LECTURE 3-2: THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION British attempts to assert tighter control over its North American colonies and the colonial resolve to pursue self-government led to a colonial independence movement and the Revolutionary War. I. First Continental Congress A. The Delegates i. First met in Philadelphia in 1774 to react to the threat that British rule posed to natural rights and liberties. ii. Membership consisted of 56 delegates from the colonies. Members initially organized via Committees of Correspondence. iii. No Loyalists were selected as delegates. Radicals included Patrick Henry, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. Moderates included George Washington and John Dickinson. Conservatives included John Jay and Joseph Galloway. B. Actions of the Congress i. They did not call for independence but rather favored a restoration of salutary neglect. ii. Galloway Plan a. Similar to the Albany Plan of Union, the Galloway plan would have reordered relations with Parliament and formed a union of the colonies within the British empire. By only one vote, the Galloway plan failed to pass. iii. Suffolk Resolves a. Rejected the Intolerable Acts and called for their immediate repeal. b. Called for military preparation and a boycott of British goods. iv. Declaration of Rights and Grievances a. Recognized Parliament s right to regulate commerce but petitioned the king to redress grievances and restore colonial rights. v. The Continental Association a. The Association was a creation of committees in every town to enforce the economic sanctions of the Suffolk Resolves. vi. If rights were not recognized, a final measure called for the meeting of a second Congress in May 1775. C. British Reaction i. Parliament a. In Parliament, William Pitt and Edmund Burke agreed with the colonists view of their liberties as Englishmen. They argued for repealing the Coercive Acts. They also responded to English merchants who were suffering from the boycott. ii. King George III a. King George III and Lord North refused to yield. George declared that the New England governments were in a state of rebellion. iii. American Response a. Massachusetts colonists formed a provisional government under John Hancock. b. Minutemen were trained for action at a minute s notice. c. Patrick Henry delivered the Give me liberty or give me death speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
II. III. d. Most viewed this as a struggle for liberty, not independence. Few had any desire to separate from the mother country. Most colonists were still proud to be subjects of the mighty British Empire. Fighting Begins A. Lexington and Concord i. Massachusetts minutemen fought a brief skirmish with British troops who were trying to seize a weapons armory in Concord. B. Bunker Hill Second Continental Congress A. Viewpoints i. New England favored independence. ii. The Middle and Southern colonies wanted to negotiate a new relationship with England. B. Military Actions i. Congress assumed control of the army outside of Boston. ii. George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the army. His appointment hoped to attract a broader base of support. C. Finances i. Congress attempted to pay for the conflict by issuing paper certificates and by borrowing from domestic and foreign sources. ii. The continental currency, as well as its state-issued equivalents, depreciated sharply in value and sparked a debilitating inflationary period. iii. The effort to raise money for paying soldiers and purchasing arms and supplies remained a problem for much of the war. D. Peace Efforts i. Olive Branch Petition ii. Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms E. Thomas Paine s Argument for Independence i. The colonists belief in the superiority of republican forms of government based on the natural rights of the people found expression in Thomas Paine s Common Sense. ii. Common Sense was a political pamphlet that served as a strongly worded call for independence from Great Britain. iii. Paine opposed monarchy (he called King George III a Pharaoh) and strongly favored republican government, offering a vigorous defense of republican principles. iv. Paine s words helped overcome the loyalty many still felt for the monarchy and the mother country by using biblical analogies and references to illustrate his arguments. F. Declaration of Independence i. The philosophy of natural rights was made famous by John Locke and borrowed by the writers of the Declaration of Independence. ii. In June of 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced an independence resolution, and a committee a five was selected to write a statement of support, headed by Thomas Jefferson. iii. The authors appealed to the sympathies of the English people. They accused George III of tyranny for violating the colonists natural rights. iv. It is also important to note that the Declaration of Independence did not call for the abolition of the slave trade.
