American Revolution Causes Unit 4. Causes of the American Revolution.
The American Revolution - Red Hook · PDF fileThe American Revolution 1776 ... the document -...
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The American
Revolution 1776 - 1783
Terms and People
• Thomas Paine – American colonist and author of Common Sense
• Richard Henry Lee – delegate who introduced a resolution calling for independence to the Second Continental Congress
• resolution – formal statement of opinion
• preamble – introduction
• grievance – formal complaint
Americans
Divided The issue of separating from Great
Britain divided American society.
Estimates vary, but historians
believe that roughly 30% of
Americans were Loyalists,
roughly 30% were Patriots, and
the other 40% were Neutral or
undecided. Most Americans did
not support the Revolution.
The war divided Native Americans
and African Americans as well.
Differences over the war even split
families. For example, Benjamin
Franklin’s son William was a
loyalist. Franklin and his son
stopped speaking. William & Benjamin Franklin
Published in early 1776, Thomas
Paine’s helped
convince many Americans that a
complete break with Britain was
necessary.
In Common Sense, Paine made powerful arguments in favor of independence.
George III
is a
“royal
brute.”
Kings
should not
rule over
people.
Americans
should
govern
themselves.
In May of 1776, Virginia delegate Richard
Henry Lee introduced a resolution to
Congress declaring that the colonies should
be free and independent states.
Congress formed a committee to write a
statement explaining the reasons for
independence.
The statement was to be presented to
Congress, and the question of independence
was to be put to a vote.
Richard Henry Lee
Virginia’s Resolution
The Declaration
drafting committee
included
Roger Sherman,
Benjamin Franklin,
Robert Livingston,
Thomas Jefferson,
and John Adams.
Weeks before the Continental
Congress issued the Declaration of
Independence, Abigail Adams wrote
a letter to her husband John. The
letter admonished “In the new code
of Laws which I suppose it will be
necessary for you to make I desire
you would Remember the Laidies.”
Abigail continued “If perticuliar
care and attention is not paid to the
Laidies, we are determined to
forment a Rebellion, and will not
hold ourselves bound by any Laws
in which we have no voice, or
Representation.”
Remember the Laidies
Abigail Adams
explained the reasons
for breaking with
Britain and declared
the colonies free and
independent states. It
also stated that people
have the right to Life,
Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness.
The colonists believed that the British
government had abused its powers by
taking away their rights.
has four
main parts:
1. The Preamble
2. Declaration of Natural Rights
3. List of Grievances
4. Resolution of Independence
The Declaration was adopted by
Congress and signed by John Hancock on
July 4, 1776. On August 2, 1776, a
parchment paper copy of the Declaration
was signed by 56 persons.
The Declaration of Independence begins has four parts, beginning with a preamble.
Preamble
Declaration of
Natural Rights
List of Grievances
Resolution
of Independence
The preamble states the reason for writing the document - to
explain why the colonists were breaking ties with Britain.
To begin the explanation, Jefferson declared that everyone has unalienable rights.
Preamble
Declaration of
Natural Rights
List of Grievances
Resolution
of Independence
Governments are created to protect those rights.
If a government violates those rights, the people must change their government.
The British government, Jefferson argued, had violated the colonists’ rights.
Preamble
Declaration of
Natural Rights
List of Grievances
Resolution
of Independence
To prove this, he presented a long list of grievances, including that the colonists were:
• denied trial by jury
• taxed without their consent
Therefore, Jefferson concluded, the colonies are free and independent states.
Preamble
Declaration of
Natural Rights
List of Grievances
Resolution
of Independence
All ties between the colonies and the British government are now dissolved.
Although the document was signed primarily on August 2, Americans still celebrate July 4th as Independence Day.
Today, the Declaration of Independence remains a source of inspiration for Americans and for people around the world.
The Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress on July 4, 1776.
John Trumbull’s famous painting of the Declaration of Independence being signed
was created between 1817 and 1819. Question: Does this image help historians
understand what happened at the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776?
Interact with History
Terms and People
• Nathan Hale – Connecticut officer and
American spy who was executed by the British
• alliance – formal agreement between two
powers to work together toward a common goal
• Marquis de Lafayette – French noble and high-ranking officer in Washington’s army
• cavalry – units of troops on horseback
• Friedrich von Steuben – German baron who
helped train the Continental army
In July 1776, British General Howe arrived
in New York with 130 ships carrying
32,000 well trained men. This was the
largest expeditionary force Great Britain
had ever assembled. Included in this force
were 9,000 Hessian soldiers.
