Chapter Seven

The American Revolution, 1776 -

1786

Part One

Introduction

Chapter Focus Questions

What were the major alignments and divisions among Americans during the American Revolution?What were the major military campaigns of the Revolution?What were the Articles of Confederation and what role did the Confederation Congress play during the Revolutionary War?How did the states serve as the setting for significant political change?What was the economic crisis in the aftermath of the American Revolution?

Part Two

A National Community Evolves at Valley Forge

Building a Community at Valley Forge

Drawn from all parts of the country, approximately 11,000 men (including 1,000 African Americans) and 700 women gathered in Valley Forge.Amid the suffering, the men and women at Valley Forge created a a common identity and strong bonds among themselves. Leaving Valley Forge six months later, Washington commanded a much stronger and united army.

Part Three

The War for Independence

The Nature of American Resistance

The British falsely assumed the colonial rebellion was the work of a small group of disgruntled conspirators.

Resistance was widespread and geography stymied British strategy.

1500 miles of coast and 100 miles deep

Resistance popped up when one area defeated

The War for Independence

Colonials Advantages

1. Fighting on home ground

2. Good generals

3. Fighting for their rights

4. Alliance with France

British Advantages

1. Well supplied and well trained army

2. Lots of resources and capacity to boost further

3. Strong Central Government

4. 9 million to colonist 2.5 million

The War for Independence

Colonial Disadvantages

1. Untrained soldiers, small army

2. Food and ammunition lacking

3. Weak and divided government

4. Little $

5. No uniforms for soldiers

British Disadvantages

1. Fighting on foreign turf

2. Fighting far away from resources

3. Half hearted domestic support for war

4. Reluctance to spill more blood

5. Enemies closer to home so will fight harder

The Patriot Forces

American victory required a disciplined force able to stand up to the brutal assaults of the professionally-trained British adversaries.

Regiments of the Continental Army suffered casualty rates as high as 40%. 100K served. Others in militia

350K men, 200K saw action. <25K engaged at a time

Both Continentals and militias played political roles, pressuring Congress when shortages of food and pay erupted.

25K died in War.

Mutinies

Penn. Line 1781, enlisted men killed officer and marched from NJ to Philly to demand resources. British agents tried to get them to join but hanged the Brits instead

Needed food and clothing in winter

The Role of Women in the Revolution

Women remained at home and ran the family farms and businesses. Abigail Adams.

Many women joined their men in the military camps. “camp followers”

On rare occasions, women played roles on the battlefields. “Molly Pitcher”

The Loyalists (Tories)

About one-fifth of the colonial population remained loyal to the Crown. Most new immigrants, some dependent on Brits for payment, most fearful of political or social upheaval. Patriots cracked down on Loyalists. Prohibited speaking or writing against Revolution.Swear allegiance or lose property and civil rightsTar and feather; “grand Tory ride”As many as 50,000 fought for the king and 80,000 fled the country after the Revolution.

Benedict Arnold

Hero early in war for Patriots

Disgruntled 1779

West Point on Hudson River

Brigadier General for British

Citizens destroyed gravestones

The Campaign for New York and New Jersey

The British plan was to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies by:

Marching north from New York; andMarching south from Canada.

General Burgoyne lead army from Canada toward Albany

Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger went Eastward toward Albany from Lake Ontario

General Howe leading 3rd force up Hudson River

MAP 7.1 Campaign for New York and New Jersey, 1775–77

Battle of Long Island- Howe over Washington

Attacked NYC directly and let English escape to the north

Washington marched south to New Jersey thereafter

Washington, “Our troops will not do their duty,” “I think the game is pretty much up”

Dec 1776 Washington crossed Delaware River for moral victory against the hated Hessians

Boost to American morale

Gen Howe

Northern Campaigns

1777In 1777, the British tried to achieve the goal of cutting new England off from the rest of the colonies.General Burgoyne's large army was surrounded at Saratoga and surrendered. VideoImportant for ally of FranceAmerican forces in Pennsylvania were forced to retreat into Valley Forge. :40By the end of 1778, the war remained a stalemate.

The French Alliance and the Spanish Borderlands

During the first two years of conflict, French and Spanish loans helped finance the American cause.The victory at Saratoga led to an alliance with France. One year later, Spain joined the war, though without a formal American alliance.Both France and Spain worried about American expansion. The French entry into the conflict forced the British to withdraw troops from the mainland to protect their Caribbean colonies. The war at sea was mainly fought between British and French vessels, but Continental ships raided the British merchant shipping.

• Benjamin Franklin persuaded France to send supplies and, after Saratoga, troops and a navy.

• French nobleman Marquis de Lafayette volunteered to help Washington.

• Baron Von Steuben, a German, volunteered to train and drill Washington’s men in 1777.

• The Spanish in New Orleans kept the British from entering the Mississippi River in 1779.

Britain’s European enemies sent assistance.

Indian Peoples and the Revolution

Although many Indians preferred a policy of neutrality, their fears of American expansion led many to side with Britain.

British gave them weapons and ammunition

Vicious fighting in South and Wilderness

George Rogers Clark 1:46

The War in the South

Maps: Fighting in the SouthBy the late 1770s, the British had shifted their focus to the South.Capturing Savannah then Charleston in 1780, the British attempted to gain control of south by implementing pacification that failed. Violence between Loyalists and Patriots created unrest. General Greene harassed British forces and they had to march to Yorktown where they were trapped by Washington's army; the British Army surrendered.

