OCR A-level History - Declaring independence

What was the battle of Lexington and Concord?

- rebels had stockpiled weapons

- FEB 1775 Massachusettes declared in state of rebellion

- BR troops sent to seize munitions from Salem led by General Gage

- BR outnumbered and forced to withdraw

- colonists defying Parliament's authority and laws, but also openly resisting British troops

- 14 APR orders to arrest rebel leaders and authorised him to use force to disarm the population

- 18 APR, 700 soldiers sent to seize arms and arrest rebel leader

- 19 APR, path barred by 70 Minutemen at Lexington, 8 colonists killed

- 4,000 minutemen gathered to block BR path to concord

- military stores destroyed, failed to arrest rebel leaders

- 272 BR casualties

- 92 AM deaths

- 20,000 militiamen surround Boston

What were the results of Lexington and Concord?

- events April transformed political disputes between Britain and colonists to a military struggle.

- events in Massachusetts jolted military preparations throughout the colonies

- NY began to support Massachusetts and even conservative Pennsylvania assembly voted to raise 4300 militia.

What was the Second Continental Congress?

- met May 1775

- 65 delegates from all 13 colonies, 50-returning delegates ensuring some continuity.

- Newcomers = Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

- June, Congress voted on to take charge of hostilities and assumed responsibility for the army around Boston and impressing a quota on each colony to enable them to raise a Continental Army of 20,000 men.

- mid-June Congress voted to issue $2million in paper money to finance the army.

Impact and decisions of First Continental Congress?

- First meeting of representatives from all colonies

- Delegates split between wanting to fix problems with Britain and wanting to severe ties completely

- endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, which declared the Coercive Acts null and void and call on Massachusetts to arm for defence

- non-importation of all British goods, starting on in December 1774 unless Parliament repealed the Coercive Acts.

- Congress agreed on a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, acknowledging their allegiance to the crown but denying the colonies were subject to Parliament's authority.

- declared it could not raise revenue of any kind from the colonists without their consent.

- no coercive or legislative authority it provided a useful unifying purpose

- agreed again to meet in May 1775.

Impact and decisions of the Second Continental Congress

- form a continental army of 20,000 men from each colony, appointed George Washington as he has extensive military experience. He is a elite southerner and the congress didn't want it to seem like a bunch of radical northerners, so he gave it legitimacy and there was hope the south would now join the resistance from his leadership

- Give army $2million in paper money

- Write and adopt olive branch petition. Begging George III to prevent hostile measures and reconcile.

- Adopt the declaration of the causes and necessities of taking up arms saying they would rather die than be enslaved

- All governors had been replaced by rebel governments

- Congress have to be the body to formally declare independence, however the delegations within the Congress could not declare independence without prior authorisation from the colonial conventions, therefore the momentum for independence had to originate from within the colonies.

- finally all 13 colonies working as a united force against the British. They were working more independently and organised for example creating their own army.

- Made and signed the declaration of independence

What was the First Continental Congress?

Met in 1774, and they were representatives of American colonies who got together in Philadelphia. This meeting is against the law, so it is an act of Revolution. It was to coordinate opposition to coercive acts

Why was Washington appointed to command continental army?

- natural aristocratic manners

- wore militia colonel uniform to every meeting, to remind congress of his military experience from 7 years war

- From Virginia, southerner, unified mainly New England army

- wealthy tobacco planter, 35,000 acres

- member of elite

What efforts were made to reconcile with Britain?

- similar attributes to national gov but didn't want that role

- colonial conventions instructed delegates to seek reconciliation with Britain

- Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms

- Olive branch petition

What was the Olive Branch Petition?

a letter written to King George stating their attachment to him and begging prevention of hostile measures and asking for reconciliation. To convince moderates that congress did not want independence except as a last resort.

George refused to listen to illegal body waging war against his troops and dismissed petition.

What was the declaration of the causes and necessities of taking up arms?

- describes colonists view of unconstitutional effort of Parliament to extend jurisdiction following 7 years war

- Objection to policies such as taxation without representation, coercive acts, declaratory act and extending vice admiralty courts

- Describes for 10 years colonists petitioned for redress of their grievances, which went ignored by British

- Even though troops have been sent to enforce unconstitutional acts, insists colonists do not yet seek independence

- have 'taken up arms in defence of Freedom that is our birth right which we ever enjoyed until the late Violation of it' and will 'lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the Aggressors'

What was Howe's leadership like?

- Replaces Gage

- Very cautious and looses chance to attack when he had an advantage in winter

- Calls on Navy

What was Washington's leadership like?

- Unimpressed by troops as they are untrained farmers who don't follow instructions, had hardly any weaponry like gunpowder

- Helped transform and improve the army massively

- Rushed the invasion of Canada leading to failure

- After winter gets restocked with loads more men and supplies

What was the battle of Bunker hill?

- May 1775, Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne arrived in Boston with a few thousand reinforcements

- June, colonists try to occupy Bunker hill overlooking Boston

- 1,500 accidently went up wrong hill

- Howe launched attack, damaging AM but lost 1000 of 2500 men

- BR commanders underestimated enthusiasm of militia

What was the invasion of Canada?

