Causes of revolution and the American path to independence
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Flip to reveal answersWhat are the four categories of causes of independence movements in the Americas?
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Question
What are the four categories of causes of independence movements in the Americas?
Answer
Political, economic, social, and religious causes.
Question
What Enlightenment idea from John Locke justified rebellion against unjust rulers?
Answer
Natural rights — life, liberty and property — and the idea that government must protect these or lose legitimacy.
Question
What was the Stamp Act (1765) and why did it matter?
Answer
Britain's first direct tax on colonists; sparked the 'no taxation without representation' protest and colonial boycotts.
Question
Put these events in order: Boston Tea Party, Declaration of Independence, Stamp Act, Lexington and Concord.
Answer
Stamp Act (1765) → Boston Tea Party (1773) → Lexington and Concord (1775) → Declaration of Independence (1776).
Question
What did the Declaration of Independence argue?
Answer
That government exists only with the people's consent, that all people have unalienable natural rights, and that King George III's list of abuses justified breaking from Britain.
Question
Why was Valley Forge (1777–78) significant for Washington?
Answer
His army survived a brutal winter with little supply, proving the Continental Army's resilience under his leadership.
Question
Why is the Battle of Saratoga (1777) called the turning point of the war?
Answer
It was a decisive American victory that convinced France to move from secret aid to an open military alliance in 1778.
Question
What did France provide after the 1778 alliance?
Answer
Money, troops, and naval power — turning the colonial rebellion into a global war Britain could not sustain.
Question
What happened at Yorktown in 1781?
Answer
Combined American and French forces trapped General Cornwallis, whose surrender effectively ended the war.
Question
Compare a cause of the American Revolution to the Latin American independence movements.
Answer
Both were shaped by Enlightenment ideas and foreign intervention, but American causes centred on parliamentary taxation without representation, while Latin American causes centred on Creole exclusion from power and Bourbon Reform taxation.
Question
What was the Treaty of Paris (1783)?
Answer
The treaty in which Britain formally recognized United States independence, ending the Revolutionary War.
Question
In an HL Paper 3 essay, why should causes/reasons for success be ranked rather than listed?
Answer
Ranking and linking factors (showing how one enabled another) demonstrates analytical judgment, which examiners reward over narrative listing.
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Topic 19.6 hub
Independence movements (1763–1830)
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