IV. v. The ideas listed in the Declaration of Independence resonated throughout American history, shaping Americans understanding of the ideals on which the nation was based. vi. Long-term Effects a. Political Participation (Equality) 1. Extending the right to vote 2. Upholding due process of law 3. Providing free public education b. Social Participation (Liberty) 1. Abolishing slavery 2. Extending civil rights to women and other groups c. Economic Participation (Pursuit of Happiness) 1. Regulating the free enterprise system 2. Promoting economic opportunity 3. Protecting property rights G. Opening of Diplomatic Channels i. In 1776, Silas Deane was dispatched to France, where he successfully secured supplies, arms, and the services of a number of experienced European military officers. ii. Deane s mission was later supplanted by Arthur Lee and Benjamin Franklin, and resulted in the conclusion of the Franco-American alliance. Revolutionary War A. Opposing Sides i. Great Britain a. Strengths 1. Population 2. Army and Naval might 3. Wealth b. Weaknesses 1. Inept government leaders (George III and Lord North) 2. Lack of desire to crush American cousins 3. Military difficulties (poor generals, brutal treatment of soldiers, poor provisions, necessity for clear victory as a draw would be a colonial victory, armies were 3,000 miles from home) 4. Vast territory to subdue with no urban center to conquer ii. America a. Strengths 1. Outstanding military and diplomatic leadership 2. European imports 3. Colonists fighting defensively 4. Possessed a self-sustaining agricultural base 5. Colonists were better marksmen 6. Moral advantage b. Weaknesses 1. Colonies were poorly organized 2. Colonies were disunited for war
3. Continental Congress debated, but took little action and exercised less leadership 4. No written constitution 5. Economic difficulties (little metallic currency, fearful of taxation, Continental currency was essentially worthless, inflation) 6. Desertions from army 7. Limited military supplies c. Public Opinion 1. Patriots Pro-independence patriots believed that George III was a tyrant. They believed that Parliament wanted to control the internal affairs of the colonies without the consent of the colonies. They were convinced that British ministers and other government officials had a corrupting influence on the colonists. They wanted greater political participation in policies affecting the colonies. They resented the quartering of British troops in colonial homes. They wanted to preserve their local autonomy and way of life from British interference. Patriots found favor with British Whigs, or liberals who opposed the king s policy. African Americans 2. Loyalists Loyalists felt strong cultural and economic ties to Britain. They believed that taxation of the colonies was justified to pay for British troops to protect American settlers from Indian attacks. Loyalists found favor with British Tories, or conservative who supported the king s policy. American Indians 3. Neutrals Many tried to stay as uninvolved in the war as possible. These were typically small farmers who felt the conflict had nothing to do with them and the outcome would have no impact on their life. B. Initial American Losses and Hardships i. The Continental Congress was unable to provide a steady government or raise funds. Paper money was virtually worthless and they were worried that taxing the colonists too much might provoke more support for the Loyalists. ii. In the face of economic shortages and the British military occupation of some regions, men and women mobilized in large numbers to provide financial and material support to the Patriot movement. iii. British forces found success in New York and Pennsylvania, but Washington and his army were able to escape. C. Alliance with France i. Battle of Saratoga, 1777
a. American victory at Saratoga, New York served as the turning point of the war as it led to French recognition of America and the Treaty of Alliance. b. It convinced the French government to declare war on Great Britain and openly aid the American cause. c. French leaders were not motivated by a commitment to republican ideals. Their primary motivation was to weaken the British Empire. D. Victory i. Yorktown a. In 1781, George Washington linked up with the French Navy to force the surrender of General Lord Cornwallis and the British troops. b. Despite considerable loyalist opposition, as well as Great Britain s apparently overwhelming military and financial advantages, the Patriot cause succeeded because of the actions of colonial militias and the Continental Army, George Washington s military leadership, the colonists ideological commitment and resilience, divided public opinion in Great Britain, and assistance sent by European allies. c. French military and financial assistance played a key role in enabling America to win the Revolutionary War. ii. Treaty of Paris a. The French-American alliance influenced the British to offer generous peace terms in the Treaty of Paris. b. The treaty established America s new boundaries. The United States stretched west to the Mississippi River, north to the Great Lakes, and south to Spanish Florida. c. America agreed that Loyalists would not be further persecuted. d. America also received Atlantic fishing rights and debts with Britain were settled. e. Great Britain did not immediately evacuate from New York and continued to maintain forts throughout territory designated for America, particularly in the Ohio River Valley.