The American Revolution and Georgia Statehood

Unit FourThe American Revolution and Georgia StatehoodGeorgia after the French & Indian WarColonies prosperedNot happy with mercantile systemForced to trade only with BritainWanted to produce or grow what they wantedSome began smuggling (illegal trade)

TaxesFrench & Indian War cost Great Britain a lot of moneyTo recover cost they began a series of tax lawsSugar Act (1764) placed duties on sugar, molasses, coffee, indigo, and wineTownshend Act (1767) placed duties on lead, glass, paper , tea, and paintStamp Act (1765) required all paper used in the colonies to bear a tax stamp purchased from the government

American colonists protested to Parliament

America Protests!Groups such as Sons of Liberty were formed to make people actSome boycotted products (refused to buy)Tax officials were threatened and attackedParliament repealed most of the unpopular taxesAmerica was getting an anti-British attitude

Clash of British and American IdeasConsent of the Governed Government should only govern as long as people agree to be governed. If people are unhappy with government it loses its right to govern.Representative government- People have the right to elect those who represent themLimited government- the power of government is limited by natural law. Natural law people have natural rights which come from God or nature- that government cannot take away (life, liberty, and property)Resentment & ConflictTaxes passed by Parliament (people Americans could not vote to elect) violated the colonists right to taxation with representationAmericans were supposed to have the same rights as British citizens often their rights were ignoredIncreased protests & violence against government officials caused Britain to send more troops to enforce lawsColonists were taxed to pay for more troops colonists had to pay for the soldiers housingColonists anger was greatest in northern colonies in 1770 several British soldiers, attacked by a crowd, fought back and five colonists died and six were wounded Boston MassacreTea Act1773 Parliament passed the Tea Act, which gave one British company a monopoly exclusive right- to sell tea in America. Tea was popular but many colonists refused to buy tea as a protest. December 16, 1773, Sons of Liberty dumped shiploads of British tea into the Boston harbor, in other ports tea was also dumped or burnedPunishment from ParliamentClosed the Boston port until tea was paid forPeople in Massachusetts couldnt elect their own officials or hold town meetingsRequire people to feed and house British soldiersIntolerable ActsThese punishments fueled resentment from the colonists of BritainThe First Continental Congress, with delegates from all colonies except Georgia, met in Philadelphia and agreed to boycott all British goodsBritish goods burnedBritish loyalists tarred and featheredBritain sent more troops

Continental Congress ActsMay 1775, Second Continental Congress met in PhiladelphiaBecame government for the American coloniesGeorgia sent five delegates

June 15, 1775, the Congress named George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental ArmyAmerican forces fight back forces at Bunker Hill until they ran out of gun powder and had to retreat

Declaration of IndependenceJuly delegates sent King George III a petition (formal written request)Stating loyalty & asking him to stop Britains hostile actions against colonyKing George refused to accept petition & declared the colonists in a state of rebellionParliament bans all trade with America

July 4, 1776 Independence DayJuly 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of IndependenceAll the delegates signed including Georgias: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George WaltonDocument (written by Thomas Jefferson) included:All men are created equalEveryone is born with certain rights the government cant take away-life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessGovernment gets its power from the peopleThe people can do away with a government they no longer approve ofThese United Colonies areFree and Independent States.Independence Movement in Georgia1775Battles at Lexington & Concord signaled the beginning of the American RevolutionPeople in Savannah were excited by the newsGeorgias royal government was openly defiedRaided colonys gunpowder storehouse and disrupted Kings birthday celebrationGovernment is falling apartGeorgia Chooses SidesGeorgia was newer than the other colonies with less history of self-governmentOn the coast Georgians became wealthy through tradeSir James Wright had been a good leader and the colony had prosperedLoyalty to Britain was strongest in coastal GeorgiaFurther inland, backcountry Georgians were ready for independenceGeorgians Take SidesAnti-British = Whigs (Patriots)British supporters = Tories (Loyalists)

Older or first-generation Georgians were typically ToriesTied to England by tradition, friends and relatives, and their homeland

