4th Grade Social Studies
American Revolution and the Creation of America
Unit 1
Connecting Themes
Themes
- Beliefs and Ideas of a society influence the social, political and economic decisions of that society
- When there is conflict between/within societies, change is the result
- Actions of individuals, groups, and/or institutions affect society through intended and unintended consequences
- Location affects a society's economy, culture, and development
- Movement and migration of people and ideas affects all societies involved
- Production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services produced by the society are affected by its location, customs, beliefs and laws
- Scarcity of all resources forces parties/societies to make costly choices
- New technological innovations have many types of different consequences, depending on how people use the technology
Pay attention to these themes as you navigate the units!
The Revolutionary War
Boston Tea Party
Watch this video to learn more!
Causes of the American Revolution
- British Parliament and the King controlled the 13 colonies but allowed for self-government before the French and Indian War
- French and Indian War: war between the English and the French over territory in North America which led to British DEBT and later, unfair taxation on American colonies
- In 1765, British Parliament placed a tax on stamps and paper goods (known as the Stamp Act) which made American colonists angry --> they were being taxed without representation in Parliament
- Famous slogan: No Taxation without Representation!
- Other unfair taxes and laws (Intolerable Acts, Sugar Act, Declaratory Act) made colonists more and more unhappy with the British government
- In response, colonists formed the Sons and Daughters of Liberty to protest these Acts --> they boycotted British goods, wrote essays against the British, sometime resorted to violence
- The strongest defiance against British tyranny was in Boston which later led to the Boston Massacre (1770) and the Boston Tea Party (1773) which played an important role in gaining support for American independence
Important People of the Revolutionary War
King George III
King of Britain at the time, gave no representation to American colonies (taxes)
George Washington
Commander of the Patriots, first President of the United States
Benjamin Franklin
A Founding Father, helped draft the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson
Wrote the Declaration of Independence, the third President of the U.S.
Benedict Arnold
A senior officer for the American Patriots, later betrayed his army for the British
Patrick Henry
The Governor of Virginia, shouted the famous "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
John Adams
A Founding Father, the second President of the United States
Paul Revere
An important figure in the War, known for his warning ride against the British at Lexington and Concord
Major Events of the War
- The Declaration of Independence: a document drafted in 1776 that officially declared American independence and was the first step in the Revolutionary War --> blamed the King for being tyrannical and argued for the natural rights of people to rebel against an unjust government
- Battle of Lexington and Concord: the official first battle of the Revolutionary War and showed the British the strength of American patriotism
- Battle of Saratoga: an important turning point in the American Revolution where Americans won and gained French support in the war
- Battle of Yorktown: the last battle of the Revolutionary War where the British surrendered and America became independent from British control
- How did Americans win against the powerful British? Americans were more patriotic and had better knowledge of the land than British soldiers.
Play this American Revolution Quizizz to test your knowledge!
Declaration of Independence
Challenges of a New Nation
Constitutional Convention
- Following separation from British control, we needed a way to strongly and efficiently govern the United States --> first attempt at this government was under the Articles of Confederation (1781)
- However, the Articles of Confederation left the United States to be weak and decentralized and a new form of government was to be created during the Constitutional Convention in 1787
- The Articles of Confederation was used to govern America before the war ended and it was weak because:
federal government couldn't tax the states
federal government couldn't regulate commerce
there was no executive, legislative and judicial branch
U.S. Constitution
- To replace the Articles of Confederation, James Madison drafted the Constitution with a new form of government at the Constitutional Convention (known as the "father of the Constitution)
- "We the People" preamble: the opening of the U.S. Constitution and shows the significance of democracy and popular sovereignty in American government
- Federalism: power was to be divided between the federal and state governments
- Great Compromise: the U.S. House of Representatives was to be calculated using the population of each state while the Senate gave 2 senators to each state regardless of size and number
- Three-fifths Compromise: despite the Constitution standing for liberty, slavery was written into the Constitution and population was calculated where slaves counted as 3/5 of a person --> the inherent racism and discrimination of the Constitution
Structure of Government
Under the Constitution, the federal government consists of 3 branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The three branches have checks and balances (branches can overrule one that is being tyrannical) and separation of powers (different branches have different powers).
Bill of Rights
During the Constitution, some members were hesitant about giving the federal government too much power. As a result, they created the Bill of Rights to protect the rights of the people and the balance of power between the national and state level so that the government can't try to abuse its power over the people.