The Causes of the American Revolution and Georgia's Role in the War

1. Georgia Studies • Unit 3-Statehood, Revolution, and Westward Expansion • Lesson 1-Cause of the American Revolution

2. Lesson 1-Causes of the American Revolution • Essential Question -How did the causes of the American Revolution impact Georgia? -Why was trade so important to the colonies during the American Revolution?

3. North America, 1754 • Spain claimed Florida and Mexico • France claimed land from Louisiana to the Great Lakes, and parts of Canada; New Orleans (south) and Detroit (north) anchored French settlements • Great Britain had established the 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast

4. French and Indian War Origins • France and Great Britain wanted the treasures of the American continent • Both countries feared the other would gain the most power • France had the stronger army with more experienced leadership; British had better navy • Both sides had allies with certain Indian tribes

5. The French and Indian War • Both sides claimed the Ohio River Valley area • The French built several forts in the area; many Indians sided with the French • The Virginia governor sent Captain George Washington with soldiers to Fort Necessity; a battle erupted • The war soon spread to Europe; by 1758, the British controlled the Ohio Valley • The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the war; the British were victorious.

6. Georgia and the War’s Aftermath • Treaty of Paris set Georgia’s western boundary at the Mississippi River • Proclamation of 1763 (King George III): Georgia’s southern boundary set at St. Mary’s River; Georgia colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains as the land was reserved for Native Americans. • Cherokee and Creek tribes gave up land claims north of Augusta and the costal region

7. Unhappy with British Acts • Great Britain needed money; much debt and security expenses resulted from the French and Indian War • Sugar Act: tax on sugar and molasses imported from the West Indies • Stamp Act: tax on newspapers, legal documents, and licenses • Georgians disapproved of these acts

8. The Liberty Boys • Part of larger group, the “Sons of Liberty” • Georgians who came together to oppose the Stamp Act • Some called them “Liberty Brawlers” • Met in taverns, such as Savannah’s Tondee’s Tavern • Georgia only colony to actually sell the stamps • Stamp Act was eventually repealed

9. Protests Increase • Georgia protested the British taxation (acts) to a small extent. The other 12 colonies were more directly effected by many of these acts and reacted (protested) more strongly. • Noble Wimberly Jones, speaker of Georgia colonial assembly, led Townshend Act protests • Townshend Acts: placed import taxes on tea, paper, glass, and coloring for paints • Governor Wright disbanded the assembly to try to end the protests

10. Intolerable Acts • Boston Tea Party-Protest against the Tea Act in Boston, Massachusetts on December 16, 1773. Members of the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Native Americans, dumped 90,000 lbs. of tea into Boston Harbor. • Great Britain punished the Massachusetts colony by creating the Coercive Acts

11. Intolerable Acts • The Intolerable Acts had four major effects: 1. Closed Boston Harbor 2. Cancelled the Massachusetts Royal Charter 3. British officials accused of crimes in Massachusetts were tried in Great Britain. 4. Quartering Act-Citizens of Massachusetts were forced to house and feed British troops at their own experience.

12. Declaration of Independence • Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” pamphlet encourage colonies to break from Great Britain; sold more than 500,000 copies • Other pamphlets, including “The Crisis” influenced opinion • August 2, 1776:Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton (representatives from Georgia) sign the Declaration of Independence • The Declaration meant the colonists were one nation; Georgians prepared for war

13. Georgia Studies • Unit 3: Revolution in Georgia • Lesson 2: The Revolutionary War Period

14. Lesson 2-The Revolutionary War Period • Essential Question - What role did Georgia and its citizens play in the American Revolution?

15. First Continental Congress • Many of the British colonies in North America had began to protest taxation as long as they were not represented in British Parliament. • 12 of the 13 colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress; Georgia was not represented. • Urged colonies to establish “Committees of Safety” • Agreed to stop all trade with Britain • Carried on its work in secret • “Provincial Congress” held in Savannah in January 1775; less than one-half of Georgia’s parishes were represented

16. Second Continental Congress • Met in Philadelphia after Lexington and Concord battles in Massachusetts. • Drafted petition for King George III, asking for end of unfriendly steps against the colonies • George III refused to accept the petition • Authorized Continental Army • Georgia’s Lyman Hall arrived in May 1775 • August 2, 1776: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton sign the Declaration of Independence

17. Georgia’s Second Provincial Congress • Held at Tondee’s Tavern in Savannah in July 1775 • Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, Noble Wimberly Jones, and Reverend John Zubly chosen to represent Georgia in Philadelphia • Delegates given no specific instructions; told to make best decisions for Georgians • Governor Wright fled colony in early 1776; Council of Safety established “Rules and Regulations” to govern Georgia

18. Revolutionary War Fighting in Georgia • Georgia was divided between patriots and loyalists. • Savannah captured and looted by British troops in December 1778; lootings, murders, and burnings occurred • Sunbury port captured in early 1779; Augusta was also attacked • Georgia militia not effective against well-trained British troops. French military leaders and reinforcements were brought in to train and assist the Continental Army. • Governor Wright eventually returned from Great Britain to govern Georgia. Continued to govern from Savannah until 1783.

19. Battle of Kettle Creek (1779) • Colonel Elijah Clarke led Georgia militia, defeated 800 British troops near Washington, Georgia • Great victory for morale of the militia and Georgians seeking independence • Won badly-needed weapons and horses from the British

20. Siege of Savannah (1779) • 15,000 Americans and 4,000 French laid siege to Savannah • Attack on October 9 resulted in 1,000 American and French deaths in less than an hour; only 40 British troops died • Polish Count Casimir Pulaski killed • Savannah remained under British control, and the leadership of James Wright, for nearly four more years • Guerrilla warfare continued in the Georgia backcountry

21. Georgia Wartime Heroes • Nancy Hart single-handedly captured a group of British loyalists who bragged of murdering an American colonel; Hart County is the only county named for a woman • Austin Dabney fought with distinction and was wounded at Kettle Creek; he also saved Elijah Clarke’s life during that battle.

22. The War Ends • Elijah Clarke, the Georgia Militia, and the Continental Army regain Augusta from British in June 1781; 11 battles or skirmishes fought in Georgia during the war • George Washington, with French help, force British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781 • British leave Savannah in the spring of 1782 • Treaty of Paris (September 1783) ends war; treaty is signed by United States, Great Britain, and France