American Revolution

Why did British alter taxation?

Why did British alter taxation?

Debt (British Imperial Difficulties)
Colonial growth (The Situation in the American Colonies)
Americans didn't pay a lot of taxes (New Custom Regulations)
Wanted Americans to create a tax plan (Stamp Act)

Why was taxation a colonial grievance?

Economic depression (New Custom Regulations)
Taxation without representation (Stamp Act)
British shouldn't have absolute power (Slaves)

Why did disputes persist after the revolution?

Debt (Muckworms)
Fair taxation (Farmers Petition and Legislatures Response)
Assistance for French Revolution (Revolutions)

What military challenges did Washington face and how did he meet them?

Lack of training/funding/resources -> allies with French and Spain (Washington, Allies)
Shortage of men -> Incentives, drafted prisoners and drunks (Mutiny)

In what ways did the Constitution represent a return to British precedent?

Separation of powers (Locke)
Bicameral legislature (Plans)
Checks and balances (Convention Debates Issues)

The British Prison Ships (Atrocities)

Ships for prisoners of war, soldiers on ships, generals at home, ships packed full with diseases and poor conditions, prisoners dying rapidly, fight with British to get off the ship

Battle of Paoli (Atrocities)

Howe was going towards Philadelphia, Washington sent Wayne to attack flanks, Grey counterattacks, attack with bayonets, British won with less casualties, Americans claimed massacre, and used as propaganda against the British

Combat: The Test of Reality (Militia)

Militia had success because never faced a major British formation in the open field, militia was poorly trained, militia helps continental army, continental army allows militia to stay local, militia was successful when acting on their own terms or when British underestimated them

Adapting to War in America (British Army)

Quick to adapt to terrain, using different formations that were easy to uphold in battle, key to winning was speed and maneuverability, weakness was troop numbers

Commerce (Colonies)

Colonial economy grew fast, navigation acts restricted colonial ports, Britain had to buy from the colonies, favored the colonies, colonists started to buy more things, were able to get more done by owning slaves

Coverture (Colonies)

colonial women who got married became reliant on husband, had no rights, women were defined by motherhood, didn't want to be domesticated

Faiths (Colonies)

faith was based on founder, pay taxes to established church, George Whitfield - started the Great Awakening

Constitution (Colonies)

new Americas trying to emulate the British government, support of British soldiers, one sided elections, protests, weaker government, regulations (rioters)

Wars (colonies)

4 wars between British and French across ocean, 7 years war, royal navy won the Atlantic, Spanish allied with French, British defeat Spain in Pacific, British weathered a slave revolt in Jamaica, British were victorious because of financial institutions and better capital

Proclamation (Land)

couldn't go past Appalachian mountains, creates economic for families, father bought land for boys for future, land meant independence

Independence (Land)

hopes of landowning and becoming independent drove people to America, poor families moved west, settling early made settlers with crude manners and morals, speculators with connections made huge profits at the expense of Indians, government caused Indians great suffering

Regulators (Land)

settlers were forced to pay speculators with claims of millions of acres, refusing meant lawsuits rigged toward speculators, back-country regulators drove off sheriffs, lawyers, and speculators, militia was called, smaller scale regulators sold smaller claims at lower prices than NY government, green mountain boys helped enforce by driving out settlers who preferred NY land titles, Allen eventually led Vermont to independence

Association (slaves)

first continental congress, plan of union, continental association, inspection committees, people didn't like this

Burgoyne (Allies)

aggressive British general, bet he'd be home by end of 1777, plan to take ticonderoga and albany, rally indian support, & recover ny, surrenders @ saratoga

Philadelphia (allies)

Howe attempts to take philly, gave washington time to get reinforcements, wasn't successful, washington takes lots of criticism, camps at valley forge

Mutiny (allies)

army is shrinking, drafted prisoners and drunks, congress can't tax, no pay and hungry, mutinies were strikes where soldiers refused to do duty, ended in a promise for legal immunity and soldiers got paid

All Her Mite (allies)

needed women support to run shops and farms, shift in relationship dynamic

South (Loyalties)

british needed more loyalists, indians, slaves, capture plantation slaves, slaves worried for survival, british outrages lots of people and invasion began

Black Troops (Loyalties)

patriots wanted to arm slaves in exchange for freedom, didn't want a lot, Rhode Island raised a regiment of black recruits, John Laurens was a proponent of freeing the slaves, washington saw the slaves as a risk, ended up giving land and a slave to white recruits

Yorktown (Oceans)

the british headed inland to find the french, french had more supplies, results in a stalemate, washington to philly, british squabble, cornwallis surrenders at right time

Peace (Oceans)

went through france for peace negotiations, catholic vs. presbyterian conflict brought sympathizers, tensions between american commissioners, king george III wanted to leave throne, agreement made

Constitutions (republics)

no ambiguity, bill of rights, not super democratic, pennsylvania -> men can vote if lived in state for a year and paid tax, governor veto power and appointment power

Muckworms (republics)

war brought economic devastation, peace brought boom due to credit, spiraling inflation

Slaves (republics)

legal, profitable, accepted, unequally distributed, all colonies regarded slavery as natural, rhetoric used to justify racism was called into question when speaking of universal rights, patriots questioned slavery, slavery was doomed, enslaved had the virtue to deserve freedom