- summer 1775, congress want to invade Canada with hope FR would join rebellion

- Montgomery +1200 march along Champlain waterway, Arnold +1000 along Maine

- Montgomery capture Montreal 13 NOV

- met Arnold in Quebec with 700 sick and hungry men

- attack need to be made quick as enlistments expire at end of year

- region defended by 1,800 men FR and CAN militia

- AM assault in snowstorm DEC 31 failed

- Lack of supplies and smallpox meant many deserted

- BR gained reinforcement in spring = end siege

What was the standoff in Boston 75-76?

- Washington want to reclaim Boston but discouraged by politicians wanting to protect city, strength of BR, shortage of munitions and many men leaving

- mid-winter, army suffering from dysentery, typhus and typhoid fever and fallen in number so much reinforced British troops outnumbered the colonial troops besieging the city

- even with high numerical advantage Howe did nothing

- BR army 9000 troops stayed in Boston doing nothing letting colonists rebuil

What was the evacuation of Boston?

- 1776, Washington's army restocked with militiamen who fought in 7 Years' War, reinforced in Feb by commander Knox who transported captured artillery more than 300 miles to Boston using sledges, boats and wagons.

- MAR 17000 AM, captured Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston, making British position in Boston too vulnerable to attack

- 17 MAR, Howe with 1000 loyalists evacuated to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Britain's main naval base.

What were initial problems for BR?

- Lost 1000 men at bunker hill

- Very cautious and doesn't want to risk losing troops so does nothing but sit all winter

- arrogant

What were initial problems for continental army?

- Officers elected by men and did not enforce rules

- Poorly trained, poorly equipped, poorly disciplined

- Lack of weaponry, less than 50 cannons, lack of gunpowder

- Get to go home 31st December so rush leading to failure

- Unprepared and get sick with disease really easily

What did Washington do to improve continental army?

curb militia's democratic excesses, delivered a sharp distinction of rank, he also believed improving the officers corps was essential.

Incompetent officers and those guilty of misconduct were removed, those who retained their rank were distinguished from ordinary troops by special officer insignia. Washington also set about imposing discipline on all troops.

Offenses from card-playing to desertion were punished by flogging.

Arguments for Declaring Independence?

- Continental Congress having to fight war and manage army currently

- Britain declared colonies in state of rebellion and using military force against them

- Royal Governors fled colonies which are now governing themselves with makeshift colonial congresses

- Prohibitory act blockaded American ports and American ships can be sunk by royal navy, Colonies cut of from BR

- Congress fears other countries will not help while continue to be part of BR empire

- Rhode Island declared independence from crown, removing all references in their laws

- BR promised freedom to any slaves who join BR military

Arguments against declaring independence?

- Colonists fear being worse off with Independence as they gain benefits from ties with BR

- Congress doesn't have authority to Declare Independence by itself, Delegates are instructed by their colonies

- Elites fear rebellion and revolution against BR might see lower classes rebel and overthrow elite

- Colonists fear severing ties will leave them vulnerable to conquest by FR or SP

- colonists fear breaking ties with BR may mean individual colonies split up

Why could the 2 sides not find a compromise by early 1776?

- George wanted control, subjugation

- Several months of combat weakened ties

- Governor Dunmore of Virginia offered slaves freedom

- Prohibitory act; Britain controlled trade around America and cut them off from the rest of the world

- Cut of from Britain in general as governors have left

- Brutal hiring germane mercenaries known for killing civilians

Why was Common Sense important in 1776?

- Written in a straightforward way

- Offering powerful arguments for independence

- Englishman being critical of English system

Why did Congress require the decision of independence to be unanimous?

- Did not have prior authorisation from their colonial conventions

- Needed the independence to be agreed by each government so it is not a dictatorship

- Wouldn't win without support from all colonies

Why was the Declaration of Independence significant

They were all united finally with a common goal to work towards in negative cohesion

What was the ideological reason for declaring independence?

- American political ideology owed much to English constitutional thought which emphasised the rights and liberties of free-born Englishmen and the limitations of Royal power

- Colonists repeatedly asserted they were Englishmen, entitled rights granted by English Constitution, Englishmen could not be taxed without consent as given by their representatives in Parliament, same applied to Americans.

- many Americans believed small clique of British ministers aimed to destroy American liberties, view was sufficiently strong among influential Americans in the decade before 1775 to view almost every British action as sinister

What were the economic reason for declaring independence?

- the trade laws and oppressive customs duties

- commercial issues weren't major cause, trade grievances are mentioned only once in the Declaration

- Americans realised they benefitted from the mercantilist system. It had been a factor pulling the two peoples together.

- not caused by high taxes, most lightly taxed people in the world, unpopular taxes/duties proposed by Britain in the 1760s and 1770s were low and colonists could easily afford to pay them. Principle, not economic hardship was the cause of opposition to the taxes and duties.

Why were the actions of the British reason for declaring independence?

- 1763 British ministries in an effort to squeeze money from America devised a series of irritations which propelled the colonies towards independence.

- gov forced the issue of Britain's power over the colonies and caused confrontation with the colonies

- Twice parliament had backed down, repealing the measures and by bowing to American pressure had undermined its claim to exercise control over the colonies.

- Britain decided to stand firm after the Boston Tea Party, there was insufficient forces on hand to deal with the rebels. The colonists may not have been so headstrong If Gage commanded more troops.

Why did the colonies declare independence?

- British Taxes

- Commercial trade policy

- political policy

- Use of BR military

- Grievances against Britain/ fear of Tyranny

- attempts to reconcile failed

- political leaders

- political ideas