Topic 4

The Age of the American Revolution

1763-1783

A. Postwar Problems – The Problems of an Enlarged Empire

1. Government problem – providing workable governments for England’s new territories.

2. Indian Problem in the Ohio Country – Conspiracy of Pontiac, spring 1763

3. Defense Problem – Colonial troops not good enough. 10,000 regular British troops needed.

4. Money, money, money

B. Conditions that worked against the solution of these problems:

1. Poor leadership – England needed outstanding leaders; well-educated men who understand the needs of the colonies as well as England’s needs. George III – surrounded himself with “yes men” whose first thought was to please the King!

2. Ignorance in England – Did not realize that the colonies had grown up and had their own well-established governments and sources of trade.

3. The removal of France – Created a new spirit of self-reliance in the colonies. Wanted to be left alone to run their own affairs and believed the problems the British faced in keeping the empire together were no particular concern of their.

4. Different views held by Englishmen and Americans about the power of Parliament to tax the colonies.

C. Round One, 1763-1766

1. Proclamation of 1763 – October 1763 – Proclamation line never intended to be permanent!

2. Stamp Act – March 1765 – This is when the real trouble began!

3. The Ways Americans Protested

– Mob Action – Mobs of angry Americans attacked and looted the offices of the Stamp Tax collectors. (Members of the mobs often called themselves the Sons of Liberty.) All the collectors forced out of office.

– Non-importation agreements – England’s trade with the colonies came to a standstill.

– Stamp Act Congress – NYC – October 1765 – 9 colonies represented. Adopted resolutions saying Parliament could impose no taxes on the colonies.

– Many colonial legislatures also passed resolutions saying the same thing.

4. The British Response

– British merchants sent petitions to Parliament

– At first these were ignored ….

– March 1766 – Parliament repealed the Stamp Act

– But also passed the Declaratory Act - …Make laws binding the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

5. The American response

– Round of celebrating and congratulating in the colonies

– Non-importation agreements dropped and normal trade reestablished

– Ignored the Declaratory Act

– A peaceful solution, more or less, but….

D. Round Two - 1767-1770

1. Three words to keep in mind: Money, Money, Money

– England needed money to:

– Maintain troops in the colonies

– Maintain the Navy and keep England’s sea lanes open

– Pay down the national debt

2. Townshend Duty Act - June 1767

– William Pitt was the Prime Minister – But he was a sick man ….

– Charles Townshend – Chancellor of the Exchequer. Determined to raise money in the colonies but considered various ways to do this.

– Finally decided on new external taxes ….

– So, the law ….

– Imposed tariff duties on a number of items normally imported from England: tea, lead, glass, silk, paper, and paints. £40,000/year.

– Might have gotten away with this law except it also gave courts the authority to issue writs of assistance – general search warrants.

– Tariff collectors could now enter any office, warehouse, ship, home etc. any time looking for smuggled goods. And could ransack the place looking for smuggled good

3. American reaction:

– Very strong – Anger over both the new tariff duties and the writs of assistance produced a strong reaction in the colonies.

– Non-importation agreements – Again, trade with England dropped off sharply.

– Resolutions passed by colonial legislatures – no taxes!

– Mob action – People again took to the streets and broke into offices and beat up tariff collectors. Mob action led to ….

– Most important event of this round: the Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770.

4. British reaction

– England had a new Prime Minister – Lord North – Had the ability to get along with George III, not an easy thing to do!

– Law was more trouble than it was worth and should be repealed.

– But Parliament must maintain the right to tax the colonies.

– Repeal all the Townshend Duties except the duty on tea.

– Done in April 1770

5. And the American response:

E. Quiet Before the Storm - 1770-1773

1. A time of general peace, but a few of things of importance happened: Samuel Adams and the Committees of Correspondence

– A 21 member committee established to keep other colonies informed on what was happening in Massachusetts

– Idea worked so well that within a few months several other colonies had established their own committees – kept each other informed of events and opinions in the other colonies. Came none too soon as Parliament did something that sent tempers boiling!

