|
Instruction 1-2
Declaration of Independence | American Revolution | Early Politics | Summary
|
||||||
| AMERICAN REVOLUTION | ||||||
| CA History Grade 8 8.1.3. | ||||||
Many people think that the American Revolution began with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. But the war had actually been going on since April 19, 1775, when an unknown British soldier fired "the shot heard 'round the world" into a crowd of American militiamen in Lexington, Massachusetts. The road to war, of course, had begun much earlier. Here is a brief timeline: 1740s During the 1740s American colonists had many differing views. Every colony had a different set of problems and concerns, which influenced whether colonists were loyal to England, or a “patriot.” A patriot describes an early colonist that began doubting the benefits of staying a British colony. Because the colonists were far-flung (there were not many densely populated cities in the 1740s), there was little cohesive thought amongst the majority of colonists that were beginning to feel at odds with English rule. At the same time, the majority of the colonists were very religious. These two circumstances made a perfect environment for what history scholars call “The Great Awakening.” During the Great Awakening, many famous preachers traveled up and down the east coast holding revivals. George Whitefield and Gilbert Tennet were two very famous preachers that set up small revivals in the colonies. The revivals brought the far-flung colonists together for a dose of religious fervor and conversions. Though the “revivalists,” as they were called, drew criticism from the established clergy, they were able to instill “a sense of unity transcending denominational and political boundaries.” Therefore, The Great Awakening marks a significant movement that contributed to a sense of American nationality before the American Revolution. 1756 - 1764 A conflict called The Seven Years' War (referred to as "The French and Indian War" in America), had been fought around the world from 1756 to 1763 by the European colonial powers. England eventually defeated France -- but the war had been very expensive. So the British government tried to raise money from its North American colonies to pay for it. Duties were imposed on imported goods (the Sugar Act) and the colonists were forbidden to use their own currency (the Currency Act). In Massachusetts in 1764, participants in a town meeting cried out against "taxation without representation" and the colonists began a boycott of British goods. Open opposition to British rule had begun.
1765 - 1773 Additional British measures further angered the Americans -- including the Quartering Act, which required the colonies to house and feed British troops. The hated Stamp Act -- the first direct tax on the American colonies -- was enacted in 1765. This imposed a tax on newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets and legal documents. Throughout the colonies, a network of organizations called The Sons of Liberty was formed to put pressure on Stamp Act agents to resign. They all did. The Stamp Act was repealed, but new taxes were placed on glass, lead, paint, paper and tea. These taxes were called the Townshend Acts and opposition to "taxation without representation" increased. So did the boycott of British goods and in 1770 the Townshend Acts were repealed -- all except the tax on tea. But tensions continued, and on March 4, 1770, a group of British soldiers fired into an unfriendly crowd in Boston, killing five Americans. This came to be known as the Boston Massacre. It was followed a couple of years later by the Boston Tea Party, in which a group of men -- protesting the tea tax -- disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded British tea ships, and dumped 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor. 1774 To punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party, Britain imposed a number of new restrictions -- and American opposition increased. Delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia on September 5 to form the First Continental Congress. Only Georgia did not attend, since most Georgians had not yet embraced the revolutionary cause. New England began preparing for war and special groups of militia, known as Minute Men, were organized to be ready for action "in a minute." 1775 On April 19, British troops set out to destroy American ammunition stored in Concord, Massachusetts. But the plan was discovered and Paul Revere and others rode all night through the countryside to alert the Minute Men. When the British arrived in Lexington on their way to Concord, the colonists were waiting. Somehow, a shot was fired and several Americans were killed. The British marched on to Concord and destroyed some of the ammunition, but found the countryside swarming with militia. The American Revolution had begun.
In May, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia (this time, all thirteen colonies were represented). In June, John Adams proposed that the forces in Boston be considered a Continental Army and George Washington was selected as their commander-in-chief. The British declared martial law, stating that any person who helped the Americans would be considered a traitor. Although Congress attempted to arrange a reconciliation with Britain through the Olive Branch Petition, these efforts were unsuccessful -- and in August, King George III declared the colonies in rebellion. The break was complete and a secret delegation was sent to Europe to try and get help from other countries. 1776 On May 2, the revolutionaries finally received the foreign support they had been hoping for. King Louis XVI of France committed one million dollars in arms and ammunition (a major sum in 1776) and Spain also promised aid -- although Spain never really delivered. On July 4, 1776, The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress and read publicly throughout the colonies. But even with French help, the war was not going well. Although the British were forced to evacuate Boston, they occupied Long Island, Staten Island and New York City. And when British and American forces met at White Plains, New York, General Washington was forced to retreat across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania by crossing the Delaware River. American spirits were buoyed on Christmas, however, when Washington recrossed the river and defeated an army of British Hessian (German) mercenaries at Trenton, New Jersey. The painting of this event, Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutz, is one of the most famous paintings in American History. 1777 The revolutionaries were further encouraged when Washington defeated the British in the Battle of Princeton and by a victory at Saratoga -- the first major American victory of the war. They were also cheered by the adoption of a new flag: thirteen alternating red and white stripes and a blue field with thirteen white stars. But the tide soon turned, and after being defeated at Brandywine Creek in Delaware, Washington retreated with his army to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where they endured a winter of unimaginable hardship. On the plus side, America's alliance with France was strengthened by the arrival of the Marquis de Lafayette, an idealistic and talented 19-year-old French nobleman, who became one of Washington's most trusted aides. And by the official reception of Benjamin Franklin at the French Royal Court. Also during 1777, Congress adopted The Articles of Confederation as the governing document of the new United States of America, pending ratification by the colonies (which finally took place in 1781).
