Chapter 5

The American Revolution 1763 - 1783

Reform and Resistance, 1763 - 1773 At the end of the French and Indian War,

Britain realized that they had been lax in enforcing imperial policies in the American colonies

Americans had gotten used to “Salutary Neglect”

England slowly began to tighten its grip on the colonies to make sure the colonies weren’t costing them money

They wanted: Civil Service Reform - make sure officials

enforced policies To Stop Smuggling - make sure taxes were paid Limit Areas of Settlement - Proclamation Line

should be enforced so that British could more easily control Colonists

Revenue Reform - British felt Americans should help pay down the debt incurred during the French and Indian War

The British felt these were reasonable goals These goals proved difficult to achieve

British leaders changed every few years and so did their policies

Colonists’ negative reactions to more stringent policies

Civil Service Reform

Sometimes officials didn’t actually occupy their posts

They often got substitutes Privy Council, advisors to the King, said

officials actually had to occupy their posts – no substitutes

Stop Smuggling

The British Navy was told to stop the smuggling

Crews were promised a reward 2/3 the value of the cargo

Proclamation Line 1763

Imaginary line drawn down the Appalachians A way to limit the area open to settlement

and to avoid future conflicts with Native Americans

If colonists lived closer to the east coast, they might be more inclined to buy British goods

Hard to enforce because some colonists already lived beyond the line, and others didn’t want to be restricted

Revenue Reform

Britain felt it was time for Americans to pay for British protection

They tried to enforce a number of acts to raise this revenue

George Grenville, Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1763 urged Parliament to pass revenue raising acts Revenue Act (Sugar Act), 1764 -- made ships’

captain fill out paperwork about their cargoes, called a cocket and register with port master

There would be no more bribing of customs officials

This act lowered the tax on molasses from 6 pence per gallon to 3 pence per gallon

If people didn’t comply with the law and continued to smuggle, then they would be tried in vice-admiralty courts, a court without a jury; local courts could not try these cases

This act did not cause great protest because it didn’t affect all people; colonists didn’t like these courts

Grenville then got the Currency Act enacted which outlawed colonial paper money -- some grumbling occurred

In 1765 Grenville had the Stamp Act passed It required tax stamps (embossing) on most

printed materials – legal documents, newspapers, playing cards, pamphlets, handbills, bills of sale, licenses, deeds, insurance policies, and contracts

The stamp indicated the tax to be paid Violators tried in vice-admiralty courts

Colonial opposition to the Stamp Act was great Protests throughout the colonies Tax collectors were intimidated Businessmen refused to use the stamp There was active defiance The Stamp Act affected more of the people in all

parts of the colonies And they had to pay in British currency

Many colonists began to question Britain’s right to tax the colonies No actual representation Parliament had no right to levy internal taxes

Britain said colonists were represented in Parliament

by virtue of being British – Virtual Representation

Articles appeared in the paper Ex. – James Otis of Massachusetts said “there

should be no taxation without representation” Patrick Henry said that only the state of Virginia

had the right to tax Virginians

John Adams of Massachusetts, Daniel Dulaney of Maryland, and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania spoke out against the Stamp Act

The colonists were willing to stand up for their rights. However, they were not seeking independence. Not at that time.

They wanted their local assemblies and their self-government

Not all agreed with the colonists Lt. Governor Thomas Hutchinson of

Massachusetts believed Parliament was the supreme power

Many in England felt the Americans just didn’t want to pay taxes like they had to.

