Exhaustive Study Notes: From the Boston Tea Party to the Battle of Long Island

The Boston Tea Party and the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts of 1774

• Context and Execution of the Boston Tea Party:
  • A massive British East India Company ship sat anchored in Boston Harbor, barred from docking at any station.
  • The ship served as a constant physical reminder to Massachusetts colonists of the authority of the British Empire and its disregard for colonial sentiment.
  • A group of colonists associated with the Sons of Liberty organized a protest, boarded the vessel, and dumped its cargo overboard into the harbor.
  • A total of $340$ chests of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor.
• British Perspective and Economic Retaliation:
  • While previous colonial boycotts were tolerated, the destruction of tea was classified by Great Britain as theft, illegal behavior, and deliberate destruction of private property.
  • A immense amount of financial wealth tied up in the tea was permanently lost, as the ruined tea could not be recovered from the water.
  • In response, the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts in 1774, which the American colonists termed the Intolerable Acts.
• Four Key Provisions of the Intolerable Acts (1774):
  • Closure of the Port of Boston:
  • The port was completely shut down, blocking all maritime trade into and out of Massachusetts.
  • The closure caused severe economic disruption, resulting in immediate unemployment for dock workers tasked with mooring and unloading ships.
  • Support and ancillary businesses were crippled, leaving local taverns, hotels, and merchants with no patrons or business traffic.
  • Restructuring of the Massachusetts Government:
  • Replaced the practice of electing members to the upper house of the assembly with direct appointment by the Royal Governor.
  • Strictly limited the frequency of local town hall meetings, directly suppressing the tradition of local self-governance.
  • Extradition of British Officials:
  • Permitted British officials accused of capital crimes or transgressions in the colonies to be transferred to Great Britain for trial.
  • Colonists viewed this as a protection mechanism that rendered British officials unaccountable, expecting British courts to acquit them.
  • Expanded Quartering Mandate:
  • Authorized the British military to quarter troops wherever necessary, including privately owned warehouses, office buildings, empty residences, and commercial properties.
  • Unlike previous troop concentrations (such as those limited to Boston Common), this act placed soldiers directly inside local neighborhoods to monitor and suppress resistance.

Colonial Mobilization and the Escalation to Armed Conflict (1774–1775)

• The First Continental Congress (Summer 1774):
  • Delegates from the colonies met in Philadelphia during the summer of 1774 to coordinate a response to British policy.
  • Deep political divisions existed among the delegates:
  • Massachusetts representatives advocated for aggressive resistance and early steps toward independence.
  • Southern colonies, such as Virginia and South Carolina, urged caution and were hesitant to commit to radical action, viewing British policies as less severe in their region.
  • Key Outcomes of the 1774 Congress:
  • The Continental Association (1774): A formal agreement across the colonies to cease all import and export trade with Great Britain.
  • Committees of Correspondence: Mandated the establishment of local committees across all colonies to enforce trade boycotts and share information.
• British Action and the Intelligence at the Boston Tavern (Early 1775):
  • British authorities viewed colonial protests as insubordinate temper tantrums and ordered military force to restore order.
  • Although no unified colonial army existed, individual colonies were encouraged by Congress to form local militias and collect arms.
  • General Thomas Gage was ordered to suppress the rebellion in Massachusetts, plan an arrest of Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, and seize colonial military stores gathered there.
  • The Tavern Incident:
  • General Gage and his staff discussed their movement plans while inside a Boston tavern.
  • A 12-year-old boy in the tavern overheard the British officers state that troops would march out the following morning toward Lexington.
  • The boy reported the conversation to the tavern owner, a member of the Sons of Liberty.
  • The tavern owner alerted Paul Revere, who executed his ride to notify Lexington, enabling the militia to move their munitions before the British arrived.
• The Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 1775):
  • In April 1775, marching British troops encountered local militia at Lexington.
  • The militia was composed of non-professional fighters, including local farmers, elderly men, and young boys with minimal training.
  • They faced professional, full-time British regulars who enlisted for life terms.
  • An unscheduled shot was fired by an unknown party, prompting an open firefight.
  • Outcome: $8$ American militiamen were killed at Lexington.
  • British forces advanced to Concord, but failed to capture Samuel Adams or John Hancock, finding that the stored munitions had already been removed.