Younger or second-generation Georgians were typically WhigsGeorgia born children often joined the fight for libertyRoyal Government EndsJuly 1775 Provincial Congress of delegates from Georgias parishes met in SavannahComplete boycott of trade with Great BritainWhigs set up Council of Safety to enforce boycottGeorgia has two governments royal government with James Wright and Whigs provisional governmentJanuary 1776, Whig forces arrested Governor Wright, who escaped to a British warshipReaction in GeorgiaDeclaration of Independence was signed July 4, 1776 but Georgians didnt hear about it for one month1,500 Tories left GeorgiaSome stayed to protect their homesMay 1777 Georgias first constitution went into effectJohn Adam Treutlen was the first governor of the stateThousands are still loyal to the kingWhigs are fighting each other for controlFighting between conservatives and radicals led to the death of Button Gwinnett. Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh fought in a duel and Gwinnett died three days later.The American RevolutionFirst battle occurred in Massachusetts at Lexington & Concord in April 1775Battle of Bunker Hill two months laterPatriot troops marched into British Canada hoping colonists there would join their causeCaptured MontrealDefeated in QuebecJuly 1776 British troops captured New York CityChristmas night, George Washington led troops across the Delaware River and defeated the British at the Battle of TrentonWar Comes to GeorgiaNo battles in Georgia during the early years of the revolution1/3 of Georgians were Whigs (Patriots)1/3 of Georgians were Tories (Loyalists)1/3 remained neutralSome Tories were driven out of Georgia and their property was taken by the stateFights erupted between Georgia Patriots and East Florida Loyalists1778December 1778, British army reached Savannah700 Patriots faced 2000 British soldiers, Britain took control of Savannah and soon every important town in Georgia was in the hands of the BritishSir James Wright returned to Georgia

Slaves Join the FightBefore the American Revolution about half of Georgias population was black slavesA few slaves sided with the Patriots, but most sided with Britain to gain their freedomBritish commanders offered freedom to any slave who would join the British armyDecember 1778 battle for Savannah Quamino Dolly led a British invasion through a little-known swamp to get around a Patriot forceBy the end of the war as many as 10,000 Georgia slaves had won freedom siding with the BritishBattle of Kettle Creek1779, at Kettle Creek in Wilkes County, Lt. Col. Elijah Clarke led Georgia Patriots against the BritishHelped by South Carolina patriots, they scattered the British forcesPatriots gained arms, ammunition, and horsesCaused many Georgians to join the Patriots

Siege of SavannahFall of 1779, patriots, helped by France, tried to retake SavannahBritish held SavannahDuring a cavalry charge, Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman, was killed

End of the WarDuring 1780, the British controlled most of Georgia1781 the Whigs (Patriots) recaptured AugustaBritish General Cornwallis moved his army to Yorktown, VirginiaAided by the French, the patriots laid siegeCornwallis surrendered his armySpring 1782, the Tories and the British troops gave up GeorgiaRevolution ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783

Constitutional FoundationsConstitution is the fundamental plan of operation for a government. It spells out what the government can and cannot do. April 1776 Georgias Provincial Congress adopted a temporary constitutionPreamble proclaimed the idea of popular sovereignty that government rests on the will of the peopleThe first article of the new constitution introduced a new principle separation of powersThe legislative, executive, and judiciary departments shall be separate and not exercise powers belonging to the other

Georgias New GovernmentThree independent branches Judicial interprets the lawExecutive enforces the lawLegislative creates new lawsConstitution set up a unicameral legislature (one house)House of Assembly was given authority to enact laws, appoint officials in the executive & judicial branchesBecause of their experience with royal governors under British rule, framers of Georgias 1777 constitution made the executive branch weakNations First ConstitutionNovember 1777 set up Articles of ConfederationApproved by all states on March 1, 1781Created a weak government with only one branch (unicameral)Could not levy (impose) taxes or regulate trade between statesNo president to carry out the lawNo courts to handles disputesEach state had an equal vote regardless of size or populationShays RebellionAfter the American Revolution the economy was shakyState governments discouraged trade between states by taxing the products coming in from other states1786, Massachusetts levied taxes to pay off their war debt1787, angry citizens led by Daniel Shay rebelledShays Rebellion was quickly resolved by the state militiaOther states worried the same could happen they needed a stronger central government to regulate trade

Constitutional Convention`Georgia sent four delegates to the Philadelphia convention of 1787 William Pierce, William Houstoun, William Few, and Abraham Baldwin all of them supported the constitution, but only Few and Baldwin stayed to sign it

They supported a strong central governmentConvention CompromisesDebated 4 monthsHow would states be represented in Congress?State and national governments would function side by sideNational government would handle defense, interstate commerce, and foreign relationsBoth would handle roads and taxesState government would handle organization of state government, creation of cities and counties, marriage and divorce lawsContinuedThree branches of national government:Executive enforce or carry out lawsJudicial interpret laws and settle disputesLegislative to make the laws

Checks and balances were built in to make sure no branch overpowered anotherGeorgia Ratifies the ConstitutionSeptember 17, 1787 convention delegates gave their final approval to the constitutionRatification needed by nine statesJanuary 2, 1788 Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States1789 George Washington became the president of the new governmentGeorgias State Government1789 Georgia ratified a new state constitutionBicameralTwo housesBranches not balanced most power rested in the legislatureGeorgia had one of the largest areas but smallest population of the 13 states