Transcript ch 8 american revolution

The American Revolution
Causes of the Revolution
• Different Schools of Thought p. 162-163
• Whig View- championed in George Bancroft’s 10
volume history of the united states published between 18301870. Basically, the Revolution was romanticized as another
chapter in the story of humanity seeking liberty and fulfillment
of national destiny
• Imperial School- Challenged Bancroft and said
the revolution was a constitutional conflict within the British
Empire. America was moving towards self-government while
Britain increasingly tightened its grip. Revolution came out of
this conflict.
Causes of the Revolution
Causes of the Revolution
• Since 1950’s, two school of thoughts
dominate:
– 1. Neo-Whig, as promoted by Bernard Bailyn,
emphasizes the ideological and psychological
motives for the Revolution. A return to
Bancroft’s theory.
– 2. Neo-Progressives- Emphasizes the
socioeconomic struggle and class divisions
within the colonies as leading cause of the
Revolution along with provocations from the
British Parliament
Causes of the Revolution
Causes of the Revolution
On the Eve of the
Revolution ?
Britain
Americans
Advantages
?
?
Disadvantages
?
?
Second Continental Congress
• Met for the first time on May 10, 1775.
• All 13 colonies were present
• Conservative element was strong and no
widespread desire for independence- main
goal was to continue fighting in the hope that
the King and Parliament would address their
grievances
• Drafted new appeals to Parliament and the
King, but they were spurned
• Adopted measures to raise money and to
create an army and navy. However, did not
have the authority to tax
• Most important action was selecting George
Washington to lead the army besieging Boston
and to lead the Patriot effort
George Washington
(Weaknesses)
-He never rose above the rank of colonel and his
largest command was 1200 soldiers
George Washington
(Strengths)
George Washington
• His selection was largely political. He
was a wealthy well-known Virginian,
he could not be accused of seeking
fortune.
• Most importantly, it helped mitigate
jealously and suspicions due to the
large New England force being
collected around Boston
• Lastly, as an aristocrat, his peers
believed he would check “the excesses
of the masses.”
Washington’s Headaches
Only 1/3 of the colonists were in
favor of a war for independence [the
other third were Loyalists, and the
final third were neutral].
State/colony loyalties.
Congress couldn’t tax to raise money
for the Continental
Army.
Poor training [until
the arrival of
Baron von Steuben.
Military Strategies
The Americans
Attrition [the
Brits had a long
supply line].
Guerilla tactics
[fight an
insurgent war 
you don’t have
to win a battle,
just wear the
British down]
Make an
alliance with
one of Britain’s
enemies.
The British
Break the
colonies in half
by getting
between the
No. & the So.
Blockade the
ports to prevent
the flow of
goods and
supplies from an
ally.
“Divide and
Conquer”  use
the Loyalists.
War of Inconsistency
• From April 1775-July 1776, as
the colonists were claiming their
loyalty to the King and trying to
patch up their differences, they
were engaged in fighting and
shooting the King’s soldiers.
Bunker Hill
• May 1775, (three weeks after Lexington
and Concord) Ethan Allen and Benedict
Arnold secured precious gunpowder and
artillery at Ticonderoga and Crown Pointe.
Also gained foothold on St. Lawrence
Seaway, allowing the future attack on
Canada
• June 1775, Patriots outshoot British at
Bunker Hill as patriot sharpshooters mow
down British soldiers. However, gunpowder
ran out and the Patriots fled. 1054 British
deaths to the American 440 deaths. In the
end, the Americans lose because they had
to flee. Proved to British that the
Americans would not always run when faced
the professional soldiers of the British
army.
• However, the British Army was in disarray
and near defeat.
Bunker Hill
• Just north of Boston, the British attacked in
three frontal assaults on entrenchments. They
suffered over 40% casualty rate due to the
positioning of the American Sharpshooters.
Death of General Warren at
Bunker Hill by John Trumbull
Olive Branch Petition
• In July 1775, the Continental
Congress adopted the Olive Branch
Petition.
