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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: THE FOUNDING OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA -…
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: THE FOUNDING OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
THE THIRTEEN COLONIES: WAR AND INDEPENDENCE
Since the 17th century
groups of European emigrants (mainly Bristish)
had settled on the east coast of North America
why did they flee?
political instability
religious persecution in their countries of origin
The British monarchy organised the colonists
into 13 demarcations or colonies
The settlers had to pay taxes to the British Crown
A governor (the king’s representative)
highest authority in each colony
his power was almost exclusively military
for all the other matters
the colonists ruled themselves
colonial assemblies
Pilgrim fathers
Puritan Protestant emigrants who fled religious persecution
arrived at the Bay of Massachusetts onboard the Mayflower in 1620
After the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763)
the British
created a large permanent army in America
forced the colonists to fund the army through new taxes
colonists rebelled
Slogan: ‘no taxation without representation’
no representatives in the parliament in London
revolutionary process
in 1776
delegates from the Thirteen Colonies met in Philadelphia
declared independence from
Great Britain
George III’s rule
The colonies -> states
United States of America
American War of Independence
The British were opposed to the changes of revolutionary process
The colonists were supported by
France
Spain
United Provinces
After the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown
won by the colonists led by George Washington
Peace of Paris was signed in 1783
Great Britain formally recognised the new country’s independence
THE POLITICAL REGIME OF THE UNITED STATES
Constitution was drafted in Philadelphia in 1787
For the first time
political liberal principles
ideas of thinkers such as
Locke
Montesquieu
Rousseau
were incorporated into a country’s fundamental law
It's key points are still in force nowadays
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Popular sovereignty
US citizens hold the power
US is a federal republic
government functions are divided between
the capital, Washington DC
the different federated states
mainly independent
The separation of powers
The executive
president
the legislative
Congress and Senate
the judicial
Supreme Court
The head of state is the president
chosen by the House of Representatives every four years
Suffrage is used to elect members of the House of Representatives
The recognition of basic rights
to life
to liberty
to property
of freedoms
religious
printing
assembly
Members of the House of Representatives
were elected by censitary suffrage
only white adult males who owned a certain number of properties
were allowed to participate
6% of the total population
members of the Senate, two for each federated state
were elected by the state parliaments
universal manhood suffrage for white men before 1800
Vermont
Pennsylvania
Kentucky
universal suffrage
well into the 20th century
states in the southern half of the country
slavery
AMERICAN EXPANSION UNTIL 1810
US began its westward expansion very early
quickly doubled its number of states
When a colonised territory had a certain number of inhabitants
consitituded as a state
became part of the Union
enjoyed the same rights as the rest
