Conflict with the Mother Country & War of Independence

Pattern of Post-War Revolutions

  • Historians observe a recurring pattern: major, costly wars often trigger revolutions.
    • Examples given:
    • French participation in the American War → French Revolution (1789\text{–}1799).
    • World War I stress on Russia → Bolshevik Revolution (1917).
    • World War II → Chinese Communist Revolution (1949).
    • Lecturer’s thesis: The French & Indian War (FIW) fits this pattern for North America—without it, the American Revolution might not have arisen.

French & Indian War as Catalyst

  • FIW (1754\text{–}1763) bankrupted Britain (mercantilist goal = hoard gold/silver ⇒ war debt violates policy).
  • Forced Britain to tighten colonial administration & raise revenue.
  • Removed French/Spanish continental threat → colonists felt less need for British army.

Wartime Strains (during FIW)

  • Writs of Assistance (search warrants w/o probable cause) suddenly enforced.
    • Northern merchants (esp. Massachusetts, New York) caught trading with French forts; Britain cracks down.
  • Two-Penny Acts (Virginia)
    • House of Burgesses cut Anglican clergy salaries from 4–5\,¢/lb tobacco to 2\,¢/lb to fund war.
    • King George III veto → Patrick Henry denounces royal interference in colonial taxation.

Post-War Military & Land Tensions

  • British army remained in coastal cities (Boston, NY, Charleston) ⇒ viewed as instruments to enforce taxes, not defend settlers.
  • Proclamation of 1763
    • No English settlement west of Appalachians; only licensed traders allowed.
    • Colonists (e.g., George Washington, Daniel Boone) ignore, settle Kentucky/Tennessee anyway ⇒ breeds resentment & frontier self-reliance.

New Revenue Acts 1764–1767

  • Sugar (Revenue) Act 1764
    • Lowered molasses duty (from 6¢ → \approx 2.5¢/gal) but demanded documentation; violators tried in Admiralty Courts.
  • Currency Act 1764
    • Outlawed colonial paper money; only sterling silver legal tender → deflation hurts debtors/farmers.
  • Stamp Act 1765 (first direct internal tax)
    • Required prepaid stamps on legal & printed papers (licenses, newspapers, dice, playing cards).
    • Payable only in sterling; enforcement via Admiralty Courts.

Stamp Act Crisis 1765\text{–}1766

  • Political responses
    • Virginia Stamp Act Resolves (Patrick Henry): only colonial assemblies may tax.
    • Stamp Act Congress (NYC, Oct 1765): 9/13 colonies; Declaration of Rights & Grievances → "No Taxation Without Representation" (James Otis).
  • Popular resistance
    • Sons of Liberty (Hancock, Sam Adams) intimidate stamp distributors (tar & feather, threats).
    • Colonial non-importation agreements (boycotts).
  • Outcome: Stamp Act repealed Mar 1766; but Declaratory Act asserts Parliament’s right "in all cases whatsoever".
  • Lessons learned by colonists:
    1. Boycotts work.
    2. Inter-colonial organization is possible.
    3. Fundamental disagreement over virtual vs. actual representation.

Townshend Duties 1767–1770

  • Tariffs on glass, lead, paper, paint, tea aiming at affluent buyers.
  • Renewed boycotts & violence; Parliament repeals all but tea duty (1770).
  • Smuggling of Dutch tea surges; revenue minimal.

Boston Massacre 3/5/1770

  • Snowball–rock–brick confrontation outside Customs House → soldiers fire, 5 colonists killed (incl. Crispus Attucks).
  • Sons of Liberty brand it a "massacre" for propaganda—growing distrust of standing army.

Tea Act 1773 & Coercive (“Intolerable”) Acts 1774

  • Tea Act = bail-out for British East India Co.
    • Granted monopoly; actually reduced tea price but colonists feared precedent of compulsory purchase.
  • Boston Tea Party 12/16/1773 (≈ 432 chests dumped); similar actions in NYC, Annapolis, Charleston.
  • Parliamentary retaliation—Coercive Acts:
    • Boston Port Act: port closed until tea repaid.
    • Justice Act: royal officials tried in England.
    • Massachusetts Government Act: power concentrated in royal governor; salaries paid by Crown.
    • Quartering Act: compulsory housing for troops.

Toward Continental Unity 1774–1775

  • First Continental Congress (Philadelphia, Sep 1774; Carpenter’s Hall):
    • Declares Coercive Acts unconstitutional.
    • Adopts non-importation & non-exportation (full embargo) vs. Britain.
    • Agrees to reconvene May 1775.
  • By April 1775, tensions erupt into armed conflict.

Lexington & Concord 4/19/1775

  • British attempt to seize militia stores at Concord + arrest Sam Adams & John Hancock.
  • Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott ride; "shot heard ’round the world".
    • Lexington: 8 Americans killed, 11 wounded vs. 1 British wounded.
    • Concord bridge & retreat: 74 British dead, 170 wounded.

