Ch. 8 PPT NotesAmerica Secedes From the Empire

Redcoats

Timeline (don’t write this)April,1775 - The Battle of Lexington and ConcordMay, 1775 – 2nd Continental Congress June, 1775 - The Battle of Bunker HillJan., 1776 - Thomas Paine publishes Common SenseJuly, 1776 - Congress approves Declaration Of IndependenceSept.-Oct., 1777 – Battle of SaratogaMarch, 1781 – Articles of Confederation AdoptedOct. 1781 – Battle of YorktownSept., 1783 - Treaty of Paris is signedSept., 1787 – U.S. Constitution signedJune, 1788 – U.S. Constitution adopted

First Shots• April 1775 Lexington & Concord, MA

• British given secret orders to destroy military supplies in Concord.

• Patriots knew and moved the supplies.

– “Minute Men”: The American colonial militia - Highly mobile and rapidly deployed.

– 70 Redcoats killed (British Regulars)

Patriots (Whigs) Patriots: Colonists who supported the Rev.

for independence; AKA - Whigs. Younger Recruited colonists for the cause Harassed British and Loyalists Areas: mostly New England (Presbyterians and

Congregationalists), Virginia, and parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York

LoyalistLoyalist

StrongholdsStrongholds

Loyalists: Loyal to King George III• Loyalists = Tories: Conservative, educated,

wealthy, older generation, Anglican clergy, King’s officers & officials of the crown

• About 16-20% of the population stayed loyal

-Some served as spies

-Persecuted, tar/feathered, hanged, imprisoned, estates sold and forced to flee

Areas: New York City, Charleston, Quaker Pennsylvania, New Jersey.

Hessians: King George III, (grandfather from Germany) hired German mercenaries called Hessians.

•Native Americans: Most tribes, like Iroquois, sided with British because they were fearful of American expansion into the West.

Support for the British

Phase IPhase I:: The Northern The Northern CampaignCampaign[1775-1776][1775-1776]

Battles of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point

May, 1775 - Ethan Allen + Benedict Arnold capture the British garrisons at Ft. Ticonderoga and Crown Point in New York

2nd Continental Congress May 10, 1775• All 13 colonies represented• Declaration of the Causes & Necessity of Taking Up Arms• Adopted measures to raise money and create an army/navy• July 1775: Olive Branch Petition – Profess loyalty to

England to avoid all out war.– Pleaded for cease-fire and agreed to remain loyal to

King George III but was ignored by British.

•Drafted the Articles of Confederation

•Drafted the Declaration of Independence

•Chose Washington to lead army

George Washington

• Commander-in-Chief of Continental Army

• Lost more battles than he won.

• Outstanding leadership skills and strength of character

• People trusted him

Battle of Bunker Hill: June 1775• Fought near Boston, Mass.• Colonists seized Breed’s Hill,• Colonists ran out of gun powder -

forced to abandon.• After this: King George III closed

the possibility of reconciliation – proclaiming colonies in rebellion = Treason.

• British victorious

Thomas Paine:

Proponent of a Republic

Jan 1776 Thomas Paine: Common Sense Americans still (at this point) had loyalty to England. Anonymously: Argued for freedom from British rule Radical path for colonies to reject monarchy and

embrace an independent republic.• Jan 1776: Common Sense pamphlet - called for a

republic: power to come from the people, not from a monarch and from popular consent

“Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation”

• July 2, 1776: 2nd Continental Congress accepted Richard Henry Lee’s proposed independence from England in a document called Lee’s Resolution

Thomas Jefferson• Drafted Declaration of

Independence: adopted by Continental Congress July 4, 1776.

• Invoking “Natural rights” of human kind.

• “All men are created equal,” (though he had slaves.)

Declaration of Declaration of IndependenceIndependence (1776)(1776)

Now Pennsylvania State Now Pennsylvania State House Becomes House Becomes

Independence HallIndependence Hall

Declaration of Independence Declaration of Independence Signers:Signers:

New New National National SymbolsSymbols

Declaration of Independence• Based on Enlightenment philosophy • 3 Major Parts:

1). Preamble - influenced by John Locke2). List of 27 grievances against King: taxation

without consent, dispensing with trial by jury, maintaining a standing army in peacetime, cutting off trade, hiring mercenaries, inciting Indian hostilities, etc.