• Professed loyalty to the crown and
begged the King to prevent further
hostilities
• King slammed door on reconciliation
due to the victory at Bunker Hill
• August 1775, King George III
formally claimed the colonies to be in
rebellion
Hessians
• After declaring colonies in rebellion of
the crown, King George III made
arrangements to hire German
mercenaries
• This shocked the colonists who
thought it was an affair within the
family.
• Many became “Hessian Flies”, in
search of booty and American land
Phase I: The Northern Campaign
[1775-1776]
The Canada Campaign
The Canada Campaign
Death of General Montgomery
John Trumbull
Evacuation Day
• March 1776, the British were finally
forced to evacuate Boston.
• Evacuation Day is still celebrated
today in Boston, feted on March 17.
Independence?
• As late as January 1776, colonists were
still denying the desire for independence.
Why?
– Loyalty to the empire was deeply
engrained
– Many believed they were part of a
transatlantic community with Mother
England as the leading role
– Colonial Unity was poor
– Open rebellion was dangerous, just ask
the Irish
– Even as late as January 1776,
Washington’s officers were making
toasts to the King
– But the hiring of Hessians and the
burning of colonial towns of Norfolk and
Falmouth shocked the colonists into
seeing the benefits of independence
Common Sense
• Thomas Paine
– Came to the colonies in 1775
– Was a impoverished corset-maker
– Wrote the influential pamphlet Common
Sense, which became a best seller
– Said that the colonists lack of desire for
independence was against common sense
since nowhere in the universe did the
smaller heavenly body control the larger
one.
– Also called the king a “Brute.”
Thomas Paine
Common Sense
• Called for a republic, where power
came from the people themselves
• Popular in colonies because they
viewed the royal acts over the past
decade as a sign that the monarch
was trying to strip them of their rights
as British subjects
Common Sense
• Colonies prepared for Paine’s form
of government due their
experiences
– Town hall meetings
– Annual elections
– Committees of correspondence
– Absence of hereditary aristocracy
Common Sense
• Civic virtue or citizen virtue– Since power not with the king, people
had to sacrifice their own personal
self-interest to the public good
– Collective good of the people mattered
more than the private rights and
interests of the individual
– Paine argued the colonies were ripe
for this type of civic or citizen virtue
Push towards Independence
• These United colonies are, and of
right ought to be, free and
independent states.”
• Richard Henry Lee made this
speech to Congress on June 7,
1776.
• Motion was passed, after much
debate on June 2, 1776.
Push towards Independence
• Lee’s resolution was the “formal”
declaration of independence and all that
was officially needed to cut ties with
Britain, but…….
• More was needed, an epochal rupture,
to give a formal explanation
• Also, it needed to be an appeal to enlist
other British colonies into the fight, to
enlist foreign assistance, and to rally
resistance to the crown at home.
Declaration of Independence
• Task of drafting it given to Thomas
Jefferson– He was tall, freckled, sand-haired Virginian
lawyer of 33 years of age.
– Recognized as a brilliant writer and lawyer
despite his young age (he was younger than
me when he drafted the Declaration)
– Formally approved on July 4, 1776 (fireworks
on the 4th, not the 2nd, as John Adams
predicted)
Declaration of Independence
Youtube of Declaration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcH
F9tEWGVA&safety_mode=true&per
sist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Declaration of Independence
• Grievances filed against King George III
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Imposing taxes without consent
Dispensing with trial by jury
Abolishing valued laws
Establishing a military dictatorship
Maintaining standing armies in peacetime
Cutting off trade
Burning towns
Hiring mercenaries
And inciting hostility among the Indians
Declaration of Independence
• Contradictory because “All men created
equal was a fallacy, Jefferson himself
owned slaves as well as many of the
men who signed the document
• Nevertheless, the document has stood
the test of time as numerous
revolutionary movements have used its
language against arbitrary authority.
