American History Colonial America Trial of John

American History Colonial America

Trial of John Peter Zengher Freedom of the Press

John Peter Zenger • John Peter Zenger (October 26, 1697 – July 28, 1746) was a German-American printer, publisher, editor and journalist in New York City. He was a defendant in a landmark legal case in American jurisprudence that determined that truth was a defense against charges of libel and "laid the foundation for American press freedom.

North America in 1750

1754 The First Clash The Ohio Valley British Fort Necessity * George Washington French Fort Duquesne * Delaware & Shawnee Indians

1754 Albany Plan of Union Ben Franklin representatives from New England, NY, MD, PA A Albany Congress failed Iroquois broke off relations with Britain & threatened to trade with the French.

1755 Br. Decides to Eliminate Fr. Presence in No. Amer. Gen. Edward Braddock evict the French from the OH Valley & Canada (Newfoundland & Nova Scotia) A Attacks OH Valley, Mohawk Valley, & Acadia. A Killed 10 mi. from Ft. Duquesne by 1500 French and Indian forces. Only Br. Success expelled France from Louisiana. CAJUNS

1756 War Is Formally Declared! Lord Loudouin Marquis de Montcalm Native American tribes exploited both sides!

British-American Colonial Tensions Colonials British Methods of Fighting: • Indian-style guerilla • March in formation or bayonet charge. Military Organization: • Col. militias served under own captains. • Br. officers wanted to take charge of colonials. Military Discipline: • No mil. deference or protocols observed. • Drills & tough discipline. Finances: • Resistance to rising taxes. • Colonists should pay for their own defense. Demeanor: • Casual, non-professionals. • Prima Donna Br. officers with servants & tea settings. tactics.

1757 William Pitt Becomes Foreign Minister A He understood colonial concerns. A He offered them a compromise: - col. loyalty & mil. cooperation-->Br. would reimburse col. assemblies for their costs. - Lord Loudoun would be removed. RESULTS? Colonial morale increased by 1758.

1758 -1761 The Tide Turns for England * By 1761, Sp. has become an ally of Fr.

1763 Treaty of Paris France --> lost her Canadian possessions, most of her empire in India, and claims to lands east of the Mississippi River. Spain --> got all French lands west of the Mississippi River, New Orleans, but lost Florida to England --> got all French lands in Canada, exclusive rights to Caribbean slave trade, and commercial dominance in India.

North America in 1763

Effects of the War on Britain? 1. It increased her colonial empire in the Americas. 2. It greatly enlarged England’s debt. 3. Britain’s contempt for the colonials created bitter feelings. Therefore, England felt that a major reorganization of her American Empire was necessary!

Effects of the War on the American Colonials 1. It united them against a common enemy for the first time. 2. It created a socializing experience for all the colonials who participated. 3. It created bitter feelings towards the British that would only intensify.

The Aftermath: Tensions Along the Frontier 1763 Pontiac’s Rebellion Fort Detroit British “gifts” of smallpox-infected blankets from Fort Pitt.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

BACKLASH! British Proclamation Line of 1763. Colonials Paxton Boys (PA)

Tar and Feathering

The Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)

The Gaspee Incident (1772) Providence, RI coast

Committees of Correspondence Purpose warn neighboring colonies about incidents with Br. broaden the resistance movement.

Tea Act (1773) 8 British East India Co. : § Monopoly on Br. tea imports. § Many members of Parl. held shares. § Permitted the Co. to sell tea directly to cols. without col. middlemen (cheaper tea!) 8 North expected the cols. to eagerly choose the cheaper tea.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

The Coercive or Intolerable Acts 1. Closed Boston (1774) Harbor 2. Banned town meetings Lord North 2. New Quartering Act 4. Administration of Justice Act

First Continental Congress (1774) 55 delegates from 12 colonies Agenda How to respond to the Coercive Acts 1 vote per colony represented.

The British Are Coming. . . Paul Revere & William Dawes make their midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British soldiers.

The Shot Heard ’Round the World! Lexington & Concord – April 18, 1775

The “Shot Heard Round the World” • British soldiers in Boston were sent to capture the militias weapons. • Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Israel Bissell warned the colonists that, “The Red Coats are coming. ” • British troops marched to Concord to capture colonial leaders and the ammunition and weapons that were stored there. • The first two battles of the American Revolution were fought at Lexington and Concord, when the American militia met up with British forces.

The Second Continental Congress (1775) Olive Branch Petition

Thomas Paine: Common Sense

Common Sense • Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine was a pamphlet that encouraged colonists to declare independence from Great Britain. • Common Sense was very influential because it was read by many people.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

The Declaration of Independence • The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. • The main writer was Thomas Jefferson. • The Declaration of Independence was written to tell the world that the United States was now a free and independent county, free from the rule of King George III and Great Britain. • Your assignment follows.

