1763-1783 the Road to American Revolution HL

8/14/2019 1763-1783 the Road to American Revolution HL

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UNIT II -- 1763-1800I. Subtle Changes Within ColonialSociety After a Century of SalutaryNeglectA. Navigation Acts

Some friction had resulted from these trade acts,although they were laxly enforced so that they

presented no real burdens for the colonists.These acts did stifle economic initiative and left thecolonists with annoying liabilities.

B. View of the Role of Parliament

The Glorious Revolution 1689 resulted in thestrongest guarantee of parliamentary rights, but the

debate over who had the right to rule continued

Views over who had the authorityincluded:

Popular Sovereignty

The final right to rule is

retained by the peoplethemselves;

b. Tories - the crownshould not be subject to the

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will of the people for any reason;

c. Whigs - Parliamentcontrolled and the crownruled in cooperation withthem.

The Model of an American Whig

by Harold B. Gill Jr.

The public or political character of the Virginians,corresponds with their private one: they are haughtyand jealous of their liberties, impatient of restraint,and can scarcely bear the thought of being controuledby any superior. Many of them consider the coloniesas independent states, not connected with Great

Britain, otherwise than by having the same commonking, and being bound to her with natural affection.

So wrote the Vicar of Greenwich, the ReverendAndrew Burnaby, of a visit from England to the Old

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Dominion in 1759.

When Parliament began to insist on its supremacy

over all other bodies, including colonial legislatures,friction increased until the Revolutionary War.

C. End of SalutaryNeglect or BenignNeglect

The last major war had

originated over a struggle inthe Ohio Valley between

French claims and the influx of English settlers,leaving the British government with a large postwardebt.

Taxation without representation

By 1763, Great Britain possessedvast holdings in North America.

In addition to the thirteen colonies,twenty-two smaller colonies wereruled directly by royal governors.

Victory in the Seven Years' Warhad

given Great Britain New France(Canada), Spanish Florida, and theNative American lands east of theMississippi River.

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In North America there were six Colonies thatremained loyal to Britain.

The colonies included: Province ofQuebec, Province of Nova Scotia,Colony of Bermuda, Province ofWest Florida and the Province ofEast Florida. In 1765 however, thecolonists still consideredthemselves loyal subjects of the

British Crown, with the samehistoric rights and obligations assubjects in Britain.[15]

The British did not expect the colonies to contributeto the interest or the retirement of debt incurredduring the French and Indian War, but they did expecta portion of the expenses for colonial defense to be

paid by the Americans.Estimating the expenses of defending the continentalcolonies and the West Indies to be approximately200,000 annually, the British goal after the end of thiswar was that the colonies would be taxed for 78,000of this needed amount.[16]

The issues with the colonists were both that the taxeswere high and that the colonies had no representationin the Parliament which passed the taxes.

Lord North in 1775 argued for the4
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British position that Englishmen

paid on average twenty-fiveshillings annually in taxes whereasAmericans paid only sixpence

(the averageEnglishman,

however, alsoearned quite a bitmore whilereceiving moreservices directlyfrom the government).[17]Colonists, however, as early as 1764, with respect tothe Sugar Act, indicated that the margin of profit in

rum was so small thatmolasses could bear noduty whatever.[18]

No taxation withoutrepresentation

The phrase "No

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taxation without representation" became popular inmany

American circles.

Virtual Representation

London argued that the Americans were represented"virtually"; but most Americans rejected the theorythat men in London, who knew nothing about theirneeds and conditions, could represent them.[19]

As debate in Parliament over the 1764 budgetoccurred, George Grenville, the Chancellor of theExchequer, proposed an American Revenue Act,

Sugar Act1764

This was the firstParliamentary act designed toraise revenue from thecolonies for the crown, ratherthan just regulate trade.

It extended Molasses Act(1733), reducing the tax on

foreign molasses butincreased it on refined sugar;

b. It also placed new orhigher import duties on non-British textiles, coffee

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and indigo, and wines imported directly from theAtlantic Island groups;

c. It doubled the duty on foreign goods re-shipped inEngland to the colonies

d. It forbade the importationof French wines, and rumand spirits from foreignsources into the continentalcolonies;

e. It placed on theenumerated list hides andskins, pot and pearl ashes,iron and lumber for Europe,whale fins and raw silk.

Restructure of the Colonial Customs Service

a. Previously customsfrom Americarecovered only one-fourth the

administrative costs ofthe colonies

b. Grenville was determined to enforce trade

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laws and make customs service profitable.

He established a vice-

admiralty court at Halifaxwith jurisdiction over theAmerican colonies, withsuits brought there ratherthan in colonial courts;

(2) An individual accusedlost the right to sue forillegal seizure;

(3) An accused had theburden of proof and an

obligation to post bond fortrial costs

(4) Stricter registration andbonding procedures wereestablished for shipscarrying enumerated and non-enumerated items;

(5) U.S. customs officials lost the privilege to live in

England and delegate duties to trusted deputies

II. Continued Unrest In the American8


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Colonies -- Justifying a ContinuedMilitary Presence

Pontiac's Rebellion May-November 1763-- after Detroit surrendered to theEnglish

The Indians demanded alowering of prices on trade

goods and to be furnishedwith ammunition

After thedemands were not met, a DelawareProphet and visionary from the upperOhio and his disciple, Pontiac (1720-69),chief of the Ottawa.

Delaware Prophet

Chief Pontiac

A betrayed plan

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to take Detroit pushed Pontiac into openwarfare, resulting in the rapid

destruction of every British post west ofNiagara by June except Detroit and Fort

Pitt.

A plan to distribute blanketsladen with small pox germsamong the disaffected tribes

was abandoned, because of thedanger of exposure to British

troops.

A retaliatory sortie againstPontiac was repulsed at Bloody

Ridge in July, but the Indianswere routed at Bushy Run nearFt Pitt.

Several Indian tribes signedtreaties with the Britishbefore Pontiac finallysubmitted at Oswego andsigned a peace treaty (July1766).

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Although Pontiac remained loyal to the British afterhis surrender, he was murdered in 1769 by a

Kaskaskia Indian, who had been bribed by an Englishtrader.

B. Parson's Cause

Anglican ministers inVirginia were paid intobacco.

Because of a cropfailure (1755), thelegislature agreed to

pay in currency, but the Privy Councildisallowed this action after complaints were

made by the Virginia clergy.The clergy then sued fortheir back pay.

In one case involving Rev.James Maury in HanoverCounty Court, the jury wasswayed by young Patrick

Henry who argued that by nullifying the act, the kinghad broken the compact between the governed andthe ruler and thus had "forfeited all rights to hissubjects' obedience."

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Patrick Henry argued thatthere exists a

contract/compact betweenthe king and his subjects orthe government and thegoverned.

He claimed that the Kinghad granted the colony of

Virginia the authority to create an Assembly to make

laws and to govern itself on local matters.Patrick Henry

argued that by

nullifying an act ofthe VirginiaAssembly, the Kingand his Privy

Counsel had violatedthe Virginia ColonialCharter/Contract.

His logic then follows that if when one party violatesthe terms of a contract that the entire contract thenbecomes null and void. If the Virginia Charter is nulland void, then the citizens of Virginia are no longer

legally required to be obedient to the King.The General Court ruled against the clergy and wasbacked by the Privy Council 1766.

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Paxton Boys in Frontier Pennsylvania

Insecurity in the

Pennsylvania frontier led toa raid on Indians by menfrom Paxton and Donegal

The Paxton Boys felt thatthe government ofcolonialPennsylvania was negligent

in providing them with protection.

The Paxton Boys decidedto take matters into theirown hands. As thenearest belligerentIndians were some 200miles west of Paxton, themen turned their anger

towards the localConestoga (orSusquehannock) Indiansmany ofthem Christianswho lived peacefully in smallenclaves in the midst of white Pennsylvaniasettlements.

(The Paxton Boys believedor claimed to believe thatthese Indians secretlyprovided aid andintelligence to the hostileIndians.)

