Transcript America Secedes From The Empire 1775-1783

America Secedes From The
Empire 1775-1783
AP US History
Mr. Long
2nd Continental Congress (1775)
Goal: To have their grievances redressed by
the king and parliament.

Colonists are still not looking for Independence


What did they do?
1.
2.
3.
Raise funds for an Army and Navy
Appoint George Washington over Continental Army
Issued Currency
Bunker Hill and Hessian Hirelings
(Early Victories)

June 1775, On the 3rd attempt the British captured
Bunker Hill.


British suffered significant casualties (1/3 of deployed force)
Olive Branch Petition:

July 1775 the Continental Congress professed American loyalty
and begged the king to prevent further warfare

After Bunker Hill King George III slammed the door on
reconciliation.
1.
2.
Declared colonies rebellious in August 1775 (Now Treason) with the
Prohibitory Act
Hired Hessians to help crush the colonial uprising
The Abortive Conquest of Canada



Goal: Success would add a 14th colony and
deprive Britain from a northern base of attack.
Problem: Contradicted the claim that colonists
were fighting defensively for redress of their
grievances
Outcome: Almost successful but turned back at
their attack on Quebec
Thomas Paine Preaches Common
Sense

Why did American’s continue to deny any
intention of Independence?
1.
2.
3.

Loyalty was deeply engrained
Colonial unity was still poor (Getting better)
Open rebellion was treason = death
Why did the Americans mindset change?
1.
2.
3.
Brutal/violent acts of the British
Burning of Falmouth, Maine
Hiring Hessians
Thomas Paine: Common Sense

Thomas Paine: Author of Common Sense
(1776). He was a radical thinker.

Thought:


Believed that the only lawful states were those that derive
“their just powers from the consent of the governed”
Importance:

He convinced the American people that their true cause was
independence rather than reconciliation
Independence vs. Reconciliation
W/O independence as their goal they would get
no foreign aide
1.
The colonists are beginning to interpret the vengeful
royal acts of previous decades as a monarchical
conspiracy to strip them of their liberties as British
subjects
2.
Still not everyone wanted a full radical republic
3.

Reason: It brought more equality to everyone, aristocratic
individuals still wanted their voice to be heard loudest.

“these United States are, and of right out
to be, free and independent states.”

Richard Henry Lee (June 7, 1776)
Jefferson’s “explanation” of
Independence

Declaration of Independence:


July 4, 1776 “world’s greatest editorial”
Written by Thomas Jefferson



Argued for the natural rights of humankind (Locke)
Listed the misdeeds of King George III
Result:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Clear break from Britain.
Colonies are officially rebels.
Foreign assistance possible.
UNITY is now vital for success!
Patriots and Loyalists
Patriots
 Whigs
 American rebels
sympathetic to the cause
of Independence
 Minority Movement
 Mainly found in NE where
self-gov is strong and
mercantilism is weak
Loyalists
 Tories
 Americans sympathetic to
the crown
 Generally older
individuals
 Wealthy
 Anglican
 Southerners/NY
Patriots vs. Loyalists

We see major differences between
patriots and loyalists in major areas
Economics
 Religion
 Geography
 Age

General Washington At Bay

Battle of Long Island

Patriots were routed (seized by fear) and
Washington barley escaped to NJ


General William Howe (British) did not pursue
(winter fighting) he remembered his losses at Bunker
Hill.
Washington re-crossed the Delaware River and
captured a group of 1,000 Hessians.


A week later he defeated a small British detachment the
same way
These two victories brought success to the NJ
campaign and made a name for “Old Fox” Washington

Trenton and Princeton
General John Burgoyne’s
Blundering Invasion

Purpose: The British want to separate NE
from the other colonies by capturing the
Hudson River Valley (1777).

This would paralyze the Rebel cause

WHY?

Americans led by Gen Benedict Arnold who had
retreated from his defeat at Quebec to Lake
Champlain region.


British would not go further w/o taking the lake.
General Arnold took tiny fleet and although he lost
the battle he bought the Patriots time. Winter had
arrived
Had the British been able to move quicker or waited
until spring to attack, they most likely would have
succeeded in crippling the American cause.

Gen. Burgoyne began his slow moving
invasion

Gen. Howe moved to attack Philadelphia (Rebel
Capital) instead of moving north up the Hudson.
He wanted to fight Washington.

Washington and his troops settled in Valley Forge while
Baron von Steuben a Prussian drillmaster made the
ratty colonial militia into professional army.