• Lafayette himself hung one on his wall
with room for a future French Declaration
of the Rights of Man- born 13 years later
Loyalists
• War within in a war, Colonials loyal to
the fought the American Patriots who
also fought the Redcoats
• Loyalists also called Tories, after the
dominant political faction in Britain.
Patriots called Whigs, after the
opposition factions in Britain.
• In reality, the American Revolution was
a minority movement, with many
Colonists apathetic (did not care) or
neutral
Loyalists
• Loyalists, British, and Patriots not
only fought each other, but also for
the allegiance and support from the
neutral civilian population
• Patriots proved to be more effective
in this pursuit
– Loaded with Political zeal and the
ability to convince neutral colonials
that their fate lied with the Revolution
and not the Redcoats and British
Loyalists
• Loyalists numbered around 16% of the colonial
population
• Considered tragic figures because for centuries
the colonials were taught loyalty to the king
and country, which is usually regarded as an
honorable thing. However, in the
Revolutionary War, they are considered less
favorably.
• Loyalists were usually members of the wealthy
and educated classes and who generally were
happy with their status within colonial society.
They had more to lose with a revolution than to
possibly gain. Also, they tended to be amongst
the older generation
• Loyalists also were agents of the crown and
officials in the Anglican Church and their
congregations.
Loyalists
• Loyalists were most numerous where the
Anglican Church was most prevalent,
except for in Virginia.
• Also in New York City, Charleston, New
Jersey, and Quaker Pennsylvania.
• Loyalists least numerous in New England
and also where the Congregational and
Presbyterian Church was strong. The
rebels tended to live in these areas.
Loyalists
• After Declaration of Independence, many
Loyalists were treated harshly by the rebels
– Imprisoned
– Handled roughly (tar and feathered etc)
– Some were hanged
• Overall, though, there was no reign of terror like
in France or Russia. Leading Loyalists fled to
British lines and safety.
• 80,000 of the most loyal were either driven out or
fled
• 50,000 or so at one time or another during the
war bore arms for the cause or acted as spies for
the crown.
Loyalist
Strongholds
Phase II:
NY & PA
[1776-1778]
New York and Middle Colonies
Campaign
• After Boston was evacuated, British
used New York as their base of
operations (Loyalists present,
centrally located, and great harbor)
• July, 1776, a huge British fleet of five
hundred ships arrived with 35,000
men.
New York City in Flames
(September, 1776)
New York and other Battles
• Summer and Fall of 1776, disaster
occurred for the Americans as they lost
the Battle of Long Island.
• Washington and troops narrowly
escaped to Manhattan Island, and
crossed Hudson river to New Jersey.
Made his way to Delaware River
• General Howe failed to recognize the
American forces were prime for defeat
and he stopped the pursuit of
Washington and the rebels
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Painted by Emanuel Leutze, 1851
Crossing the Delaware
• December 26, 1776, Washington
stealthily crossed the icy Delaware
River at Trenton
• Attacked and captured over 1,000
Hessians who were sleeping off their
Christmas celebration
• Week later, defeated a small
detachment at Princeton in New Jersey
• The two New Jersey victories showed
Washington at his best and helped
save morale for the American rebels
Hudson River Valley and
Burgoyne’s Blunder
• British officials develop a complex scheme to
capture Hudson River Valley in hope of cutting
of New England from the other colonies
• Chose actor-playwright-soldier to lead the
campaign General Burgoyne
• Fall 1776. Plan called for Burgoyne to push
down Lake Champlain from Canada, Howe’s
troops would push up from New York to meet
in Albany, and General Barry St. Leger and his
troops would come from the west from the
Mohawk River
Hudson River Valley and
Burgoyne’s Blunder
• British officials forgot about Arnold.
• Arnold kept a tattered army together
and made a makeshift navy to fight the
British in Lake Champlain.
• Arnold’s tiny navy was defeated, but he
gained time for the Rebels.
