The American Revolution and Georgia Statehood

1. The American Revolution and Georgia Statehood Unit Four

2. Georgia after the French & Indian War • Colonies prospered • Not happy with mercantile system • Forced to trade only with Britain • Wanted to produce or grow what they wanted Some began smuggling (illegal trade)

3. Taxes • French & Indian War cost Great Britain a lot of money • To recover cost they began a series of tax laws • Sugar Act (1764) placed duties on sugar, molasses, coffee, indigo, and wine • Townshend Act (1767) placed duties on lead, glass, paper , tea, and paint • Stamp Act (1765) required all paper used in the colonies to bear a tax stamp purchased from the government • American colonists protested to Parliament

4. America Protests! • Groups such as Sons of Liberty were formed to make people act • Some boycotted products (refused to buy) • Tax officials were threatened and attacked • Parliament repealed most of the unpopular taxes • America was getting an anti-British attitude

5. Clash of British and American Ideas • Consent 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 them • Limited 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)

6. Resentment & Conflict • Taxes passed by Parliament (people Americans could not vote to elect) violated the colonists’ right to taxation with representation • Americans were supposed to have the same rights as British citizens – often their rights were ignored • Increased protests & violence against government officials caused Britain to send more troops to enforce laws • Colonists were taxed to pay for more troops – colonists had to pay for the soldiers housing • Colonists’ 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 Massacre”

7. Tea Act • 1773 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 burned • Punishment from Parliament • Closed the Boston port until tea was paid for • People in Massachusetts couldn’t elect their own officials or hold town meetings • Require people to feed and house British soldiers

8. Intolerable Acts • These punishments fueled resentment from the colonists of Britain • The First Continental Congress, with delegates from all colonies except Georgia, met in Philadelphia and agreed to boycott all British goods • British goods burned • British loyalists tarred and feathered • Britain sent more troops

9. Continental Congress Acts • May 1775, Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia • Became government for the American colonies • Georgia sent five delegates • June 15, 1775, the Congress named George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental Army • American forces fight back forces at Bunker Hill until they ran out of gun powder and had to retreat

11. Declaration of Independence • July delegates sent King George III a petition (formal written request) • Stating loyalty & asking him to stop Britain’s hostile actions against colony • King George refused to accept petition & declared the colonists in a state of rebellion • Parliament bans all trade with America

12. July 4, 1776 Independence Day • July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence • All the delegates signed including Georgia’s: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton • Document (written by Thomas Jefferson) included: • All men are created equal • Everyone is born with certain rights the government can’t take away-life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness • Government gets its power from the people • The people can do away with a government they no longer approve of • “These United Colonies are…Free and Independent States.”

13. Independence Movement in Georgia • 1775 • Battles at Lexington & Concord signaled the beginning of the American Revolution • People in Savannah were excited by the news • Georgia’s royal government was openly defied • Raided colony’s gunpowder storehouse and disrupted King’s birthday celebration • Government is falling apart

14. Georgia Chooses Sides • Georgia was newer than the other colonies with less history of self-government • On the coast Georgians became wealthy through trade • Sir James Wright had been a good leader and the colony had prospered • Loyalty to Britain was strongest in coastal Georgia • Further inland, backcountry Georgians were ready for independence

15. Georgians Take Sides • Anti-British = Whigs (Patriots) • British supporters = Tories (Loyalists) • Older or first-generation Georgians were typically Tories • Tied to England by tradition, friends and relatives, and their homeland • Younger or second-generation Georgians were typically Whigs • Georgia born children often joined the fight for liberty

16. Royal Government Ends • July 1775 “Provincial Congress” of delegates from Georgia’s parishes met in Savannah • Complete boycott of trade with Great Britain • Whigs set up “Council of Safety” to enforce boycott • Georgia has two governments – royal government with James Wright and Whig’s provisional government • January 1776, Whig forces arrested Governor Wright, who escaped to a British warship

17. Reaction in Georgia • Declaration of Independence was signed July 4, 1776 but Georgians didn’t hear about it for one month • 1,500 Tories left Georgia • Some stayed to protect their homes • May 1777 Georgia’s first constitution went into effect • John Adam Treutlen was the first governor of the state • Thousands are still loyal to the king • Whigs are fighting each other for control • Fighting 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.