They felt Americans wanted a free ride

Americans did have an ally in Parliament, William Pitt. He said Parliament shouldn’t set internal taxes in America and worked for the repeal of the Stamp Act

Colonists took organized action against the Stamp Act They formed the Sons of Liberty

Wealthy, elites who organized people to protest, especially in Boston

There was mob destruction of Lt.-Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s house because he enforced the Stamp Act

The Stamp Act controversy drew lower class people into American politics for the first time

Politics were discussed on the streets Demonstrations were so widespread that the

Stamp Act could not be enforced American merchants organized non-

importation agreements to put pressure on the British – don’t import British goods Violators had their published in newspaper

Stamp Act Congress

Held in New York City in October, 1765 9 colonies were represented Sent a letter to Parliament saying the

colonies recognized Parliament as a ruling body, but the colonists wanted actual representation

No taxation without representation

Boycotts and protests were effective Many in Parliament called for the repeal of the

Stamp Act The Marquis of Rockingham said they couldn’t

enforce the law and boycotts hurt British business The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766 Grenville was out as Prime Minister Rockingham was to be the new Prime Minister

However, Rockingham approved the Declaratory Act in 1766 that asserted Parliament’s ability to tax and legislate for the American colonies in all cases by virtue of being British

In 1766, Charles Townshend became Finance Minister and instituted new taxes on the colonies in 1767

Townshend Acts, 1767

It levied taxes on trade goods like paper, paint, glass, lead, and tea

It levied taxes on items imported from Britain, not from foreign countries

It was designed to raise money This money would then be used to pay the

salaries of royal officials, thereby challenging the power of colonial assemblies

The power of the purse was gone

Protests Merchants reinstated non-importation agreements Massachusetts tried to organize a unified protest John Dickenson wrote” Letters from a Farmer in

Pennsylvania” asserting “no taxation without representation”

Daughters of Liberty made homespun cloth and drank coffee and water rather than import tea and fine cloth from England

Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770, supported by Lord North, Britain’s new Prime Minister – all but the tax on tea

Loyal colonists began losing their feelings of allegiance to the British king and to Britain

1770-1773, Parliament avoided provoking the colonies as much as possible

Tensions eased a bit Imports were on the rise

Boston Massacre - 5 March 1770 Under an outward calm, a storm was brewing A few weeks before this date several boys

were throwing rocks at a customs informer’s house

An 11-year old boy was shot and killed by the customs informer

5 March, British soldiers were patrolling Boston’s streets near the Customs House

Some boys began to heckle the soldiers

A crowd formed and snowballs were thrown at the redcoats

Boys dared the soldiers to fire on them The redcoats did fire when they had been

pushed up against the wall 3 colonists were killed immediately and 3

others died later from their wounds Boston was shocked 7 soldiers were charged with murder

John Adams and John Quincy, both opponents of the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts, agreed to defend the soldiers

Adams told court that British policy and an unsavory mob were to blame

All but 2 soldiers were acquitted These 2 were found guilty of manslaughter

and branded on the thumb

Redcoats were disliked by Americans Resented supporting them; food, shelter, grog Disliked being near them on streets or in taverns Didn’t like competing with them for casual work

(second jobs) Found them to be rough, crude, and sometimes

even criminals Brutally treated by their own army Redcoats felt isolated in colonies

The Gaspee - June 1772

British schooner, part of the Colonial Coast Guard was patrolling Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island looking for smugglers

They thought they saw a ship smuggling and followed it to Providence

This Coast Guard ship, the Gaspee, ran aground 7 miles off the coast

That night 8 boats approached the Gaspee, removed the crew, and set fire to the ship

It was seen as an act of rebellion because the Gaspee was a royal ship

John Brown was believed to be the ring leader

He was tried and let go for lack of evidence

The Boston Tea Party

Brought the “semi-quiet” years to an end May 1773 Parliament enacted the Tea Act of

1773 Designed to save the British East India Company

that was nearly bankrupt This company had 17 million pounds of tea in a

London warehouse and no buyers The choice was to dump it or sell it to the colonists

in America

There was a problem – Americans had been buying the cheaper Dutch tea

The tea tax was the only thing left over from the Townshend Act

Lord North decided to lower the tax to 3 pence a pound, so the total cost of the British tea would be less than the Dutch tea

England would then see if colonists would still buy the more expensive tea and uphold their ideal of “no taxation without representation”

Or would they buy the cheaper tea and show their greed

Ships delivering tea met with defiance: In Charleston – tea was quickly locked up In N.Y and Philadelphia – ships told to return to