F. Round Three, 1773-1776

1. Different from the first two rounds.

2. The Tea Act - May 1773 – Kind of a 1770s bailout!

– Aid to the East India Company

– Situation like the Chrysler Corporation in the 1970s or the airlines after 9/11

– Provisions:

§ East India Co. could sell its tea directly to America merchants

§ Would only have to pay one tariff duty on its tea – the Townshend Duty. Gave the company an unofficial monopoly over the tea trade as they could now undersell anyone else.

3. North did not expect any problems, but he was wrong!

4. Strong negative reaction, even though Americans could now buy East India Co. tea at “Wal-Mart” prices

– Why?

– Ordinary people knew that if they bought this tea they would be paying the Townshend Duty, and they were determined not to do that.

– Merchants feared the consequences – Soon all trade would be controlled by English companies.

5. Events led to the Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773

6. Make an example out of Massachusetts:

– Boston Port Act

– Massachusetts Government Act

– Quartering Act (applied to all 13 colonies)

– And, there was also the Quebec Act (technically, not one of the Coercive Acts)

7. American reaction led to the First Continental Congress

– Philadelphia – September – October 1774

– Actions:

– Non-import, non-export plan – Continental Association – No trade whatever with England

– Committees of Safety

– Voted to hold a second congress in May if laws had not be repealed

– Adjourned. Maybe, maybe not ….?

8. Then, orders sent to General Gage that led to the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord.

9. Second Continental Congress:

– May 1775 – Philadelphia

– Were at war and took a number of steps to support the war

– One thing it did not do – declare independence

– Actions:

– Created the Continental Army

– Appointed George Washington the commanding general of the Continental Army – His faith and courage never faltered!

– Adopted the Olive Branch petition – A last-ditch effort to maintain peace with the mother country; George III would not read it.

10. Early battles and campaigns

– Bunker Hill – June 17, 1775 – A British victory, but a very costly one!

– The American invasion of Canada – An American failure!

– The British abandon Boston

11. The move toward independence and Common Sense

– January 1776 – 120,000 copies in three months

– Strongly attached George III – “Royal brute”

– Converted what had been a whisper into a shout!

12. The Lee Resolution adopted - July 2, 1776

13. The Declaration of Independence: had three purposes – explain, justify and win support

14. Finally, a couple of questions regarding all these events:

– What percentage of Americans supported independence?

– Who was more responsible for the break, the colonists or the British?

G. America Fights Alone, 1775-1777

1. British advantages:

– Navy – Not as great a factor as the British expected; colonies largely self-sufficient.

– Army – Well trained, well equipped, disciplined army

– Money

– Loyalist support – But could not always count on their support. Were often afraid to help.

2. American advantages:

– Fighting at home – Supply lines shorter and operating in familiar territory generally with support of local folk

– Better leadership – Learned from their mistakes and took advantage of opportunities that came “out of the blue.”

3. Americans won because of :

– British mistakes

§ Hiring of German troops (Hessians) – Good soldiers, yes, but did not understand this war, were often homesick, and in this war were not very good soldiers. Hiring them raised the fighting spirit of many Americans.

– Lost opportunities – British generals often did not always take advantage of their opportunities, opportunities that might have ended the American Revolution had they taken advantage of them.

– Foreign aid – France and Spain (sort of)

4. Recap of early fighting:

– Lexington and Concord – April 19, 1775

– Bunker Hill – June 17, 1775

– Canadian Campaign: Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery

– British abandoned Boston – March 17, 1776 after Washington occupied the Dorchester Heights

5. Early British Strategy – Take and hold the Hudson River-Lake Champlain line

6. The New York/New Jersey campaign:

– Howe began making plans to attack NYC and moved 32,000 troops to Staten Island

– Washington placed 10,000 troops on western end of Long Island

– August 27, 1776 Howe attached and Washington retreated to Manhattan

– War might have ended …

– Washington retreated across the Hudson and across NJ into Pennsylvania

– Howe returned to NYC

– Washington turned around and won victories at Trenton and Princeton

– Boosted American spirits – British and Germans not 10 ft tall!

