Chapter 5- The American Revolution

Olive Branch Petition One last conciliatory appeal to the King

Bunker Hill patriots suffered severe casualties in Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 and they were driven from their position there

Benedict Arnold The commander of a small American force who threatened Quebec in 1775 and 1776 after a winter march of hardship.

Nathaniel Green A Quaker and previous blacksmith from Rhode Island and probably the ablest of all American generals of the time next to Washington.

Molly Pitcher She carried water to soldiers on battlefields and took her husbands place in battle.

Treaty of Grenville Substancial new lands to the US in exchange for formal acknowledgement of their claim to the territory they had managed to have signed by Miami

Which challenges did American rebels face in going to war with the British?It was an unformed nation with a weak population and vastly inferior economic and military resources.

What were the differing opinions represented at the Second Continental Congress concerning the aim of the war?Adams Cousins, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia favored complete independence from Britain; it was led by John Dickinson of Pennsylvania for modest reforms in relationship that would permit reconciliation with Great Britain.

What idea did Thomas Paine present in Common Sense?The simple common sense broke completely with a corrupt government.

How original was the Declaration of Independence? How many declarations were written?Jefferson based it on ideals of at least 90 local declarations of independence drafted throughout the coast.

What was John Lockes contribution to the Declaration?The pursuit of happiness was adopted from the rights of life, liberty and property

What were the two sections of Jeffersons declaration?The restatement of John Lockes theory and the list of crimes of the King who had violated his contract with the colonists.What were the Articles of Confederation and which body continued to conduct the war?The Conventional Congress stayed chief agency of war efforts; the confirmed weak, decentralized system was in operation.

What problems did the Americans face in providing the necessary supplies and equipment for the war?They were boycotting British goods, so coming up with basic necessities proved to be quite difficult. What did the revolutionaries resort to to finance the war and what was the result?The government issued paper currency, which resulted in inflation.

In the end, how did they manage to finance the war?They took loans from other nations such as France.

What advantages did the British have? And the revolutionaries?The British had the greatest/best equipped navy in the world and had access to all resources; the Americans had guerilla warfare, french aide, and committed patriots.

Why did the Patriot army invade Canada and what was the result?They wanted to remove British threat and win over Canadiens; Canada not to become part of the new nation.

How did the war go for Washingtons army in the summer of 1776?Poorly; the British pushed defenders off Long Island, convinced them to abandon Manhattan and drove to a slow retreat.

What happened at Trenton and why was it important?It was the first major victory; guerilla warfare and unconventional war tactics helped the Colonists defeat the British in battle.

What was the British plan in 1777? Why did it fail?The plan was to split the US into 2 parts; another British force would come from Canada to meet.

What was the importance of the Battle of Saratoga?This battles victory gained the trust of the French and got them to invest in and support the Colonists.

What mistakes did General How make? What explanations have been given for his incompetent decisions?He abandoned Burgoyne and his strategic initiate; he kept allowing Washington to retreat and regroup; some historians think Howe did not want to win the war.

Why did Joseph and Mary Brant of the Iroquois support the British?Mary was a widow of Sir William Johnson, the British superintendent of Indians, who achieved wide popularity among tribes.

What happened to the Iroquois Confederation?A division between them grew. The French Indian War weakened the 3 century old confederacy.

How did the French help the American rebels?They funded 90% of the war and sent over troops to help fight.

Explain how the American Revolution was actually a world war after 1778.Frances support of the US made the war an international conflict. Spain and the Netherlands also became involved, and all contributed to American victory.

How did the Southern campaign go for the British?The British overestimated the extent of Loyalist sentiment.

What was the Battle of Yorktown and why was it so important?Washington caught Cornwallis between the land and sea; the fighting was basically over; loyalists surrendered

What were the provisions of the Treaty of Paris? What territory did the Americans win?From Southern boundary of Canada to northern boundary of Florida and from the Atlantic to the Mississippi; US was granted a clear recognition of its indpendence.

Who were the Loyalists? What fraction of the colonial population were they?Colonists who were loyal to the British king. It was approximately 20-30 percent of the Colonial population.

Which groups tended to be Loyalist?People holding office in the imperial government, merchants engaged in trade, people who lived in isolation and were not exposed to the war propaganda.

How many Loyalists left the country after the war? What happened to their property?About 100,000; their property was taken and they were fired from their jobs.

How did the Revolution affect slavery?The British enabled many slaves to leave the country; revolution meant an increased exposure to the concept, although seldom to liberty.

How did the Revolution affect the tribes?Revolution threatened to replace a ruling group that had developed a trust between the British(whom they liked) and the Patriots(who were cruel to them).

Why did Native Americans prefer the British?The British wanted to limit white expansion on Indian land.

What impact did the war have on women?Women were in charge of farms and businesses; they had popular protests against price increases.

Who were the female camp followers? Women went to patrio camps to be with their male relatives.

Which rights did women have and not have and did the Revolution radically alter the position of women?Unmarried women could own property, enter contracts, along with other legal rights. However, married women had almost no rights. The revolution hardly changed the rights of women.

What was the ideal of Republican Motherhood?Value was added to the job of motherhood; mothers taught their children republican virtues and citizenry was expected

What problems did the war bring to the American economy?They didnt have the protection of the British and they had little access to markets.

What became the most profitable maritime activity for the Yankees?They began to prey on British commerce with privateers.

Which new trade patterns were developed by American sailors?Yankee ships exchanged manufactured goods for hides and furs at the Pacific Coast.

How did the states control popular rule?They would write constitutions; the power of executives was limited; provisions limiting governors power.

What was blamed for the early problems of the state governments and which office was empowered to control excessive democracy?Strong democracy; significant strengthening of solid sinstability of weak governors.

What happened to slavery in the Northern colonies?It was already weak, but became abolished.

Why wasnt slavery abolished in the South?Blacks were thought of as inferior, and needed for hard labor on the farms.

What did most believe about the national government?Thought the central govt. should remain weak and unimportant and that each state should be a sovereign nation.

What type of government did the Articles of Confederation create? What were its major features? Congress remained central authority, but couldnt regulate trade, draft troops for taxes, there was no separate executive.

What was the major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?It lacked powers to deal with intolerable issues or to reinforce its will on status.

What were the diplomatic failures of the Articles?It couldnt persuade Great Britian; didnt live up to the peace treaty of 1783

What were the successes of the Articles of Confederation?

Which Native Americans took up arms to oppose U.S. expansion into the Ohio Territory in 1790? Did they have any success in stopping Euro-American expansion?

What economic condition affected the U.S. from 1784 to 1787?Post war depression increased the inadequate money supply.

Why couldnt the Articles of Confederation government repay its debts?It didnt have the power to tax and could only make requisitions of the states and recieved only about the of the money it requested.

How did the states attempt to repay their debts and what was the result?They relied on increased taxation; poor families demanded issue of paper currency

What began happening in New England in the late 1780s?Farmers gathered in parts of New England and DN w York to stay safe.

Who was Daniel Shays and what did he demand?A former captain in the Continental army, he demanded paper money , relief, a moratorium on debt, relocation of state capital from Boston to interior.

What was the outcome of Shays Rebellion and why was it significant?It failed, but did produce some concessions farmers. It added urgency o the movement to produce a new, national constitution.