England In Annapolis, Maryland – a tea ship was set on

fire In Boston – they had a party

Governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, planned to seize the tea for non-payment of a port tax (hoax), so he could get the tea ashore

The day before the tea was to be seized, Samuel Adams met with 1/3 of Boston’s population at a protest meeting

It was followed by 60 Sons of Liberty dressing up like Mohawk Indians

Boston Tea Party

They boarded the ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor

The tea was worth 9,659 pounds Instead of trying to find the culprits, Lord

North decided to punished the city of Boston That is how you treat rebels

Between 1770 and 1773, attitudes towards the British changed dramatically

There was distrust and division British saw colonists as ungrateful Colonists saw British government as

tyrannical Conflict lay ahead

Parliament decided to punish Boston by passing the Coercive Acts in 1774

To Americans, they were the Intolerable Acts Port of Boston would be closed until the city paid

for the spoiled tea An army general named Thomas Gage was

named governor Elected bodies of government lost their power Any soldiers accused of killing a colonist would be

returned to England for trial

Soldiers would once again be housed in private homes

Instead of controlling the colonies, these acts just made them mad and more rebellious

England passed the Quebec Act-there would be no elected assemblies in Canada

- French was recognized as the language and Catholicism as the religion of Quebec

- Canadian border extended south to Ohio River Valley

This act scared Americans They thought England would take away their

remaining assemblies It put the Ohio Valley out of their reach

Colonists discussed how they would resist-boycotts?-petitions?-military force?

By the summer of 1774, colonists began to organize and coordinate their protests

A congress was called to discuss the colonial response to the Coercive Acts:

The First Continental Congress

-held in September, 1774-12 colonies met in Philadelphia

The representatives spoke of loyalty to the King, but still resisted Parliament’s authority

All 56 delegates were angry They had never met before but had a

common cause – they wanted to work out a solution to their problem with Britain

They adopted the Suffolk Resolves They weren’t advocating independence

Suffolk Resolves

Stated the Coercive Acts were invalid Called for a boycott of trade Colonies were urged to set up militias

The First Continental Congress tried to keep a delicate balance

The Congress adjourned although it would meet again in 1775

Resistance

General Thomas Gage disbanded the local assemblies in Massachusetts

Colonists set up their own assemblies again defying the law

Counties closed their courts rather than have the governor appoint a judge

Colonists stockpiled ammunition and guns in different locations – away from Boston – just in case

Other colonies did the same Tensions continued to grow in 1775 3,000 colonists were ready to fight to defend

Boston Gage ordered redcoats to build fortifications

across a strip of land connecting Boston to the mainland

Fighting Styles

Europeans stood in a line in close formation facing the opposing army

If someone got shot, his space was filled by another soldier

They were well-disciplined machines Marksmanship was not important because everyone

was so close together; they were bound to hit something

Colonists & British would meet in armed conflict for the first time at Lexington, Massachusetts

Lexington and Concord

Lord Dartmouth, England’s Secretary of State for the American Colonies, ordered Thomas Gage to arrest the principal figures in Boston’s elected assembly

Gage felt protests would increase if he did that

Instead, Gage decided to confiscate Americans military supplies at Concord, Massachusetts

19 April 1775, Gage sent John Pitcairn and 700 troops to seize the munitions and arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams if discovered

Americans were warned about this by Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott

70 armed, nervous farmers waited for Pitcairn to get to Lexington

Pitcairn ordered them to disperse twice

When they started to disperse a shot was fired

By whom? No one knows. It was the shot heard round the world There was a small skirmish

8 Americans were killed 10 Americans were wounded 1 redcoat was wounded

British moved on toward Concord where large groups of militia men waited for Pitcairn

Americans allowed the British to enter the town and then they surrounded and attacked the British

They thought the town had been set on fire 3 British soldiers were killed 9 British soldiers were woundedThese were the first British casualties of the war

On the 16 mile retreat to Boston, the British were attacked from behind rocks, trees, & houses