Result: Burgoyne’s forces had bogged
down north of Albany and the colonial
militia had begun to swarm their flanks.
Burgoyne had to surrender his command
at Saratoga on Oct. 17, 1777 to Gen.
Horatio Gates
Saratoga’s Importance

Saratoga ranks high among decisive
battles in world history.

REASON:

Made possible the urgently needed foreign aid
from France (The French saw a victory which gave
them hope of colonial success)
French and American Relations

Feb 6, 1778 the French offered the
Americans a treaty of Alliance.


1st Military Alliance for America
WHY?:
French wanted revenge on Britain for French and
Indian War
2. France though it could regain its position of power in
the world
1.

Prior to the treaty the British had offered
the colonists home rule to stop the war.
French and American Relations

1.
2.
3.
4.
What did the French and other European
Nations supply (Spain, Holland, etc)?
France supplied over half the American regular army
Together the nations had a navy stronger then
Britain
Equipment (guns, gunpowder, money, manpower)
British now focused on other areas, NW
became secondary
War Continues

British launch Southern Campaign

GOAL: roll up the colonies by starting in the
Loyalist heavy south
1.
2.
Started very quickly and successfully
Tide turned in late 1780-1781.

Gen. Nathanael Greene “fighting Quaker” used his
delay strategy to exhaust the British.

He would lose the battle but win campaigns
Frontier (Land and Sea)

The war in the American west was hard
for British.
1.

Their forts are spread out and easily
defeated
George Rodgers Clark seized many of
these forts from 1778-1779 by surprise.

He floated down the Ohio River with 175 men and
captured forts for Americans
Frontier (Land and Sea)

Indians

Kept the colonists busy with torch and tomahawk


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Reason: They believed that with British victory the
colonial westward expansion would stop and they
would keep their ancestral lands.
Treaty of Fort Stanwix- (1779) pro-British Iroquois
were forced to sign this treaty with Americans.
Result: They ceded most of their land
Frontier (Land and Sea)

The American Navy was not very strong at this
point.

Its chief contribution was destroying British merchant
ships. British fleet to large/strong

Privateers: crafts that were privately owned armed ships
1.
2.
3.
These ships were fairly successful (Captured 600 British ships)
Benefits:
 Brought needed gold
 Harassed the enemy (kept them busy)
 Raised moral by providing victories when victories were few
Negatives
 Diverted manpower from main war effort
 Involved Americans in speculation and grafting
Yorktown and the Final Curtain

The Battle of Yorktown was the decisive
battle of the Revolutionary War.


American troops had not tasted much success
from 1780-1781
British Gen. Cornwallis mistakenly fell into a
trap when he fell back to the Chesapeake Bay at
Yorktown after unsuccessful operation in Virginia.
Yorktown and the Final Curtain

The French under Admiral de Grasse were willing to
cooperate with American troops and join to attack Cornwallis
2.
Washington and his troops attacked by land
De Grasse set up a naval blockade after beating the British
fleet

Result: Cornwallis was forced to surrender after being trapped
between American/French forces

More of a French Victory (all naval power, ½ of troops)
1.

Marks the beginning of the end of the war.

Washington’s Contributions
1.
2.
3.
Kept the cause alive with key victories
Kept the army in the field
Kept the states together during dark times
Peace at Paris

After Yorktown many of the Britons were
tired of war and wanted to come to terms.

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King George was NOT!
A Whig ministry (favorable to Americans) took
control of Parliament.

This ended King George’s personal rule (Tory’s in
his pocket)
Peace at Paris

Ben Franklin, John Adams, and John
Jay sent to Paris by Americans to
negotiate peace.

Congress gave them strict orders to
make no separate peace and to consult
with their French allies at all stages of
the negotiations.
Peace at Paris
France’s Objectives
1.
2.
3.
They wanted to keep
America east of the
Alleghenies and keep them
weak so it was easier to
promote French interests
and policy.
France put a lot into this
war (men and money) and
wanted to get their monies
worth.
Wanted to smash the
British empire
American Objectives
1.
2.
To create their
independent state
To expand westward
Peace at Paris

Treaty of Paris 1783
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
British fully recognized the Independence of the US
Granted generous boundaries
Got to keep great fishing areas of Newfoundland
Americans could not further persecute the Loyalists
Congress was to recommend to the state
legislatures to restore the confiscated property
rights of Loyalists
States were not to put unlawful obstacles in the way
of collecting debts owed to the British creditors.
Peace at Paris


Ending the War when it did allowed Britain to
continue to be a world power in the 19th
century.
Despite this the French agreed with the terms
of the treaty b/c
1.
2.

Brought the costly conflict to and end
Freed them of the promises they made to Spain to get
them to alley with them.
American Alone Gained From the World War
We Know as the Revolutionary War!