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Table of Contents –

#29 Common Sense – Thomas Paine #30 Declaration of Independence # 31 Revolutionary War

* At the bottom of the right hand side of page 30 – write a summary of the declaration of Independence translation activity. (2-3) Sentences)

The Revolutionary War

Review

The Stamp Act, Quartering Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act, and Intolerable Act led to …………..

…… colonies uniting!

First Continental Congress met in Sept. 1774 - delegates discussed liberty.

They sent a message to the King to recognize their rights.

Delegates also decided to call for a new boycott on British goods.

Colonies formed local militias and began training.

King George III refused to answer the colonists’ complaints.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

April 1775

British General Gage was told by a spy that colonists were hiding gunpowder and weapons in Concord, Massachusetts.

Gage ordered a surprise attack to seize the weapons.

When British troops slipped out of Boston the Patriots knew. They sent riders throughout the countryside to warn colonists.

LexingtonLexington was a village on the road to

Concord.

After being woken up by Paul Revere and company, Minutemen were waiting for the British troops.

When they appeared in the early morning a shot rang out.

Soldiers began shooting and eight colonists were killed.

The British moved on toward Concord.

ConcordColonists had moved the weapons and gun

powder.

Minutemen fought the British there until the British ran back toward Boston.

Minutemen lined the route back to Boston and continued shooting at the British troops.

Colonists proved they were ready and willing to fight and die for their rights.

KEY TERMS AND PEOPLE

Artillery: cannons Second Continental Congress: America’s

makeshift government during the war, which met in Philadelphia

Continental Army: created by George Washington and Patrick Henry. Would be a centralized fighting force instead of many individual militias

The Hessians German auxiliaries contracted for military service by the British government, which found it easier to borrow money to pay for their service than to recruit its own soldiers. They took their name from the German region of Hesse.

PATRICK HENRY’S FAMOUS SPEECH

“…Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL (JUNE 1775)

Major battle to take place near Boston Most of the fighting actually took place on

nearby Breeds Hill British attack led by William Howe to push

the militia off the hill The power and strength of the British army

would be on display They charged three separate times and lost 2,200

men (in comparison to the Americans’ loss of only 400), yet they still were able to force them off the hill and win the battle

Outcome: British Victory

“Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”

THE CONFLICT SPREADS

Taverns became places of political discussion To revolt, or not to revolt?

Olive Branch Petition (1775): Members of congress drafted a letter asking for peace between England and America. The request was rejected by the King “When once these rebels have been dealt a

smart blow, they will submit.” King announced new measures which would

punish the colonies, including blockades of port cities and thousands of additional troops being sent to fight

WASHINGTON APPOINTED COMMANDER

Summer 1775: Washington arrives to take command. Gathers supplies and plans an invasion of the Quebec region of Canada, hoping to defeat the British there and gain Canadian support for the American cause

Co-commander of attack is Benedict Arnold Attack in Canada fails after many months,

and army returns home defeated

Differing Military StrategiesThe Americans The British

Outlast the BritishDefend colonial

lands & drag out the war

Guerilla tactics Make an alliance

with France

Divide & ConquerUse Loyalists,

seize property, encourage slave revolts

Split the Northern & Southern colonies

Blockade ports to prevent trade

General Washington

General Gage

As long as Britain did not defeat the Continental Army, England could not win

BRITISH RETREAT FROM BOSTON

After many months under siege, the British are going to flee from Boston

Cannons captured from Fort Ticonderoga are brought to the heights above Boston and aimed at the city

Rather than risk destruction, William Howe and his soldiers fled, to never return

REBELLION BECOMES REVOLUTION

There was now no quick end in sight for the war

The simple rebellion needed to become more than just a series of battles. It needed to be more serious

Writers like Thomas Paine (“Common Sense”) wrote about the evils of King George III and the freedoms American colonists should have, inspiring a Declaration of Independence to take place

“Common Sense” published anonymously

PAINE’S MAIN ARGUMENTS

In summary:It was absurd for an island to rule a

continent. (Remember “home rule”?)