Redcoats & Hessians
George Washington had approx. 19,000 poorly
trained, undisciplined, & poorly equipped troops
to defend all of New York City. The soldiers needed
everything from blankets and food to ammunition.
They fired their muskets off in camp, ruined their
flints, used their bayonets to cut food, and often
didn’t clean their muskets. There were also conflicts
between men from different regions of the colonies.
Muskets were the primary weapon used
during the Revolutionary War. Rifles took
a long time to load, and had no bayonets.
The Myth of
the Colonial
Rifleman
British Americans
Compare and contrast the British and the American armies during the Revolutionary War:
The Empire
Strikes Back
Washington
had his
army fortify the
Brooklyn Heights
hoping that the
British would attack
head-on like they did
at Bunker Hill.
Instead, General
William Howe
outflanked the
continental Army
and dealt
Washington a
humiliating defeat.
A Strategic
Retreat
Washington’s
Army retreated
from the superior
British forces. The
stunned British
followed the
continental army and
defeated them again
near Kip’s Bay.
Nathan Hale volunteered to go
behind enemy lines and report
on British troop movements.
During his mission, New York
City fell to British forces, and
Washington was forced to
retreat to the island's northern
tip.
On September 21, a quarter of
the lower portion of
Manhattan was burned in a
fire. After the fire, the British
rounded up any Patriots and
Hale was captured. He is best
remembered for his speech
before being hanged, in which
he said, "I only regret that I
have but one life to give for my
country.”
Nathan Hale
The Turtle, the first
combat submarine, was
built by the Americans.
It’s mission, to attach a
bomb to a British warship
in New York Harbor, was
a failure.
STRANGE but True
After losing the Battle of White
Plains on October 28, Washington
retreated further north. Howe returned
to Manhattan and captured Fort
Washington and Fort Lee in mid
November, taking over 3,000
prisoners. Washington brought much
of his army across the Hudson into
New Jersey, but was immediately
forced to retreat.
The British gained control
of New York harbor and
the surrounding areas,
and held New York City
until the war ended in 1783.
Washington managed to
withdraw the core of his
army and avoided a decisive
defeat that could have ended
the war.
American morale was very low. The
Continental Army had been ousted from
New York and forced to retreat across New
Jersey. Ninety percent of the Continental
Army that had been at Long Island was
gone. Many men had been captured or
deserted, feeling that the cause for
independence was lost.
Congress and some officers were losing
faith in George Washington. Washington
also expressed some doubts. He wrote to
his cousin in Virginia, "I think the game is
pretty near up.”
Trenton, a small town in western New
Jersey, was occupied by 1,400 Hessian
soldiers. Washington's force comprised
2,400 men. The Continental Army needed
a victory, so Washington devised a plan to
cross the Delaware River on Christmas
night and surround the Hessian garrison.
The Game is Pretty Near Up
December 25, 1776. Because of
freezing temperatures and a mix of sleet,
snow and icy rain, the Hessian troops at
Trenton felt secure enough to pull back
their picket sentries. Desperate for a
victory, Gen. George Washington led
columns of Continental Army soldiers
across the icy Delaware River under
cover of that same storm. Though not all
the American forces managed to get
across, those that did defeated the
Hessian troops and broke a long string
of demoralizing battlefield losses.
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Washington’s daring plan caught the Hessian troops in Trenton by surprise. The
Americans captured or killed more than 900 Hessians and gained needed supplies.
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Washington’s crossing of the icy Delaware River probably looked more like this.
A
D
a
r
i
n
g
P
l
a
n
The Battle of Trenton
Washington followed
up his victory at Trenton
by attacking the British
garrison at Princeton.
These victories helped to
keep the American army
together and even began
to attract new recruits.
The Battle of Princeton
The British
Strategy
The overall
British strategy
was to (1) seize the
Hudson Valley and
isolate the New England
Colonies, (2) capture
Philadelphia, and (3)
capture Charles Town a
southern port closer to
the West Indies.
The strategy to capture the Hudson Valley called
for three armies to meet at Albany.
In June 1777, British General John
Burgoyne attempted to divide the
rebellious colonies by moving south from
Quebec to gain control of the Hudson
River valley, separating the New England
states from those to the south. After an
early success at Ticonderoga, his
campaign had become bogged down in
difficulties.
Barry St. Leger's expedition down the
Mohawk River valley had turned back
after the failed Siege of Fort Stanwix and
the bloody Battle of Oriskany.
This was one the few battles in the war
where almost all of the participants were
North American: Loyalists and Native
Americans fought against Patriots in the
absence of British soldiers. For the
natives of the Iroquois nations, the battle
marked the beginning of a civil war.