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On December 14, 1763 a group of more than fiftyPaxton Boys marched on an Indian village near

Millersville, PA, murdered the six Indians they foundthere, and burned

the bloody cabin inwhich the killings weredone.

Later, colonists lookingthrough the ashes of the

cabin, found a bagcontaining theConestoga's 1701 treaty

signed by William Penn, which pledged that the

colonists and the Indians "shall foreverhereafter be as one Head & One Heart, &

live in true Friendship & Amity as onePeople."

The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the arrest of the"Paxton Boys" who proceeded to march east towardPhiladelphia.

About two-hundred and fifty Paxton men then

marched on Philadelphia in January of 1764, whereonly the presence of British troops and Philadelphiamilitia prevented them from doing more violence.

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Benjamin Franklinpersuaded them to forgo

battle, allowed them toissue a formal complaintand obtained greaterrepresentation for frontiersettlements in thelegislature.

III.Other Legislation

Which CausedFrictionA. Proclamation Lineof 1763

After the French began toabandon their frontier fortsin the Ohio Valley, an influxof new English settlersbegan to create unrest withwestern Indian

Pennsylvania agreed in theTreaty of Easton not to settle west of the Alleghenies

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b. Indian Commissioners,appointed by the crown,

forbade settlement west ofthe mountains but it waslargely ignored.

William Petty, LordShelburne , head of theBoard of Trade, formulateda policy regarding the newly

acquired lands as a resultof the Treaty of Paris 1763,in an effort to simplifyrelations with the Indiansand to foster orderly colonial growth.

His recommendation was that the Appalachians be thedividing line between English settlers and Indian

reservation.b. A colonial settlement wasallowed in the upper Ohiowith Indians settling east ofthe line.

c. Without infringing onalready existing colonies,three new provinces wouldbe created - Quebec, WestFlorida, East Florida.

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proclamation was shaped by the Earl of Hillsborough.

a. No Ohio valley settlement

was allowed, but the entire areanorth of Spanish Florida andSouth of Quebec as far as LA,was under military jurisdictionwith troops stationed there

b. Settlers west of theAppalachians were ordered "to

remove themselves."

c. Land purchases from Indianseast of the line were forbidden.

d. Attempts to control Indianaffairs through agents not directly responsible tocolonial legislatures further angered the colonists.

e. Trails westward were clogged in defiance.

B. Currency Act1764 -- aimed mainly atVirginia

This action forbade theissuance of legal-tender papercurrency by all American

colonies.

It nullified all acts of colonialassemblies which were contrary to its terms and finedany governor who went along with such colonial

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actions.

The colonists soon

opposed this action.

a. Massachusetts led with atown meeting in Boston in May,denouncing taxation withoutrepresentation and called upon the colonies to unitein opposition.

b. Boston merchants agreed to do without Englishlace and ruffles while the town's mechanics agreednot to wear any leather work clothes not ofMassachusetts make.

c. Non-importation soon spread to othercolonies, especially New York.

C. Stamp Act1765

placed a tax on newspapers,almanacs, pamphlets andbroadsides, all kinds of legaldocuments, insurance policies,ship's papers, licenses, dice and

playing cards.The receipts were to be used for the defense of thecolonies.

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This first Parliamentary action aimed directed at theAmerican colonies, when combined with the taxesfrom the Sugar Act, was supposed to raise one-thirdof the annual cost of colonial military establishment.

Because of the sensitiveness of the colonists,Grenville appointed Americans as stamp agents.

IV. Rise of ColonialOppositionA. Stamp Act Crisis

The colonists reactedalmost unanimously againstthis act, because of thenovelty of direct taxation by

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Parliament, which they feared was the firstof many taxes to come.

Its all-inclusive charactertranscended sectionalism.

Its affect on influential colonialgroups (lawyers, printers, tavernowners, land speculators,merchants, ship owners) broadened

the base of the opposition.Because jurisdiction for cases of violations of this actwas given to vice-admiralty courts, fear washeightened that the right to trial by jury was in

jeopardy.

Its imposition at a time of economic stagnation andcurrency problems created a colonial mindset that

viewed the British policies as deliberately designed toweaken the colonies.

B. New Political Theories--Americanwriters drew distinctions about the

Stamp Act's illegalityDaniel Delany, Considerations , a Maryland attorney,recognized Parliament's right to regulate trade, even ifit produced a revenue externally, but denied its right

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to impose internal taxes on the colonies to raiserevenue, because American colonists were not

represented in Parliament.Daniel Dulany

Virginia Resolutions (1765) assertedthat Virginia's right to govern itsinternal affairs had always beenrecognized by the Crown.

a. It claimed that its GeneralAssembly alone had authority to taxVirginians.

b. During the debates over these seven resolutions,the member of the House of Burgesses who proposedthem in May, Patrick Henry (1736-1799), made hisfamous "treason" speech.

He warning George III toremember the fates ofJulius Caesar and Charles I.

c. Patrick Henry saidCaesar had his Brutus--Charles the first, hisCromwell--and George the third--may profit by their

example. . . . If this be treason, make the most of it.

C. Sons of Liberty 1765

Organized to oppose the

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Stamp Act, secret organizations formed in manytowns, using violence to force stamp agents to resign

their posts and merchants to cancel orders for Britishgoods.

a. For example, in Bostonin August vice-admiraltycourt records were burned,the comptroller of thecurrency's home was

ransacked, and the homeand library of Chief JusticeThomas Hutchinson waslooted.

Chief JusticeThomasHutchinson

b. Boston's stamp agent, Thomas Oliver(Hutchinson's brother-in-law), wasforced by a mob to resign.

By November 1, the effective date of theStamp Act, all colonial stamp agents had resigned asa result of colonial opposition.

D. Stamp Act Congress 7-25 October 1765James Otis of Massachusetts

proposed an inter-colonial meeting toseek relief of the Stamp Act, and the

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Massachusetts Assembly dispatched a circular letterto each colonial assembly, suggesting New York City

as the meeting place.South Carolina, the first to accept, RI, CN, PA, and MDformally endorsed the proposal, while NJ, Delaware,and NY sent delegates who were chosen informally(27 delegates total).

John Dickinson, PA who was a moderate, proposedfourteen resolutions, a

"Declaration of Rights andGrievances," which claimed allrights and liberties of the King'ssubjects in Great Britain;

a. They stated that taxation withoutthe consent expressed personally orby representatives was a violation ofbasic English rights;

b. They pointed out that the colonists were notrepresented in the House of Commons;

c. They concluded that notaxes could beconstitutionally imposed

except by their own coloniallegislative bodies.d. Specifically deplored wasthe use of admiralty courts

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in which to try cases.

E. Additional Demands for Its Repeal

Expanded Use of EconomicSanctions Nonimportation

In New York City,leading citizens whoagreed not topurchase Europeangoods until theStamp Act wasrepealed and the

trade sanctions of 1764 were modified, weresoon joined by

200 New York, 400 Philadelphia and 250 Bostonmerchants.

b. Business in the colonieswas generally suspendedwhen the Stamp Act went

into effect, becauseeveryone refused to use thestamps.

c. Courts closed

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everywhere, rather than use the stamps (expect inRhode Island whose governor refused to execute the

law).d. Business returned beforeyear's end without using thestamps, directly violatingthe law.

A movement in Britainfor its repeal was alreadyunderway by November.

Greenville's ministry had been replaced by theMarquis of Rockingham.

b. The decline in Britishexports to the colonies

pushed merchants inthirty towns in Britain topetition Parliament torepeal the Stamp Act,citing severalbankruptcies.

(1) Because 1/4 of allBritish exports went tothe American colonies,and 1/2 of all shippingwas devoted to the American trade, these

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boycotts hurt British merchants.

(2) Many laborers in

Britain faced lay-offsbecause of theAmerican boycotts.

F. Repeal of theStamp Act 1766

Debate in Parliamentcentered on a push to

use the army to enforce it, led by Grenville, and apush to repeal it, led by William Pitt.