• British retired to Canada and had to
launch the campaign the following year,
from Montreal and not Fort Ticonderoga
Hudson River Valley and
Burgoyne’s Blunder
• Invasion started with 7,000 soldiers,
who had to cut their way through the
forest. Progress was slow
• Howe, not following the plan, decides to
attack Philadelphia, the rebel capital.
Hoped to destroy Washington’s army to
give Burgoyne an easier path.
Washington will lose two battles at
Brandywine Creek and Germantown.
However, when Howe took Philadelphia,
he decided to relax.
Valley Forge
• Washington and his troops retired to
Valley Forge, 20 some miles
northwest of Philadelphia. It was a
hilly position.
• Misery, low supplies, terrible
conditions, but Von Steuben whips
them into a professional army
Saratoga:
“Turning Point”
of the War?
A modern-day re-enactment
France
• France was looking for revenge
after their loss in the Seven Years’
War
– Damage British prestige if they lose
their American colonies
– Also, France hoped to possibly regain
some of the land they had lost
Colonial Diplomacy
• Americans held some rebellious views
on international relations and diplomacy
– End colonialism and mercantilism
– Free trade and freedom of the seas
– Rule of law should trump the rule of power
• Model Treaty, chief author was John
Adams, who drafted it to guide the
American diplomats in France. It stated:
– No political connection
– No military connection
– Only a commercial connection
Colonial Diplomacy
• International diplomacy and relations
influenced by enlightenment views that
stated:
– Military conflict would be abandoned for the
mutual beneficial ties of commercial
interests
• Obviously, this view was naïve and
utopian, but it does help one
understand the ideological aspect of
American Diplomacy in its early years
Benjamin Franklin
• His clothing and persona deliberately
violated the norms of diplomacy
– No ceremonial sword, a plain white walking
stick
– Avoided regal outfits and wigs and wore
homespun garments and a simple hat
• His appearance shocked the court of
France with all their pomp and
ceremony
• But he was admired by the Parisians
because he represented a new social
order devoid of pretense and nobility
Home Rule?
• After Saratoga, Parliament, in 1777,offered the
colonies Home Rule. (a little too late perhaps)
• Franklin used this as bait to get the French to
sign a treaty of alliance. Signed on Feb 6,
1778.
• America’s first entangling military alliance and
against many of the protocols described in the
Model treaty.
• Acknowledged American Independence and
also gave very important military aid to the
cause and France pledged to wage war until
America secured its freedom
World War
• Catherine the Great’s Armed
Neutrality
– All remaining European neutrals
aligned together in passive hostility
against the British
• Spain and Holland also joined the
American side. So France,
America, Spain, and Holland
aligned together
American Independence
• Independence does not really occur until the
French enter the fight from 1778-1783
• Americans deserve credit for hanging on until
1778, but they garner victory when the war
becomes too big to handle for the British
• French forced British to change strategy and
the French warships helped eliminate the
British blockade
• The British decided to leave Philadelphia and
focus their strength on New York City
Arnold Turned Traitor
• Plotted to sell out West Point, for
6,300 pounds and an officer’s
position
• Felt his skills were not appreciated
by the Colonial Army
• The news devasted Washington
Phase III: The Southern
Strategy [1780-1781]
“Roll up the colonies”
Britain’s “Southern Strategy”
Britain thought that there were more
Loyalists in the South.
Southern resources were more
valuable/worth preserving.
The British win a number of small
victories, but cannot pacify the
countryside (led by Cornwallis)
Good US General:
Nathanial Greene (standing and
retreating, wore out his foe
Dark Period of the War
• 1780-1781 were some of the
darkest periods of the war:
– Inflation was at its height (repay debts
at 2.5 cents on the dollar)
– Despair prevailed, sense if unity
withered, and mutinous sentiments
infected the army
• But Cornwallis was falling into a
trap in the Chesapeake
Yorktown
• After an unsuccessful Virginian
campaign, Cornwallis settles in Yorktown
awaiting much needed supplies
• But the British had been blockaded by
the French, no supplies coming
• De Grasse joins the fight with his naval
bombardment, Washington and
Rochambeau pinch Cornwallis in at
Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown (1781)
Count de
Rochambeau
Admiral
De Grasse
Cornwallis’ Surrender at Yorktown:
“The World Turned Upside Down!”