The British had 70 dead and 203 wounded, so 273 were out of commission

Bunker Hill / Breed’s Hill

20,000 Americans surrounded Boston Lord North sent 1,000 more troops to Boston plus 3

generals: Burgoyne, Clinton, and Howe Americans moved in around Bunker Hill and Breed’s

Hill 1600 Americans were on Breed’s Hill; they fought

off Howe’s troops twice Americans waited to see the whites of their eyes

because supplies were limited

Third attempt to take Breed’s Hill was successful; Americans were running out of ammunition

Howe’s men used bayonets against Americans

Cost of battle was high for Howe: 200 dead 1,154 dead and wounded out of 2,200 menMore victories like that would destroy British army

Ticonderoga

After Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775, Benedict Arnold was sent by the Massachusetts Committee of Safety to raise an army and attack Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain in New York

On the way Arnold met up with Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen who were planning to attack Fort Ticonderoga

They unwillingly joined forces

They captured the fort on 10 May 1775 They then captured several other smaller

forts The British were taken by surprise; they didn’t

know the rebellion had begun Americans were forced to now take sides There were Loyalists, Active Patriots,

Neutralists, Blacks, and Native Americans

Loyalists

About 1/5 of all white Americans Loyal to the British throne They were:

British appointed officials Merchants who continued to deal with Britain Anglicans, both lay and clergy Some former British military Scottish and tenant farmers Persecuted religious sects and Back county

southerners

Active Patriots

About 2/5 of all white Americans They were:

Yeoman farmers Protestant sects Chesapeake gentry Merchants dealing in American goods City artisans Elected office holders Many of English descent

Neutralists

About 2/5 of white Americans They were:

Pacifists like the Quakers Some shifted allegiance depending on who was

winning Those who cared little for politics Scotch-Irish

Blacks

They faced a dilemma; Which side would free them from their servitude?

In the early days free blacks joined the American side

Other blacks told British they’d help their side if they could gain their freedom

Colonists feared slave conspiracies and this had an effect on the South where blacks outnumbered whites

South Carolina was 60% black Patriots used this fear to promote unity and

had them join together under the revolutionary banner to keep slaves loyal to their masters

Native Americans

They didn’t like Americans moving in on their land

Many tried to ally themselves with the British, but the British didn’t use this alliance effectively

Patriots sought Native American neutrality, and most tribes during the Revolutionary War followed this course of non-alignment

Second Continental Congress

Delegates were less cautious than those at the First Continental Congress

A new young militant had officially joined them from Virginia – Thomas Jefferson

Opened armed rebellion was a reality at this point and they had to deal with it

George Washington was named to command the Continental Army He was not a New Englander which was important

for unifying the colonies He was dignified and conservative He had a commanding presenceThe Second Continental Congress organized the

colonies for warIt acted as the inter-colonial government

It authorized: the printing of money a committee to supervise relations with foreign

nations the strengthening of the militias the appointment of generals like George

Washington

Royal authority in the colonies was disintegrating

Governors fled to British warships More and more Americans were raising their

voices for independence Colonists began to notice an inconsistency:

Shooting at royal soldiers while avowing lyalty to the King

Thomas Paine Helped the cause for independence with the

writing of “Common Sense” He arrived from England in 1774 He observed the situation in the American

colonies and wrote that King George was a tyrant and all Kings were vile!

He made converts by the thousands and sold 150,000 copies in 3 months – one for every 17 Americans

George III refused to listen to any suggestions from Americans on the subject of peace

He hired Hessians – German mercenary soldiers – to crush the rebellion

In the Spring, 1776, colony after colony formally nullified the King’s authority within its boundaries

Members of the Second Continental Congress were instructed by the colonies to vote for independence

7 June 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed that “these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states”

It was debated for 3 weeks

New England and Southern colonies were for it

Middle Colonies were reluctant New York abstained Delaware gave the deciding vote Legal ties were formally broken with the

acceptance of the Declaration of Independence written primarily by Thomas Jefferson

It was accepted on 4 July 1776 Then the signing began All had signed by November 1776 It stated George’s crimes but best

remembered for its statements about the rights of human beings

The Revolutionary War

After the colonies declared their independence, they faced a very angry King who saw them as traitors