William Pitt

Colonial agents

testified beforeParliament as acommittee of thewhole.

a. Agent Benjamin

Franklin remindedParliament thatcolonial legislaturesalso had incurred

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heavy expenditures during the French andIndian War, faced continued expense from

Indian wars and lacked sufficient specie topay the tax for even 1 year

b. Franklin warned that the use of troopscould lead to open rebellion, endorsedDulany's distinction between internal

and external taxes, and called for theact's repeal.

A bill for full repeal passed the House of Commons272-167, and after pressure was brought by theCrown, it passed the Lords in March, effective 1 May1766.

Word reached New York on April 26, where non-importation was immediately abandoned, and statuesin honor of King George and William Pitt wereauthorized.

Repeal of theStamp Act. Picturedepicts a mock

funeral for theStamp Act

G.

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Modification of Trade Laws

The government alsoretreated on the Sugar Actby modifying duties onmolasses imported to thecolonies and by repealingthe export duties on BritishWest Indian sugar

But it required that allcolonial products shipped to northern Europe had toclear through ports in Great Britain en route.

H. Declaratory Act1766

Parliament also asserted its

authority over the Americancolonies with a statementenacted into law on thesame day that the StampAct was repealed, whichdeclared that Parliamenthad full authority to make laws binding the American

colonists in all cases whatsoever .Because of the mounting opposition to the Stamp Act,this action was overlooked.

V. Additional Sources of Friction28


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A. Quartering Act 1765

(Not part of the Grenville Acts)

Requested by GeneralThomas Gage, it requiredcivil authorities in thecolonies to providebarracks and supplies forBritish troops stationed inNorth America.

A 2d act in 1766 provided for billeting in inns,alehouses and unoccupied dwellings.

Quartering Act Crisis

After General Gage requested in December 1765 thatNY's Assembly supply and quarter his troops in

accordance with this act, the Assembly claimed thatthe act was heaviest on them and refused fullcompliance in January.

General Thomas Gage

Born: 1721; Firle, Sussex,EnglandDied: April 2, 1787;Portland, England

Commander-in-Chief of theBritish Army in America:

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1763-177

General Gageb. A clash between British soldiers and citizens inAugust 1766 resulted in the wounding of Issac Sears,a leader of the Sons of Liberty.

c. As a result the NY Assembly did not appropriate anyfunds for Gage's troops for which Parliamentsuspended its legislative powers, effective October

1767.

d. New York finally allocated limited funds in June1767, although the Board of Trade upheld Parliament'ssuspension of their Assembly.

B. Townshend Acts

Charles Townshend became Chancellor of theExchequer in August 1766.

a. He attacked the American distinction betweeninternal and external taxes.

Charles Townshend

b. He unveiled new revenue plan

for America, necessitated in partby a reduction in the Britishland tax which reduced theBritish government's homerevenue.

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He conformed to the American distinction, however,by imposing only external taxes.

a. New import duties paid at American ports wereplaced on glass, white lead, paints, paper and tea, topay for the defense of the colonies, defray costs ofadministering justice and support civil gov't.

b. To efficiently collect the new duties, Townshendalso clearly affirmed the power of superior courts to

issue writs of assistance, established new vice-admiralty courts, and set up an American Board ofCommissioners of the Custom to Boston, directlyresponsible to the Treasury Board.

C. Colonial Reaction to the Townshend Acts

A Revival of

Nonimportationa. Several towns drew up lists ofitems which its citizens wereencouraged not to buy.

b. Plans were drawn up topromote domestic industry andemployment

Farmer's LettersNovember 1767

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Farmer's LettersNovember 1767

John Dickinson wrote aseries of letters in thePennsylvania Chroniclewhich was the mostsignificant statement of the

constitutional basis foropposition.

b. These 14 essays werewidely distributed aspamphlets in the coloniesand in Britain

(1) Again, Parliament's right to regulate trade wasconceded, but not its right to tax in order to raiserevenue in America.

(2) The Townshend Acts were declaredunconstitutional.

(3) The suspension of the New York Assembly washailed as a blow to the liberties of all American

colonies.

Massachusetts CircularLetter February 1768

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a. The Massachusetts General Court denounced TheTownshend Acts in violation of the principle of no

taxation without representation, reasserted thatthe colonies were not represented adequately in theBritish Parliament and attacked the Crown's attemptto make colonial governors and judges independentfrom the people.

b. Samuel Adams drew up a letter to the other colonialassemblies to inform them of the steps taken by the

Court and to seek advice on how to proceed

Samuel Adams

c. The Letter was attacked asseditious by the Massachusettsgovernor, Francis Bernard, whothen dissolved the General

Court.d. Lord Hillsborough, Secretaryof State, denounced the letter ina dispatch in April to all colonialgovernors, ordering that theirrespective assemblies be

prevented from endorsing it, by dissolution if

necessary, but this order was too late.(1) NH, NJ and CN hadalready commendedMassachusetts.

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(2) Virginia drafted its own circular letter in support ofMassachusetts.

e. When the Massachusetts House of Representativesrefused to rescind the letter, the General Court wasdissolved by Bernard in July, although 17 had votedto rescind.

f. These 17 "Rescinders" came under heavy attackfrom the Sons of Liberty and seven lost their seats inthe May 1769 Election.

D. British Reaction to Colonial Reaction

Seizure of the LibertyJune 1768

Customs Commissioners in Boston requested an

armed force for protection when doing their duty andthe government dispatched the Romneyto Boston.

b. When told that a customsofficial had been locked up whileJohn Hancock's sloop unloadedwine from Madeira without paying

the duty, the

Libertywasseized.

c. An angry mob assaultedcustoms officials on the dock,

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and demonstrated outside of their homes, before theofficials fled to an island in the harbor and called for

troops.British Troops in Boston October

a. Under the pretense of an armed conflict withFrance, a Boston town meeting called upon citizens toarm themselves and upon the Governor to reconvenethe Court, but he refused.

b. Delegates from 96 towns met informally inProvincial Convention in September but broke upbefore British troops arrived.

c. Although the Sons of Liberty threatened armedresistance, two infantry regiments landed in Bostonwithout incident and remained stationed there.

E. Mounting Colonial Opposition

Nonimportation was revived in Boston, following amore stringent agreement already in place in New

York and debated in Philadelphia.

The Boston merchantsbarred the importation ofitems with the Townshendduties and a list of otheritems until the duties wererepealed and New Yorkmerchants followed suit

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By the end of 1769, only New Hampshire was notparticipating in some kind of ban on importation from

Britain.

Virginia Resolves May 1769 in theHouse of Burgessesa. George Mason's (1725-92) resolutions were adoptedunanimously.

George Masonb. They again recognized only the right ofthe Virginia governor and legislature totax Virginians, condemned the Britishgovernment for censuring the circularletters, and condemned Parliament'snotion that malcontents be taken toEngland for trial.

Virginia Association

Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee drew up anaddress to King George III.Later the Royal Governordissolved the Assembly,after which the Assembly

met informally and formedthe Virginia Association, anon-importation agreement

banning the importation of goods on which a duty had

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been paid, of slaves and of several types of Europeanluxuries.

b. The Association idea spread to Maryland in June,South Carolina in July, Georgia in September, andNorth Carolina in November.

Patrick Henry Richard Henry Lee

Delaware and

Connecticutadopted non-importationpledges in the portcities.

d. Rhode Islandcommunities

adopted a weakmeasure, until threatened with a boycott from New

York and Philadelphia.

e. New Jersey endorsed thesanctions of New York andPhiladelphia.

F. Effects of Non-Importation

Losses of colonial imports weresignificant, although partially offset

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by an expanding market for British goods in Europe.

The Board of Trade as early as May recommended

modifications to the Townshend duties be considered.

G. Continued Agitation in the Colonies

Battle of Golden Hill January 1770

a. Alexander McDougall,New York Sons of Liberty

leader, blasted theAssembly for appropriatingfunds for the QuarteringAct, after earlier refusing.

b. This led to clashesbetween citizens and

soldiers which finished with a riot on Golden Hill, in

which between 30 and 40 soldiers armed withbayonets clashed with citizens armed with cutlassesand clubs. (Several injuries, none fatal)

c. McDougall was arrested and imprisoned althoughhe never came to trial.

