America Secedes From the Empire

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• America Secedes From the Empire
• 1775 - 1783

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Emanuel Leutze's stylized depiction of Washington
Crossing the Delaware (1851)
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April May 1775

• 20,000 militiamen arrive in Boston after
  Lexington Concord
• May 10, 1775 2nd Continental Congress met in
  Philadelphia
• No defined support for independence
• Americans still hoped to get London to address
  their grievance

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Congress Drafts George Washington

• GW chosen to lead army moving to Boston
• VA planter member of Congress
• Important choice but there were many doubts
• Had combat experience 20 years before
• Never rose above rank of colonel
• Largest command was only 1,200
• Not a military genius (lost more battles than he
  won)
• Washingtons strengths strong leader, strength
  of character, moral force, people trusted and
  were willing to follow him

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Second Continental Congress

• Decisions hired George Washington
• Political, not military, decision
• Army was mainly from New England appointed
  Virginian to command to balance sections
• Wealthy man (meaning he wasnt after )
• Declaration of the Causes Necessities for
  Taking Up Arms - when George III rejected Olive
  Branch Petition
• Galloway Plan - keeping colonies in the empire w/
  self-governing rights

King George III
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Bunker Hill Hessian Hirelings

• April 1775 July 1776 inconsistent war b/w BR
  Americans
• Americans affirmed loyalty to king while raising
  armies and fighting BR soldiers
• May 1775 Ticonderoga Crown Point
• Americans under Ethan Allen Benedict Arnold
  captured BR forts with important gunpowder
  artillery supplies

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Bunker Hill Hessian Hirelings

• June 1775 Bunker (Breeds) Hill
• British strategy- split New England from other
  colonies (unsuccessful)
• Colonists took hill overlooking Boston
• BR should have flanked Americans
• Instead, BR charged up hill with 3,000
• Americans firmly entrenched with 1,500
• Americans mow down BR until gunpowder ran out and
  they were forced to retreat
• BR lose 1,100 men Americans lost 300
• Called Battle of Bunker Hill but most fighting
  took place at Breeds Hill

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Bunker Hill Hessian Hirelings

• June 1775 Olive Branch Petition
• pledged loyalty and asked King to intercede w/
  Parliament to secure peace and protection of
  colonial rights
• Sent by Continental Congress to king
• Americans professed loyalty to crown and asked
  for end of fighting
• After Bunker Hill, London govt would not
  consider this
• August 1775 king declared colonies in rebellion
• Made colonists actions treason (punishment is
  death)
• September 1775 king finalized deal to hire
  Hessians
• Shocked colonists (king bringing in foreign
  troops)
• Hessians were good soldiers, although many
  deserted to stay in America for land

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The Abortive Conquest of Canada

• Fall 1775 colonists invaded Canada
• Americans believed (wrongly) that FR wanted to
  kick BR out of Canada
• Canada would become 14th colony and deprive BR of
  launching point for invasions of America
• Contradicted colonists claims they were fighting
  defensive war
• French had been treated well by BR (Quebec Act)
  and did not want to overthrow BR in Canada

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The Abortive Conquest of Canada

• March 1776 BR forced to evacuate Boston
• 2 American victories in South
• Feb Moores Creek Bridge (fighting Loyalists)
• June Charleston harbor against invading BR fleet
• Moves toward independence came slowly
• Loyalty to BR deeply ingrained
• Colonial unity was poor
• Open rebellion was dangerous

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Thomas Paine Preaches Common Sense

• Events that moved Amer toward independence came
  slowly
• Harsh BR attacks (burning of towns)
• Hiring of Hessians
• January 1776 Common Sense no country should
  be controlled by an island
• One of the most influential pamphlets ever
  written
• Thomas Paine came from BR only 1 year earlier
• Sold 120,000 copies in only a few months
• King was the Royal Brute of GB
• Called for independence AND the creation of a new
  govt a republic
• Power comes from people, not the king
• All public officials should be responsible to the
  people
• Supported by colonists who saw kings actions
  after 1763 as conspiracy to take away their
  liberties
• The Crisis These are the times that try mens
  souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine
  patriot will shrink from the service of their
  country (check Ch. Intro)

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Paine and the Idea of Republicanism

• Colonists govt prepared them for republicanism
• Colonists practiced with town meetings annual
  elections
• Committees of correspondence
• America had no fixed hierarchy of power
• Republican virtue
• Sacrifice personal self-interest for the public
  good

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Jeffersons Explanation of Independence

• June 7, 1776 RH Lee (Virginia) moved for
  independence
• These colonies are and of right ought to be free
  and independent states
• July 2, 1776 Lees resolution passed after much
  debate
• Needed a more formal declaration and explanation
• June 1776 committee prepared formal declaration
• TJ wrote it (worlds greatest editorial)
• July 4, 1776 it was formally approved by Congress
• all men are created equal
• natural right that King George had violated, so
  colonists were justified in rebellion