1778 On February 6, a major event took place in Paris. America and France signed two treaties: a Treaty of Amity and Commerce and a Treaty of Alliance. These treaties, brilliantly negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, showed that France recognized the United States as an independent nation. The two countries agreed to "most favored nation" status with each other regarding trade. And France agreed to fight as an ally by America's side until the war was won. Which it did -- supplying not only vast sums of money (over 772 million dollars) but troops and munitions throughout the war. For its part, America agreed to stand by France should war with Britain come. It came just four months later. The American Revolution had become a genuine world war. These treaties are unprecedented in history, since France supported America with little to gain for herself. Some historians feels that France simply wanted to get back at Britain for defeating her in the Seven Years War. But this ignores the tremendous enthusiasm of the entire French population for the ideals of freedom and liberty that fueled the American Revolution -- an enthusiasm that would lead to a revolution of their own just a few years later. 1779 Fighting continued in both the North and South. At the end of 1778, the British had captured Savannah, Georgia. Now they took Atlanta and burned the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia. Loyalists (colonists who sided with the British) and their Indian allies attacked American settlers on the frontier in Pennsylvania, although they were soon defeated. In retaliation, American troops attacked Chickamauga Indian villages in Tennessee. In August, colonists also destroyed nearly 40 Cayuga and Seneca villages to punish Indians for waging war on colonists who tried to settle on their lands. In September, the Americans suffered a major defeat while attempting to recapture Savannah. John Adams was appointed to try and negotiate peace with England. And Spain joined France in its war against Britain -- although it refused to recognize the United States as an independent country. 1780 For the Americans, 1780 was not a good year. The
entire Southern army was captured when the In a major scandal, Benedict Arnold, commander of the U.S. garrison at West Point and a great American hero, was discovered to have been collaborating with the British for over a year. When it was learned that Arnold planned to turn West Point over to the British, he was forced to flee to the British ship Venture and was eventually made a Brigadier General in the British Army. Although Benedict Arnold was the most famous traitor of the Revolutionary War, many colonists remained loyal to England -- including Benjamin Franklin's own son. Britain expected that most Americans would remain loyal to the Crown -- in part because the South depended on slaves, which the British supplied. But this did not happen. 1781 The Articles of Confederation, under discussion since
1777, were finally ratified. And things In May, General Washington and French General Rochambeau decided to combine their forces for an attack on New York City. In June, the Marquis de Lafayette and others formed a combined army to oppose Gen. Cornwallis and Benedict Arnold in Virginia. But when Washington learned that a French fleet of 29 ships was on its way to the Chesapeake Bay -- near Cornwallis' headquarters -- he and Rochambeau changed their plans and rushed their troops to Virginia instead. In August, the French fleet arrived near Yorktown, Virginia. Three thousand French troops landed and linked up with Lafayette's and Washington's armies. This cut off any chance for Cornwallis to escape. A siege began. On October 19, with its band playing a mournful tune called The World Turned Upside Down, Cornwallis' entire army marched out in formation and surrendered. With this surrender, all hopes for a British military victory were gone. The Americans, with massive help from their staunch French allies, had won the Revolutionary War. 1782 On January 1, Loyalists began leaving America for England or Nova Scotia. The British withdrew from North Carolina. The British Parliament voted to end the war with America and empowered the King to negotiate peace. Benjamin Franklin and John Jay joined John Adams in Europe to begin negotiations. The last British-American battle of the war took place with a skirmish in South Carolina, although there was still some fighting among Americans, Loyalists and their Indian allies. Many Indians supported the British during the Revolution in gratitude for King George's Royal Proclamation of 1763 promising no settlement of Indian lands west of the Appalachians. With the American victory, of course, this Proclamation was worthless. On April 12, peace talks begin in Paris between Ben Franklin and Richard Oswald of Britain. By November, a treaty had been drafted. It called for Britain to recognize American independence, evacuate all troops and give up all territory between the Mississippi River and the Allegheny Mountains. This doubled the size of the new country. The Dutch recognized the United States as an
independent nation. But the French -- 1783 On January 10, the English signed a preliminary peace treaty with France and Spain. In February, Spain officially recognized the United States of America, followed shortly by Sweden, Denmark and Russia. On February 4, England officially declared an end to the hostilities in America. On April 11, the United States Congress did the same. More Loyalists now left America -- over 100,000 in all. British troops were evacuated and the main part of the Continental Army was disbanded. And on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed officially ending the Revolutionary War. Congress ratified this treaty on January 4, 1784. In Virginia, the legislature gave freedom to slaves who had served in the Continental Army. On November 1, General Washington delivered his farewell address to the army and, the next day, the remaining troops were discharged. On November 25, as British troops left New York City -- their last stronghold in America -- George Washington entered in triumph. On December 23, he appeared before Congress (then meeting in Annapolis, Maryland) and resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The Revolutionary War was over. A new country could begin. There have been thousands of books written about the American Revolution. Plus hundreds of movies, plays, musicals and television programs. Some are historically accurate and others are wildly fanciful. But most are pretty interesting. For further reading, check out your school library. Check TV listings for special programs on Public Television (PBS) or The History Channel. Click on any of these web sites (or ask your browser for The American Revolution). Video Instruction
Links for Students, Parents and Teachers Now let's do Practice Exercise 1-2 (top).
|
British took Charleston, South Carolina -- the worst American defeat of the
began to look up for the American army. The British suffered heavy losses in
the
understandably -- expressed strong concerns about America signing a peace
treaty without consulting them first. Benjamin Franklin -- an amazing
diplomat and the most popular celebrity in France -- worked his personal
magic once again and averted a split between the two wartime allies.