The Second Continental Congress and the Path to Independence (1775–1776)

• Establishment of a Revolutionary Government (May 1775):
  • The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in May 1775 as hostilities expanded.
  • Congress assumed the governance of the colonies by:
  • Appointing George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the military, selected for his combat experience in the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) and frontier conflicts.
  • Purchasing military supplies and ammunition.
  • Printing an independent colonial currency.
  • Despite creating a military and printing money, formal independence was not declared for another year.
• The Prohibitory Act (December 1775):
  • Passed by Parliament in December 1775, banning all colonial trade with foreign nations.
  • Enforced a total naval blockade of American ports until the colonies formally petitioned the Crown for a pardon and sought forgiveness.
  • The requirement to beg for pardon alienated colonial leaders and accelerated the push toward full independence.
• Impact of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (Early 1776):
  • Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense, translating Enlightenment principles into accessible language.
  • Labeling King George III a "royal brute," Paine argued that America must establish an independent republic.
  • The text cited John Locke's political philosophy:
  • Government legitimacy requires the consent of the governed.
  • When a government fails to protect natural rights, citizens have a duty to overthrow it.
  • Key assertion: "We have it within our power to begin the world over again."
• Formal Adoption of Independence (Summer 1776):
  • Delegates met in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776, as winter travel across unpaved roads connecting Maine to Georgia was impractically slow.
  • On July 2, 1776, Congress officially voted to declare independence from Great Britain.
  • Thomas Jefferson was tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence.
  • Congress formally approved and announced the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

The British Invasion of New York and the Battle of Long Island (1776)

• Military Disparities and German Mercenaries:
  • Great Britain deployed full military power against the colonies and hired approximately $8{,}000$ German mercenary troops, known as Hessians, leased from German princes at a rate of $\text{£}7$ per head.
  • The American colonies lacked formal defense manufacturing, systematic military training, and a naval fleet.
• Arrival of the British Fleet in New York Harbor (July 1776):
  • In July 1776, a massive British fleet anchored in New York Harbor, described by observers as looking like a "moving forest of pine trees."
  • Composition of the British Force:
  • $30{,}000$ military troops.
  • $10{,}000$ Royal Navy sailors.
  • $300$ supply ships.
  • $30$ battleships carrying a combined $1{,}200$ cannons.
  • Represented the largest seaborne invasion force mounted by Great Britain prior to the 20th century.
  • British Strategy and Leadership:
  • Command was shared by two brothers: Admiral Viscount Richard Howe (Navy) and General Sir William Howe (Army).
  • Ambrose Searle, secretary to Admiral Howe, recorded news of the Declaration of Independence, noting the "madness of these deluded people."
  • British commanders sought a display of overwhelming force to coerce rebels to the bargaining table, viewing colonists as misguided British subjects rather than foreign enemies.
  • Naval Demonstration and Rejection of Pardons:
  • On July 12, 1776, Admiral Howe sent the frigates Phoenix and Rose up the Hudson River with cannons firing to intimidate colonial forces.
  • The Adjutant General of Howe's army met General Washington under a flag of truce at Colonel Henry Knox's headquarters on Broadway, offering official pardons.
  • Washington declined the offer, stating that Americans had committed no faults and required no pardon.
• Preparation and Profiles of the Opposing Forces:
  • British and Hessian forces spent two months drilling on Staten Island amidst extreme heat and mosquitoes.
  • Colonial Soldier Profile:
  • Included recruits from various states (such as Maryland, Virginia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut) experiencing regional rivalries.
  • Inter-state friction led to name-calling (such as "damn Yankee"), prompting General Washington to issue general orders forbidding regional insults to foster a unified force.
  • Profile example: Joseph Plum Martin, a young Connecticut farmer, enlisted for a one-year term and maintained a detailed daily diary across his seven years of military service.
  • Character of George Washington:
  • Highly focused on propriety and etiquette, maintaining strict control over a strong temper.
  • English traveler Nicholas Cresswell recorded that Washington was an honest man with "no vices, except, of course, ambition."
• The Battle of Long Island / Brooklyn Heights (August 1776):
  • On August 21, 1776, American intelligence reported that the British intended to strike Lower Long Island (Brooklyn).
  • On August 22, $15{,}000$ British troops landed unopposed at the southern tip of Long Island, outnumbering defending colonial forces $2$ to $1$
  • The Jamaica Pass Flanking Maneuver:
  • General Howe utilized local Loyalist (Tory) guides to scout American defense lines.
  • British forces discovered that the Americans had left the Jamaica Pass on their far left flank completely unguarded due to topographical inexperience.
  • While a detachment engaged the American front line, a force of $10{,}000$ British soldiers executed a covert night march through the Jamaica Pass, positioning themselves behind American lines.
  • Outcome and Colonial Retreat:
  • At approximately 12:00 PM, the British launched a surprise attack from the rear, surrounding the colonial army.
  • Regiments such as the Maryland troops suffered heavy casualties while holding off British forces to allow others to escape.
  • The only escape route for colonial troops was through the Gowanus Marsh.
  • The engagement resulted in a major defeat, forcing the remaining American forces to retreat to Brooklyn Heights, pinned against the East River under threat of British naval bombardment.