Painted by John Trumbull, 1797
Peace Treaty
• Problems in Britain
– Loses in India and West Indies
– Minorca in Mediterranean had fallen
– Gibraltar ready to be taken over
– Lord North’s ministry collapsed
– A Whig ministry replaced the Tory
regime
• Basically, they were ready for peace
Peace Treaty
• Three negotiators for the
Americans
– Benjamin Franklin
– John Adams (New England)
– John Jay (New York)
• Told to make no separate peace
and to negotiate/consult only with
the French
Peace Treaty
• France
– Wanted to weaken Britain
– An independent America (kinda)
– Wanted to keep them cooped up east of the
Allegheny
• Spain
– Wanted Gibralter, but this seemed harder
than thought
– Land west of the Allegheny
• France caught between aiding Spain and
American, John Jay saw this
Peace Treaty
• Secretly negotiates with Britain who
wanted to entice one of their
enemies from the alliance
• Treaty of Paris 1783
– United States recognized as
independent
– Mississippi to the west, Great lakes in
North, Spanish Florida in South
Peace Treaty
• Americans had to do the following:
– No more persecution of loyalists
– Confiscated loyalist property was to be
returned, or recommended to state
legislatures to return it
– States vowed to put no lawful obstacles
in the way of collecting debt owed to
British creditors
North America After the
Treaty of Paris, 1783
Why so Kind?
• Trying to Seduce America from the
French alliance
• Whigs more friendly to the
Americans than the Tories
• Stop the bleeding, open up old
trade channels, and prevent further
wars over the trans-applachian area
Egalitarian Ideas
• With the loss of 80,000 Loyalists,
the conservative ballast was lost
and paved the way for the Patriot
élites to emerge.
• Also allowed for more egalitarian
ideas to come to the forefront
Egalitarian Ideas
• Property requirements for voting reduced
• Everyone was a Mr. or Mrs, usually
reserved for wealthy and highborn
• Indentured servitude essentially
eliminated by 1800
• Society of Cincinnati ridiculed for their
exclusive hierarchy order
• Trade organizations emerge for artisans
and laborers
• Some states eliminated primogeniture
Egalitarian Ideas
• Fight for separation of church and
state
– Anglican Church was disestablished
and reorganized as the Protestant
Episcopal Church.
– Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
• Argued for by Jefferson and passed in
1786
– Congregationalist church remained
established though
Egalitarian Ideas
• Views towards slavery change
– Philadelphia Quakers found first anti-slavery society in
1775
– Continental Congress in 1774 called for the abolition of
slavery
– Several Northern States abolished slavery completely
or provided gradual emancipation of blacks
• However, many just paper laws. No state south
of Pennsylvania abolished slavery, and in both he
north and south, laws discriminated against freed
blacks (barred from purchasing certain products,
certain jobs, and educating their children.
Interracial marriage also banned.
Why no fight against slavery?
• Many believe that the Founding
Fathers pushed the slavery issue
to the side in fear that it would
fracture an already fragile union
(confederation).
• “Great as the evil {of slavery} is, a
dismemberment of the union would
be worse.” –James Madison in
1787
Republican Motherhood
• Recently, this was a DBQ question on the test.
• Central to republicanism was “civic virtue.”
• So women concluded that they could serve the
new nation and republic by being great wives
and mothers.
• Elevates women to a new prestigious role of
keepers of the national conscience.
• As a result, educational opportunities expand for
woman with the idea they will be better
equipped to educate their children and nurture
republican ideas in their husbands and children.
• Ultimately, it gave an important role to women in
the new Nation
State Constitutions
• States asked to write new constitutions
that would give authority to the people
• Massachusetts, they had a special
convention in which the people directly
voted to ratify the Constitution.