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The Declaration of Independence

• Jefferson borrows many ideas from John Locke in
  writing the Declaration of Independence.
• The Declaration of Independence has three main
  goals
• to explain the political philosophy of the
  colonists
• to list the grievances of the revolutionists
• to formally declare their separation from Britain
• Lockes Influence
• Reasoned that while the state (govt) is supreme,
  it
• is bound to follow natural laws based on the
  rights
• that people have simply because they are human.
• He argued that sovereignty ultimately resides
  with the people rather than with the state.
• Furthermore, citizens had a right and an
  obligation to revolt against whatever govt
  failed to protect their rights.
• Impact of the Declaration
• Established colonies as rebels, not BR subjects
  trying to reconcile
• Allowed America to realistically request foreign
  aid
• Influenced many others in struggle for freedom in
  the future

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We must indeed all hang together, or, most
assuredly we shall all hang separately
John Trumbull, 1817
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Patriots and Loyalists

• Loyalists (Tories)
• People in America loyal to the crown
• 16 of population
• Upper classes, generally older
• People who worked for the king in colonies
• Anglican church members (except in Virginia)
• Strong in NYC, Charleston, Quaker Penn, NJ
• Patriots (Whigs)
• People who fought for revolution
• Patriots fought not only BR soldiers, but also
  Loyalists during the war
• Generally younger colonists
• Strongest in New England (Presbyterians
  Congregationalists, strong tradition of
  self-govt, support for mercantilism weakest)
• Revolution supported by only minority of the
  population (many were neutral)
• Needed support of citizens
• BR didnt do this well
• Patriots used political education to get
  support of undecided colonists

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Patriots and Loyalists

• Persecution of Loyalists
• Mild before Decl of Indep (tarring feathering)
• Harsher after Decl of Indep (viewed as traitors
  by patriots)
• Persectued, imprisoned, hanged
• 80,000 driven out or fled (estates confiscated to
  pay for war)
• 50,000 fought for BR

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General Washington at Bay

• March 1776 BR evacuated Boston used NY as HQ
  (many loyalists, good port, central location)
• Summer-Fall 1776 disaster for Americans
• Battle of Long Island Americans retreat in panic
• BR General Howe lets Washington retreat instead
  of stopping his army
• Washington heads into NJ
• December 26, 1776 captured 1,000 Hessians
  sleeping off Christmas celebrations at Battle of
  Trenton after crossing Delaware River at night
• January 1777 defeated BR forces at Princeton

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Emanuel Leutze's stylized depiction of Washington
Crossing the Delaware (1851)
Washington crossed at night, so there would have
been no light!
Flag had not been designed yet
Washington would have overturned the boat!
No ice on the Delaware River
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Burgoynes Blundering Invasion

• 1777 BR plan to capture Hudson River Valley
• Would cut off New England
• General Burgoyne would come S from Canada Howe
  would come N from NY
• General Benedict Arnold stops the BR advances
• Holds Burgoyne off until winter sets in
• Burgoynes 7,000 troops moved S slowly were
  attacked repeatedly by militiamen
• Howe instead goes S to attack Philadelphia (hoped
  to destroy Washingtons army)

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Burgoynes Blundering Invasion

• Howe settled in for winter at Philly
• Washington makes camp at Valley Forge, 20 miles
  NW of Philly
• Miserable winter, men freezing
• Baron von Steuben turned them into a professional
  army
• October 17, 1777 Saratoga
• Burgoyne forced to surrender to General Horatio
  Gates
• Strengthened rebel cause
• Allowed FR to enter war on American side
• Turning point!

  Washington and Lafayette look over the troops
at Valley Forge.
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Revolution in Diplomacy?

• FR America seemed ideal partners
• FR
• Wanted to get back at BR for loss in 7 Years War
• BR would not be a world power w/out the colonies
• America needed help against BR
• Continental Congress wanted to end colonialism
  mercantilism
• Wanted no political connection, no military
  connection, only a commercial connection
• Benjamin Franklin negotiated treaty w/FR
• Feb. 1778 Franco-American Alliance
• Official recognition from FR of Americas
  independence
• America received important military aid from FR
  (guns, troops, navy, , equipment)
• Both would fight until America received
  independence both agreed to terms w/BR
• FR declared war on BR
• 1779 SP HOL enter war against BR
• Armed Neutrality organized demanded respect from
  BR for freedom of seas (passive hostility)