King George III also thought putting down this rebellion would be easy; he had both British troops and Hessian mercenaries

1775 – Britain had 32,000 troops sent to America plus 400 ships

1776 – Britain brought over 18,000 mercenaries; that number would grow to 30,000

During the course of the war, Britain had more than 50,000 troops in the American colonies

British had skill and trained troops, but the Americans still had an advantage They were fighting on their own soil All they needed was to wear down the British

The British thought that if they captured the major cities, the rest of the country would follow

They went after New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Charles Town, and Savannah where there were British sympathizers

This didn’t work because most Americans lived in the countryside

Another problem for the British was that they had to ship all their provisions for war to the colonies – even grain and horses

In England Parliament’s sentiments were split Edmund Burke was a member of Parliament

with pro-American feelings Spain and France, who didn’t like the British,

proved helpful to the Americans

From May 1776 onward, France funneled money and arms to colonies through the aid of a secret agent, Pierre de Beaumarchais

At first, aid from France was under the table, unofficial

Eventually, France supplied Americans with 80% of their gunpowder

French Support

Why? French didn’t like the British They were fascinated by the idea of the “noble

savage” as played up by Ben Franklin They like the back-to-nature ideas of Jean-

Jacques Rousseau They saw the Americans living the life advocated

by Rousseau

Leaders on Both Sides

George Washington American commander of the Continental Army Dignified, standing 6’ 2’’ tall Athletic and rugged Aristocratic-looking Military experience began at age 22 Made mistakes, lost battles, but learned from

them Knew the dangers of overconfidence and the

need for determination

He treated his troops with respect He fought with his troops – led by example He was the first one in and the last one out of

the battle

General William Howe Commander of British troops in the American

colonies A meticulous planner and very cautious Fought by the book He moved from Boston to New York when in

March, 1776 the American Henry Knox moved artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, and Washington was gathering more and more troops in Boston

There were also more loyalists in New York If Washington followed him there, then Howe

would be on more friendly turf Summer 1776 General William Howe and his

brother, Admiral Richard Lord Howe had 130 warships carrying 32,000 royal troops land near New York Harbor

Washington had only 18,000 poorly trained troops and a few fishing boats

27 August 1776, the Battle for New York began 15,000 British troops against 10,500 Americans

stationed on Long Island Americans were overwhelmed and losing, so

Washington had his 9,500 remaining troops retreat at night to Manhattan

1,000 American casualties and fewer than 400 deaths for the British

Washington took the last boat out during the retreat

Washington’s troops were then caught in Manhattan by Howe who captured 3,000 American troops

The first 6 months of the war were demoralizing for the Americans marked by defeats and retreats, but that would change during the winter of 1776

Battle of Trenton

Howe had fallen back to winter quarters in New York where he planned to party away the winter

His Hessians were left to man small garrisons in Trenton and in Princeton, New Jersey

Washington took advantage of this situation On Christmas night 1776, Washington and his

troops entered New Jersey by crossing the Delaware River

He launched a surprise attack on the Hessians at Trenton after midnight 26 December 1776

Hessians were either drunk or passed out from celebrating Christmas

Both the New Jersey Patriots and the Loyalists backed Washington in this attack because the Hessians had plundered their town and raped their women

On 3 January 1777, Washington successfully attacked and took Princeton while avoiding troops sent out by Howe

Victories at Trenton and Princeton raised American morale but did little to change Howe’s position of strength

Howe did have to move his garrisons from New Jersey to New York

Any remaining Loyalists in New Jersey also moved to New York

The Turning Point

The French , who had been giving secret support to the colonies, said they would make their support official if Americans won a major battle

That occurred during the summer of 1777 P. 150 - Map

British were planning a 2-pronged attack on New York

They were hoping these attacks would bring New York totally under their control, thus cutting New England off from the rest of the colonies

Lt. Colonel Barry St. Leger would enter New York from Lake Ontario and attack central New York from Ft. Oswego

General John Burgoyne and his troops would enter New York from Quebec through Ft. Ticonderoga and Saratoga

