Transcript Slide 1

The American Revolution
• Actions by First Continental
Congress caused many in
Parliament to call for showdown
with rebellious colonies
• Over 4,000 British regulars already
encamped in Boston
• British believed resistance to the
crown concentrated in New
England
• Based on experience of French and
Indian War, British did not believe
colonial militias would fight outside
their local areas
British regulars
• Minority of British ministers were against action
as it might disrupt trade – others believed any
conflict would be more difficult than believed
(Edmund Burke)
• London ordered action in January 1775 but word
did not reach General Gage in Boston until April
• Britain declared Massachusetts to be in a state
of rebellion – colonial militias organized into
“minute men”
• Gage intent on
seizing stockpiled
arms at Concord 20
miles west of Boston
• Messengers warned
countryside and
patriot leaders who
were to be arrested
• The truth about Paul
Revere
Paul Revere’s “Midnight Ride’
• British troops
entered Lexington
April 19th - met by
~70 Minute Men
• Militia withdrawing
when shots rang
out – 8 Minute
Men dead
• British continued
to Concord and
destroyed supplies
Shots fired between militia and British regulars at Lexington
• British forced back at Concord Bridge by rapidly
increasing numbers of colonials
• Retreating British attacked length of march – reinforced
by 1500 additional regulars
• British reached Boston with 273 casualties – Americans
fewer than 100 (reality?)
British troops crossing Concord Bridge
• Colonial response
shocked British
• Colonials also
seized Fort
Ticonderoga and
Crown Point
• Actions brought
reinforcements
from other
colonies including
Virginia
Fort Ticonderoga – Lake Champlain, New York
• May 10, 1775, Second
Continental Congress met in
Philadelphia
• More radical than the first
• George Washington attended
wearing his uniform
• Congress organized the various
militias surrounding Boston into
the Continental Army and
appointed Washington its
commander
George Washington
• Boston impregnable to assault but
vulnerable to artillery on heights outside
city
• Continentals built fortifications on Breed’s
Hill (thought it was Bunker Hill)
• British assaulted the position several times
and finally took the position but suffered
severe casualties
Colonial militia preparing to fire on British troops advancing up Breed’s Hill (Bunker Hill)
British suffer immense casualties as they make three successive attacks on Breed’s Hill (Bunker Hill)
Out of ammunition, American colonials are overwhelmed by the British. Most of the American casualties occur at this time.
• The colonists lost some 400 versus over
1,000 British
• The Olive Branch Petition - battle caused
the Continental Congress to issue one last
plea to the king to end hostilities (in reality
a sop to moderates)
• General Gage was replaced by veteran
General William Howe and the king
declared the colonies in open rebellion
• Congress condemned the
crown with its adoption of
the Declaration of the
Causes and Necessity of
Taking Up Arms
• Congress authorized an
attack on Canada, and
created committees to
seek foreign aid and arms
• It also authorized the
establishment of a navy
and privateers
Privateer
• Declaring actual independence was still
being debated
• Hard to accept the casting off of ties to the
mother country
• Some patriots (mostly upper class) feared
the disorganized mob violence that had
accompanied protests against British acts
• Why?
• Idea of democracy scary – new concept
• Two events in 1776 pushed the colonies to
make the final step to independence
 The British hiring of Hessian
mercenaries
 The publication of Common Sense
• Written by Thomas Paine
• Pamphlet attacked not only king but
monarchy itself
• Read by virtually everyone in every
colony
• In spring of 1776 Congress
authorized privateers,
opening of American ports
to foreign commerce, and
urged colonies to set up
state governments with
constitutions
• A committee was selected to
write a justification for
independence – included
Franklin, John Adams, and
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson
• The Declaration of
Independence was primarily
written by Jefferson with some
editing by Franklin, Adams,
and the Congress
• It was officially adopted July
4th, 1776, two days after a vote
for independence was made
• The first part espoused the
theory that gave the colonists
the right to rebel (Locke)
• The second part was a list of
the king’s “injuries and
usurpations”
• The Declaration was written
in part for foreign
consumption – its main
impact was to anger Great
Britain
• Many foreign men offered
their services to the new
country
• Revolution was not new –
but the orderly and
thoughtful manner in which
the colonies were pursuing
the break was without
precedent
“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…”
• American advantages
There was some reluctance in Britain to war
with the colonies
The British army though large was inefficient
and ill-directed
Britain hesitant to commit large numbers of
troops with so many enemies in Europe
Distance from Europe
Early American victories – Montreal, nearcapture of Quebec
• American disadvantages
American militia made up mostly of common farmers,
laborers, and shopkeepers
 Money and weapons were
continually in short supply
 Colonists resisted military
conformities and discipline
 The Continental Army had
to be invented from the
ground up
 Supply problems due to
inefficiency and corruption
 Little knowledge of camp
construction and sanitation
• British advantages
 Superior British resources
including population (9 million
versus 2.5 million)
 Huge industrial capacity
 Large stocks of war materiel
 Mastery of the seas
 Well-trained and experienced
army
 Highly centralized (and often
ruthless) government
British regulars
• American colonies not united – many
Loyalists (Tories)
• Numbers probably 1/5th Loyalist, 2/5th
Patriots, the rest neutral or fence-sitters
• Tories lacked organization
• Tories and Patriots both attacked on
citizen level
• Battles between Patriots and Tories were
the most vicious (civil war?)
