User:Atcovi/VA and US History/Revolutionary War

Years: 1750-1788

Political Instability

 * King George III, ruling 1760-1820, angered the Whigs party (a party who were allowed to run England by King George II, but not by George III) by appointing Earl of Brute as a minister, who was unable to keep up with the political pressure. As time went by, George III was appointing ministers here and there, which confused the beaurocrats in the Parliament. They did not know how to rule the nation according to the instructions of the ministers, so the colonies were left with the cold shoulder from the King.
 * The colonies disagreed with parliamentary sovereignty, a concept which stated that the Parliament had full rights to rule over Britain's colonies. This concept was not favored by the colonists, who did not believe the Parliament had a right to govern them as they did not seek the consent of the people.
 * John Locke was an important 1600s philosopher who, with his Two Treatises of Government, inspired the colonists to rebel. His document stated that the government required the voices and opinions of the people they govern. If the government fails to do this, then a rebellion is required. He was frequently quoted across the conflict.
 * The Enlightenment had a great effect on the colonists, inspiring them to rebel against the British. Newspapers were also frequently distributed and read, which allowed the other colonies to stay in touch with conflicts that arose (Boston Massacre).

British Weakening

 * In the spring of 1763, Pontiac attacked Detroit and colonial settlements, killing thousands. The British army was unable to fight back Pontiac to the point that Pontiac's efforts were in vain. Though once Pontiac's followers left him, he sought peace, but the damage was catastrophic. The French were left defeated by the British and were unable to save the Indians.
 * Proclomation of 1673 - Made it illegal for governors to grant land west of the headwaters of rivers that flow into the Atlantic. This was seen as a barrier to economic development and costly for the British as they had to maintain this law in America.

Paying off Debt

 * George Grenville - Finance minister appointed by the king, replacing Bute in 1763. He wanted the colonists to donate to help the British army. He passed his first bill, the Sugar Act.
 * Revenue Act of 1764/Sugar Act - This act forced the colonists to trade only with the British in order to garner revenue to pay off the War Debt. James Otis, a lawyer and a political activist, stated that the Sugar Act prevented the Americans from "assessing their own taxes".
 * Stamp Act of 1765 - This act placed taxes on printed paper in the colonies. The act received considerable backlash from the colonists with Patrick Henry coming up with the Virginia Resolves as a response to the Stamp Act of 1765 in Virginia's House of Burgesses. He, basically, declared that the Virginians should tax themselves as they see fit and that collecting stamp revenues [British way of collecting the taxes for the Stamp Act, 1765] in the 13 Colonies was unconstitutional.
 * Massachusetts called a meeting in New York City in October of 1765 known as the Stamp Act Congress. It was the second intercolonial gathering after the Albany Congress of 1754 (which was discussing relations with the Native Americans). Boycotting British goods was also a response to the Stamp Act, which served to be a sophisticated tool of protesting. Colonial women also took part in the boycotting, as they produced goods (clothing) that had a British tax set upon them by themselves/from home. The Declaratory Act of 1766 was passed by Parliament as a response to the significant protests by the colonists as a way of showing that the British had full rights to rule the 13 colonies however they pleased. The Stamp Act was the beginning of hostile colonist tensions between the Colonists and the British.

The Townshend Duties

 * Charles Townshend was appointed as the new finance minister in the 1760s. The financial crisis the British were going through in about this period resulted in Townshend creating the Townshend Duties (1767-68), where he set a tax on American imports, such as paper, glass, paint, lead, and tea. He aimed to pay the various royal governors' salaries and other officials in the 13 colonies. Townshend also established the American Board of Customs Commissioners, which enforced the new duties set by him. Townshend also ordered New York's royal governor to veto any bills that the colonists create until the British troops were sufficiently funded.
 * To also support the British soldiers, the Quartering Act of 1765 was created. This made it mandatory for the colonists to house soldiers and provide for them food and housing.
 * The colonists remained stubborn and chose to boycott British goods until the taxes were removed (the colonists use "taxation without representation" as their main scope in these protests).

Boston Massacre (1770)

 * In October of 1768, the British sent 4,000 troops to Boston. The colonists interpreted this sudden "invasion" of redcoats as a sign of the British oppressing the Americans and restraining them from their natural rights (conspiracy set by pamphleteers).
 * On March 5, 1770, an aggressive and violent mob of colonists were shot at by British soldiers in Boston. This was labelled by propagandists as the Boston Massacre of 1770. This angered the colonists significantly but was somewhat tampered by the revocation of the Townshend Duties in the 1770s by newly appointed minister Lord North. He revoked all the taxes made by the Townshend Duties, except for the tax on tea. The tax on tea remained as a way of enforcing the Declaratory Act of 1766.
 * Samuel Adams (1722-1803) emerged as a symbol of American resistance. He refused to be satisfied with Lord North's actions (as the tea tax was still enforced) and rallied up the colonists to resist the British and their rulings. In November of 1772, Adams created the committee of correspondence, which were "shadow governments" that made intercolonial plans vs. the British. It was originally set as a way to spread the word of British oppression throughout the population of Massachusetts. This idea spread about the 13 colonies and developed into its own governmental body.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

