Review

Camden Ramsey
1. Even though the Albany Plan of Union was not successful, why was it an important precedent?
It was a plan written by bejamin Franklin in 1754 for all 13 colonies to unite and fight as one power to win the French and Indian war. Although it was adopted by the Albany delegates, the individual colonies rejected it. It was the first formal proposal to unite the colonies and become a nation as one. It promised colonial defense and unification.
2. For what three reasons did Native Americans side with France during the French and Indian War?
The Native Americans had already had a fair relationship with the French from a history of trading and communicating. They sought a better future for themselves and believed it relied on the French winning the war. The Native Americans didn’t see France as much of a threat. Also, they weren’t fond of the Englishmen and England. They had a long, distasteful future with the English and were not willing to fight on their side.

3. In what three ways did the Seven Years' War directly affect the colonists' growing discontent toward the British?
They became accustomed to being neglected, and after the French were gone, they didn’t feel as much that they needed a strong mother Britain protecting them. The colonists began to develop a new vision of their destiny and they were unwilling to be restrained. They were ready to become a unified nation and saw a hopeful future. A future that did not include an overbearing England.

4. How did the Sugar Act differ from the preceding Navigation Acts?
It was the first law ever passed by Parliament with the purpose of raising tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. The Navigation acts were not enforced till after the French and Indian war. The Sugar act taxed sugar, while the Navigation act helped prohibit the colonies from trading with countries foreign to England.

5. How did the colonial protest evolve?
They began as simple, peaceful speeches against the British ways included in pamphlets declaring necessary revolution that were distributed throughout the colonies. Although it didn’t gain much interest at first, the colonists later came around to the idea of a revolution. They wrote speeches and proposals on what needed to change. Eventually, they began to harass the homes of British government officials, often tarring and feathering them. Also, the colonists used boycotts of British goods, which proved ineffective because the British only placed more laws on them, like the Stamp Act. After Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, the colonists were convinced that a revolution was necessary and ideas began to circulate throughout the colonies.

6.  What poor choices made by the British eventually heightened the pre-Revolutionary era conflict?
Choices made by the British that heightened the conflict were completely unnecessary tax laws that they used to generate income from the colonies. Things like the Stamp Tax, which placed a tax on all commercial and legal documents, along with the Sugar act of 1764, enraged the colonists. After the passage of the Townshend Tea Tax, the colonists rebelled in the Boston Tea Party. This conflict could have been avoided had the British not placed so many taxes on the colonists. insdtead of compromising with the colonists, the British only levied more taxes on the already angry colonists.

7. In what ways did the colonies attempt to unite and/or share information? –
Colonies during the Revolutionary Era were all different and had unique laws and practices. Thus, when they revolted from Britain, they were not very united. These colonies then began to correspond through letters in an effort to share information, but unfortunately, travel was often slow and unreliable. Colonists then attempted to unite with the Continental Congress, in which delegates from each state attended with the intentions of their state in mind. This congress was eventually where the Declaration of Independence was produced.

8.  Why could many colonists rightly claim that the conflict was primarily a Boston issue?
Because Boston was the main setting of all that happened between the British and the colonists. Also, Boston was a major economic point, in which business transactions occurred. This town made most of the big decisions about the colonies, and many notable, high powered people were from Boston. Thus, when most of the conflict occurred in Boston, most of the colonists simply felt that it was the duty of the Bostonians to resolve the conflict.

9.  What were the three main results of the First Continental Congress?
The First Continental Congress created a Declaration of Rights and solemn appeals to other British American colonies, to the king, and to the British people. The most significant action of the Congress was the creation of the Association. It called for a complete boycott of British goods: nonimportation, nonexportation, and nonconsumption.

10. What was the significance of the "shot heard 'round the world"?
The "shot heard 'round the world" is the reference to the first shot fired in the Battle of Lexington and Concord. It was the beginning of primary colonies to successfully revolt against a higher country. Hundreds of people died, at this occurrence, and it signaled the beginning on the Revolutionary War. The colonists were on their heels, and this made their decision to fight final. It eventually led to the creation of our unified country.

11. John Adams once claimed that 1/3 of the colonists were for revolution, 1/3 were against, and 1/3 didn't really care. What types of people fell into each category?
Loyalists, or Tories, were those who were loyal to the king during the Revolutionary era. They were people of education and wealth, and they were against revolution. Patriots, or Whigs, were America rebels who were for revolution. Most of the rebels were Scots Irish, people who hated Britain, people in Massachusetts with a a Puritan background and more represented in democracy, and/or the young. The 1/3 that didn't care was neutral, like the Bryds of Virginia, and sat on the fence. The revolution wouldn't have affected them that much.

12. What documents were most influential during the Revolutionary Era? What was the purpose of each?
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and John Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government. Common Sense spoke out against the unfair treatment of the colonies by British Parliament and persuaded colonists that the only solution to these problems were to revolt and fight. The Second Treatise stated that all human beings have a right to life, liberty, and property and that government exists to protect those rights. The colonists felt as though these rights were violated or deprived from them and were no longer taking it.

13. What factors contributed to America being able to win the Revolutionary War?
Support from allies such as France contributed to America being able to win the Revolutionary War. The French blockade of Yorktown in the final engagement solidified victory. It turned the revolution into a global war. Monetary benefit was also great for the colonies. Britain could no longer afford war while America was gaining the likelihood of winning the war thanks to their knowledge of the land and great leadership. They also were on the defense and didn't have to win the war. They just had to bring it to a draw.

14. What were the faults and the strengths of the Articles of Confederation?
The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777 in order to create a constitution by which the nation could live under. The major weakness of the articles was that the federal government could not regulate trade or levy taxes. The government was unable to pay off their debts and the states largely ignored whatever Congress decided. Also, the states could impose their own tariffs which hampered interstate trade. Under the articles, no judicial system was established. The strengths of the articles were that it allowed the states to stay together, however loosely, until the Constitution was written and it created a rough governmental system that is used as a model for The Constitution. It allowed the Federal government to declare war and make peace as well as coin and borrow money.

15. What were the main events of the Critical Era?
The Critical Era refers to the time that spanned between the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 and the inauguration of George Washington in 1789. The nation was in tons of debt and had no real way to pay it off. Paper money was worthless and they were forced to borrow money from countries like France. The South had lost slaves and exports due to the war. British troops remained in Detroit, Otsego, and New York because the government refused to return land confiscated from Tories during the war. The Articles of Confederation ratified in 1781 become the first constitution of the US and outline a crude government that is later refined by The Constitution. The American people were questioning their future.


16. What compromises needed to be made for the Constitution to be successful?
In order for the necessary states to ratify The Constitution, several compromises were made. The Great Compromise involved how many representatives states would have in Congress. It was the original plan to have one chamber, but small states found this unfair. Roger Sherman proposed two houses, one with equal representation and one based on the population of the states. Another compromise made was the Three-Fifths Compromise. This involved the issue of counting slaves in the population of the states. The North and South agreed that a slave would count as three-fifths of a person when deciding how many representatives a state would have.

17. What were the positions of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
The Federalists and the Anti-Federalists were different on several levels. First, the Federalists believed that if the Constitution did not specifically say the government could not do something, then it could. However, the Anti-Federalists opposed the government having more power and favored the weaker central government of the Articles of Confederation. The Federalists wanted the central government to have this power, so they favored the ratification of the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists campaigned for a Bill of Rights and only ratified the Constitution after they were put in.