• Battle of Long Island – Americans easily
outflanked and defeated
• Howe’s indecision allowed Washington to
retreat to Manhattan
• Howe could have used navy to bottle up
Continental army on Manhattan but chose
direct assault that allowed Washington to
escape again
Battle of Long Island
• Washington eventually crossed into New
Jersey followed closely by the British
• New York campaign showed weaknesses
of Continental Army but also ability of
Washington to learn from his mistakes
• Washington crossed into Pennsylvania
while Howe set up garrisons across
Delaware River
• Many American troops nearing end of
enlistment – Washington decided on
surprise attack on Christmas Day at
Trenton garrisoned by hated Hessians
• Attack was complete success with capture
of over 900 enemy
• British attempt to corner Washington
ended with his escape again and a
successful attack on British at Princeton
Battle of Trenton
• Battles had little long-term strategic
importance
• Both Americans and British went into
winter quarters
• When spring came Washington had fewer than
5,000 troops
• British devised grand three-pronged strategy
 General Burgoyne would lead British force from
Canada down Lake Champlain towards Albany
 LTC St. Ledger would move towards Albany from the
west at Fort Oswego
 General Howe would lead a third force up the Hudson
from NYC
 The goal was to cut the colonies in half and isolate
New England
Burgoyne
St. Ledger
Howe
• Burgoyne captured Fort Ticonderoga on
Lake Champlain but advance bogged
down due to heavy artillery and wagons of
personal baggage and champagne
• St. Ledger also slow - stopped to attack
American Fort Stanwix where he was
forced to turn back due to attacks by
Benedict Arnold
• Howe never set out on his part instead
wasting time trying to trap Washington
• Instead of meeting Burgoyne, Howe
attacked Philadelphia
• Moves by Howe allowed Washington to
reinforce troops opposing Burgoyne
• Washington defeated at Brandywine in
attempt to protect Philadelphia from British
• Burgoyne failed in
attacks on American
entrenchments near
Saratoga
• American militia
flocked to areaswelled American
numbers
• Burgoyne finally
placed under siege
and forced to
surrender
Breaking through British defenses at Saratoga
Battle of Saratoga
• French – anxious to avenge loss to British during
Seven Years War
• Saratoga helped Americans persuade France to
join in on their side
• France and Spain recognized the American
government and supplied arms and money
• News of Saratoga made Parliament fear
American-French alliance – willing to lift all
coercive acts and pledge not to tax
• The British were too slow in making their
proposal - Americans already signed
treaty with France – British proposal
rejected
• War broke out between France and Britain
• After loss of Philadelphia Washington went
into winter quarters at Valley Forge
• Army supply system collapsed
• Troops suffered
starvation and exposure
• Congress debated
replacing Washington
with Gates “hero of
Saratoga”
• Hundreds of soldiers
deserted and officers
resigned
• The Continental Army
survived and emerged
smaller but tougher and
better trained (Von
Steuben)
Washington at prayer – Valley Forge
• 1778 Howe was replaced
by General Clinton
• While moving from New
Jersey back to New York,
Clinton’s British army
was attacked by
Washington’s forces at
Monmouth Court House
• The fight was a draw but
the Americans claimed
victory and held the field
of battle
Molly Pitcher – patriotic myth?
