If you lived in the time of the American Revolution

By Kay Moore

Questions to think about?

• What were the political practices at this time?

• What were the peoples religious ideas?

• What were the social practices?

• What were the economic practices?

• Why did the American Revolutionary War happen?

Why is the 4

th

of July a special day?

• Before 1776, there were 13 colonies (like states) and they were ruled by England • The Colonists ( the people of the colonies) decided they wanted to have their own people rule them, not the King of England • They wanted to be free from England and create their own country • To do this they had to fight a war with England

The war was called the American Revolutionary War

• Not everyone wanted to break away from England- Those people were called Loyalists • If your family wanted the freedom, then you were a Patriot • There were 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast of America • There were 2 and a half million people living here at that time in history

Life before the War

• You could travel on the Boston Post road from Boston to New York then on to Philadelphia- the 3 largest cities in the colonies • There were also road from Pennsylvania onto South Carolina • All the roads were narrow dirt paths and it was actually easier if you took a boat to these places • There was mail delivery between the largest cities a few times a week in good weather, less in the winter • The colonies all thought only of their own problems • They did not act unified, but rather as separate villages, or colonies

New England

• The northernmost area called New England included Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut • These colonies were economically into shipbuilding, fishing, whale hunting and buying and selling goods

Middle Colonies

• These were New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. • The soil there was good for growing wheat and vegetables and fruits • New York and Pennsylvania were nicknamed the “Bread Basket of the empire”

Southern Colonies

• These were Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia • Tobacco was the main crop, grown on farms that were called plantations • Rice and Indigo were also grown

What started the Revolution?

• At first, the settlers needed and liked having the British ( England) help and protection • The British helped them fight the Native Americans and other countries from invading, like France and Spain • The British were like the mother, watching over them • After awhile, the colonists wanted to grow up and make their own decisions – just like a teenager

England controlled everything

• The British controlled what kind of trade they could have, and told people where they could live, and made them house British soldiers • The colonists also had to pay taxes for various products, like newspapers, land deeds, games and even diplomas • The colonists had no one in the British Parliament (government) to complain to as there was no one representing their interests

Patriots protested the Taxes

• James Otis, a Boston lawyer, told everyone they should not pay the taxes until they had someone in Parliament listening to their concerns • “Taxation without representation is tyranny!” is what he proclaimed • After many years of protest, Parliament took most of the taxes away, except for the one on tea. • This still made the Patriots mad enough to storm a ship filled with tea in Boston Harbor and dump the tea into the harbor in protest • This was called the Boston Tea Party by the British king

King George was mad!

• To punish the Patriots, the British closed the port of Boston, not allowing anything to go into or out of the harbor, until the tea was paid for, and the patriots apologized to the King • The Patriots decided it was time to organize as a group and protest formally the taxes • In September 1774, a group of men met in Philadelphia and formed the “Continental Congress”, to act as a government for the colonies

The British didn’t listen

• The British didn’t like the “Continental Congress” and bad feelings between the colonists and the King took over • The British decided to invade and fight the Patriots at Lexington and Concord Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775 • This was the start of the Revolutionary War

Who were the Loyalists?

• Not everyone was a Patriot, some were considered loyal to King George – they were called Loyalists, Royalists, or Tories • They thought he had a right to rule and his laws were fine and fair • They were afraid of the British soldiers • They often had family in England still and feared putting them in danger there • They also felt that a government run by the rich Patriots would be worse

The Loyalists joined the British army

• They were then called Red Coats, or Lobsterbacks, because their uniforms were Red • There were other units including the Loyal Greens, King’s American Regiment, Queen’s Loyal Rangers, and Royal American Regiment • Many Native Americans also joined the British side, and so did many African Americans who were really slaves • The British offered the slaves freedom from servitude in payment for their services to the British army • There were even German Hessians who the British paid to fight the Patriots • There were so many Loyalists in New York, they called the area the Tory capital of America

Who were the Patriots?

• At first, the Patriots just didn’t want to be taxed • Later, liberty became as important- they no longer wanted to be British, but Americans • They wanted to rule themselves and create their own government, as the United Colonies • Patriots were called Rebels, Liberty Boys, Sons or Daughters of Liberty, Colonials, or Whigs • About one third of the colonists considered themselves Patriots • When the war began, the Continental Army was formed with Patriots, some Canadians, and some Native Americans, and also some slaves.

• In 1778, 2 years after the war began, France sent money and troops and the Navy to help the Patriots • In 1779, Holland and Spain also sent money to help the Patriots cause • Help came from the other countries because those countries did not like England, not because they believed in the Patriots cause

Not everyone took sides in the war

• Many chose to stay neutral or not take a side with the politics of the war • Ben Franklin, was a famous Patriot, and his son, was a Royal Governor of New Jersey and warned the people in that colony not to act against the King • George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army, and his brother was a Loyalist • Some people like the Quakers and Menonites, did not believe in any fighting • Still others, like slaves could not openly express their feelings, but had to go along with their masters loyalties

How would life change after the Declaration of Independence?

• The Declaration of Independence was written mainly by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776 • Patriots now wanted the 13 colonies to form a new nation • Minutemen were soldiers who could fight the British in a minutes notice • Life at home changed, women and children helped out on farms and businesses • Sometimes young men would also go to battle with their fathers, playing the fife and drum, and young girls would help tend to the wounded

Money was scarce

• Each colony printed it’s own paper money to help pay for the war • Too much money was printed and it became worthless • Inflation took over and a paper dollar was worth only 1/4 th of a penny!

• Most soldiers wanted to be paid in gold coins, which still had value • Nothing was wasted, no bones, feathers, cloth or twigs- everything was re-used and made into something new and useful

News about the War

• Getting news about events that were happening was important to the Patriots • Each town set up riders who carried the news via horseback, until all the colonies heard the news • John Quincy Adams was only 9 years old when he got to be a messenger • Newspapers were printed in Boston and South Carolina. Newspapers in New York had a Loyalist point of view • In small towns there was a young boy called the Town crier who shared the news aloud • Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense which helped spread the word about freedom

Famous Patriots

• George Washington- planter from Virginia, became the commander of the Continental Army and later the first President • Patrick Henry- also from Virginia, a great orator- “Give me Liberty or Give me Death!” • Paul Revere- silversmith from Boston, a secret agent of the Patriots, and on April 18 th, 1775, made his famous midnight ride from Boston to Lexington warning the British were coming • John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson were the writers of the Declaration of Independence • Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman who helped the Patriots and gave them money and was a good soldier • Nathan Hale- was a spy for the Patriots, and was caught by the British, before he was hung, he said “ I regret I have but one life to lose for my country” • Crispus Attucks, a black man, killed by the British during the Boston Massacre in 1770- this act pushed many others to join the Patriots

Famous Women Patriots

• Abagail Adams- ran the family farm while husband John was at the Continental Congress, and encouraged the founding fathers not to forget the women of the country while they wrote the new laws of the country • Mercy Otis Warren- she wrote plays that made fun of the British and books about the war • Phillis Wheatley- an African girl slave, of the Wheatley family, wrote poetry for the war effort • Deborah Sampson- dressed as a man to join the army. Once discovered a year later she was given an honorable discharge

The war’s end

• After 6 years of fighting, the British finally gave up on Oct. 19, 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia and surrendered defeat • News spread quickly through the colonies and towns, and celebrations began • In September 1783, the peace agreement was finalized in the Treaty of Paris • Congress agreed to restore property to Loyalists who did not actually fight in the war, but many states didn’t do this