Lead-Up to the American Revolution
1
Let's Understand the reasons
why the British-North American Colonies rebelled.
War Unavoidable?
Dual Credit American History
Breckenridge High School & Cisco College
Mr. Calvin Best, Instructor
Click the Page to Move Forward.
Unit #4: Lead-Up to the American Revolution - The Tradition of Self-Rule in British-North America
Duration: Tuesday, 10/05/21 thru Friday, 10/19/21
Assessments: Supplemental Reading Quizzes & History Web Quest
The American Revolution, called The War of Independence by the British, was arguably unavoidable (or at least likely to occur) in that the British-North American Colonies were always more egalitarian than their mother country because of these primary reasons: 1) 3000 miles of oceanic separation; 2) the difficult nature of frontier living versus established, traditional ways of life back in England via the general caste system, which, itself, was a remnant of medieval feudalism; 3) Congregationalist self-rule in local churches; 4) a strong leaning toward freedom of the speech and the press (think Zenger Trial); 5) independent, successful merchants and plantation estates; 6) locally elected officials; 7) the growing problem of being a British citizen on another continent but without any form of political representation in Parliament derived from the colonies; 8) a significant increase in British debt as a result of the French and Indian War; and, 9) an early-on manifest destiny or land yearning that fuelled westward expansion into the Appalachian Mountains.
This unit, then, is not about the actual Revolution; rather, it’s about the the factors, especially self-rule, that lead-up to the initial battles of Lexington-Concord and Bunker Hill. We’ve actually already had a glimpse of a distinctly "American" development in that the outcome of the Zenger Trial could not have happened in England or in Continental Europe. Only in British-North America could the Zenger Trial have resulted in a new standard for seditious-libel litigation: truth, itself, could now serve as the centerpiece of a successful, winning defense in court against seditious-libel charges, especially concerning anti-governmental posters and pamphlets.
Before we go any further, however, we will benefit from a tour of the entire Original Thirteen Colonies in an effort to see the big picture of British-North America. We've already examined thoroughly the first two successful colonies, Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620), but we still need a larger frame of reference. Please go to the four video overviews just after the Colonial Timeline and population map.
Please see these supplemental references as well: Resource #1 · Resource #2 · Resource #3
1607
Colonial Timeline & History Quest
Looking at the Big Picture of Early, British-American Settlement
The Establishment of Jamestown Colony in Virginia - A Great Deal of Trouble Follows
1732
By 1732, All Original 13 British-North American Colonies Were Established
1620
The Separatists Land at Plymouth on the Mayflower & Begin a New Way of LIfe, Establishing Early-on an Alliance with the Wampanoag people.
1754
Viginia House of Burgesses Est. 1619 & by 1754 The Albany Plan of Union Was Developed in New York to Unite Legally the Colonies under One Government.
Hairstyles Were a Little Unusual Back-in-the-Colonial Day!
Six to Nine Weeks to Cross the Atlantic Ocean from England to North America - Difficult Voyage!
The Pilgrims & Wampanoag People Invented Thanksgiving!
North America Was Already Home to One Million Indigenous People
Click on the animated, glowing question marks to begin your history quest. Answer the questions on your own paper. Work alone or in groups.
Colonial World Map
1620
Colonial Timeline & History Quest
Milestones in British-American, Colonial Self-Government
Colonists sign the Mayflower Compact: an example of self-government
1620-1776
Congregationalist church self-rule contributed greatly to democracy.
1619-1776
The Viginia House of Burgeses is arguably the best example of colonial self-rule in North America.
1692
The infamous Salem Witch Trials mark a dark period in colonial history; they also indicate that local control could become hysterical to the point where the rule of law could, within that condition, be compromised. Additional Resource
Travel is still by horse & carriage, ship, or boat.
Famous painting of the signing of the Mayflower Compact, which did not create democracy, but it began a tradition of self-rule in North America.
New England Town Meetings have a long history of practical democracy.
North East Native Peoples, who rarely ever united, continued to lose ground.
The good relations between the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Native People does not become the established pattern.
The Specific Causes of the Revolution
We argued that the British-North American Colonies were always more egalitarian than their mother country of England. We made that argument because that is the real and overall lead-up to the American Revolution more than any specific issue or set of causes. With that in mind, we can now turn our attention to what historians often call the specific events or crises that led to the American Revolution. Please utilize the following brief videos concerning those specific causes, and please see the below resources.
Additional Resources
Web Link #1 Web Link #2 Web Link #3
