The American Revolution

Colonial Climate

• Freedom of Speech

  • In 1725 five newspapers existed; by 1776 over 40 newspaper existed

  • Zenger Case: 1735 John Zenger, editor and publisher, brought to trial for criticizing NY royal governor

  • Under English law, it was a criminal act to criticize to “injure a governor’s reputation” Zenger was found not guilty on the ground that he told the truth

  • European literature and philosophy movement that taught human reason could correct and improve humanity’s problems

  • John Locke, political philosopher, wrote Two Treatises of Government where he reasoned that government is subject to “natural rights”

  • Power resides with the people, not the government

  • People have the right to revolt if natural rights are not protected

• National Character

  • Prior to the revolution, colonists enjoyed

    • Free speech

    • Free press

    • Tolerating different faiths

    • Economic growth and diversity, growing population, and land

    • Electing representatives

• Government

  • Governors served as the chief executive (chosen by colony owners, crown, or popular vote)

  • Colonial legislatures consisted of 2 houses: Upper and Lower

    • Lower House:

      • Representatives elected by the colonists

      • Passed or rejected taxes

  • Local assemblies made decision on issues of immediate and local concerns

• Rising Tensions

  • Boston Massacre (1770) Unruly colonists threatened British soldiers outside the customs house and shots were fired

  • Colonists resented the quartering of troops who largely protected British tax officials

  • 5 colonists killed

  • Role of African Americans in the colonies right for freedom

• Boston Tea Party (Dec. 1773)

• 46 tons of tea arrived in the port of Boston…no buyers 

• MA royal governor arranged to have the tea brought off the ship

• Before the tea was removed, about 50 colonists dressed as Native Americans dumped the tea into the bay

• First Continental Congress (Sep. 1774)

• Plan for a united response against the Intolerable Acts

• Met in Philadelphia, PA, 56 delegates (Except Georgia)

• Delegates included George Washington, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and John Jay

• Significance:

  • Boycott English Goods

  • Form colonial militia

  • Wrote the Declaration and Resolves of the 1st Continental Congress

• 2nd Continental Congress meets (May 1775)

  • Met in Philadelphia, consisting of two groups- those who wanted to declare independence and those who wanted to negotiate a new relationship with Great Britain

  • Adopted a plan to call up and organize troops from each colony, led commander-in-chief George Washington

  • Conflicted plan: wage war but demand peace…. Olive Branch Petition (maintain peace, say plz stop taxing, etc,) sent to King George

  • Created Declaration of Clauses (approved)

    • King released Proclamation of Rebellion in response

• Battle at Bunker Hill (correction: Breed’s Hill):

  • June 17, 1775 a true battle was fought at the outskirts of Boston at Breed’s Hill.

  • Battle is incorrectly names Bunker Hill

  • The British take the hill but suffer heavy losses

  • Americans see it as another victory due to the British casualty count

• Demographics of the Colonies:

  • Patriots-

    • Mostly from NE and VA

    • Drilled and fought for the Continental Army then would return home to manage businesses, home life and farms

    • Had ideological issues with Great Britain and wanted increase freedom

    • Generally were poor and less educated, with the exception of notable leaders

  • Loyalists- (AKA Tories)

    • Almost 60,000 American Tories fought for the British in the colonies

    • The British government paid their salary and provided them supplies during the war

    • After the war about 80,000 Loyalists emigrated from the states to live in Canada or return to Great Britain

    • They were the most wealthy, educated, and members of the Anglican church (church of England)

  • African Americans

    • George Washington (GW) rejected the idea of allowing free blacks to serve in the Continental Army

    • British offered freedom to slaves for service in their Army, so the colonists offered the same

    • About 5,000 African Americans Patriots fought in the war and were mostly from NE

    • By Yorktown (major battle), the Continental Army was almost 25% African American

  • Native Americans

    • Some tribes like the Cherokee and the Iroquois split their allegiance between the British and the Americans

    • East: The Iroquois Confederacy: The Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the Americans while the other nations fought with the British

    • West: Many tribes thought it would not be in their tribe’s best interest if the Americans won (if the Americans won, they would continue to push the Native Americans west, taking more land), so they supported the British.

  • Women

    • Not enough data on women’s independent positions during the war

    • Most sided with their husband on the issue of independence

    • They largely served as nurses/caregivers and cooks during the war, but they also maintained the home by working their farms or the industries of their husbands

    • After the war, women were seen as the key individuals responsible for raising future patriots

  • 2.6 million living in the colonies

  • Patriots: actively participated in the struggle against Great Britain, roughly 40%. 

  • Loyalists: Sided with the British (roughly 20-30%). Mostly New Jersey, New York, southern colonies

  • Neutral/silent: everyone else…(roughly 30%)

• Declaration of Independence

  • Jan 1776 Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled, Common Sense, that made that case that declaring independence was the only response to British rule

  • He claimed it contrary to common sense for a large continent to be ruled by a small and distant island by a king they had not elected.

  • His arguments were influential in garnering support for breaking from British rule

  • June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution to the congress to declare the colonies independent.

  • Five delegates, including Thomas Jefferson, formed a committee to write a statement in support of the resolution

  • The statement included a list of grievances against King George and expressed basic governing principles

  • The statement was adopted on July 4, 1776 and is known as the Declaration of Independence

• Strengths of the Colonies

  • Strong leader in George Washington

  • Familiar with the land

  • Guerilla warfare tactics

  • French alliance

• Strengths of the British

  • Well-trained soldiers

  • World’s most powerful navy

  • Lots of $$$ compared to the colonies

• Colonial Weaknesses

  • Little money

  • Few people to serve

  • Very small, weak navy

• British Weaknesses

  • Not as familiar with the land

  • Older style of fighting with facing the enemy

• Battle of Trenton

  • After Washington’s secret crossing into NJ from PA

  • Surprise Hessians - mercenaries hired by British

  • Major, inspirational victory for Continental Army

• Battle of Saratoga

  • Two battles in NY in Fall of 1777

  • The 2nd was a decisive American victory

  • Major turning point in the war

  • Inspired France to agree to Treaty of Alliance

  • Benjamin Franklin had one of the most important tasks of the Revolution. He was sent to France in 1777 in order to gain a treaty of alliance against the British

  • The French & British had long been enemies and Franklin was beloved in France. His popularity helped him secure the Treaty of Alliance in 1778

• Valley Forge

  • Washington has his army camp in Pennsylvania during winter of 1777

  • Over 2000 men die during brutal, freezing winter

  • Surviving soldiers emerge in spring newly inspired

• Battle of Yorktown

  • French navy arrives for support in Sep. of 1781

  • Oct, 1781

  • Lord Cornwallis surrenders to the Continental Army

  • America wins war

• End of the War

  • Oct 19, 1781 the British surrender after Yorktown defeat

  • British soldiers had to walk through a line of French and American troops as they left the colonies

  • Treaty negotiations began in Paris in 1782 - Ben Franklin, John Jay, John Adams, and Henry Laurens went to work out the details

  • Treaty of Paris:

    • Leaders: Ben Franklin, John Adams, John Jay sent to Paris in 1783 to negotiate the terms

    • British Terms: 

      • Repay all pre-war American debts to Great Britain

      • Loyalists can leave without penalty

      • Keep Canadian lands

    • American Terms

      • America recognized as new, independent country

      • Control all land to the Mississippi River