– Also restored confidence in George Washington; he was not an incompetent but a military leader who knew how to fight.

7. The Hudson River Valley campaign:

– Howe began then changed his mind …

– So, General John Burgoyne pushed the idea, believing that he would have help from Howe

– 3-way attack

§ Burgoyne from Canada

§ Barry St. Leger from western NY

§ Howe from NYC

– Burgoyne in late June 1777 with 7,000 troops

– Captured Ft. Ticonderoga in early July 1777

– Then things started to turn sour:

§ St. Leger stopped - Aug 6

§ Germans defeated at Bennington – Aug 16

§ Indian scouts quit and went home

– Bogged down near Saratoga, NY

– Might have been saved by Howe but ….

– Twice tried to break through American lines but failed

– October 17, 1777 surrendered to Gen. Horatio Gates

– A turning point – helped bring France openly into the war

8. Philadelphia/Valley Forge

– Howe captured Philadelphia late in 1777 and settled in to enjoy the comforts of the city. An empty victory; meant nothing really.

– Washington’s army went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, northwest of Philadelphia.

– Not an entirely negative experience - Friedrich von Steuben – drilled and trained the troops.

H. America Fights with Foreign Aid – 1778-1783

1. France, Hortalez and Company, and the Alliance of 1778

2. And the Spanish…. Well, they kind of helped…………..

3. The British shifted to what I call, the “roll up the carpet strategy.”

4. A rare example of American treason: the case of Benedict Arnold

5. Main events that led the British to Yorktown

6. And events that led Washington from White Plains, NY to Yorktown:

7. “My God, it’s all over…! Why?

I. The Treaty of Paris, September 1783:

1. England:

– Recognized the complete independence of the U.S.

– Gave the U.S. was given all territory south of Canada and east of the Mississippi River except Florida, which was given back to Spain.

– Promised that they would withdraw their military forces from the U.S. “with all convenient speed.”

2. And the new United States promised:

– British creditors would be allowed to collect pre-war debts that Americans owed them.

– The Continental Congress would recommend to the states that Loyalist property be returned or paid for.

3. But now the great question was …

– Could we also win the peace: could we deal with our postwar problems and maintain our independence as a nation.

– That was not at all certain in 1783.

Topic 4 Review

• What problems did England face in America at the end of the French and Indian War?
• What conditions worked against the solution of those problems?
• What were the most important events that happened in Round One? What happened in Round Two? In The Interlude of Peace?
• How did Round Three differ from Rounds One and Two? (Hint: was there a peaceful solution?)
• Who wrote Common Sense and what was its importance?
• What did the Lee Resolution say?
• Who is considered the author of the Declaration of Independence and what were the purposes of the Declaration?
• What were the British and American advantages at the outbreak of the American Revolution?
• Why did the British lose the war?
• Battle of Bunker Hill – who won and at what cost?
• New York City campaign – Who were the opposing generals and in what way did fate save Washington’s army?
• Hudson River Valley campaign – what were the British plans; how did the campaign turn out? What was the significance of the British defeat at Saratoga?
• Was the Valley Forge experience entirely negative? If not, what good came out of it?
• French aid to the American cause – what was Hortalez and Company? What brought France openly into the war?
• What was Spain’s dilemma during the American Revolution and how did Spain deal with this dilemma?
• What change was there in military strategy during the second phase of the Revolution?
• Who was Charles Cornwallis? Who was Admiral deGrasse? Why did Yorktown effectively end the American Revolution?
• What were the terms of the Treaty of Paris, 1783?