The Revolution Before The War
“Salutary Neglect” Ends! King George III Reigns
-act of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws
-Revenue Act – 1764 (Sugar Act)
-lowered 1733 Molasses Act tax and focused on smuggling
-Stamp Act - 1765
-tax on all papers, official documents, newspapers, licenses,
wills, etc
-idea of virtual representation – opposed to actual
-anger and protest
-Sons of Liberty
-Quartering Act – 1765
-housing of British troops
-in New York, led to the New York Suspending Act
-NY assembly acts null and void until obligations met
toward army
Revenue Act - 1767-Townshend Acts
- Massachusetts Circular Letter (Resistance)
Taxation Without Representation (paper, lead, paint, glass, tea)
No American rep. in Parliament, Search and Seizure violations
Fall 1768 – 3000 troops arrive in Boston
-tensions mount
Boston Massacre – March 5 1770
-Propaganda campaign
-5 killed – Crispus Attucks
Gaspee burnt – 1772
-any SUSPECT to be charged with high treason
1773-Tea Act
-gave favor to East India Company
-sell tea directly to government
-not through public auction to independent merchants
-Boston Tea Party – Dec. 16
Intolerable Acts - 1774
-Boston Port Act
-Massachusetts Government Act
-Impartial Administration of Justice Act
-Quartering Act
-Quebec Act
-Quebec under French civil law
-Catholocism allowed in Quebe
-control of land in Ohio Valley (PA and VA)
First Continental Congress –Sept. 1774
Committees of Correspondence and Safety
1775-Lexington and Concord- Second Continental Congress
WAR
1775
The British Are Coming!
1775
• April 18, 1775 - General Gage orders 700 British soldiers to Concord
to destroy the colonists' weapons depot.
• At dawn on April 19 about 70 armed Massachusetts militiamen stand
face to face on Lexington Green with the British advance guard. An
unordered 'shot heard around the world' begins the American
Revolution. A volley of British rifle fire followed by a charge with
bayonets leaves eight Americans dead and ten wounded. The British
regroup and head for the depot in Concord, destroying the colonists'
weapons and supplies. At the North Bridge in Concord, a British
platoon is attacked by militiamen, with 14 casualties.
• British forces then begin a long retreat from Lexington back to Boston
and are harassed and shot at all along the way by farmers and rebels
and suffer over 250 casualties. News of the events at Lexington and
Concord spreads like wildfire throughout the Colonies.
• April 23, 1775 - The Provincial Congress in Massachusetts orders
13,600 American soldiers to be mobilized. Colonial volunteers from
all over New England assemble and head for Boston, then establish
camps around the city and begin a year-long siege of Boston.
Moving from argument- to arms!
Lexington and Concord
Patrick Henry: Give Me Liberty or
Give Me Death, March 1775
There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free- if
we mean to preserve inviolate these inestimable privileges
for which we have been so long contending –if we mean not
basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been
so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves
never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest
shall be obtained- we must fight! Gentlemen may cry,
Peace, Peace– but there is no peace. The war is actually
begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring
to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are
already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that
gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or
peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and
slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course
others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me
death!
Thomas Paine
Common Sense
“The sun never shone
on a cause of greater
worth.”
“Every quiet method
for peace hath been
ineffectual.”
• May 10, 1775
• The Second Continental Congress convenes in
Philadelphia, with John Hancock elected as its
president.
• On May 15, the Congress places the colonies in a
state of defense.
• On June 15, the Congress unanimously votes to
appoint George Washington general and
commander-in-chief of the new Continental Army.
Second Continental Congress
• Raise an army
• Try to reconcile with England
– The King was not receptive
•
•
•
•
June 17, 1775
The first major fight between British and American troops
A frontal assault of over 2000 British soldiers
Americans run out of ammunition left only with bayonets and
stones to defend themselves.
• The British succeed in taking the hill, but with 1000
casualties compared to 400 American
Don’t fire until you see
the whites of their eyes.
• July 3, 1775 - At Cambridge, Massachusetts, George
Washington takes command of the Continental
Army which now has about 17,000 men.
General George
Washington, as painted by
Charles Willson Peale in
1787, 12 years after his
assumption of command at
age 43. A tall (6’2”) and
strong man, Washington
believed a leader should look
the part, as shown here by his
meticulously tailored and
clean uniform. His personal
appearance was described as
“truly noble and majestic.”
(Peale painted himself and his
brother behind GW. Peale
served as a 1st Lieutenant in
the war.)