 * In May of 1773, the Tea Act was passed, which lowered the price for British tea and prevented smuggled tea from the Dutch coming into the colonies. The act was set up so it could save the East India Company from going bankrupt. It failed because the Tea Act was seen as a suspicious plan to get the colonists to be involved in "taxation without representation", a concept which the colonists went against. It also put merchants who sold smuggled tea from Holland out of business, which went against the colonists' preference for smuggled Dutch tea. In the New England harbors, tea ships were left waiting at the docks as they were not allowed to come back to England full of tea.
 * On December 16, 1773, a group of men dressed in Mohawk costumes dumped over 300 chests from the tea ships into the sea.
 * The Boston Tea Party, which was remarked by John Adams as "bold" and "daring", was met with anger by the British. The Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, which stated that the Boston Harbor would be shut down until the cost for the tea was recompensated by the people of Boston to the East India Company. King George III also appointed a new royal governor for Massachusetts named Thomas Gage.
 * Through the spread of newspapers, other colonists heard about what happened up north in Boston. Other colonies, such as Georgia and New Hampshire, sent supplies (livestock, grain, money, etc) to Boston as a sign of support.

Path to Freedom

 * The first Continental Congress took place on September 5, 1774, in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The meeting was called in place as the colonists wanted to discuss the problems between them and the British that have arisen at this point in time. Many of the most impactful American leaders came to this meeting, including Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee, George Washington, etc. Some delegates, especially from the Middle Colonies, sought a peaceful resolution to the problem, but the majority sought violence against the British. An Association was formed, where the colonists agreed to stop trade with the British until they revoked the Intolerable Acts.

The First Conflicts

 * First Conflicts of the American Revolution: Lexington and Concord.
 * April 18, 1775: Sir Gage sent troops to Boston to seize colonist supplies. Paul Revere and William Dawes attempted to get the message to Lexington, but they failed. Samuel Prescott was able to get the message to Lexington by horseback. A group of inexperienced colonists and British soldiers met in Concord. A shot was fired by a confused soldier, which started the battle. 8 Americans were left dead, as a result.
 * The word of the battle spread like wildfire in which minutemen were formed to swarm the British soldiers on their way back to Boston.
 * June 17, 1775: The Battle of Bunker Hill took place in which the British were able to claim a costly victory by taking a position on the top of the hill. The British suffered 40% casualties. Gage stated that the Americans contained a "spirit" which was not like "the French".

Second Continental Congress

 * May 1775: The US was going through a tough time in which they needed strong leadership. Several delegates met in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and chose George Washington as their commander. George Washington was picked as the commander as he was a Virginian. The members thought that picking a Virginian rather than a soldier from Massachusetts would be better as it would get all the 13 colonies involved in this conflict rather than it making the conflict look like a "Massachusetts issue". He was able to gain respect from the people by joining the House of Burgesses.
 * The Olive Branch Petition, about a month later, was the last resort for peace between the British and the Colonists. King George III refused to read it before he declared the colonists as traitors. The Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, written by John Dickinson, was an explanation as to why they formed a military.

More British Strict Ruling

 * The Prohibatory Act of 1775 was passed, which suppressed and prevented the Americans from trading with anyone. The British navy blocked the American ports and took over commerce ships. The act drives the members towards independence.

Common Sense

 * Thomas Paine, 1737-1809, rallied for the colonists to seek independence. Paine produced the Common Sense, which was an essay establishing the need for independence and strained that England, not Europe, was the "parent country of America". He also believed that monarchy was a threat to liberty. This appeased the non-British communities in America, like the Germans in Pennsylvania.

American Revolution: The Fight Has Begun

 * On July 2, 1776, Congress voted for independence. All the colonies except New York voted for independence (NY was afraid the British would attack them if they had voted towards independence, but the British attacked them anyways). TJ, rather than the unpopular Adams, was responsible for creating the Declaration of Independence. It was, basically, a list of all the wrongdoings by the king. The work of the Declaration of Independence was majority consisted of borrowed ideas from philosophers, like John Locke, rather than TJ's own work.
 * Colonists Disadvantages
 * The British were about 4 times larger than the colonists.
 * The British had an extensive manufacturing base
 * Trained soldiers + Hessians.
 * Navy dominated the Atlantic Ocean.
 * Were best during hit-and-run (fighting tactic), thus lacked militaristic skills.
 * British Disadvantages
 * Took a long time to send supplies to America from England (distance).
 * The American will was very hard to destroy and that is what the British had to fight and not "defenseless towns" (determination).
 * The Brits were not as familiar with the land as the Americans were.
 * Financial issues (budget cuts and debt).
 * The colonists had an alliance with France, who would provide better weaponry and train the colonists better.