Boston Massacre

March 1770a. After the troops arrived in1768, minor clashes eruptedin Boston between soldiers

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and citizens, some of which were ended only whensoldiers fired shots into the air

b. A fist fight between a soldier and a worker escalatedinto a small riot on 5 March.

c. When a swelling mob pressed upon a detachmentof soldiers, the troops fired into the crowd, killing 3instantly and 2 more were wounded mortally(including Crispus Attacks , black bystander)

d. Captain Preston and sixothers were arrested, butwere defended by twopatriot lawyers, JohnAdams and Josiah Quincy .

e. At the October trial,Preston and four others

were acquitted and twowere found guilty ofmanslaughter.

H. Repeal of theTownshend DutiesApril 1770

After the sudden death ofTownshend and LordFrederick North was Chancellor of the Exchequer inJanuary, the move to repeal the Townshend Acts

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gained momentum.

Lord Frederick North

Because North believed that a completerepeal might be viewed as a sign ofweakness, he proposed that all duties berescinded except for the duty on tea,

pledging no new taxes on colonists

At the same time the Quartering Act expired without it

being renewed.

As a result of this, the non-importation agreementscollapsed; repeal being a condition for theirwithdrawal, although Boston appealed for colonists tohold the line even against the tea tax.

I. Additional Agitation

Although some attempts were made to exploit theunrest in Boston, only compacts against theimportation of taxed tea remained as the solesignificant cause of conflict.

Battle of Almanace May 1771

a. North CarolinaRegulators, led byHerman Husbands,took the law into

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their own hands when protesting against the lack ofrepresentation in the Assembly.

b. The Johnston Act made rioters guilty of treason.

c. Gov. William Tryon (1729-88) led 1,200 men againstthe Regulators at Almanace Creek near Hillsboro.

d. Many leaders were executed + 6,500 Piedmontsettlers had to swear allegiance to the gov't.

Burning of the Customs

SchoonerGaspee June1772a. When it ran aground nearProvidence, 8 boatloads ofmen attacked and set theship afire.

b. A reward was offered for the capture of the culprits,

who would be tried in England but hostility in RhodeIsland prevented any tangible evidence fromemerging.

Crippling the Power ofthe Purse

a. Colonists were alarmed

at the prospect of tryingthe case of the Gaspee inEngland.

b. More alarming was the

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proposal that the Massachusetts governor and judgesreceive their salaries directly from the crown.

c. Such actions would remove any colonial controlover the executive or judiciary.

Committees of Correspondence November 1772

Committees ofCorrespondence

a. New committees were

organized in Boston tocommunicate with othercommunities what actionBoston was going to takeagainst this new threat

b. James Otis headed a 21-person committee.

c. These committees expanded to other towns so thatby February 1774, only NC and PA had not taken suchaction.

Continuing Problems with Tea

Tea Act May 1773

a. To save the East IndiaCompany from bankruptcy,Parliament remitted allexport duties on tea to the

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American colonies, but retained the import tax into thecolonies.

The Company was alsopermitted to sell directly toagents or consignees in thecolonies, which enabled itto undercut the price of teaand undersell law-abidingcolonial merchants who had

previously purchased tea under the old systemAmerican oppositioncentered on the threat ofmonopoly which the teacompany had given to aselect few merchants,acting as consignees.

a. A meeting in Philadelphiademanded the resignationof Philadelphia consignees,and a Boston town meeting following suit.

b. In New York City harbor pilots were warned againstbringing any tea ship into port

c. The Sons of Liberty branded teaimporters "enemies", and pledged aboycott.

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Boston Tea PartyDecember 1773

a. The HMS Dartmoutharrived in Boston on 27November.

b. Two mass meetingsresolved that the tea bereturned to England withoutany duty payment, an actionGovernor Hutchinson would

not permit.

c. Hutchinson ordered that the ships proceed afterproof that payment had been made.

d. After 20 days, the tea

became subject to seizurefor non-payment of duties.

e. On the 16th, at a meetingof 8,000 citizens, SamAdams, after beinginformed of the governor'srefusal to budge on the issue, signaled a disciplined

group of men, disguised as Mohawk Indians, whorushed to the harbor, boarded the ships, and dumped342 chests of tea into Boston harbor, destroying noother property.

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Boston Tea Party

f. This was viewed byParliament, however, as aviolation of private propertyrights.

Further Tea Disorders (March-December 1774)

Other tea was dumped in March by Sons of Liberty(also disguised as Indians) after a private consignee

attempted to secretly land a cargo of tea in New York.

b. A tea cargo inAnnapolis and the shipPeggy Stewartwasdestroyed by fire inOctober.

c. Tea from another teaship was stored inCharleston'swarehouses until theJuly 1776 when theRevolutionarygovernment auctionedit off to raise revenue.

d. A shipment of teatemporarily stored inGreenwich NJ wasdestroyed by fire.

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VI. Final Steps to the Declaration ofIndependence and the Revolutionary

War

A. Additional Acts by the BritishParliament

Coercive Acts (March-May 1774)

Resulted from the Crown's desire to punishMassachusetts for the Boston Tea Party in particularand the whole history of colonial problems generally

1. Boston Port Bill

Prohibited the loading orunloading of ships in any

part of Boston harbor,except for properly clearedmilitary supplies andshipments of food and fuel,until customs wascompensated for the losscaused by the Tea Party.

2.Administration ofJustice Act

Protected Crown officials in

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Massachusetts from major suits before hostileprovincial courts, by transferring the trials of officials

to London, if it appeared that a fair trial could occur inMassachusetts;

3. Massachusetts Government Act

It annulled Massachusetts' colonial charter, allowingthe Council to be appointed by the Crown rather thanelected by the House of Representatives, permittingthe Governor to fill all judicial positions down to the

justices of the peace and banning all town meetingsexcept one annual election session without the priorwritten consent of the Governor.

4. Quebec Act

(1) It provided a permanent,highly centralized civilgovernment for 60,000French-Canadians.

(2) Granted Catholicsreligious toleration and civilrights.

(3) Permitted only purely local taxation with all other

tax measures reservedfor the BritishParliament.

(4) Extended the

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boundaries of Quebec to the Ohio River, to includeterritory claimed by Massachusetts, Virginia and

Connecticut.5. A New Quartering Act in June applied to allcolonies and legalized the quartering of troopsalso in occupied dwellings, which expanded theearlier act.

\

B. Colonial Response

First Continental Congress (548


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September - 26 October 1774)

On the same day that Gen.Thomas Gage arrived inBoston to back Gov.Hutchinson, a town meetingcalled for renewedeconomic sanctions againstBritish goods until theCoercive Acts were

repealed.

a. Instead of non-importation, Providence,Philadelphia and New York City issued appeals for an

inter-colonial congress to frame common measuresfor all colonies.

b. Massachusetts agreed to such a meeting in

Philadelphia, but proceeded with agreements againstthe use of British products for its citizens.

12 colonies (56 delegates) to Carpenter's Hall inPhiladelphia -- Peyton Randolph (1721-75)president

Carpenter's Hall in

PhiladelphiaDelegates worked in secretand voted as a provincialunit, each unit having one

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vote.

The First Continental Congress passed theSuffolk Resolves (by Joseph Warren ofMassachusetts) stating the following:

a. The Coercive Acts wereunconstitutional and shouldnot be obeyed;

b. The people ofMassachusetts should forma government to collecttaxes, but withhold themfrom the royal governmentuntil the Coercive Acts were

repealed;

c. The people were advised to arm themselves andform their own militia;

d. Stringent economic sanctions against Britainshould be followed.

On 28 September, Joseph Galloway (1731-1803), PAconservative, proposed a union between Britain and

the Colonies whereby each colony would govern itsown internal affairs.

a. The general affairs of the American colonies wouldbe regulated by a central administration consisting of

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a crown-appointed president-general who could vetothe acts of a grand council composed of members

elected for three years by each assembly.b. The president and council would be a distinctbranch of the British legislature, although inferior,with the consent of both this body and the BritishParliament needed before a measure was law.

c. This plan was defeated by a vote of 6-5 andremoved from the records.

