Chapter 4: The American Revolution (1765-1783)

Section 1: Causes of the Revolution

• Colonial political heritage
  • Natural rights and self-government traditions: due process, trial by jury, freedom of the press; long-standing belief that rights come from the people, not the Crown.
  • Cherished right: pay no tax unless taxed by elected representatives (no taxation without representation).
  • Colonial governments resembled Britain’s model but evolved with elected assemblies and locally chosen legislatures.
• British government and colonial differences
  • Britain: three branches; monarch (executive), Parliament (House of Lords and House of Commons).
  • Colonies: two-house colonial legislatures (assembly and council) and governors appointed by the Crown; no colonial representation in Parliament.
  • By 1760, assemblies gained power at the expense of royal governors; fear of salaries being paid by Crown to make governors less responsive to assemblies.
• Why taxes were imposed and how colonists reacted
  • After the Seven Years' War, Britain faced debt and expanded costs to defend and administer empires; Parliament decided colonists should pay more.
  • Sugar Act ((1764)) and Quartering Act ((1765)) preceded the Stamp Act; Stamp Act ((1765)) was a direct tax on printed materials.
  • Taxation without representation sparked protests; colonists argued Parliament could not tax them without colonial representation.
• Protests and organization
  • Colonial protests took form in three main tactics: intellectual argument, economic boycotts, and violence/intimidation.
  • Intellectual spark: Enlightenment ideas (Locke, Montesquieu) about natural rights and social contract.
  • Patrick Henry’s Virginia Resolves asserted only colonial assemblies could tax colonists; widespread adoption across colonies.
  • Patriots organize: Sons of Liberty; committees of correspondence; Boston Massacre (violence) and the Boston Tea Party (direct action).
  • Nonimportation agreements and boycotts pressured British merchants to oppose taxes.
• Effects and evolving resistance
  • Parliament repealed the Stamp Act (1766) but maintained its right to tax colonies through the Declaratory Act; Townshend Acts ((1767)) followed, prompting renewed resistance.
  • The Coercive/Intolerable Acts ((1774)) unified colonies; First Continental Congress ((1774)) organized resistance and boycotts.
• Key concepts and people
  • Virtual representation debate; James Otis’s early cry against taxation without representation.
  • Key terms: Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, Intolerable Acts, First Continental Congress, nonimportation, Sons of Liberty, Daughters of Liberty.

Section 2: Declaring Independence

• War and diplomacy escalate
  • Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia ((May 1775)); assumes command of war; George Washington named commander of the Continental Army.
  • Olive Branch Petition (July (1775)) expresses allegiance to the Crown but seeks reconciliation; King rejects it and reinforces troops.
• Moving toward independence
  • Common Sense (January (1776)) by Thomas Paine argues for independence, republican government, and uniting states.
  • Public opinion shifts toward independence; Congress forms a Committee of Five to draft a formal declaration.
• Declaration of Independence
  • Drafted by Thomas Jefferson; asserts universal natural rights: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness; government derives powers from the people; right to alter or abolish a failed government.
  • Declares that colonies are Free and Independent States; outlines grievances against King George III; explains motives for separation.
  • July (4), 1776: Congress adopts the Declaration; promises to defend liberty with lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.
• Significance and imprint
  • Declaration frames the Revolution as a universal claim to natural rights and popular sovereignty, inspiring movements beyond America.

Section 3: Turning Points of the War

• Early imbalance and misreadings
  • Britain’s advantages: industrial capacity, ships, established empire; Americans lacked funds and experienced organization challenges.
  • British misjudgment: fought a traditional European war; underestimated civilian support and revolutionary tactics.
• Key battles and turning points
  • Battle of Bunker Hill (1775): technically a British victory, but costly; boosted American resolve.
  • Battle of Trenton (Dec (1776)) and Battle of Princeton (Jan (1777)): boosted morale and revived the Continental Army.
  • Saratoga (Oct (1777)): major American victory; convinces France to recognize American independence and formally ally with the United States.
  • Valley Forge (Winter (1777-1778)): Washington’s leadership and Von Steuben’s drills improve discipline.
  • Monmouth (June (1778)): demonstrated improved American capabilities in open combat.
  • Southern campaigns (1780-1781): Kings Mountain (1780) and Cowpens (Jan (1781)); Guilford Courthouse (Mar (1781)) show heavy British losses and shifting momentum southward.
  • Yorktown (Oct (1781)): Cornwallis’s surrender with French naval and military support; decisive end to major fighting.
• Foreign intervention and internal resilience
  • French alliance formalized in (1778) after Saratoga; French and American forces coordinate against Britain.
  • Spanish and Dutch support contribute in limited but important ways.
  • Internal civilian support, including women and merchants, sustains the war effort.

Section 4: War's End and Lasting Effects

• The end of fighting and peace
  • Yorktown’s surrender on (October ext{ }19, 1781); pressure on Britain to negotiate peace.
  • Treaty of Paris ((1783)) recognizes American independence and sets new borders; Britain cedes substantial territory to the United States.
  • France’s role shifts; alliance arrangements and diplomatic complexities shape the postwar settlement.
• Effects on groups and society
  • Loyalists: large-scale loyalty results in mass migration; estimates include roughly 90{,}000 people leaving, with about 20{,}000 former slaves among them; many settle in British territories.
  • Native Americans: treaties (Fort Stanwix, 1784; Hopewell, 1785) force land cessions and shift balance west; many tribes displaced by westward expansion.
  • African Americans and slavery: emancipation gains in the North; thousands of enslaved people seek freedom through joining Patriots or British lines; manumission in some southern states emerges but overall slavery persists.
  • Women: republican motherhood elevates status and moral influence; Abigail Adams advocates for women’s legal protections; wartime roles expand through domestic production, provisioning, and support for troops.
  • Global influence: the Revolution inspires later revolutions (e.g., French Revolution) and anti-colonial movements worldwide; establishes a model for republican government and rights-based governance.
• The legacy
  • The United States forms a republic grounded in popular sovereignty and natural-rights principles, while continuing to struggle with equality and rights for women, Native Americans, and African Americans.
  • The Revolution catalyzes ongoing political and social change and becomes a reference point for democracy worldwide.

Key Terms & People (glossary-style quick reference)

• Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, Intolerable Acts
• James Otis, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Sons of Liberty, Daughters of Liberty
• First Continental Congress, Second Continental Congress, Continental Army, George Washington
• Thomas Paine, Common Sense, Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson
• Benjamin Franklin, Marquis de Lafayette, Valley Forge, Yorktown
• Treaty of Paris (1783), manumission, Kings Mountain, Saratoga, Monmouth

Quick Reference: Major Dates (for quick recall)

• 1764: Sugar Act
• 1765: Stamp Act; Quartering Act
• 1774: First Continental Congress
• 1775-1776: Battles of Lexington & Concord; Second Continental Congress; Olive Branch Petition; Common Sense
• 1776: Declaration of Independence (July 4)
• 1777-1778: Saratoga; Valley Forge
• 1781: Yorktown (October 19)
• 1783: Treaty of Paris