The 2 men would then meet at Albany In the meantime, Howe left New York to

gather glory for himself by trying to take Philadelphia, the capital of colonies

Howe left only a small force to help Leger and Burgoyne in New York

Mistakes were made because they did not coordinate their effort

St. Leger and his 1900 troops were stopped at Ft. Stanwix on 23 August 1777

After 3 weeks, he retreated On 6 July 1777, Burgoyne took Ft. Ticonderoga by

taking troops up Mt. Defiance and training their guns down on the fort

He left 900 men there and then tried to move further south

Problems encountered: Dense forests Many marshes and rivers to cross for which his

men had to build bridges He carried too much stuff

30 carts of personal things- fancy clothes, china, crystal, wine, linen and some war materiel

Burgoyne and his men took 1 month to go 23 miles

He was running low on supplies and sent Hessians to Bennington, Vermont to get more

He had heard that most Americans in this area were pro-British – they weren’t

His troops were attacked, had heavy losses, and retreated

When Burgoyne reached Saratoga, he was surrounded by American militiamen, more than Burgoyne thought existed

If one American fell. There were 7 ready to take his place

Burgoyne was overwhelmed and surrendered on 17 October 1777

This formally brought France into an alliance with the Americans

Formal Alliance was recognized in February of 1778

So now the British also had to fight the French – in Europe, in the Caribbean, wherever

British troops and resources were spread over a much bigger area

Howe and Washington met at Philadelphia They fought at Brandywine Creek on 11

September 1777 and at Germantown on 10 October

Howe won Washington and his troops moved slowly

towards Valley Forge for the winter – without enough food, shelter, or war materiel

German soldier of fortune, Friedrich von Steuben arrived and in 4 months time had trained the American troops to be a strong fighting army

Other foreigners came to help: Marquis de Lafayette – field commander Casimir Pulaski – cavalry commander Compte de Rochambeau – fought at Yorktown

Battle for the South

Charleston fell to the British in 1780 Patriot General Nathaniel Greene rallied

South Carolina and won over loyalists and neutrals

Greene fought battles and lost again and again

He drew the British further into the countryside and away from their supplies

British ahd to steal supplies from farmers

Greene wore down British troops under Lord Charles Cornwallis and they left the Carolina backcountry

General Henry Clinton wanted Cornwallis to remain in the South until South Carolina was totally in British hands

After a hard-fought, hard-won battle in North Carolina, Cornwallis’ troops had almost been destroyed

So Cornwallis disobeyed orders and went to Yorktown, Virginia to Await supplies and troops from New York

Greene then defeated the remaining British in South Carolina

September, 1780 – Benedict Arnold , commander of West Point, offered to sell the fort to the British and his services for 20,000 pounds; Traitor

British accepted but didn’t get the fort Arnold went to Yorktown to join up with the British

under Cornwallis The plan was to attack Virginia and Pennsylvania

from Yorktown; they never got the chance 30 August 1781 – French ships dropped off troops

at Yorktown Then Lafayette joined them with American troops Washington made some attacks in New York to

keep Clinton from helping Cornwallis

Then Washington moved his troops south Cornwallis held off for 3 weeks; he had 6,000 troops There were 8,800 Americans and 7,800 French

fighting against him Cornwallis surrendered on 19 October 1781 British no longer wished to fight the Americans, the

French, the Spanish, and the Dutch who had all joined together to helped in this drive for American independence

Treaty of Paris, 1783

Americans negotiated on their own; they did not wish to be guided by the French

This disappointed the French; they had had hopes of taking over the Americans themselves

Terms: Americans got unconditional independence They received generous boundaries

North – to the present boundary with Canada South – to the 31st parallel West - to the Mississippi

Britain’s Native American allies were ignored at the peace talks

Separate treaties were made with the French, Spanish, and Dutch

The price of independence was high: 5% of all free white men aged 16 – 45 died in the

war Today that would be comparable to 2.5 million

men

America was now independent, but what kind of nation would we become? What kind of government would we have?

Our work had just begun.