Declaration and Resolves 14 October

a. The Coercive and Quebec Acts weredenounced as unconstitutional, unjust,cruel.

b. All revenue measures since 1763 were criticized.

c. Thirteen Parliamentary acts were attacked whichdissolved colonial assemblies, extended the

jurisdiction of vice-admiralty courts or kept a standingpeacetime army in the colonies.

d. 10 resolutions declared colonists' rights, includingthe right to life, liberty and property, and the right ofonly the provincial assemblies to tax the citizenry.

e. Economic sanctions were pledged until the actswere repealed.

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ContinentalAssociation 18

October a. Delegates pledged to

(1) cease all importationfrom Britain effective 1December;

(2) stop the slave tradeentirely;

(3) not consume any Britishproducts or a number offoreign luxury products;

(4) stop all exports to Britain, Ireland and the BritishWest Indies by 1 Sept 1775;

b. A committee wasformed in everycounty, town or cityto execute theAssociation.

(1) Violaters would

be punished withpublicity andboycott;

(2) Any province

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which did not keep the Association was to beboycotted.

c. By April 1775, all twelve colonies were participatingand Georgia adopted a modified version.

Congress adjourned 26 October after addressing aletter to the King and the British and Americanpeoples, resolving to meet again 10 May 1775 ifgrievances were unresolved.

C. Additional Colonial ResponsesAfter the Continental Congress

Dominion Theory was expressed inthe constitutional viewpoints of threemen:

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James Wilson (1742-98) of Pennsylvania, whose

Considerations on the Nature and Extent of theLegislative Authority of the British ParliamentrejectedParliament's authority over the colonies in favor of theking alone;

James Wilson

b. Thomas Jefferson whoseSummary View of the Rights ofBritish America appealed toGeorge III to listen to "liberal andexpanded thought;"

Thomas Jefferson

c. John Adams' Novanglus Letters (Dec 1774 - Apr1775)

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Dominion Theory

King George III

Mass.

Assembly

NY

Assembl

y

NJ

Assembl

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VA

Assembl

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Parliam

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MD

Assembl

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Penn

Assembl

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GA

Assembly

NC

Assembly

SC

Assembly

DE

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Conciliation Plan (February)

a. When the petitions and declarations were presented

to Parliament, a request made by Lord North toremove British troops from Boston was defeated 3-1.

Lord North

b. Parliament also rejected his plan ofconciliation which embraced

(1) the recognition of the ContinentalCongress;

(2) a promise of no tax measures without the consentof the provincial assemblies;

(3) American recognition of the "supreme legislativeauthority" of Parliament;

(4) the Continental Congress voting a revenue for theCrown.

BothHouses of

BritishParliamentdeclared Massachusetts to be inrebellion.

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d. Lord North managed toget royal approval and

eventually Parliamentaryapproval that promised tolevy only regulatory taxeson any American colonythat taxed itself for thecommon defense, and forthe cost its own judicial

and civil government.

New England Restraining Act (March)

a. Parliament forbad theNew England colonies fromtrading with anyone exceptBritain and the British WestIndies.

b. New Englanders werebarred from the NorthAtlantic fisheries after 20July.

c. The act later included New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina after it waslearned that they agreed to join the Continental

Association.

General Thomas Gage ascommander-in-chief of

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British troops in North America warned London thatthe colonists disliked the presence of British troops,

requested that additional troops be sent for securityreasons and also advised the king to suspend theCoercive Acts.

E. American Colonial Preparations forWar

Crisis in New England

A secondMassachusettsProvincialCongress metto prepare thecolony for war.

b. Britishtroops landedat Salem toseize militarysupplies but were turned back without incidence.

In Virginia, Patrick Henry in his Liberty or Deathspeech predicted that hostilities in New England could

be expected at any moment.Patrick Henry

F. Beginning of the

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Revolutionary War - Lexington and Concord

Actions by General Gage - Pre-RevolutionaryCommander of British North American Troops

General Gage

On 14 April 1775, Gage was orderedin a letter from Lord Dartmouth,Secretary of State for the Colonies,to execute the coercive acts, using

force if necessary and to strike atonce before the rebellious factionhad time to organize, even if it

meant bringing onhostilities.

b. Gage moved quicklyto seize the colonialmilitia's supply depot atConcord, 21 miles from

Boston by road, secretly sending on 18 April, LTCFrancis Smith with 700 men to Concord with orders todestroy the supplies there the nextday.

LTC Francis Smith

Colonial Reaction

The Boston Committee of

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Safety, learning of their destination, sent Paul Revereand William Dawes (1745-99) to alert the countryside

that "the British were coming."Revere reached Lexingtonat midnight and warnedSamuel Adams and JohnHancock.

Joined by Dr. SamuelPrescott, the three

proceeded to ride toConcord but Dawes wasturned back and Revere was captured by Britishtroops.

Colonists at Lexington

a. When Smith arrived in

Lexington, he encountered70 armed Minute Men underCPT John Parker (1729-75)on the Common, whom MAJJohn Pitcairn, leader of theBritish advance, ordered todrop their weapons andleave the area.

As the colonists began to

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file away with their weapons, a shot from anunidentified source resulted in a series of volleys from

the British.

c. The Americansreturned only a fewshots and suffered8 dead and 10wounded.

d. After destroyingsome supplies inConcord, Smithreformed his mento return to Boston,

but was met by steadily swelling American forces whokilled 14 soldiers.

e. Smith avoidedcomplete disasteronly with the help ofreinforcements atLexington, butAmerican sniperscontinued to inflictdamage onretreating Britishtroops untilCambridge, where they were protected by the British

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men-of-war in the harbor.

Battle ofLexington andConcord

Total Casualties:British - 73 killed,174 wounded, 26missing.

Of almost4,000Americans

who sawaction, 93were dead,wounded ormissing

g. The Massachusetts Provincial Armylaid siege to Boston.

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Washington Took Command

July 3, 1775

On June 15, 1775, General GeorgeWashington was voted

commander-in-chief of theContinental army by the AmericanCongress.

However, he did not arrive in Massachusettsto assume his duties until July 3, 1775.

The army of 14,500, which Washington metat Cambridge was largely an untrained andundisciplined lot.

This army consisted mostly of local farmers,63


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a few artisans, and skilled workers, theybasically knew little about military discipline

and the expectations of a real military leaderlike Washington.

The soldiers lived intents and othermakeshift shelters.Supplies came insporadically, but therenever seemed to beenough guns,ammunition, cloth,food, or back pay.

Capture of FortTiconderoga 10May 1775

Fort Ticonderoga

In April the MassachusettsCommittee of Safetyauthorized Benedict Arnold

(1741-1801) with 400 men toattack a strategic post fullof artillery and other military supplies, FortTiconderoga in western Massachusetts.

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He clashed with Ethan Allenwho also raised forces for

the same attack but withoutcommand

Arnold and Allen with 83men surprised the Britishgarrison who yielded.

H. Battle of Bunker Hill June 1775

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In May Britain sent three major generals to assistGage in Boston -- Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton,and John Burgoyne.

Gage declared martial law (12 June), and offered a

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pardon to any American returning their allegiance tothe Crown (except John Hancock and Samuel Adams),

else, any American in arms or anyone who aided themwould be considered a rebel and traitor.

The Committee ofSafety made a countermove against Gage (15June), taking the highground on Charlestown

peninsula overlookingBoston, moving toconstruct a redoubt onBreed's Hill.

When the Americanposition wasdiscovered, they

immediately cameunder fire from British ships in Boston harbor butGage had to wait for a favorable tide before landing.

Gen. Howe with2,400 British troopsengaged the 1,600Americans under

COL WilliamPrescott who twicerepelled the Britishtroops.

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Only when their supply of powder gave out did theAmericans retreat to Bunker Hill before being routed

by the British, who decided not to proceed toCambridge.

Althoughtechnically a Britishvictory, they lost1,054 casualties,including many

officers, while theAmericans suffered100 dead, 267wounded and 30taken prisoners.