African Americans in the War
Many of the African Americans were slaves. These slaves were willing to fight for whatever side they had a good enough chance to leave and achieve freedom. Most of the slaves fought for the British as the British promised that any slave fighting for them would be free.

Native Americans in the War
Mostly supported the British as they did not like their territory being taken over by the Colonists. The Indians near Canada supported the colonists as they had positive relations with their allies, the French.

Loyalists in the War
Loyalists were American citizens who remained loyal to the British crown. They disagreed with Parliament's taxation on the colonies and agreed to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", but they also disagreed with independence. They viewed fighting for independence as an "unnecessary war", let alone their view on independence as disrupting order (and an infringement on their rights). The biggest loyalist states were New York and New Jersey.

Changes in the Mood in the North
Henry Knox, a prominent military commander, was able to move artillery from Ticonderoga (northern New York) to New York. The British were forced to move out of Boston and into New York (March 1776). General William Howe and 32,000 troops landed in the New York Harbor in the summer of 1776. The Battle of Brookyln took place on August 22, 1776, where the colonists lost badly. They were eventually forced to retreat to Pennsylvania.

George Washington did not want to risk an embarrassing defeat, so he went back up to New Jersey in December of 1776. He was able to catch the Hessian militia off guard and the Battle of Trenton pursued. He also killed several British troops at Princeton days later. These American victories were significant as they increased American morale, disrupted the loyalist community and pushed back the British up to New York (and the majority of New Jersey were given to the Americans). Many loyalists in New Jersey surrendered to American independence.

French Support
Marquis de Lafayette was a 22-year-old French military officer who eventually became a close aide to Washington. After the Battle of Princeton in 1777, he showed interest in supporting the colonists to weaken and humiliate their enemies, England. But before joining the conflict, Lafayette and the King of France, Louis XVI, awaited for the time when the colonists successfully win in a major battle against the British.

1777
The British are able to claim Philadelphia in September of 1777 after their victories in the Battles of Brandy Creek and Germantown. The British subsequently control the city until 1778 June. Initially, Washington attempts to take back Philadelphia but is unsuccessful. The Conway Cabal was created as a result of Washington's defeat, in which Thomas Conway and other generals tried to get Washington replaced through critical letters being sent to the Continental Congress.

Battle of Saratoga (turning point), 1777
The Battle of Saratoga (September-October) took place, where the Americans were able to claim a victory in both battles: Battle of Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights. It is the turning point of the Revolutionary War.

Americans General Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold (who later was found out to be a traitor and had secret negotiations with the British) went up against British General John Burgoyne. A month into the fighting, the British were forced to surrender. The impact of this battle is that France recognized the USA as a sovereign nation and, also the Dutch and the Spanish, joined them in the fight against the British.

1778

 * Freidrich von Steuben - He was appointed because he was an "administrative genius". He became a general in four months' time and was able to train soldiers to fight in a small span of time. He fought in the Battle of Monmouth, NJ in 1778.
 * The Spanish declared war on the British a year after the French did in 1778. Their navies together prevented the British from blockading the harbors of America effectively. They had no allies in this war and supplies were decreasing.

1780-1781

 * General Nathaniel Greene and Washington became very good friends as Greene replaced Horatio Gates. In the Battle of Brown's Marsh (April 1780), in which the Whig governor (Colonel Fanning) is captured.


 * Battle of Charleston - Major defeat for the colonists in Southern America. It was Henry Clinton vs. Benjamin Lincoln (leader of Charlestown). The British captured British equipment.


 * The Battle of Camden, Cowpens, and Guilford Courthouse compromises of 3 battles.
 * Camden: August 16th, 1780 in South Carolina
 * Gates marched his army into South Carolina
 * British victory
 * Cowpens: January 17, 1781 in South Carolina
 * American Victory; hope of winning the war and gaining independence.
 * General Daniel Morgan: Continental army
 * Sir Banastre Tarleton: the British.
 * Guilford Courthouse: March 15, 1781 in North Carolina.
 * British won but suffered significant troop losses
 * Cornwallis abandoned his campaign for the Carolinas and went to VA.


 * The Battle of Capes (or Battle of the Chesapeake) - A battle pursued on September 5, 1781 in which turned out to be one of the most important naval battles in American history. The French were able to block the British from gaining supplies, therefore giving the Americans the win in this battle.


 * General Cornwallis was the general who surrendered in the Battle of Yorktown on September 28, 1781. The Americans were cornering the British while the French prevented British supplies from arriving via the Atlantic, which resulted in Cornwallis' surrender.

Paris Treaty
The Paris Treaty took place in June of 1782. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay all agreed on the treaty, which gave the US recognition of being a sovereign nation, land, removal of British troops and fishing rights in the Atlantic.

Lingering Issues
Although it stopped the Revolutionary War between the English and the Brits, tensions remained as these problems were not addressed:
 * British did not agree to leave their forts in Northwestern Territory
 * Americans were taking the property/refusing to give back taken property to loyalists
 * Native Americans were left out, which led to more conflicts with them.
 * Issues were eventually resolved in the Jay’s Treaty