3). Formal declaration of independenceResult: Foreign aid could now be successfully solicitedDocument inspired French Revolution and others

Colonist Advantages and DisadvantagesColonists Advantages• Didn’t have to conquer British-

just had to wear them down• Used hit-and-run tactics• War was unpopular in Britain• Hessian soldiers didn’t “buy-

in” – hundreds deserted• Prussian drillmaster Baron von

Steuben helped train colonial army

Colonists Disadvantages Britain had world’s

largest navy British army well-trained Navy well-supplied ($$$) Loyalists helped the

British

Exports & ImportsExports & Imports: 1768-: 1768-17831783

Battle of Long Island New York, July 1776: British fleet of 500 ships with

35,000 men led by British General Howe. British won Battle of Long Island.

George Washington only had 18,000 ill-trained troops. He retreated across Delaware River.

Battle of Trenton (New Jersey Campaign)

Dec. 1776: Washington re-crosses the Delaware River,

surprises and captures 1,000 Hessians at the Battle of Trenton.

Washington Crossing the Delaware River just before the Battle of Trenton

Phase IIPhase II::

NY & PANY & PA[1777-1778][1777-1778]

Battle of Saratoga British General Burgoyne attempts to capture Hudson River. British Burgoyne surrendered entire command at Saratoga in

Oct 1777. Colonial win made it possible for France to provide aid to the

colonies.An Important Turning Point in the War:

1778 Benjamin Franklin to Paris: negotiates treaty of alliance with France

French aid: guns, money, equipment, troops, and naval strength

1779: Aid from Spain and Holland America started to win Marquis de Lafayette: Helped the Patriots train at Valley Forge

France Becomes Most Important

American Ally: (Why?)• Revenge on British for Seven Year’s War

• Victory at Saratoga showed ability of colonists to beat the British

• Promised recognition of American independence

• Marquis de Lafayette convinced French government to back Patriots

Valley Forge

Valley Forge Washington’s men were tired, hungry,

frostbitten Feb 1778, Baron Fredrick Von Steuben,

Prussian Drillmaster, shaped them into a professional army

Colonial General Benedict Arnold became a Traitor: schemed to sell out the key stronghold of West Point, which commanded the Hudson River, to the British for £6,300 and an officer’s

commission.

American Commander John Paul Jones• Father of the American Navy• Battle of Bonhomme (Bonami) Richard vs. Serapis in the North Sea

– Chief contribution: destroying British merchant shipping – Didn’t affect British navy

• American Privateers: privately owned ships authorized by Congress to attack British ships – captured 100’s of British merchant ships.

• Brought in gold and helped American morale

Frontier Campaigns

• Control land west of Appalachian Mts.

• Cherokees attacked in the south

• Iroquois led by Chief Joseph Brandt raided western New York

Phase IIIPhase III:: The Southern The Southern Strategy Strategy [1780-1781][1780-1781]

General Nathanial Greene: “fighting Quaker”, exhausted his foe by “standing and retreating.” Succeeded in clearing GA and SC of most British Troops.

British Fleet Blockaded by French Fleet

Battle of Yorktown– Last major battle of the war.– French Admiral de Grasse - blockaded Chesapeake

Bay. British Ships unable to enter.– Washington made 300 mile march to Chesapeake from

NY– With Rochambeau’s French Army, Washington

attacked British Army by land and French Admiral de Grasse attacked by sea.

– Oct. 1781: British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his force of 7,000 men

– War continued for 1 more year

John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams negotiated the agreement in Paris

Towards Peace• Lord North’s political party

collapsed 1782• New Whig ministry more

sympathetic to Americans came into power

• U.S. & Britain sign preliminary treaty in 1782

Indian Land Cessions:Indian Land Cessions:1768-17991768-1799

Disputed Territory Between Spain & U. S.: Disputed Territory Between Spain & U. S.: 1783-17961783-1796

North America After Treaty of Paris, 1783North America After Treaty of Paris, 1783

1783 Treaty of Paris • Britain formally recognized U.S. independence

• British to remove troops and lose territory.

• Americans must pay loyalists and British creditors (some states never did)

• Americans gain land: trans-Appalachian area – included land up to Mississippi River.

• American concessions: loyalists couldn’t be prosecuted, loyalist property was restored.

• Spain got Florida