second Continental
Congress. He was one of the five members that
drafted the Declaration of Independence. While
Thomas Jefferson was the main author, Ben did
make some changes and had an influence on the
final draft. One of Ben's key roles in the American
Revolution was as Ambassador to France. He
helped to secure the Treaty of Paris, which got the
French on the side of the Americans and helped
to turn the tide of the war. Franklin also took part
in the Constitutional Convention and is the only
Founding Father to sign all four major documents
in the founding of the United States. These
include the Declaration of Independence, The
Constitution, the Treaty of Paris, and the Treaty of
Alliance with France.

The Battle of Yorktown was the last great battle of the Revolutionary War. It The Battle of Yorktown
is where the British Army surrendered and the British government began to
consider a peace treaty. General Nathanael Greene had taken over
command of the American Continental Army in the South. Prior to General
Greene’s command, the war in the South had not been going so well, but
Greene put in some new tactics that enabled American victories and caused
the British Army to retreat to the East Coast. At the same time General
Washington was marching his army down from the north, the British Army
under General Charles Cornwallis was retreating to Yorktown. The French
Navy, having defeated the British Navy, started to move to the coast near
Yorktown also. The British Army was outnumbered by the French and the
American troops and was now surrounded at Yorktown. The American
forces bombarded the British for eleven days. Cornwallis finally sent out the
white flag for surrender. He originally made a lot of demands to George
Washington for his surrender, but Washington didn’t agree. Cornwallis
agreed to Washington’s terms and the battle was over when the American
troops started to prepare for another attack. On October 19, 1781 General
Cornwallis signed the British surrender. The document was called the
Articles of Capitulation. Around 8,000 troops surrendered in Yorktown.
Although this wasn’t all of the Army, it was a big enough force to cause the
British to start thinking they were going to lose the war. Losing this battle
made them start to think about peace and that it wasn’t worth the cost of the
war to keep the colonies. This opened the door for the Treaty of Paris.