The Battle ofBunker Hill was a

Pyrrhic Victory for the British and it influenced theway the British fought the American RevolutionaryWar

A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with devastating cost to

the victor.

The phrase is named after King Pyrrhus ofEpirus,

whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties in

defeating the Romans at Heraclea in 280 BC and

Asculum in 279 BC during the Pyrrhic War. After the

latter battle, Plutarch relates in a report by Dionysius

68
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhus_of_Epirushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epirus_(region)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heracleahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/280_BChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Asculum_(279_BCE)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/279_BChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_Warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutarchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhus_of_Epirushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epirus_(region)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heracleahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/280_BChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Asculum_(279_BCE)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/279_BChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_Warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutarchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassus


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I. Expedition Against

Quebec (28 August-

31 December 1775)

Upon hearing that Sir GuyCarelton, Britishcommander in Canada,planned to invade NY,Congress authorized GENPhilip Schuyler to seize anypoints in Canada vital toAmerican security.

Schuyler advanced with1000 men before turningcommand over to BG

Richard Montgomery (1738-75) who forced Carleton towithdraw to Quebec, enabling the Americans tocapture Montreal.

Arnold with 1,100 volunteers moved on Quebecthrough Maine beginning 12 September and reachedQuebec with 650, joining with Montgomery's 300 men(3 December).

The combined assault on 31 December met withdisaster when Montgomery was killed, Arnoldwounded, 100 casualties, 300 Americans takenprisoner, leaving Arnold with only the ability to

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maintain a weak cordon around the city through thewinter.

J. Hostilities in the South December 1775

The Governor of Virginia, Dunmore, declared maritallaw (7 November) , began recruiting a Loyalist Armynear a base at Norfolk, and raised a Negro regiment,but lost the planter support by offering any slaves

their freedom who left their masters.Dunmore wasdefeated by acombined force of 900from Virginia andNorth Carolina, forcedto evacuate Norfolk

(11 December).Dunmore destroyedmuch of Norfolk byfire (1 January 1776)before the Americansreoccupied it inFebruary and

completed itsdestruction as a baseof operations.

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K. The War Progresses

The South (February - June 1775)a. Gen Henry Clinton landed at Cape Fear NC (March)where he was to join with loyalists, but the loyalistarmy had already been defeated at the Battle ofMoore's Creek Bridge in February.

b. Clinton's troops joinedwith Gen. Corwallis to

attack Charleston, whosedefense was led by GenCharles Lee , but when theBritish objective failed,losing over 200 casualties,active operations in thistheatre ended for over two

years.

Boston (March 1776)

a. After Gen HenryKnox (1750-1806)

moved artillery fromFort Ticonderogawithin range of Boston

Harbor Gen John Thomas and 2,000 men

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occupied Dorchester Heights nearCambridge.

b. The British did not dislodge US forcesand Howe evacuated British troops+ 1,000Loyalists

Dorchester Heights

Canada (April-July 1776)

a. In April Gen DavidWooster arrived to takecommand from Arnold, butGen John Thomas hadalready decided to abandon

Quebec after British reinforcements arrived to aid

Carleton.

b. The orderly American retreat was turned into a routbecause of the reinforcements.

c. An American counterattack at Three Rivers was notsuccessful.

d. The remaining American forces arrived at FortTiconderoga in July.

e. The command of Lake Champlain seen as the key toall strategy, both Arnold and Carleton began to collectand build ships for a fleet.

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L. FranceAids theAmericanColonists

Count Vergennes,French ForeignMinister,ascertained fromthe Spanishminister that Spain was receptive to jointly secretly

aiding the American colonies.

In May 1776 Louis XVI ordered 1million livres' worth ofmunitions be supplied to the USvia a fictitious company(administered by Pierre deBeaumarchais ) and Spain madea like arrangement.

The Americans received over80% of the gunpowder throughthese sources (1776-77).

Before Congress knew of these arrangements, itauthorized Silas Deane (1737-89) to act as a munitionsagent in Europe.

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Congress opened US portsto ships from all nations

except Britain (6 April).M. Military Balance Sheet

American Forcesa. Strengths

(1) Widespreadacquaintance with firearms

(2) A superior rifle in rangeand accuracy over thesmoothbore Britishmuskets

(3) A highly respected, experienced commander-in-chiefGeorge Washington along with many officersand men who had gained valuable experience againstFrance.

(4) Fighting in their own territorywhich was familiar tothem

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b. Weaknesses

(1) Conflicts with statemilitias occurred.

(2) Short-termenlistments

(3) A shortage of shelterand supplies bothmilitary and medical

(4) One-third of thecolonists were loyaltoBritain, especially in theSouth

(5) Women accompaniedthe soldiers, cooking and

washing, but also requiring food, shelter andprotection.

(6) No efficient navy

British Forcesa. Strengths

(1) Well equipped, welltrained well disciplinedfighting force

(2) A strong navyto land

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and transport troops, guard communication andsupply lines;

(3) A huge war chestwhich could be used to hireforeign mercenaries;

(4) Many loyalists

b. Weaknesses

(1) The great distance between London and various

British units in North America.(2) Unfamiliaritywith the North

Americangeographywhichwas not like theEuropean

battlefields -- vast,varied, and no clearcut roads;

(3) Did not adapt to the activities of Americans whoused unconventional warfare, (like modern guerillas) -behind trees, when normally troops were wintered,etc.

(4) Unclear war aims kept them from mobilizing theloyalists in the South and kept them fearful ofinflicting too much damage because this was Britishfighting British

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(5) Poor recruitingwas hampered because of lowunemployment, and because of uncertainty over why

the war was being fought, no outbursts of patriotismoccurred

(6)A low estimate of American forces, gained duringthe French and Indian War, made the Britishoverconfident that their valuable experience from thewar with France would cause no difficulty in beatingan unskilled, poorly-disciplined Continental Army.

VIII. Beginnings of PermanentGovernmentA. Second Continental Congress

(May - July 1775) -- Twelvecolonies -- Georgia absentMeeting three weeks after Lexington, a secondcongress convened in Independence Hall inPhiladelphia, and became the government of thecolonies until 1789

After Randolph withdrew on 24 May, John Hancockwas elected president.

Congress put the colonies in a state of defense andadopted an address to the citizens of Canada, inviting

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them to join with the twelve American colonies.

Congress also assumed two additional functions of an

independent government -- appointing commissionersto negotiate peace treaties with the Indians andestablishing a Post Office with Benjamin Franklin asPost Master General.

B. Creation of a Continental Army

George

Washington waselectedunanimously ascommander-in-chief;

a. He had a good reputation from the French and

Indian War, was well-known, present at Congress infull dress uniform, had a reputation fortrustworthiness, and wealthy so that it was notthought that he would usethe position for profit.

b. Selecting a Virginianillustrated that this was notan isolated struggleinvolving the New Englandcolonies, but was a broad

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colonial struggle to keep colonial rights.

Six companies of riflemen from PA, MD and VA were

authorized to march to New England and $2 million inbills of credit were issued to be repaid by the 12"confederated colonies;"

Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, Philip Schuyler, and IsraelPutnam were appointed major generals.

C. Olive Branch Petition (5 July)

Congress adopted a seriesof petitions written byJohn Dickinson whichexpressed colonialaffection for George III,expressed hope for arestoration of harmony,

and begged the king toprevent further hostilitiesuntil a reconciliation couldbe found.

Congress also adopted

"Declaration of the Causes and

Necessities of Taking Up Arms"by Jefferson and Dickinson which did not ask forindependence but stated that Americans would rather

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die than be enslaved, and hinted that foreign aidwould be sought in the struggle if needed.

The King (23 August) declared the American coloniesto be in open rebellion and widened the breach (23December) by closing American colonies to allcommerce effective 1 March 1776.

D. Congress Reconvened(September - December)

Georgia's presence on 12Sept made this trulyrepresentative of all thirteencolonies.

Congress authorized a navy after Washingtonauthorized COL John Glover of Massachusetts toconvert fishing vessels into armed ships.

a. Congress resolved to raise two battalions ofmarines, made plans to intercept British ships withmilitary stores aboard, and declared formally on 25November that British vessels were open to capture inretaliation for British raids on coastal towns.

