The Declaration of Independence
250 years ago…
The Resolution for Independence (June 7th)
Committee to draft Declaration (June 11th)
Jefferson, Adams, Franklin
Submitted draft on June 28th
All colonies had to agree
Rol passed on July 2nd
The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th
Introduction
States as unanimous by the 13 United States of America
Established that the documents are a necessity
Required to declare separation when political bonds became destructive to rights
Asserted the right of a people to assume a separate colony
The Preamble
“We hold these truths to be self-evident…”
Declared unalienable/natural rights
Including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Popular sovereignity
The power to govern derives from the consent of the governed
Right to revolution to re-secure rights
Revolution does not come lightly
List of Grievances
Largest single section
Provided a detailed list of specific complains adn abuses by the British monarch
Indictment of King George III
Justified the colonies’ desire for independence
Examples
Far off from the legislature and courts
Imposing taxes without consent
Denying local laws and trial by jury
Quartering troops and standing armies
Restricting trade and immigration
Ignoring the colonists’ pleas for relief
The Omitted Slavery Grievance
Part of Jefferson’s original draft
Opposed by SC and GA
The King’s cruel war against human nature
Violation of rights and of a distant people
A "Christian king” as an “infidel.”
“Determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought and sold.”
Suppressed legislation to oppose
Raising arms to “purchase” denied liberty
Resolution of Independence
Declaration of Separation
Dissolution of ties
All political association to GB are totally resolved
Powers of independent states
Full power of war, peace, and alliances
Conduct other acts of independent nations
Signatures
Representatives of the USA
A[[ealed to God for their intentions and pledged to one another
56 signers of the DOI
John Hancock
Average age 44 (26 to 70)
A Changed Meaning of Freedom
From the rights of Englishmen to the rights of mankind
Object of American independence
“American exceptionalism”
Impact over time and place
Securing Independence
The Balance of Power
GB fielded the greatest military power on earth
Well-trained, veteran mercenaries
Misjudgements and European enemies
Continental Army and militia
Mixture of training and experience
Homefield advantage
200k under arms between 1775 and 1883
1/20 males died (16 and 45)
3 million in today’s population
African Americans and the Revolution
Many of the enslaved saw a means to freedom
5k black men enlisted in the C.A., C.N, or militia
Freedom through service
Racially integrated companies within the C.A. and the state militia
SC and GA prohibited slaves from joining
Britain offered more opportunities for freedom
20k fought for the British, gained freedom
Fleeing to British lines, most left the US post-war
Dunmmore’s Ethiopian Regiment
Spies and guides
Native Americans and the Revolution
200k NA lived east of the Mississippi River
Nations chose sides for pragmatic reasons
Most sided with the British
Mohawks Joseph and Molly Brant made treaties with the British and loyalists
Some chose neutrality
First Years of the War
British commanders proceeded cautiously
Washington suffered defeats, but avoided confrontations
Howe attacked NYC after leaving Boston (summer 1776)
Washington defended from Brooklyn
Then escaped to NJ
Survival without victory demoralized troops
Army shrank to 3k (winter 1776)
Washington needed a decisive victory
The American Crisis
Thomas Paine’s essay was written atop a drumhead
December 1776, during the retreat across NJ
A boost in morale
Washington read it to his troops before the Trenton campaign
Crossing the Delaware River
Washington needed a win
Night of Dec. 25/26th 1776
2.4k troops, 18 cannons, and horses crossed from PA to NJ
Ice, snow, and sleet
9 to 11 hours to cross in the dark
The dawn attack on the Hessians in Trenton
Surprised, but not drunk
American victory
Followed by a win against the British in Princeton
Saratoga to Valley Forge
In the summer of 1777, a second British Army marched from Canada to link with Howe in NYC
But Howe was on the move to Philly
American victory at Saratoga
Washington’s army wintered at Valley Forge
Weather, sickness, desertion
Greene, von Steuben, and France
Global War
Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France
Recognized USA
Military assistance
Spanish and Dutch also joined the war against the GB
European goals
Complicated Britain’s war goals
War in the South
In 1778, the war focuses South
Numerous loyalists and social tensions
Occupied Sav in Dec 1778
Captured Charleston in May 1780
Americans routed at Camden, SC, in August 1780
Outright civil war in NC, SC, and GA
The War’s Nadir
1780 was the lowpoint in the struggle for independence
Congress bankrupt
Army unpaid
Numerous British victories
Sept 1780, Arnold defected to the British
Turning Points
Morgan’s victory at Cowpens, SC, Jan 1781
Greene’s victory at Guilford courthouse, NC, March
Cornwallis forced to withdraw to Yorktown, VA
Peninsula on the Chesapeake
“The World Turned Upside Down”
Battle of Yorktown
Killed 8k British troops
London lost support for the war
Negotiations began
Post Yorktown
End of major campaigns
Continued skirmishes between the Patriot and loyal militias
Frontier warfare between Americans and Natives
British occupation of major cities
Negotiations began in Paris (April 1782)
The Newburgh Conspiracy (March 1783)
The Treaty of Paris
Negotiations concluded in Sept 1783
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay
Terms
Recognized American independence
Britain ceded all lands east of the Mississippi
Fishing rights off the coast of Canada
US treatment of loyalists