Bunker (Breed’s) Hill 6/17/1775

  • Costly British frontal assaults ("don’t fire till you see the whites of their eyes").
    • British victory but \approx40\% casualties ⇒ colonial morale boost.

Second Continental Congress & Early National Measures

  • Convenes 5/10/1775; acts as de facto national government:
    • Creates Continental Army; appoints George Washington Commander-in-Chief.
    • Authorizes currency, diplomacy, and later Articles of Confederation.

Common Sense & Ideology 1/1776

  • Thomas Paine pamphlet sells >100{,}000 copies.
    • Argues monarchy illogical; continent shouldn’t be ruled by island; calls independence "common sense".
    • Shifts undecided \approx\frac13 populace toward independence.

Drafting the Declaration of Independence

  • Lee Resolution 6/2/1776 → committee (Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Sherman, Livingston).
  • Jefferson drafts; Locke-inspired natural rights (edited: "life, liberty & pursuit of happiness").
  • Adopted 7/2/1776; published 7/4/1776.

Foreign Assistance & Diplomacy

  • Continental Congress recruits military experts:
    • Baron von Steuben (Prussian drillmaster).
    • Marquis de Lafayette (French noble, Washington’s aide).
  • Goal: secure French alliance—achieved post-Saratoga.

Northern Campaign Highlights 1776–1777

  • British seize NYC; Washington retreats across NJ.
  • Trenton 12/26/1776 – surprise crossing of Delaware; captures Hessians; boosts morale & reenlistments.
  • Saratoga (Freeman’s Farm 9/19 & Bemis Heights 10/7/1777):
    • American forces (Gates, Arnold) defeat Gen. Burgoyne; entire British army surrendered 10/17/1777.
    • Turning point → France enters war 2/1778; Spain follows.

Valley Forge Winter 1777\text{–}1778

  • Severe shortages; disease & desertion.
  • Von Steuben drills troops → professionalization.
  • Reinforces soldier loyalty to Washington.

Southern Shift 1779–1781

  • British expect Loyalist support.
  • Capture Savannah 1779, Charleston 5/1780; rout Gates at Camden.
  • Patriot resistance:
    • King’s Mountain 10/7/1780 – "Over-Mountain Men" annihilate Ferguson’s Loyalists.
    • Cowpens 1/17/1781 – Daniel Morgan defeats Tarleton.
    • Cornwallis pursues Greene; pyrrhic draw at Guilford Courthouse 3/15/1781.
  • Cornwallis moves to York-James Peninsula for resupply.

Yorktown Siege & Surrender 9/28–10/19/1781

  • French fleet under de Grasse wins Battle of the Capes blocks Chesapeake.
  • Washington + Rochambeau march south; Lafayette seals land exits.
  • Allied capture of Redoubts 9 & 10 (Hamilton, French troops) → artillery dominates town.
  • Cornwallis surrenders \approx8{,}000 troops: decisive blow; British public loses will to continue.

Treaty of Paris 1783 — Key Terms

  1. Britain recognizes U.S. independence.
  2. Borders: Atlantic (E), Great Lakes (N), Mississippi R. (W), Spanish Florida (S).
  3. British troops to evacuate "immediately" (linger until 1815).
  4. U.S. pledges payment of pre-war debts to British creditors (often ignored).
  5. Congress to "recommend" restoration of Loyalist property & rights (little compliance).

Broader Significance & Legacy

  • Conservative Revolution: society’s elite (Washington, Adams, Jefferson) remain elite; goal = restore traditional English rights, not overturn social order.
  • Religious impact: disestablishment of Anglican Church; emergence of Episcopal Church; Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
  • Slavery:
    • 11/13 states restrict or ban transatlantic slave trade by war’s end; gradual northern abolition begins (PA last, 1801).
    • Yet slavery remains entrenched in South—contradiction with declared equality.
  • Political Foundations:
    • Articles of Confederation (wartime constitution).
    • Model of republic inspires later global democratic movements.

Chronological Quick-Reference (Major Dates)

  • 1754\text{–}1763 French & Indian War
  • 1763 Proclamation Line
  • 1764 Sugar & Currency Acts
  • 1765 Stamp Act; Stamp Act Congress
  • 1766 Repeal + Declaratory Act
  • 1767 Townshend Duties
  • 1770 Boston Massacre; partial repeal
  • 1773 Tea Act → Tea Parties
  • 1774 Coercive Acts; 1st Continental Congress
  • 4/19/1775 Lexington & Concord
  • 6/17/1775 Bunker Hill
  • 1775 2nd Continental Congress; Continental Army formed
  • 1/1776 Common Sense
  • 7/4/1776 Declaration of Independence
  • 12/26/1776 Trenton
  • 10/17/1777 Saratoga surrender
  • 1777\text{–}1778 Valley Forge
  • 1780 Charleston falls; King’s Mountain
  • 1781 Cowpens; Yorktown surrender 10/19
  • 1783 Treaty of Paris ratified