MAP 7.4 Fighting in the South, 1778–81

End of WarWashington learned French fleet headed for Chesapeake. Maneuver troops to Yorktown might lock Cornwallis in.

Pleading illness, Cornwallis sent 2nd in command to surrender

Event of incalculable importance

Washington was lucky.

The French fleet arrived in time to trap the British.

Peace of Paris 1783Spain’s hopes-limit American expansion beyond Appalachians

France- did not want US to become too powerful to soon

Britain’s hopes-US said GB would be better off with US(free trade)

Under the table-France did not want US to make a deal with Brits due to enemies, US went ahead secretly

• Franklin gained more territory for the United States than the Americans actually won on the battlefield.

End Result-Acknowledged the US-Great Lakes, Miss River, 31 North latitude or N Florida-British to take out troops ASAP-prevent property confiscation and prosecutions of Tories

British Mistakes

1. Underestimated Patriots

2. Misunderstood political nature of conflict

3. Patriots were highly motivated and benefited from George Washington’s leadership

4. Patriots received critical assistance from France

Part Four

The United States in Congress Assembled

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States.It created a loose union of autonomous states.Congress had limited central power, reserving powers such as taxation to the states.Maryland held up ratification for three years until the eight states with western land claims ceded them to the national government.

Weaknesses in the ConfederationNo common currency, not regulating commerce, levy taxesIn 1784 the nation began to experience a depressionCongress needed $2.5 mill, had $400k1781-86 Congress received 1/6th $ from statesBritain worsened the economic crisis by flooding the U.S. with inexpensive goodsAmendment for 5% duty imported goods failed twice

Shay’s Rebellion-farmers shut down debtor courts & stopped property auctions-caused many to believe the U.S. needed a more powerful government

Financing the War

Though benefiting from foreign subsidies, Congress and the states financed the revolution mainly by issuing paper currency that caused runaway inflation.States printed own totaling $200 millionSecretary of Finance, Robert Morris, met interest payments on the debt through “Bank of North America” in Philly. Paper backed by gold. Restored confidence

Negotiating IndependencePeace negotiations began in 1782 and resulted in a series of separate treaties between Great Britain and the United States, France, and Spain.

The United States wanted: recognition for independence, withdrawal of British troops from NA, right to fish in N. Atlantic waters, push for western territory (French)

Americans promised British: pay back pre-war debts, stop taking Loyalist property, compensate Loyalists by state

Spain: neutral but closed down Mississippi R and received Florida from Britain

MAP 7.6 North America after the Treaty of Paris, 1783 The map of European and American claims to North America was radically altered by the results of the American Revolution.

The Crisis of DemobilizationCongress had neither paid the soldiers nor delivered the officers their promised postwar bounties or land warrants.

General Horatio Gates

Several officers stationed at Newburgh contemplated action if Congress failed to act, but they were shamed into accepting civilian rule by George Washington.

Congress passed bill anyway

Washington as dictator???

The Problem of the West

Western land settlement raised new issues, including:

land losses for several Indian tribes.

tens of thousands of Americans rushing into the newly acquired Ohio River Valley.

British and Spanish governments plotting to woo the settlers.

British not leaving until debts paid

The Land Ordinance of 1785

Three land ordinances provided for organizing the land for settlement, self-government and eventual statehood.They also provided for orderly division of land into townships, regular land sales, and the abolition of slavery in the Northwest Territory.

The Northwest Territory

North of Ohio River, west of Penn to Miss River

Feared Native American attacks or secession

Land Ordinance 1785- dispensing land to settlers, townships 6 sqm, 1 sqm (640 acres), $1 an acre, speculators

MAP 7.7 The Northwest Territory and the Land Survey System of the United States

The Land Ordinance of 1785 created an ordered system of survey (revised by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787), dividing the land into townships and sections.

The Land Ordinance of 1785 created an ordered system of survey (revised by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787), diving the land into townships and sections.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Government for Ohio area

Slavery prohibited

Congressionally appointed court of judges and governor

5,000 citizens meant assembly

Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin

Part Five

Revolutionary Politics in the States

The Broadened Base of Politics

Most states had greatly expanded the electorate. By eliminating Tories from politics, there was a shift to the left. Many Americans accepted a new democratic ideology that asserted that governments should directly reflect popular wishes. Conservatives argued for balanced government, fearing majority tyranny could lead to a violation of property rights.

The First State Constitutions

Fourteen states adopted constitutions between 1776 and 1780.The new state constitutions were shaped by the debates between radicals and conservatives. Democrats had seized power in Pennsylvania in 1776 and drafted a constitution that placed all power in a unicameral assembly elected by all free male taxpayers.Conservatives controlled Maryland who maintained high property requirements for office-holding. Other states drafted constitutions between these extremes.

Declaration of Rights

Virginia’s Declaration of Rights provided the model for other state guarantees of such rights as freedom of speech, assembly, and the press. State bills of rights were important precedents of the United States Bill of Rights.The 1776 New Jersey constitution enfranchised women, but most questions regarding women were related to the family.Led by Thomas Jefferson, states abolished aristocratic inheritance customs and established religious freedom.

African Americans and the Revolution

More than 50,000 slaves were taken away from the South by the British.Thousands of others fought for the Patriots and won their freedom. Recognizing the contradiction between a revolution for liberty and the continued support for slavery:

northern states began to abolish slavery; andthe Upper South relaxed its bans on emancipation.

A free African American community emerged with racially defined churches, schools and other institutions. Several African American writers became prominent.

Part Six

Conclusion

The Creation of the United States 1776–1786

Media: Chronology