18. The American Revolution • First battle occurred in Massachusetts at Lexington & Concord in April 1775 • Battle of Bunker Hill two months later • Patriot troops marched into British Canada hoping colonists there would join their cause • Captured Montreal • Defeated in Quebec • July 1776 British troops captured New York City • Christmas night, George Washington led troops across the Delaware River and defeated the British at the Battle of Trenton

19. War Comes to Georgia • No battles in Georgia during the early years of the revolution • 1/3 of Georgians were Whigs (Patriots) • 1/3 of Georgians were Tories (Loyalists) • 1/3 remained neutral • Some Tories were driven out of Georgia and their property was taken by the state • Fights erupted between Georgia Patriots and East Florida Loyalists

20. 1778 • December 1778, British army reached Savannah • 700 Patriots faced 2000 British soldiers, Britain took control of Savannah and soon every important town in Georgia was in the hands of the British • Sir James Wright returned to Georgia

21. Slaves Join the Fight • Before the American Revolution about half of Georgia’s population was black slaves • A few slaves sided with the Patriots, but most sided with Britain to gain their freedom • British commanders offered freedom to any slave who would join the British army • December 1778 battle for Savannah Quamino Dolly led a British invasion through a little-known swamp to get around a Patriot force • By the end of the war as many as 10,000 Georgia slaves had won freedom siding with the British

22. Battle of Kettle Creek • 1779, at Kettle Creek in Wilkes County, Lt. Col. Elijah Clarke led Georgia Patriots against the British • Helped by South Carolina patriots, they scattered the British forces • Patriots gained arms, ammunition, and horses • Caused many Georgians to join the Patriots

23. Siege of Savannah • Fall of 1779, patriots, helped by France, tried to • retake Savannah • British held Savannah • During a cavalry charge, Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman, was killed

24. End of the War • During 1780, the British controlled most of Georgia • 1781 the Whigs (Patriots) recaptured Augusta • British General Cornwallis moved his army to Yorktown, Virginia • Aided by the French, the patriots laid siege • Cornwallis surrendered his army • Spring 1782, the Tories and the British troops gave up Georgia • Revolution ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783

26. Constitutional Foundations • Constitution is the fundamental plan of operation for a government. It spells out what the government can and cannot do. • April 1776 Georgia’s Provincial Congress adopted a temporary constitution • Preamble proclaimed the idea of popular sovereignty – that government rests on the will of the people • The first article of the new constitution introduced a new principle – separation of powers • The legislative, executive, and judiciary departments shall be separate and not exercise powers belonging to the other

27. Georgia’s New Government • Three independent branches – • Judicial – interprets the law • Executive – enforces the law • Legislative – creates new laws • Constitution set up a unicameral legislature (one house) • House of Assembly was given authority to enact laws, appoint officials in the executive & judicial branches • Because of their experience with royal governors under British rule, framers of Georgia’s 1777 constitution made the executive branch weak

28. Nation’s First Constitution • November 1777 set up Articles of Confederation • Approved by all states on March 1, 1781 • Created a weak government with only one branch (unicameral) • Could not levy (impose) taxes or regulate trade between states • No president to carry out the law • No courts to handles disputes • Each state had an equal vote regardless of size or population

29. Shay’s Rebellion • After the American Revolution the economy was shaky • State governments discouraged trade between states by taxing the products coming in from other states • 1786, Massachusetts levied taxes to pay off their war debt • 1787, angry citizens led by Daniel Shay rebelled • Shay’s Rebellion was quickly resolved by the state militia • Other states worried the same could happen – they needed a stronger central government to regulate trade

30. 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 government

31. Convention Compromises • Debated 4 months • How would states be represented in Congress? • State and national governments would function side by side • National government would handle – defense, interstate commerce, and foreign relations • Both would handle – roads and taxes • State government would handle – organization of state government, creation of cities and counties, marriage and divorce laws

32. Continued • Three branches of national government: • Executive – enforce or carry out laws • Judicial – interpret laws and settle disputes • Legislative – to make the laws • Checks and balances were built in to make sure no branch overpowered another

33. Georgia Ratifies the Constitution • September 17, 1787 convention delegates gave their final approval to the constitution • Ratification needed by nine states • January 2, 1788 Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States • 1789 George Washington became the president of the new government

34. Georgia’s State Government • 1789 Georgia ratified a new state constitution • Bicameral • Two houses • Branches not balanced – most power rested in the legislature • Georgia had one of the largest areas but smallest population of the 13 states