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

evident • Obvious, clear • Easy or clear to understand

endowed • Given, gifted • To give somebody something they want

unalienable • cannot be taken away

Liberty • Freedom, independence

pursuit • Search, quest, striving, goal, aim, objective

secure • Protect, Safe • Protected from danger

instituted • begun, founded, established • To start something, to get underway

consent • Permission • To give permission or approval for something to happen.

alter • A change or adjustment to something

abolish • destroy, terminate, eliminate, extinguish • To put an end to something

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

alter • A change or adjustment to something

The Second Continental Congress • The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to discuss the next move of the colonists. • Appointed George Washington as commander of the colonial army. • War with Great Britain was imminent.

Declaration of Independence

Independence Hall

New National Symbols

Cornwallis’ Surrender at Yorktown: “The World Turned Upside Down!” Painted by John Trumbull, 1797

The Aftermath • Treaty of Paris – Brits acknowledge Amer Indep – New borders: • S: Florida • W: Miss R • N: Canada – Amers agreed to protect Loyalists property and British creditors.

North America After the Treaty of Paris, 1783

What is a Republic? • A gov’t in which citizens rule through elected officials • Why choose this over a direct democracy? – Concern over too much power in the hands of an uneducated people • Two thoughts on republicanism: – Place the nation above the self – self-interest will benefit the whole

State Constitutions Most had strong governors with veto power. Most had bicameral legislatures. Property required for voting. Some had universal white male suffrage. Most had bills of rights. Many had a continuation of stateestablished religions while others disestablished religion.

Confederation • Confederation: loose agreement – League of friendship • Allowed the states to maintain their power BUT share some power with a national gov’t

Articles of Confederation • New gov’t system with shared powers between states and national gov’t – One-house legislature with one vote per state – National gov’t primarily deal with its debt and foreign relations

Powers of the National Gov Declare war Make peace Sign treaties Borrow money Set standards for coins, weights, measures • Est post office • Deal with NA’s • • •

Powers denied to the Nat Gov • No Separate executive dept • No national court system to interpret laws

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Political: No president Too hard to pass laws No court system Economic: No power to collect taxes No power to regulate trade No power to coin money

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Foreign relations problems American gov’t could not repay its debts and would not compensate loyalists for property destruction

Debt problems • Why did the gov’t seize farms? – States raised taxes to pay off creditors – farmers could not pay taxes – farmers in debt get sued and lose land

Shays’ Rebellion: 1786 -7 Uprising led by Daniel Shays in Western Mass. Small farmers angered by crushing debts, taxes, and lost land.

Shays’ Rebellion: 1786 -7

Shays’ Rebellion: 1786 -7 There could be no stronger evidence of the want of energy in our governments than these disorders. -- George Washington

Settling Western Land

Indian Land Cessions: 1768 -1799

Disputed Territorial Claims Between Spain & the U. S. : 1783 -1796

State Claims to Western Lands

The United States in 1787

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 One of the major accomplishments of the Confederation Congress! Statehood achievd in three stages: 1. Congress appointed 3 judges & a governor to govern the territory. 2. When population reached 5, 000 adult male landowners elect territorial legislature. 3. When population reached 60, 000 elect delegates to a state constitutional convention.

Land Ordinance of 1785 Creation of a system for surveying land in order for the gov’t to sell it.

Remember Shays’ Rebellion? What was it evidence of?

Shays’ Rebellion: 1786 -7 There could be no stronger evidence of the want of energy in our governments than these disorders. -- George Washington

Shays’ Rebellion: 1786 -7 There could be no stronger evidence of the want of energy in our governments than these disorders. -- George Washington

Annapolis Convention (1786) 12 reps from 5 states meet to talk about trade problems. Realized that delegates needed to meet in Philadelphia to discuss the whole sorry mess.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE of 1787

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE I. CONFEDERATION: a group of loosely joined, but sovereign states.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE A. Problem: Many states made claims to the western lands (Northwest Territory). Ø Boundaries of the Northwest Territory: Great Lakes (north), Pennsylvania (east), Ohio River (south), Mississippi River (west)

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE B. Solution to the Problem: All states agreed to cede (give) their claims to Congress, so Congress can sell the land for the good of the country (confederation). NATIONAL DOMAIN – Public land

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE II. A. LAND ORDINANCE of 1785: Congress’s plan to sell the land of the Northwest Territory. Rectangular Survey System – carefully surveyed the land into squares to be sold.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE 1. Township – the largest division of land. It is thirty-six square miles.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE 2. Section – 36 sections in a township. It is one square mile or 640 acres.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE 3. Acre – the smallest division of land. It sold for $1 per acre. The average size farm was 40 acre. So, it sold for $40.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE B. Education – the sale from one section of each township goes to start a school for that township. How much went for education? Answer: $640

III. THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE of 1787 this document establishes… ü the principles and procedures for the orderly expansion of the United States.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE of 1787 A. Statehood: 1. When the population reaches 5, 000 adult males the area can: a. elect it’s own legislature. b. send non-voting members to Congress.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE of 1787 2. When the population reaches 60, 000 adult males the area can: a. can write a state constitution and apply for statehood. b. If Congress approves the state Constitution that area will become a state.

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE of 1787 Five states: Ohio (1803) Indiana (1816) Illinois (1818) Michigan (1837) Wisconsin (1848)

THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE of 1787 Rights Guaranteed: 1. 2. 3. 4. Trial by jury Public education Freedom of religion Prohibition of slavery