The Battle of Oriskany
On August 4, Burgoyne received a
message from General Howe. He
would not be coming north to Albany
because he decided to invade
Pennsylvania to try to capture General
Washington and Philadelphia – where
the Continental Congress met.
Burgoyne’s army was exhausted from
a 25 mile march through a swampy
wilderness and needed the support of
Howe’s troops.
Although General Howe defeated
Washington’s army at the Battle of
Brandywine and captured
Philadelphia, his decision not to
rendezvous with Burgoyne at Albany
may have been a strategic blunder.
Jane “Jenny” McCrea
was a loyalist and the
fiancé of an officer in
General Burgoyne’s army.
She was captured and killed by
Iroquois warriors while on her
way to meet her future husband.
News of McCrea’s death helped
to rally Colonial Militia against
the British in rural New York.
Jenny McCrea
The Battles of Saratoga
The Turning Point of the War
Benedict Arnold’s inspired leadership at Freeman’s Farm and Breymann’s
Redoubt forced General Burgoyne’s army to retreat. The Continental army
surrounded Burgoyne and forced him to surrender his army.
Daniel Morgan’s Virginia Riflemen
Breymann’s Redoubt
Burgoyne’s Surrender at Saratoga
Battle of
Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point for the Americans.
• Ended British threat to New England
• Lifted Patriot spirits
• Convinced Europeans Americans could win
Soon after Saratoga, France agreed to support American independence.
The War Comes to the Hudson Valley
General Washington surveys the construction of a chain across the Hudson.
The War Comes to the Hudson Valley
A depiction of the
American victory at
Stony Point, N.Y.
This map shows the Battles
at Fort Clinton and Fort
Montgomery near Bear Mtn.
The War Comes to the Hudson Valley
On October 16, 1777,
the British arrived in Kingston.
Looking upon Kingston as a
"hotbed of perfidy and sedulous
disloyalty to King George III and
His Majesty's Parliament," the British
punished Kingston for hosting the
revolutionary State government,
and for generously providing
Washington's army with wheat
and other food supplies. Under the
command of Major General John
Vaughan, the British troops moved
into Kingston's Stockade area
and set fire to every building,
largely succeeding in burning
the city to the ground.
To defeat the mighty British
army, the new United States
needed the help of a foreign ally.
In the fall of 1776, Congress sent
Benjamin Franklin to Paris.
His job was to persuade
France to join our side.
After hearing of the American
victory at Saratoga, King Louis
XVI recognized U.S.
independence. In 1778, France
signed two treaties of alliance
with the United States.
France sent badly needed funds,
supplies, and troops to America.
France also persuaded Spain to
help.
France Joins the War
A Female Paul Revere
16-year-old Sybil
Ludington lived in
Fredericksburg, NY,
and her father was the
commander of a local militia.
When British troops captured
and burned nearby Danbury,
CT, she rode alone through
the night to raise the militia.
Because of her brave actions
the militia marched quickly
into Danbury and forced the
British out. She has since
been called “the female
Paul Revere.”
This statue of Sybil
stands in Carmel, N.Y.
The British
Strategy
Part II
The overall
British strategy
was to (1) seize the
Hudson Valley and
isolate the New
England Colonies, (2)
capture Philadelphia,
and (3) capture
Charles Town a
southern port closer to
the West Indies.
The Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of
Brandywine,
September 11, 1777,
was a decisive victory
for the British and left
Philadelphia, the
revolutionary capital,
undefended. During
the battle, General
Howe again managed
to outflank
Washington’s
defenses. The British
captured Philadelphia
on September 26,
beginning an
occupation that would
last until June 1778.
The Battle of Brandywine
Colonel Patrick Ferguson developed the
first breech-loading rifle used by the British
army. An adaptation of a French design, it
was loaded by rotating the trigger-guard to
lower a threaded bolt, allowing access to the
breech. It performed impressively in trials,
firing up to six well-aimed shots per minute,
and Ferguson was given command of a
detachment of green-clad riflemen.
At the Battle of Brandywine in 1777,
Ferguson had a high ranking rebel officer in
his sights, but because the officer's back was
to him he passed up the shot. Moments later
Ferguson was struck in the right elbow by a
musket ball, landing him in a field hospital.
While there, Ferguson learned the officer he
could have shot was none other than
George Washington.
The Man Who Nearly Killed Washington
The Battle of Germantown General Howe divided his forces
between Philadelphia and
Germantown, 5 miles north.
Washington saw an opportunity and
decided to attack the British garrison at
Germantown. His plan was to attack
the British at night with four columns
from different directions. Washington
hoped to surprise the British in much
the same way he had surprised the
Hessians at the Battle of Trenton.