In DecemberCongress

commissionedofficers for fourContinental shipsand named Eskel

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Hopkins from Rhode Island as commodore.

After being informed on 9 November that George III

had rejected the Petition they said they were notdenying the sovereignty of the Crown, but would notobey Parliament.

In November Congress appointed a 5-man Committeeof Correspondence to seek aid from "our friends"abroad and received word from a French agents thatFrance would welcome ships from America and might

even offer material aid to Congress.

IX. American Shift In Attitude TowardIndependence

A. ColonialReluctance toBreak withBritain in1775

Beliefs

PrevalentConcerning aTrue

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Government

a. Most Americans believed that true libertywas only possible with a balancedgovernment like Britain's - Monarchy, Houseof Lords (Nobility), House of Commons (thepeople).

b. American colonists, fearing this loss of balance,

were reluctant to seek independence.c. But in one year, they declared independence andsought full freedom from Britain.

Reasons for the Colonial Change of Attitude (1775-76)a. King's response to the Olive Branch Petition

(1) King George III had declared the colonists to

be in rebellion, but unfortunately he assumedthat the colonial trouble was the result of"Boston" rabble;

(2) King George IIIbelieved a simpleshow of forcewould cause New

Englanders to backdown, and the"better" colonistsin the Middle and

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without a king or a noble class, which America did nothave any way.

(3) His convincing arguments provided momentum forthe shift toward independence which led to the writingof a document justifying a break with England.

B. Colonial Move TowardIndependence (April - July)

By the Spring of 1776 the move toward independencewas clearly on the rise when in April, NC instructed itsdelegates to vote for independence, a move soonfollowed by Virginia.

In June a resolution was offered by RichardHenry Lee that the United Colonies are, and ofright ought to be, free and independent States.

A committee was appointed (Thomas Jefferson,Benjamin Franklin, John Adams , Robert Livingston ,Roger Sherman ) on June 11th to prepare theDeclaration of Independence

a The Declaration of

Independence.

a. The committee letJefferson write the draft of

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the Declaration.

b. Adams and Franklin made a few changes before

presenting it to Congress on 28 June.

c. Jefferson drew upon the prevailing current naturalrights philosophy.

C. Declaration ofIndependence -- Addressedto King George III

The document compiled along list of despotic abusesand usurpations by theking.

Parliament received nodirect mention.

It asserted the right andduty of the American peopleto dissolve their tie to Britain and declared the UnitedColonies free and Independent states

Congress took a final vote for independence (2 July),twelve for (New York abstained)

Congress debated the final form of the Declaration

making several changes before approving the finalversion without dissent(New York again abstained).

Copies were prepared for all

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the states and it was first publicly proclaimed on 8July in Philadelphia and on the following day, the New

York Assembly voted to endorse it.Having been engrossed on parchment, signatureswere affixed on 2 August.

a. Most of the 55 delegates signed it.

b. Matthew Thornton (NH), although not a member ofCongress when the Declaration was adopted, added

his name in November.A Diplomatic Commission Appointed -- Congressappointed three commissioners (Silas Deane, Franklinand Arthur Lee Jefferson having declined) tonegotiate treaties of amity and commerce with foreignnations (September) and with authority to borrow upto $2 million.

X. Revolutionary War

A. Phase One of the War 1776-77.

Background

a. After evacuating Boston, Britain planned to use NY

City as a base of operations, amassing 32,000 menincluding 9,000 German mercenaries on Staten Island(August 1776)

b. Battle of Long Island (27 August) cost the

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Americans hundreds of casualties before Washingtonskillfully withdrew his forces to Manhattan Island.

British Landing on Long Island

Battle of LongIsland

c. Both Gen.Gage andAdmiral Howemade peace

overtures,offering pardonsto all whoreturned tocrownallegiance whenall extralegalcongresses andconventionswere dissolved

d. A fruitlesspeace

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conference was held on Staten Island on 11September between Howe and congressional

appointees, Franklin, John Adams and EdmundRutledge

e. Howe permitted no negotiations until theDeclaration of Independence was revoked.

f. Washington abandoned Manhattan Island, ratherthan risk being trapped, and the British occupied New

York City in mid-September.

(1) No assault on the American position was made,causing a 3-week lull in activity

(2) A fire in New York City destroyed nearly 300buildings.

(3) Nathan Hale (1755-76) was executed on 22September as an American spy, stating I regret that I

have but one life to give to my country.

Nathan Haleg. Washington again slippedaway after the Battle of WhitePlains in October.

h. British troops captured FortWashington, taking 2,818Americans prisoners.

i. American troops wintered in

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New Jersey (Greene) and Pennsylvania (Washington).

j. Howe's troops wintered in New York, but left

garrisons at Trenton, Princeton, Bordentown, PerthAmboy and New Brunswick.

(1) Washington learned thatthe Hessian garrison atTrenton under COL JohannRall was unprepared for anattack, crossing the ice-

choked Delaware onChristmas.

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(3) After an hour of street fighting, Rall was mortallywounded and 918 Hessians surrendered (Five UScasualties).

(2) He split his forces and caught the Hessians bysurprise.

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Washington occupied

Trenton by the end ofDecember.

k. Howe reacted to thetaking of Trenton and sentCornwallis to engageWashington, butWashington surprised

Corwallis and forced a withdrawal, leaving onlyeastern-most New Jersey clear of the enemy andrestoring the shattered patriot morale.

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b. This effort failed for many reasons:

(1) Carleton, hindered by Arnold and Indians, did notarrive in time although he had in October 1776destroyed the entire American fleet assembled byArnold at the Battle of Valcour Bay before withdrawingto winter in November.

(2) Howe with 15,000 troops went to capturePhiladelphia first, expecting Tories in Pennsylvania torally to the Crown, and although he forced Congressto flee on 19 September and occupied Philadelphia, hedid not to aid Burgoyne in time.

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(3) Burgoyne was

burdened by a heavybaggage train carrying theclothing of severalofficer's wives and ofBurgoyne's mistress,which bogged down bythe lack of adequate roads

which he had to chop outof the forests.

c. As aresult

Washington's army emerged fromValley Forge under the Prussian drillmaster Baron Frederick William Von

Steuben

Burgoyne, feeling trapped by a forcethree times the size of his own 7,000men, and suffering many casualties,surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga17 October 1777.

a. His remaining 5,700 troops, layingdown their arms, were marched back to Boston

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If they promised not tofight again in the war,

they victory gaveAmericans a muchneeded morale boost,proved they couldwithstand the bestEngland had to offerand forced Britain toseriously reflect on the war

B. Congress Reconvened (March 1777)

c. The Huntington, President.

Congress authorized various commissioners to offerland and other compensation to any foreign

government that declared war against Britain.

Foreign Officers were commissioned, including

20-year-old Marquisde Lafayette as amajor general,

volunteer withoutpay.

b. The veteran "Baron"Johann de Kalb also

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received a commission as Major Gen.

Congress resolved (14 June) that the US flag would be

thirteen stripes alternate red and white, that the Unionbe thirteen stars white in a blue field.

Congresswas forcedto flee

Philadelphia in September with the arrival of Howe'sforces, going to Lancaster and then to York,Pennsylvania.

Congress formally adoptedthirteen Articles of Confederation(15 November), from a committeereport headed by John Dickinson,

but they were not ratified by everystate until 1 March 1781.As Lord North planned a new offer of reconciliation

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and tried to talk with US agents in Paris, thegovernment of France, fearing that the US and Britain

might come to terms, recognized US independence on17 December 1777.

C. Franco-AmericanAlliance February1778

France tried but failed to

induce Spain to join atripartite pact againstBritain.

France entered into two

treaties with the US

a. A Treaty of Amity and Commerce grantedmost-favored nation status to each other;

b. A treaty of alliance, to be effective if war broke outbetween France and Britain.

(1) Article II stated as the aim of this treaty was to"maintain effectually the liberty, Sovereignty, andindependence" of the US.

