CHP. 8 America Secedes from the Empire 1775-1783

How were the colonists able to overcome considerable Loyalist opposition and significant military and financial disadvantages in order to win the American Revolution?
How did the revolutionary movement use Enlightenment thought to justify separation from Great Britain?
How did the end of the war reshape North America and lay the groundwork for future conflicts with Native Americans, Great Britain, and Spain?

Who should govern after independence?
- Thomas Paine's work "Common Sense" (1776) argued that:
- All power derives from the people themselves.
- People are virtuous by nature.
Views on Governance:
- Some, like Thomas Jefferson, believed in governance by a "natural aristocracy."
- Jefferson utilized Enlightenment language of natural rights to justify American independence from Great Britain.
Democracy Concerns:
- Questions about how much democracy would be considered too much democracy.
- Speculations on the societal structure post-war.

Key Battles and Campaigns:
- Significant battles and campaigns occurred in the North, including:
- Invasion of Canada
- New York (1776): Low point of the revolutionary cause.
- Saratoga (1777): Turning point in the war.
Continuity of the Continental Army:
- The British were never able to destroy the Continental Army; General Washington's strategy allowed him to survive and continue fighting.
Southern Strategy:
- The violent conflict in the South, also characterized as a civil war within the region.
- Key battles included:
- King's Mountain (1780)
- Yorktown (1781): Marked the end of major fighting in the East.
Continued Violence:
- Conflict and violence persisted in the West into the 1790s.

Loyalist Opposition:
- Many individuals did not join the revolutionary cause, leading to significant Loyalist opposition.
- Reasons for Lack of Enthusiasm:
- White Loyalists faced cultural and social pressures.
- Enslaved persons often had loyalty towards their owners and feared repercussions.
- Native Americans faced existential threats and challenges during and after the war.

International Aid Significance:
- International support played a critical role in American victory:
- France (1778-1783) provided substantial financial aid, supplies, and naval support.
- Spain offered financial support and seized British territories, specifically in present-day Louisiana and Florida.
- The Dutch also contributed with financial assistance.
Impact on British Resources:
- The assistance stretched British military and financial resources thin.

Treaty of Paris (1783):
- The treaty significantly altered the political landscape of North America:
- Great Britain officially recognized American independence.
- Expansion of the U.S. borders significantly.
- Loyalists and British creditors encountered challenges; they rarely received compensation for lost property or pre-war debts.
Ongoing Challenges:
- Trouble spots continued to exist, including:
- Native peoples located west of the Appalachians.
- British traders remaining active in the Great Lakes region.
- Spanish Florida issues.

The ideals inspiring the revolutionary cause were rooted in emerging 18th-century beliefs about politics, religion, and society (Related to Chapters 7-8).
Enlightenment ideas led many American political thinkers to prioritize individual talent over hereditary privilege; religion reinforced a sense of American exceptionalism (Chapter 8).
The belief in the superiority of republican forms of government based on the natural rights of the people was encapsulated in:
- Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
- The Declaration of Independence (Chapter 8).
Despite the serious opposition from Loyalists and Great Britain’s military and financial superiority, the Patriots succeeded due to:
- Actions of colonial militias and the Continental Army.
- Leadership under George Washington.
- The ideological commitment of colonists.
- Aid received from European allies (Chapter 8).