Heavy fog made it impossible to
coordinate the complicated attack. If
Washington's plan had been executed
successfully, it might have brought the
war to a sudden end. Coupled with
Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga, the
defeat of Howe at Germantown would
probably have been too much for the
British government to endure.
Valley Forge
By the time the Continental army reached
their winter camp at Valley Forge in
southeast Pennsylvania, they were
desperately short of supplies. Soldiers did
not have winter clothing or blankets and
many didn’t even have shoes. Food was
also in short supply.
During the winter of 1777-1778, nearly a
quarter of the troops died from
malnutrition, exposure, or diseases such as
smallpox and typhoid.
Despite these hardships the soldiers trained
under Baron von Steuben’s direction.
They practiced marching, learned how to
handle their weapons properly, and how to
charge with bayonets. By spring, the
inexperienced Americans were a
disciplined and skilled fighting force.
The Harsh Winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge
European Officers that Helped the Americans
Baron de Kalb was
a Prussian officer
who also served in
the French army.
Baron von Steuben
a Prussian officer,
trained the
Continental Army
at Valley Forge.
Tadeusz Kościuszko was a
Polish Colonel of Engineers
in the Continental Army.
Marquis de Lafayette
was a French
nobleman who was
one of Washington’s
most trusted
commanders.
Kazimierz Pułaski was a
Polish cavalry officer.
General Washington reviews his newly trained and winter
hardened troops prior to the Battle of Monmouth.
Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth 1778
Terms and People
• enlist – sign up for duty
• civilian – person not in the military
• continental – paper money printed by the
Continental Congress
• George Rogers Clark – Virginian who led American
troops against the British on the western frontier
• John Paul Jones – American naval commander who won
a key battle against the British
• privateer – armed civilian ship given its government’s
permission to attack enemy ships and keep their goods
African Americans fought on both sides during the American Revolution.
African Americans Patriots British
If they fought for the British, however, enslaved people were offered their freedom.
African Americans in the War
At first, George Washington refused to accept African American soldiers.
Washington reversed his policy, however, after so many African Americans began to join the British forces.
By the end of the war, more than 7,000 African Americans had fought for the Patriots.
African Americans in the War
Women were affected by the war, often taking
on new responsibilities.
Men who
enlisted were
away for at
least one year
At home, women:
• planted crops
• tended livestock
• ran businesses
Women During the Revolution
Women also helped to support the patriots by knitting and sewing
clothing, nursing the wounded and sick, and serving as spies.
In 1778, Deborah Samson felt the need to do her part for the war
and wanted to enlist in the Continental Army. Women were not
allowed to enlist, so she disguised herself as a man and enlisted
under the name Robert Shurtliff – her deceased brother.
Deborah fought in several skirmishes. During her first battle, on
July 3, 1782, outside Tarrytown, New York, she received 2 musket
balls in her thigh and an enormous cut on her forehead. The
doctors treated her head wound, but she left the hospital before
they could attend to the musket balls. Fearful that her true identity
would be discovered, she removed one of the balls herself with a
penknife and sewing needle, but her leg never fully healed because
the other ball was too deep for her to reach. On April 1, 1783 she
was promoted and spent seven months serving as a waiter to
General John Patterson.
During the summer of 1783, Deborah came down with a fever and
was cared for by a doctor, Barnabas Binney. He removed her
clothes to treat her and discovered her secret. He did not betray
her secret; he took her to his house, where his wife and daughters
further treated her. She received an honorable discharge from the
army and a sum of money sufficient to bear her expenses home.
Deborah Samson Gannett STRANGE
but True
Soldiers and civilians alike were affected by
the financial burdens of paying for the war.
• Congress printed paper
money called
continentals to pay
expenses, but the money
soon lost its value.
• Congress had no power
to tax, and the states had
little money.
Am
ou
nt
pri
nte
d
Continental
Continental
Continental
Continental
Va
lue
Some soldiers received little or no pay for their service.
Many men were given certificates for land in the west.
Cost$ of the War
The War in the West The War on the Frontier was mostly
fought west of the Appalachian
Mountains. This region became the
Northwest Territory of the United
States as well as the states of
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri.
The western war was fought primarily
between American Indians with their
British allies, and American settlers
south and east of the Ohio River.
George Rogers Clark and a group of
200 frontiersmen defeated the British
in a series battles in the Ohio River
Valley. Clark’s victories gave the
United States a claim to the region
between the Great Lakes and Ohio
River, an area more than half the size
of the original 13 colonies.
Most Native Americans sided with the British, fearing an American victory would bring more settlers onto their lands.
British Native
Americans
Many Indian groups, however, were bitterly divided about which side to support. Some split into warring factions.