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Blow and Counterblow

• 1778 change in BR strategy
• Before blockade control coast w/powerful navy
• After FR navy threatened blockade
• BR evacuated Philly concentrated on NY
• Washington uses army to hold BR at NY
• Late 1780 General Benedict Arnold turned
  TRAITOR!
• Felt he was not appreciated
• Promised to sell out West Point
• Plan detected at last minute and stopped
• Arnold fled to BR
• New BR plan take S first (where Loyalists were
  strong)
• then move N
• Overrun Georgia, then SC surrendered
• Many Indians fought w/BR (to stop American
  expansion)
• Iroquois Nation divided
• Chief Joseph Brant led pro-BR Iroquois
• Attacked Penn NY until stopped by Americans
• Treaty of Ft. Stanwix (forced to sign, gave away
  most of
• their land)

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Land Sea Frontiers

• Kentucky
• Lexington named for Mass. town where fighting
  began
• Louisville named for FR King Louis XVI
• BR scattered forts in W are vulnerable
• American navy a few small ships led by daring
  officers
• John Paul Jones
• Never made a dent in BR navy
• Main contribution was hurting BR merchant
  shipping
• American privateers privately owned armed ships
  (legal pirates)
• Authorized by Congress to attack enemy merchant
  shipping
• Out for patriotism profit (kept what they
  stole)
• Brought in gold, hurt the enemy, raised morale
• Led BR merchants to pressure Parliament to end war

I have not yet begun to fight
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Yorktown and the Final Curtain

• 1780-1781 darkest period of war for America
• Continental dollars almost worthless (inflation)
• Govt bankrupt
• Mutiny despair prevailed
• Cornwallis marched into a trap at Yorktown
• Unsuccessful operations in VA
• Fell back to Yorktown (Chesapeake Bay) to wait
  for supplies (but FR controlled the seas at this
  point)
• Joint American-FR operation at Yorktown
• Cornwallis trapped at sea by FR at land by
  Washington
• October 1781 Cornwallis 7,000 men surrender
• FR had provided the essential sea power ½ of
  troops for America
• David Bushnell- The Turtle, first sub, 8 small
  windows egg-shaped 1 person, 3 mph submerged
  for 30 minutes.
• Used once during Revolution, targeted HMS Eagle

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Final Curtain

• Yorktown (Oct. 19, 1781)- George Washington
  Cornwallis

Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown (John
Trumbull, 1797). On the right is the American
flag, on the left is the white flag of the French
monarchy. Despite the painting's title,
Cornwallis (claiming illness) was not present and
is not depicted. Washington is on horseback in
the right background because the British
commander was absent, military protocol dictated
that Washington have a subordinate-in this case
Benjamin Lincoln-accept the surrender.
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Peace at Paris

• King George planned to continue fighting (still
  had 54,000 troops in N.A.)
• Fighting continued for a year
• Washington kept army in the field and the states
  together or else an acceptable peace treaty might
  never have been signed
• BR public sick of war (losses around the world)
• March 1782 Lord Norths Tory govt collapsed
• Replaced by Whigs (anti-king, anti-war)
• 3 Americans in Paris to negotiate peace
• B. Franklin, J. Adams, J. Jay
• Congress instructed them to consult w/FR but they
  wanted to make the best treaty for the US, not FR
• FR wanted independent US, but not a powerful one
• Tried to confine the US to east of Allegheny
  Mountains
• SP also wanted area east of Alleghenies
• John Jay believed FR were about to betray US, so
  made secret communications w/BR, who quickly
  agreed
• 1783 final Treaty of Paris signed

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Treaty of Paris 1783

• Results of Treaty
• U.S.
• BR recognizes independence
• Generous boundaries
• Mississippi on West
• Great Lakes to N
• To SP Florida in S
• Kept control of important fishing areas in
  Newfoundland
• Britain
• cedes Florida to Spain
• Loyalists not persecuted in US
• Congress would recommend that their confiscated
  property be restored
• States would pay debts to BR debtors
• Debt issues not carried out in future by US,
  leading to future conflicts w/BR

Painting by Benjamin West depicting (from left to
right) John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,
Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. The
British commissioners refused to pose, and the
picture was never finished.
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A New Nation Legitimized

• Why did BR give America such a good deal???
• Wanted to break Franco-American alliance
• Whig govt (only in power for a few months) more
  friendly to America than Tories
• Wanted to repair the relationship, reopen trade,
  prevent future wars w/America
• FR formally approved Treaty of Paris
• Wanted to bring costly war to an end
• America is the only country that gained from the
  Revolution
• BR defeated
• FR incurred massive debt ? FR Revolution
• America gained independence and their country

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Personality Profiles

• Major Andre- everybody liked him (even G.
  Wash), plans found in boots

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Personality Profiles

• John Hancock so King George can see it w/o his
  spectacles
• smuggler/merchant believed he should be commander
  in chief
• Patrick Henry Give me liberty or give me
  death
• Alexander Hamilton- born in West Indies G.
  Washingtons aide

Patrick Henry
Alexander Hamilton
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The End