1776 1776
Cannon taken from Fort Ticonderoga (after Ethan
Allen captured it in May 1775) were hauled to
Boston by self educated 25 year old bookseller
Henry Knox, his 19 year old brother, and his hired
men in the winter of 1775-76. Knox selected 58
mortars and Cannon; 3 mortars weighed over a ton,
and the “24 pounder” over 5,ooo pounds. Not one
gun was lost in the nearly impossible 2 month
venture! Knox became one of GW’s most trusted men
The guns from Ticonderoga, placed on
Dorchester Heights on March 5, 1776,
forced the British to leave Boston
New York and New Jersey
• Washington had 17,000 troops facing a large
force of British under General Howe
• Brooklyn Heights and Long Island
– Evacuated to Manhattan Island, the Americans
fought a “retreating effort” through NYC,
leaving 3,000 men as the rear guard at Fort
Washington.
• November, 1776 - More victories for the British as Fort Washington on Manhattan
and its precious stores of over 100 cannon, thousands of muskets and cartridges is
captured by Gen. Howe. The Americans also lose Fort Lee in New Jersey to Gen.
Cornwallis. Washington's army suffers 3000 casualties in the two defeats. Gen.
Washington abandons the New York area and moves his forces further westward
toward the Delaware River. Cornwallis now pursues him.
THE PROMISE: JULY 4, 1776!
-On June 7, Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia
delegate presents a formal resolution to
declare independence from Britain.
-Congress decides to postpone its
decision on this until July.
-On June 11, Congress appoints a
committee to draft a declaration of
independence. Thomas Jefferson,
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger
Livingston and Roger Sherman. Jefferson
is chosen by the committee to prepare the
first draft of the declaration, which he
completes in one day.
-June 28, Jefferson's Declaration of
Independence is ready and is presented
to the Congress
-July 4, the Congress formally endorses
Jefferson's Declaration, with copies to be
sent to all of the colonies.
Crossing the Cold River
• Washington retreated through NJ through December,
crossing the Delaware river into PA before Christmas.
• “Hurrah for the good guys!” Washington leads a
daring attack on Trenton, NJ on Christmas night
capturing almost 1,000 German and British
soldiers
• Several Days later, they repeated this tactic
successfully in Princeton, NJ.
General Howe: wanted to capture Philadelphia
by transporting his army up the Chesapeake
Bay and overland to Philadelphia
1777
Conflicting
Plans
General Burgoyne: wanted to proceed down
the Hudson River to Albany and East from
St. Lawrence to Niagara, cutting apart New
England
Brandywine Creek
•Howe delayed his attack and took 6 weeks to transport his troops by ship to a landing
only 40 miles closer to Philly that when he had left NY!
•Washington engaged Howe’s forces outside Philadelphia at Brandywine (Sept 11), and
Germantown(Oct 4). Between these two major engagements, the British attacked and
“massacred” Pennsylvanians at Paoli (Sept 20). Even though the British victories
allowed them to occupy the Capital, some historians believe Washington’s good showing
against the British helped to bring the French Army into the cause.
Paoli Massacre: Sept 20-21, 1777
“No Flint” Grey attacks Wayne’s
Pennsylvanians with bayonets.
VICTORY AT SARATOGA
Things were going
better up north. Led
by Benedict Arnold,
Daniel Morgan, and
Horatio Gates, the
Americans defeated
the British at
Saratoga in upstate
NY. Burgoyne was
forced to surrender
his entire 6,000 man
army in this “turning
point” battle of the
revolutionary war.
A test of mettle… Valley Forge
1777-1778
•Washington
set up winter
quarters at
Valley Forge,
PA.
•No real fights
except against
the cold,
hunger and
disease.
Among Washington's troops
was Thomas Paine, author
of Common Sense, who
wrote
"...These are the times that try
men's souls: The summer
soldier and the sunshine
patriot will, in this crisis,
shrink from the service of
his country: but he that
stands it NOW deserves the
love and thanks of man and
woman. Tyranny, like Hell,
is not easily conquered. Yet
we have this consolation
with us, that the harder the
conflict, the more glorious
the triumph."
Training to raise the morale
Baron von Stueben, a Prussian drillmaster, was employed
by Washington to train the Continental Army at Valley Forge
in the spring of 1778.
•
June 27/28, 1778 - The Battle of Monmouth occurs in New Jersey as
Washington's troops and Gen. Clinton's troops fight to a standoff. On hearing
that American Gen. Charles Lee had ordered a retreat, Gen. Washington
becomes furious. Gen. Clinton then continues on toward New York.