• Only could be changed by a
constitutional convention.
• These concepts used when drafting and
ratifying the federal Constitution
State Constitutions
• Similarities
–
–
–
–
–
Power came from the people, not the King
Contracts that defined the powers of government
Most had a bill of rights
All created weak judicial and executive branches
Legislature given sweeping powers, because believed
to be the most democratic
• Also, in many states, the power of the western
settlements was growing, as noted by many
capitals moving to the interior of the states such
as New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, , North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Economic Changes
• Large loyalist or royal lands carved up
and turned into small farms
• Nonimportation acts helped create an
emerging manufacturing society
• However, American ships barred from
Britain and the West Indies
• Ingenious Yankees found new markets
for their goods, such as the Baltic seas
and China seas.
Economic Changes
• Overall, the economic climate was
not great
– Country was bankrupt and so were
many states. They were unable to
pay of loans
– Horrible inflation
– In reality, most probably worse off
than before the war
Wholesale
Price
Index:
1770-1789
American Exports, To & From
Britain: 1783-1789
Weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation
A unicameral Congress
[9 of 13 votes to pass a law].
13 out of 13 to amend.
Representatives were
frequently absent.
Could not tax or raise armies.
No executive or judicial
branches.
Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist
Strongholds at the End of the War
State Constitutions
Republicanism.
Most had strong governors with veto
power.
Most had bicameral legislatures.
Property required for voting.
Some had universal white male
suffrage.
Most had bills of rights.
Many had a continuation of stateestablished religions while others
disestablished religion.
Occupational Composition of
Several State Assemblies
in the 1780s
Indian Land Cessions:
1768-1799
Disputed Territorial Claims
Between Spain & the U. S.:
1783-1796
State Claims to Western Lands
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
One of the major accomplishments of the
Confederation Congress!
Statehood achieved in three stages:
1. Congress appointed 3 judges & a governor to
govern the territory.
2. When population reached 5,000 adult male
landowners  elect territorial legislature.
3. When population reached 60,000  elect
delegates to a state constitutional convention.
The United States in 1787
Annapolis Convention (1786)
12 representatives from 5 states
[NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA]
GOAL  address barriers that
limited trade and commerce between
the states.
Not enough states were represented
to make any real progress.
Sent a report to the Congress to call
a meeting of all the states to meet
in Philadelphia to examine areas
broader than just trade and
commerce.
Shays’ Rebellion: 1786-7
Daniel Shays
Western MA
Small farmers angered by crushing
debts and taxes.
Shays’ Rebellion: 1786-7
Shays’ Rebellion: 1786-7
There could be no
stronger evidence of
the want of energy in
our governments than
these disorders.
-- George Washington
Constitution
• Delegates chosen by state
legislatures
– Meant it was a select group of
propertied gentlemen
• 55 meant in Philadelphia on May 25,
1787, Jefferson called them
“demigods.”
– Crisis was so important, ablest men
dropped personal pursuits to craft the
Contitution
Constitution
• Washington was chairman
– His prestige and leadership allowed him to calm nerves
when arguments got heated
• Franklin, he was old and needed chaperons to keep his
mouth shut at the City Tavern
– Remember, they took an oath of secrecy about the
convention
• James Madison
– Father of the Constitution
• Alexander Hamilton
– Advocate of a super powerful central government
• Jefferson, Adams, and Paine were in Europe
• Sam Adams and John Hancock not elected
• Patrick Henry, declined to swerve, because he thought he
“smelled a rat.”
Constitution
• Delegates as a whole were a wealthy
bunch: lawyers, shippers, land
speculators, and money lenders. No
debtor group people. Relatively
young, but experienced.
• Main goal create a stable political
structure that would endure that was
firm, dignified, and respected.
Constitution
• Daniel Shays, Dey of Algiers, Lord
Sheffield- what did they represent?
• “We have, probably, had too good an
opinion of human nature in forming
our confederation.” What does this
quote by Washington represent?