The American
Revolution
1775-1783
Brain Pop: American Revolution
1775 to 1783
An armed conflict broke
out between Britain
and her 13 colonies
 The 13 colonies did not
want to pay increased
taxes to Britain.
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The American Revolution
Patriots
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If you fought
against the British
and wanted to
become an
independent
nation, you were
called a patriot.
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The patriots started off as a small
group of radicals, such as Sam
Adams, John Hancock, Sons of
Liberty, the Continental Congress
& George Washington.
The Patriots came from every level
of colonial society:
◦ George Washington & Thomas
Jefferson were two of the wealthiest
men in North America
◦ Paul Revere was a silversmith
◦ John Hancock was a rich merchant
◦ The Minutemen were ordinary people
who objected to taxation because most
of them were poor.
Patriots
A loyalist was someone who joined the
British side of the war.
 The political name for the Loyalists was
Tories.
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Loyalists
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The Loyalists were divided into two groups:
◦ The active Loyalists were those who were not
scared by the tarring and feathering that was going
on in many communities throughout the colonies.
They were the targets of persecution since they
openly supported the king. Many were officials of
the British government, such as customs officers
who collected the Tea Tax.
◦ The inactive Loyalists were those who continued to
support the king, but did got get involved in the
violence that followed.
Loyalists
Loyalists tended to be recent immigrants
to North America.
 Not all were British. Some were German
and Dutch. These groups feared that the
revolution would threaten their language,
religion and customs.
 The Patriots wanted a Democratic
Government that would be ruled by the
majority vote; however, the Germans and
Dutch were minorities.
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Loyalists
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A Mohawk, who became a leader
of her people and one of the
most important Loyalists.
She was married to Sir William
Johnson, the Superintendent of
Indians in British North America.
He helped establish the
Proclamation Line.
She was head of The Society of
Six Nations Matrons. Women
had high status and their advice
was listened to in all matters,
including peace and war.
Her advice was to remain loyal
to Britain.
Molly Brant
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By 1774, Iroquois chiefs were ready for war
against the Patriots, who were paying no
attention to the Proclamation Line.
Her brother, Joseph Brant, began recruiting
warriors for the Loyalist forces
In the spring of 1777, Molly was forced to
move from Mohawk Valley because Patriots
had destroyed her home.
Colonel John Butler asked to settle at Fort
Niagara.
He knew Molly would be able to convince
the Iroquois to fight with the British.
It was said that “one word from Molly Brant
is more taken notice of by the Six Nations
than a thousand words from a white man.”
Molly Brant
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Molly and the Iroquois were shocked by the
terms of the peace treaty. The British king
had given away their land to the Patriots.
Molly was offered a pension of £100 a year
for her help during the war.
The Iroquois Loyalists were offered new
land near the Bay of Quinte and along the
banks of the Grand River.
Molly was offered money to return to
Mohawk Valley. They wanted her to help
control the Natives that were returning
their and finding their taken over by new
settlers.
Molly considered this a bribe and instead
moved to Quebec and never stepped foot
on American Soil again.
Molly Brant
Quakers and Mennonites did not believe in
fighting and were excused from military
duty, but they had to pay special taxes for
this privilege.
 Quebec and Nova Scotia
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Neutral
The Loyalist regiments faced more dangers than the
regular British soldiers.
 The Patriots looked on the Loyalists as traitors, so
they were harder on them.
 Tarring and feathering was used by Patriots to
terrorize Loyalists.
 There were not many actual cases; however, the
threat became the most effective weapon against the
Loyalists
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Loyalists
In 1776, the Patriots had an army of
18,000 of poorly armed and trained men.
 The British had a force of 30,000.
 Yet, the Patriots were victors.
 How did this happen?
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Patriot Victory
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The British could easily conqueror cities; however,
they had trouble in the countryside.
The Patriots shot at them from behind trees and used
other hit-and-run tactics.
This guerilla warfare wore down the British army.
The Patriots gained experience and started winning
battles.
In 1778, France signed an alliance with the Patriots.
In 1781, the British surrendered to George
Washington’s army
Patriot Victory
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The peace treaty went into effect in
1783
In the treaty, Britain agreed to do the
following:
◦ Recognize American Independence
◦ Turn over to the United States all the land
from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic
coast between the Great Lakes and Florida
◦ Give the Americans fishing rights off the
coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
In return, Britain wanted the Loyalists paid
back for the losses they suffered during the
war. The Congress agreed, but the Loyalists
were never paid.
The Treaty of Paris
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After the peace treaty was signed, Loyalist soldiers often
found that they could not return home.
The Law of Forfeiture in NY allowed rebel agents to evict
the wives and children of British regiments. They then sold
the property to Patriots at a fraction of the value.
Thousands of Loyalists were in refugee camps in New York
City
Loyalist forces were rewarded for their role in the war.
Many were transported to British colonies, such as NS.
They received special land grants for their service.
Sir Guy Carleton had a difficult time evacuating the
Loyalists.
There were not enough ships to carry the people, so the
convoys had to make several trips.
As a result, the Loyalists were set ashore in the wilderness
with only what they could carry.
Evacuation of the Loyalists
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The Loyalists were given a few
supplies: salted meat, biscuits, flour,
tools, guns and tents.
The arrival of the Loyalists had a
profound effect on the colonies.
Many of the Loyalists who arrived in
the St. John River Valley, NS were well
educated. They had their own ideas
about how the colony should be run.
Halifax was far away and unconcerned
about the Loyalists.
The St. John Loyalists therefore
wanted their settlement to become a
separate colony.
In 1784, the British government
created the new colony of New
Brunswick.
Creation of New Brunswick
Thousands of Loyalists fled to present-day
Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick
and PEI.
 By 1784, 40,000 Loyalists had arrived in British
North America.
 The Loyalists who came to these British colonies
cleared and settled new land.
 They helped to open up and develop the land
that would one day become Canada.
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Impact on Canada