Native Americans Take Sides
The Sullivan Expedition
In 1779, George Washington ordered General John
Sullivan to attack the Iroquois in Western New York.
Washington told Sullivan and his men to “lay waste
all the settlements around, so that the country may not
be merely overrun, but destroyed.”
destroyed more than fifty
villages and burned down
1,200 houses. They also
destroyed their cornfields.
Bernardo de Gálvez, the governor of Louisiana,
played a key role in Spanish attacks that captured British forts along the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.
British
Spanish
Gálvez also gave refuge to American ships in New
Orleans harbor.
Help from the Spanish
The War at Sea
In 1779, John Paul Jones and the Bonhomme
Richard defeated the HMS Serapis. When
asked to surrender by the British captain, Jones
said “I have not yet begun to fight.”
Terms and People
• Charles Cornwallis – British commander who
surrendered to Washington at Yorktown
• guerrilla – fighter who works in a small band to
make hit-and-run attacks
• Francis Marion – American leader who used
guerrilla tactics against the British
• Nathanael Greene – American general who
commanded the Continental army in the South
• traitor – person who turns against one side in a
conflict to help the other side
After losing New England, the British tried to win the war by capturing the South, then marching north.
Charles Cornwallis, the British commander, seemed unstoppable as he swept through Georgia and into the Carolinas.
North Carolina
Charles Towne, South Carolina
Savannah, Georgia
Fighting Moves South
PHYSICAL FACTORS,
SUCH AS LOCATION
HUMAN FACTORS,
SUCH AS WHO LIVED THERE
• Nearness to the West Indies
• Valuable Sea Ports
• Loyalist Southerners
• Enslaved African Americans
Factors that Made the British
Move their War Effort to the South
The War in the South After French entry into the war, the
British turned their attention to the
southern colonies, where they hoped to
regain control by recruiting Loyalists.
This southern strategy also kept the
Royal Navy closer to the Caribbean,
where the British needed to defend
economically important possessions
against the French and Spanish.
The was a vicious
conflict that involved Patriot and
Loyalist militias and .
Guerrillas are small bands of fighters
who weaken the enemy with surprise
raids and hit-and-run attacks. Francis
Marion led a small band of Patriots that
attacked the British and escaped into
South Carolina’s coastal swamplands.
In 1780, Benedict
Arnold, one of
Washington’s most
trusted Generals and a
hero of many early
battles, sold the plans
to the West Point
defenses to the British.
He finished the war
with the British Army.
The Battle of Kings Mountain The Death of Col. Patrick Ferguson
The Battle of Cowpens
Daniel Morgan decisively defeated the
British at the Battle of Cowpens. Morgan's
cunning plan is widely considered to be the
tactical masterpiece of the war and one of the
most successfully executed double
envelopments in military history.
The Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse
General Nathaniel Greene summed up his approach in a motto that
would become famous: "We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again."
Victory at
Yorktown
In 1781,
Washington had
General Cornwallis
and the British army
trapped on the Yorktown
peninsula. When the
French fleet arrived,
Cornwallis could not
escape. The Americans
and French bombarded
Yorktown turning the
British defenses into
rubble. Cornwallis had
no way out and
surrendered his army.
The war was over.
A World Turned Upside Down
The officially
ended the Revolutionary War. The
treaty included the following conditions:
1. The U.S. was independent.
2. Its boundaries would be the
Mississippi River on the West,
Canada on the North, and Spanish
Florida on the South.
3. The U.S. had the right to fish off
Canada’s Atlantic Coast.
4. Each side would repay its debts.
5. Britain would return captured slaves.
6. The U.S. would return seized
Loyalist property.
Costs of the War
An estimated 25,700 Americans died in the
Revolutionary War, and 1,400 remained
missing. About 8,200 Americans were
wounded – some left with permanent
disabilities or amputated limbs. The British
suffered about 10,000 military deaths.
Many soldiers who survived the war left the
army with no money. They received little or
no pay for their service. The new
government gave some soldiers certificates
for land in the West. Thousands of Loyalists
lost their property and nearly 100,000 left the
United States.
Congress and the states borrowed about $27
million to finance the conflict and now they
had to pay it back.
Why We Won
The British army was one of the best trained and
supplied in the world and yet they failed to defeat
an American army that lacked training, experience,
weapons, and supplies. Geographically, the
colonies were just too large an area for the
British to control.
Other American advantages included:
1) Washington’s leadership and his strategy of
dragging out the war and wearing down the
British.
2) The military and financial aid from France.
3) The Patriotic Spirit of the Americans who
were fighting for their lives, property, and
liberty.