Offatsea…
September 23, 1779 - Off the coast of England, John Paul Jones fights a
desperate battle with a British frigate. When the British demand his surrender,
Jones responds, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Jones then captures the frigate
before his own ship sinks. Jones is the “Father of the American Navy.”
Going South!
• British felt they could capitalize on
the Southern loyalist sentiments and
possibly enlist slaves in their fight
against the colonist
• British shift efforts to Georgia in 1778
and Charleston’s entire garrison of
5,400 men fell in 1780
• The British, under General
Cornwallis, moved through SC to
CAMDEN where they crushed the
Continentals led by Horatio Gates
Francis Marion “The Swamp Fox”
Insurgents like Marion
led militiamen in
guerilla style warfare
against British and
Loyalist forces in the
South Carolina low
country. Mel Gibson’s
character in “The
Patriot” is very loosely
based on Marion.
America’s First Civil War
Fighting in the Carolinas
• May 12, 1780-Charleston falls to the British
• May 29, 1780-Waxhaws Massacre- “No Quarter” or
“Bloody Ban” Tarleton massacres militiamen
• July 1780-Huck’s Defeat avenges Waxhaws
• August 1780-Following their smashing victory at
Camden, SC, the British move to finish off the
Patriots.
• October 1780- Patriot militia crush Loyalist forces at
Kings Mountain along the NC/SC border.
• Jan. 1781-Morgan (499 in1756)shines at Cowpens!
1,100 Brits & Tories:
100 KIA, 229 WIA, 600
POW; Officers 39/66 KIA,
85% Losses
1,000 Americans:12 KIA,
60WIA, 6% Losses
The End is Near:1781
•March 15, 1781 - Forces under Gen. Cornwallis suffer heavy
losses in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, NC. As a result,
Cornwallis abandons plans to conquer the Carolinas and retreats
to Wilmington, NC, then begins a campaign to conquer Virginia.
•August 1, 1781 - After several months of chasing Gen. Greene's
army without much success, Gen. Cornwallis and his 10,000 tired
soldiers arrive to seek rest at the small town of Yorktown, Virginia,
on the Chesapeake Bay. He then establishes a base to
communicate by sea with Gen. Clinton's forces in New York.
•August 14, 1781 - Gen. Washington abruptly changes plans and
abandons the attack on New York in favor of Yorktown after
receiving a letter from French Admiral Count de Grasse indicating
his entire 29-ship French fleet with 3,000 soldiers is now heading
for the Chesapeake Bay near Cornwallis. Gen. Washington then
coordinates with Gen. Rochambeau to rush their best troops
south to Virginia to destroy the British position in Yorktown.
1781
• August 30, 1781 - Count de Grasse's French fleet arrives off
Yorktown, Virginia. De Grasse then lands troops near
Yorktown, linking with Lafayette's American troops to cut
Cornwallis off from any retreat by land
• September 5-8, 1781 - Off Yorktown, a major naval battle
between the French fleet of de Grasse and the outnumbered
British fleet of Adm. Thomas Graves results in a victory for de
Grasse. The British fleet retreats to New York for
reinforcements, leaving the French fleet in control of the
Chesapeake. The French fleet establishes a blockade, cutting
Cornwallis off from any retreat by sea. French naval
reinforcements then arrive from Newport
• September 28, 1781 - Gen. Washington, with a combined
Allied army of 17,000 men, begins the siege of Yorktown.
French cannons bombard British positions day and night while
the allied lines slowly advance and encircle them. British
supplies run dangerously low.
• October 17, 1781 - As Yorktown is about to be taken, the
British send out a flag of truce. Gen. Washington and Gen.
Cornwallis then work out terms of surrender.
THE WORLD
“TURNED UPSIDE DOWN”
October 19, 1781 - As their
band plays the tune, "The world
turned upside down," the British
army marches out in formation
and surrenders at Yorktown.
Treaty of Paris- 1783
•December 15, 1782 - In France,
the French are furious when the
Americans sign a treaty without
first consulting them.
•January 20, 1783 - England
signs a preliminary peace treaty
with France and Spain.
•February 3, 1783 - Spain
recognizes the United States of
America, followed later by
Sweden, Denmark and Russia.
•September 3, 1783 - The Treaty
of Paris is signed by the United
States and Great Britain.
Congress will ratify the treaty on
January 14, 1784.
December 23, 1783 - Following a triumphant journey from New York to
Annapolis, George Washington, victorious commander in chief of the American
Revolutionary Army, appears before Congress and voluntarily resigns his
commission.