(2) The US was given a free hand to capture Canadaand Bermuda, while France could seize the BritishWest Indies;

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(3) Neither could conclude a truce or peace withBritain without the other's consent

Lord North, to stop the ratification of this treaty,offered terms to the US, including

a. repeal the Tea and Coercive Acts;

b. a pledge that Parliament would impose no revenuetaxes on the American colonies;

c. the appointment of a peace commission to

negotiate with Congress.

d. North was even willing to suspend all acts back to1763 involving the colonies.

The US Congress replied that the only negotiationswould center on the withdrawal of all British troopsand the recognition of US independence.

a. One British commissioner tried to bribe threemembers of Congress.

b. Two others appealed to the people over the headsof Congress, threatening great destruction ifAmericans did not abandon their French allies andmake peace with Britain.

D. Middle Phase of the War (1778-80)Introduction

a. Neither side gained an advantage, but Washington

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forged a real army in the process

b. Britain was put on the defensive and decided to

take the war southward again, hoping to attract moresympathy from Loyalist leaning colonists.

War at Seaa. The US navy was no match for Britain's, but

individual ships run by American privateers did onoccasion successfully raid British possessions in theAtlantic.

b. The revival of American exploits at sea in 1778 wasunderscored by the actions of CPT John Paul Joneswho commanded the Rangerout of Portsmouth NH.

(1) Jones commanded

an old French vesselwhich he refitted andnamed the USSBonhomme RichardinFranklin's honor;

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BONHOMME RICHARD andHMS SERAPIS

(2) Jones met theBritish ship Serapisin September 1779off the coast ofEngland;

(3) Although hisship was sinking,when ordered tosurrender, Jonesreplied I have notyet begun to fightand linked his shipto the British ship.

(4) After USmarksmen inflictedheavy casualties, theBritish surrendered.

War in the MiddleColonies and the

Westa. Battle ofMonmouth (lateJune) - Washington's

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advanced forces led by Gen Charles Lee at MonmouthCourt House, engaged Clinton, retreating from

Philadelphia.b. Lee was forced to retreat when Britishreinforcements arrived.

c. Washington arrived and withstood Clinton'srepeated attacks, his troops having been sufficientlydisciplined at Valley Forge, before Clinton stole awayat night.

d. The British planned a series of raids in NY andthrough Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley, terrorizingmany settlements and massacring many settlers whohad surrendered.

e. In the spring George Rogers Clark (1752-1818) with175 men traveled to the Ohio River, occupying

Kaskaskia and other posts in the northwestern OhioValley.

War in New England

a. French - US joint raid of a British garrison of 3000 atNewport RI July-August 1778.

b. The arrival of the British fleet and a severe storm

forced an American withdrawal

War in the South

a. Clinton shifted British operations to the South,

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hoping for the aid of Loyalists.

(1) In November 1778, 3,500 men landed near

Savannah, Georgia.

(2) Gen Robert Howe and 1,000 Americans werecrushed before the British occupied the town inDecember.

(3) The British overran Georgia in 1778-79.

b. Americans successfully defended Port Royal SC

and Col Andrew Pickens defeated a Loyalist army in

Georgia (winter 1779), but Charleston SC fell to theBritish (May 1780).

c. Americans did not successfully recapture Augusta,however, losing over 350, and failed to prevent theBritish from recapturing Savannah GA in June.

d. Although Americans were successful in Tennessee,the British captured and set fire to Portsmouth andNorfolk VA.

e. Battle of Camden -The Worst Defeatof the war for the Continental Army

(1) Andrew Pickens, Francis Marion and ThomasSumter prevented the British from consolidating theirstrength in the South (August 1780).

(2) On the 16th US forces met 2,400 British troops at

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the Battle of Camden and suffered almost 900 deadand 1,000 captured, although the tide was turned atop

King's Mountain, forcing Cornwalis to retreat backinto South Carolina.

f. The command was given to Nathaniel Green, thefighting Quaker.

Nathaniel Green, thefighting Quaker

Benedict Arnolddefected to the Britishside Sept 1780a. Why?

(1) Arnold sold informationas early as May 1779 to

British General Sir HenryClinton concerning US andFrench troop movementsand the location of military supplies and alsoidentified French spies in the British camp.

(1) he was desperate for cash

(2) he was mistreated by the

Continental Congress inPhiladelphia, under fire for hisadministration of Philadelphia;

(3) he was found guilty on two

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counts in a court-martial, for which he was officiallyreprimanded by Washington;

(4) As a New England Protestant, he despised the USalliance with Catholic France.

b. His treasonous activities

(2) Washington appointed Arnold as commander ofWest Point on the Hudson, a position that he assumedon 5 August;

(3) On September 21 Arnold negotiated with Maj JohnAndre to turn over the strategic post to the British for20,000 pounds;

(4) When thisinformation wasintercepted withAndre's capture,Arnold was giveninformation aboutthe capture, beforehis involvementwas fully known;

(5) Arnold fled to a British post and later led Toryattacks in VA and CN

(6) Arnold was commissioned a BG in the Britisharmy, received 6,315 pounds in cash, an annualpension of 500 pounds for his wife Peggy, army

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commissions for three sons from a previous marriage,and after 1783 and annual 100 pound stipend for

Peggy's five children, but he was forced to live theremainder of his life in England, shunned by familyand friends.

Spain Enters the War June 1779105


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a. Although Spain feared the loss of its Americanpossessions and opposed US independence, when

Britain refused to cede Gibraltar as the price ofneutrality, Spain issued an ultimatum April 1779.

b. When it was turned down, France and Spain in Aprilat the secret Convention of Aranjuez gave Spain anentrance into the American war.

c. France and Spain began joint operations in May andon 21 June Spain formally declared war on England,

but refused to recognize US independence or topledge to fight for it until that independence wassecured.

d. Congress appointed JohnJay agent to Spain, although hedid not achieve recognition, analliance, or a loan while in

Madrid (January 1780 - May1782).

John Jay agent to Spain

Russia Remains Neutral

February 1780

a. After Britain attempted toblockade France and Spainon the continent, Catherine

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II stated that the Russian navy would be used toprotect the neutral Russian trade, a blow to Britain

because Russia refused to recognize naval stores ascontraband.

b. Catherine led other neutral European states to joina League of Armed Neutrality

Denmark and

Sweden joinedimmediately.

Netherlands,Prussia,Portugal,Austria andKingdom of

the TwoSicilies joinedwithin 2 years

(3) Englanddeclared war with the Netherlands in December 1780.

(4) Although the League did not aid the Dutch, ithampered British naval efforts against the Allies.

c. Although the US sent a minister to Russia, FrancisDana, he was not received.

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Congressional Peace Terms August1779

a. Congress determined minimum demands beforepeace could be obtained:

(1) Independence, certain minimum boundaries,complete British evacuation of US territory, rights tothe fisheries, and free navigation of the Mississippi.

(2) The final form removed the demand about the

fisheries.

b. Congress named John Adams chief negotiator ofthe peace treaty with Britain.

E. Final Phase of the War 1781-83

Congressional Actions

a. A department of Finance was created, and RobertMorris became Superintendent of Finance in February1781.

(1) US finances were near bankruptcy after 1779,although France and Spain had provided subsidiesand loans of $9 million.

(2) The US Congress had issued paper currency forseveral million dollars, known as "Continentals," butwithout sufficient backing, the notes depreciatedrapidly.

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(3) Morris proposed anational bank and the

Bank of North Americawas chartered on 31December 1781.

b. Articles ofConfederation wereratified in March 1781.

(1) Their acceptance

was delayed byMaryland, over the issueof western lands.

(2) After Virginia cededits western lands toCongress, Marylandratified them.

(3) The British-Americancolonies were nowknown as The UnitedStates in CongressAssembled and SamuelHuntington continued aspresident.

c. US PeaceCommission createdJune 1781

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(1) On the advice of the French Foreign minister,Congress placed peace negotiations in the hands of

five men, rather than Adams alone;(2) Added were John Jay, Benja

1763-1783 the Road to American Revolution HL

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