the revolutionary republic chapter 6. the british offensive 1776 britain believed loss of colonies...
TRANSCRIPT
The Revolutionary Republic
Chapter 6
The British Offensive 1776
• Britain believed loss of colonies would mean loss of ?
- raised 30K for 1st campaign
• Washington divided force of 19k in N.Y.
• British success (August- December)
General Howe
• English General, Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American Revolutionary War (until 1778)
British Offensive 1776(continue)
• Howe decided not to capture continental entire army. Why?
• Morale at all time low / many believed war was over
The Trenton-Princeton Campaign
• Washington crosses Delaware River
- surprises British at Trenton (12-25-76)
- captured 1,000 Hessians
Trenton-Princeton Campaign (continue)
• Cornwallis goes after Washington w/ 8k troops (1-2-1777)
- locates him at Trenton, waits to attack
• Washington surprises Cornwallis at Princeton (p 162)
• What was the Impact of Washington’s two quick victories?
French support for America
• British-French relations
• Louis XVI authorized secret aid to colonists (may 1776)
• Franklin arrives in France (1776)
British take Philadelphia (9-11-1777)(pg 164)
Surviving Cold Winter Valley Forge
Washington’s letter
• A part of the army has been a week, without any kind of flesh, and the rest for three or four days Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery, that they have not been ere this excited by their sufferings, to a general mutiny or dispersion.
French Intervention
• Loss of Philadelphia (1777)
• Franco-American treaties (Feb 1778)
- trade / recognize independence
- Britain declares war on France (1778)
- Spain enters war in 1779
Crisis of Revolution• Colonists expected a rapid victory with
French alliance
• War of attrition (survival)
• Many loyalist still committed to British
- loyalists banished under state govt’s
• Slaves & Indians sided with British
• War created enormous amount of refugees
Prolonged War
• British problems
> public divided
> trade
> taxes
> debt
> recruitment
> Atlantic
> France, Spain
• American Problems
> Indian raids
> productive work weakened
> high inflation
> soldiers ill-equipped > desertion
> Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
• best known for plotting to surrender an American fort at West Point, N.Y. (1780)
• opposed the decision to form an alliance with France
• felt unrewarded
Yorktown & Treaty of Paris• Cornwallis takes control of British army in
Virginia (1781)
- campaign damaged Virginia & withdraws to Yorktown
• Washington sees opportunity for a major strike
- Franco-American forces cripple Cornwallis at Yorktown
- Cornwallis surrenders army of 8k men
Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown, Va
Treaty of Paris :British recognize American
Independence
Early Governments in America
• 1st & 2nd Continental Congress
• Articles of Confederation (1781-89)
- each state retains it sovereignty
- “the tail could wag the dog”
Three Systems of Gov’t
Problems with Articles (continue)
weak Central gov’t
- no power to tax
- Federal gov’t demanded $15.7 million from states but only received $2.4
no power to raise army Shay’s rebellion (1786)
- farmers takeover Mass courthouse
- showed weakness of Articles
Constitutional Convention 1787• 55 delegates met to revise Articles
Constitutional Convention (continue)
• Decision to scrap Articles of Confederation
• Controversial issue: 3 branches of gov’t
• Executive: limited role for president
• Legislative: 2 houses of Congress
• Great Compromise derived from New Jersey & Virginia Plan
• Judicial: issue of Courts
Ideas of Constitution
• Final agreements / prevention of tyranny
- Separation of Powers / checks & balances
© 2004 Wadsworth Publishing / Thomson Learning™
Checks & Balances
The struggle to ratify the constitution
• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
> Federalists papers- 85 essays in defense of constitution
• Promise of Bill of rights
> limited powers of Nat’l gov’t over liberties of individuals
• Constitution ratified
• Bill of Rights adopted
Bill of Rights