• Hoping to capitalize on Tory support in the
South, the British switched their focus to
the Southern colonies
• They promised freedom to any slave who
would join them
• Georgia was overrun and Charleston
surrendered – America’s greatest defeat in
the war
• British and Tory ruthlessness caused
many fence-sitters to join the Patriot cause
• Many guerrilla bands emerged – hit and
run tactics against the British
• Gates was given command of American
forces in the South and was defeated –
replaced by Nathaniel Greene
• War in the South turned into civil war as
Patriots and Tories battled
• Greene and Daniel
Morgan achieved
several victories
against British forces
• British forces under
Cornwallis withdrew
into Virginia and
concentrated at
Yorktown
Battle of Guilford Court House
American frontiersmen annihilate Tory force at King’s Mountain
Tarleton’s British and Tory
forces smashed at Cowpens
by Americans under Daniel
Morgan
• The French navy defeated a smaller
British naval squadron in the Chesapeake
and bottled in Cornwallis at Yorktown
• The French army convinced Washington
to march South and place Yorktown under
siege
• Cornwallis was forced to surrender
• Yorktown was only one of many defeats of
the British – they lost battles in the
Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and the
Mediterranean
• The British national debt had doubled
• The British agreed to recognize the new
American government
• America had agreed with France not to
sign a separate peace
• France and Spain did not want to see a
new America become too powerful
• The American agents, especially Franklin
and John Jay, realized the French were
not looking out for the American’s best
interests and negotiated a separate peace
with Britain
• The terms of the treaty
The boundaries of the nation was set at the
Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and the
northern border of Florida which Britain gave
back to Spain
Americans were allowed access to the Grand
Banks for fishing
British troops were to be removed from
American territory
The Americans agreed to prevent further
confiscation of Tory property
The Americans agreed not to impede the
collection of debts owed to British subjects
The Americans were able to secure good
terms by playing the great powers against
each other
• November 1777 – the Articles of Confederation
was submitted to the states for ratification
• All ratified except Maryland – issue of ownership
of western lands
• All states had one vote
• The Articles proved to be a poor form of
government – the central government lacked the
authority to impose taxes or to enforce the
powers it did have
• States contributed to the war
effort through militia and
supplies
• Congress also raised funds
by borrowing – Americans
bought $7-8 million in bonds
• Foreign governments lent $8
million
• Congress issued over $240
million in paper money – the
states over $200 million
themselves
• The currency fell in value creating high inflation
• Robert Morris, a Philadelphia merchant, was
appointed superintendent of finance
 He set up an efficient supply system for the army
 Persuaded Congress to charter a national bank
 Got the country back on a hard money basis
 Got more foreign loans based on his efficiency and
success
• Most all the states wrote state
constitutions
• Most had an executive (governor),
legislature, and a judiciary
• Power was concentrated in the legislature
• Most constitutions contained bills of rights
protecting people against government
• Many states took the opportunity of new
constitutions to make reforms
Gave western regions more representation
Abolished primogeniture, entail, and quitrent
Separation of Church and State
Northern states abolished slavery
Most prohibited the importation of slaves from
abroad
Except for Georgia and South Carolina, the
Southern states allowed individual owners to
free their slaves (over 10,000 were freed)
Very little social or economic upheaval
present unlike later revolutions
• Women achieved more rights such as
easier access to divorce but gains were
small
• Women did gain more influence as they
took on roles reserved for men due to war
• Education became more available for
females after the Revolution and female
literacy increased
• Most revolutions caused by nationalism
resulting in independence but it was the
opposite in America
• The colonies unified not because they
believed in union but to beat the British –
they became unified after the war because
of the growth of nationalism
• Nationalism arose due to shared sacrifice,
fighting together in mixed units, and
shared experiences
• The war caused many to move from one
colony to another - broadening their
horizons
• Common problems requiring practical
solutions brought states together
• The Great Land Ordinances
Western territories now owned by the
American government- not states
Land Ordinance of 1785
 Territories to be surveyed into 6 square-mile
townships
 Every other township further divided into 36
sections of 640 acres each
 Land to be sold at a minimum of $1 per acre
Northwest ordinance of 1787
 Established governments for the west
 Territories carved out of western lands
 Territories ruled by a governor until adult male
population reached 5,000
 Upon 5,000 territorial legislatures were elected that
could send delegates to Congress
 When 60,000 people had settled the territory could
become a state
 Government had to be a republic and slavery was
prohibited
• The Land Ordinances
allowed for a
systematic and
orderly way for new
states to be formed
and admitted into the
union
• These ordinances
were used as the
country moved west
• Religion
 Anglican Church broke from England to become
Episcopal Church
 Catholics came under authority of first American
Catholic bishop
• Education
 Noah Webster’s Reader and Spelling Book promoted
“American” English
• The Arts
 Paintings of American life, events, and people
 Books extolling American countryside and virtues