American Revolution
US 1
2nd Continental Congress
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Assumed leadership of the rebellion
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Organized army and navy
Established post office
Authorized printing of money
Made last attempt at compromise
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Olive Branch Petition
Rejected by King
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Declares colonies in rebellion and outside his protection
Parliament bars all exports to Americas
Thomas Paine
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Ne’er-do-well Englishmen
True radical
Expressed in everyday language the ideas of
the revolution
Common Sense
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Sold over 100,000 copies
Pushes Americans towards independence
Decision for Independence
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Congress appoints a committee to consider
independence
Intended as a justification for break
Based on John Locke’s Contract Theory of
Government
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Based on equality
Natural Rights of people—life, liberty, pursuit of happiness
Powerful statement of beliefs
Three Phases of War
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Northern Phase
Middle Phase
Southern Phase
Northern Phase
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British concentrated on subduing New
England
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Hotbed of rebellion
Limited success in dealing with New Englanders
New British commander, William Howe believed
New York City was better center of operations
Middle Phase
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Focused on gaining control of middle colonies,
in particular New York
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Divide and Conquer
Moved main force from Boston to New York City
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Nearly destroy Washington’s army outside New York
Fail-British loses a critical opportunity
Washington’s army collapses, Congress abandons
Philadelphia
Winter of 1776
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Washington saves his army with two small
victories in the “off-season”
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Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776)
Battle of Princeton
Summer 1777
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British plan to divide and conquer along
Montreal/New York City corridor
Strategy
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Gen. Burgoyne south from Montreal to Albany
Gen. St Leger east from Lake Ontario
Gen. Howe north from New York City
Plan was poorly coordinated
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Howe never heads north, instead attacks Philadelphia
Saratoga
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“Gentleman John” Burgoyne’s forces hacking
through Adirondack forest to reach Albany
Isolated over time and running out of
supplies
Defeated by army led by Benedict Arnold
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Hero of Saratoga
Critical victory
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Brings France into the war as Ally
French Alliance
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Greatly increases pressure on British
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Makes it a “real war”
Risk of invasion
Britain isolated in Europe
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Most nations establish League of Armed
Neutrality to maintain trade with America
Southern Phase
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British hoped to exploit strong loyalist sentiments in
the South
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British enjoy initial success
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Provokes a bloody civil war in the region between loyalists
and rebels
Capture Charleston and 5,000 rebels
Patriots counterattack
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Win series of small victories at King’s Mountain and
Cowpens
Nathanael Greene—exhausts British forces
Final Battle
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British commander Cornwallis retreats to
Yorktown for re-supply
Washington sees opportunity
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Marches a combined force south from New York
Supported by French navy
Force Cornwallis to surrender
Marks end of major fighting in America
Peace of Paris
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British inclined to generous terms
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American negotiators--Ben Franklin, John
Jay, John Adams
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Wanted to maintain American trade
Refuse to wait for French
Get everything they want but Canada
Best possible deal
Why did the Americans succeed?
or
Why did the British fail?
Why British Failed?
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British faced uncertainty of food & supplies
Misuse loyalist energies
Allow colonists to establish alliance with
France
Abdicate Civil authority after 1775
The New Nation
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Form of nationalism emerges from war
experience
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Came into conflict as 13 distinct colonies, emerge
as a single nation
Logic pulled states together
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No need to 13 post offices or Diplomatic Corps
Creating a Functioning Government
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Articles of Confederation developed to provide a
necessary national government
Sought to balance war efforts with fear of centralized
government
One branch government
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No executive or judicial branches
Each state had one vote
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Only a “league of friendship”
Lacked the authority to impose taxes
Most major decisions needed approval of 9 states.
Dealing with land issues
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One of the first issues was the allocation of western
lands.
Congress eventually passes a series of land
ordinances
Land Ordinance of 1785
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Survey of Western lands into 6 mile square townships
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
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Framework for how western lands become states
Problems Confederation failed to Solve
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Threats to the West by Britain and Spain
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Never give up lands
Disruptions of foreign trade resulting from
independence
Collapse of financial structure
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Shay’s Rebellion(1786)
Revision of Articles of Confederation
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Movement for change begins in 1780’s
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1786—Annapolis Convention
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Only 5 states send delegates
Propose second meeting in Philadelphia in 1787
Philadelphia Convention-1787
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55 men from 12 states (Rhode Island refuses)
Men of “wealth and property”
War veterans and experienced in government
Most in 30’s and 40’s
Tended to distrust too much democracy
Structure of convention
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Worked in secrecy
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Critical for open debates of controversial ideas
Nailed windows shut
Voted by state
Simple majority needed on key issues
Virginia Plan
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Proposal of James Madison
Total rejection of Confederation government
3 branch government
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Two house legislature
Powerful executive
Judiciary
Eliminated voice of small states by making
representation based on population
Government was assembly of people, not states
New Jersey Plan
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Small states counter with their own proposal
Single House Legislature—each state had one vote
Plural Presidency of three men selected from
congress
Gave congress sweeping powers
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Right to tax
Regulate trade
Use force on uncooperative state governments
Government remained assembly of states, not
people
Great Compromise
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Debated the issue of representation for
better than two weeks
Hot summer days
Close to collapsing due to deadlock
Madison was unwilling to give into
representation by state
Solution
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Bicameral legislature
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Lower house—by population (2 year term)
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Upper House—2 representatives per state (6 year
term)
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All money bills originated here
Elected by state legislatures
How to count slaves?
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Taxation and Representation
3/5 compromise
Presidency
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Chief executive officer—independent of
legislature
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Selected by an electoral college, body of
prominent men selected by local voters
Second highest vote-getter was Vice-President
Did not envision political parties
Granted veto power over legislation
Right to nominate judges
Checks and Balances
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Far more complex document than the
Articles of Confederation
Sought to curb too much power in any one
branch of government
President veto—congressional override
power
Judiciary to settle disputes between states
and citizens of states
Selling to the American Public
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Ratification
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Special Constitutional Conventions
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Avoids state legislatures
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Vested interest in status quo
Only needed approval of Nine states
Supporters realized ratification would not be easy
Only authorized to revise articles
Radically altered plan between state and local
government
Anti-Federalists
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Stood for a confederation of states rather
than the creation of a national authority
Tended to be poorer, less urban, less
educated
Older than Federalists, remembered royal
abuses
Anti-Federalists
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Deeply suspicious of political power
Believed the larger the republic, the greater
the chance for political corruption
Feared large congressional districts—lack of
contact
Federalist Papers
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Series of essays penned by Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison and john Jay that
explained and defended a strong national
government
Bill of Rights
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The first ten amendments are the legacy of the antifederalist argument.
To counter complaints, Federalists promised to
present bill of rights as soon as the document was
ratified
Anti-federalists came close to winning.
Voting was exceptionally close in three large
states—New York, Virginia and Massachusetts
Adding Bill of Rights
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Wanted to avoid a 2nd constitutional
convention
Madison places a set of amendments before
congress
These amendments were passed to prevent
the majority operating against the minority
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Tyranny of the Majority
Initial proposal reduced