America was not a "British nation"; but was composed of influences and peoples from all of Europe.

Even if Britain were the "mother country" of America, that made her actions all the more horrendous, for no mother would harm her children so brutally.

AMERICA DECLARES INDEPENDENCE

America Declares Independence July, 1776

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation...”

CONTINUED… We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Britain Almost Wins

The Americans were defeated in New York and New Jersey and chased into Pennsylvania.

There was not much food and other supplies were also scarce.

Many soldiers went home.

Morale was very low.

TrentonGeorge

Washington planned a daring attack on the Hessians at Trenton, NJ.

The Hessians were surprised and surrendered.

New Strategies

George Washington’s new strategy was to fight a defensive war.

He hoped to tire the British out.

The new British plan was to divide the rebels by taking control of the Hudson River Valley in NY.

New England would be cut off from the rest of the colonies.

Problems With the British Strategy

British General Burgoyne’s route was through miles of wilderness.

Burgoyne did not travel light. He had 600 wagons, 30 of them filled with his personal luggage.

British General Howe strayed from the strategy.

Saratoga - A Turning PointThe rebels beat Burgoyne’s

troops at Saratoga.

Americans showed the world that they could stand up to the British army and win.

As a result of this win France came into the war as an ally to the Americans.

Winter at Valley ForgeCamp in

Pennsylvania where Washington’s soldiers spent the winter of 1777.

The conditions were miserable - lack of food and clothing.

Valley Forge continuedWashington put Baron von Steuben, from

Prussia, in charge of training. This raised the spirits of the men.

The Marquis de Lafayette, of France, spent his own money to buy supplies for the soldiers.

The War in the South

Britain’s new plan was to move the war to the South.

British General Clinton took control of Georgia, SC, and NC, then returned to NY leaving General Cornwallis in charge.

However, with the South’s use of guerilla warfare the British did not really control the Carolinas.

War in the South continued

Guerillas were soldiers who operated on their own and were not part of the regular army.

Using this strategy the southerners harassed the British with “hit-and-run” attacks and then hid in the swamps and forests.

YorktownGeneral Cornwallis headed to Yorktown,

Virginia.

France had sent thousands of soldiers and twenty nine warships to help the Americans.

They, along with Washington’s soldiers, surrounded Cornwallis. He was cut off from the British navy and had no hope of rescue by land or sea.

Surrender at Yorktown, Virginia

It was in October 19th, 1781, although the independence was recognized later in the Treaty of Paris (1783)

The War EndsMonths dragged on before King George

was ready to accept defeat.

America and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris. The United States would be recognized as an independent nation.

Liberty came at a high price - 6,200 Americans were killed in combat, 10,000 died in camp of disease, and 8,500 died as British prisoners.

The British Army was the most powerful in the world, so how did they lose to the colonists?

Americans learned guerilla fighting tactics from the Native Americans. They hid behind trees and in the countryside, attacked the British then retreated back to the countryside.

Americans wore ordinary clothing which made it difficult to distinguish between soldiers and common citizens.

The British were unfamiliar with the land and the wilderness and the Americans had “home field” advantage.

The French and Spanish soon provided incredible help to the colonists.

The British also wore bright red uniforms responsible for the nickname “the Red Coats” which caused them to be excellent targets for American bullets.

British soldiers also fought according to old war-fare traditions- straight lines, announcing attacks before arrival, etc.

George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The action was significant for

establishing civilian authority over the military, a fundamental principle of American democracy

George Washington in London

In 1921, the “Commonwealth of Virginia” gave a statue of George Washington as a gift to Great Britain. It can be found in London.

George Washington famously proclaimed “I will never set foot in London again!” so dirt was brought from Virginia to surround the statue to ensure Washington’s wishes were carried out.