Chapter 8
America Secedes From the
Empire
Pages 140-146
CHAPTER THEMES
Theme: When hostilities began in 1775,
the colonists were still fighting for their
rights as British citizens within the
empire, but in 1776 they declared their
independence, based on a proclamation
of universal, “self-evident” truths.
Inspired by revolutionary idealism, they
also fought for an end to monarchy and
the establishment of a free republic.
Theme: A combination of
Washington’s generalship and
British bungling in 1776–1777
prevented a quick British victory and
brought French assistance, which
enabled the Patriots to achieve
victory after several more years of
struggle.
Theme: American independence was
recognized by the British only after
the conflict had broadened to include
much of Europe. American diplomats
were able to secure generous peace
terms because of the international
political scene: Britain's recently
reorganized government that favored
peace and France's inability to make
good on its promises to Spain.
Congress Drafts George Washington
• After the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord in April of 1775, about 20,000
Minutemen swarmed around Boston, where they outnumbered the British.
• The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775,
with no real intention of independence, but merely a desire to continue
fighting in the hope that the king and Parliament would consent to a redress
of grievances.
• It sent another list of grievances to Parliament.
• It also adopted measures to raise money for an army and a navy.
• But in perhaps the most important single action, the Second
Continental Congress also selected George Washington to command
the army.
– Washington had never risen above the rank of colonel, and his largest
command had only been of 1,200 men, but he was a tall figure who
looked like a leader, and thus, was a morale boost to troops.
– He radiated patience, courage, self-discipline, and a sense of justice,
and though he insisted on working without pay, he did keep a careful
expense account amounting to more than $100,000.
Bunker Hill and Hessian Hirelings
• In the first year, the war was one of inconsistency, as the colonists
maintained their loyalty while still shooting at the king’s men.
• In May 1775, a tiny American force called the Green Mountain
Boys, led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, surprised and
captured the British garrisons at Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point
– The importance of this raid lay in the fact that they captured
much-needed cannons and gunpowder.
• In June 1775, the colonials seized Bunker Hill (previously known as
Breed’s Hill).
– Instead of flanking them, the Redcoats launched a frontal attack.
– After Captain William Prescott urged his soldiers, “Don’t fire until
you see the whites of their eyes!”, the heavily entrenched
colonial sharpshooters mowed them down until their
meager gunpowder supplies ran out, and they were forced
to retreat.
• After Bunker Hill, George III slammed the door for all hope of
reconciliation and declared the colonies to be in open rebellion, a
treasonous affair.
• The king also hired many German mercenaries, called Hessians,
who, because they were lured by booty and not duty, had large
numbers desert and remained in America to become respectful
citizens.
The Abortive Conquest of Canada
• In October 1775, the British burned Falmouth (Portland), Maine.
• The colonists decided that invading Canada would add a 14th colony and
deprive Britain of a valuable base for striking at the colonies in revolt.
– Also, the French-Canadians would support the Americans because they
supposedly were bitter about Britain’s taking over of their land.
– General Richard Montgomery captured Montreal.
– At Quebec, he was joined by the bedraggled army of Gen. Benedict
Arnold.
– On the last day of 1775, in the assault of Quebec, Montgomery was
killed and Arnold was wounded in one leg, and the whole campaign
collapsed as the men retreated up the St. Lawrence River, reversing the
way Montgomery had come.
– Besides, the French-Canadians, who had welcomed the Quebec Act,
didn’t really like the anti-Catholic invaders.
• In January 1776, the British set fire to Norfolk, Virginia, but in March, they
were finally forced to evacuate Boston.
• In the South, the rebels won a victory against some 1,500 Loyalists at
Moore’s Creek Bridge, in North Carolina, and against an invading British
Thomas Paine Preaches Common Sense
•
In 1776, Thomas Paine published
the pamphlet Common Sense,
which urged colonials to stop this
war of inconsistency, stop
pretending loyalty, and just fight –
in a nutshell, it called for
American independence and
the creation of a democratic
republic.
•
Nowhere in the universe did a
smaller body control a larger one,
so Paine argued, saying it was
unnatural for tiny Britain to control
gigantic America.
•
He called King George III “the
Royal Brute of Great Britain.”
Paine and the Idea of “Republicanism”
• Paine argued his idea that there should be a
“republic” where representative senators,
governors, and judges should have their
power from the consent of the people.
• He laced his ideas with Biblical imagery,
familiar to common folk.
• His ideas about rejecting monarchy and
empire and embrace an independent republic
fell on receptive ears in America, though it
should be noted that these ideas already
existed.
– The New Englanders already practiced
this type of government in their town
meetings.
• Some patriots, though, favored a republic
ruled by a “natural aristocracy.”
Jefferson’s “Explanation” of Independence
• Members of the Philadelphia 2nd Continental Congress, instructed by their
colonies, gradually moved toward a clean break with Britain.
• On June 7, 1776, fiery Richard Henry Lee urged for complete
independence, an idea that was finally adopted on July 2, 1776.
• To write such a statement, Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson, already
renown as a great writer, to concoct a Declaration of Independence.
• He did so eloquently, coming up with a list of grievances against King
George III and persuasively explaining why the colonies had the right to
revolt, including:
-Invoking the “natural rights” of humankind (life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness).
-an accusation that the British had violated said natural rights.
-a catalog of King George III’s tyrannical actions.
-an argument that royal tyranny justified revolt.
• When Congress approved it on July 2nd, John Adams proclaimed that date
to be celebrated from then on with fireworks, but because of editing and final
approval, it was not completely approved until July 4th, 1776.
Internal Division

• The War of Independence was
a war within a war, as not all
colonials were united.
– There were Patriots
(“Whigs”),
– Loyalists (“Tories”),
– And others (Moderates and
“Profiteers”)
The war divided
• During the war, the British
families. For example,
proved that they could only
Benjamin Franklin was
control Tory areas, because
against his illegitimate
when Redcoats packed up and
son, William, the last
left other areas, the rebels
royal governor of New
Jersey.
would regain control.
Typical Patriot (“Whig”)
Samuel Adams
– Supported rebellion
– Generally the younger
generation
– The Patriot militias constantly
harassed small British
detachments.
 Typically didn’t belong to the Anglican
Church (Church of England)
 Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist,
or Methodist.
 New England was the patriots’stronghold.
Patrick Henry
Typical Loyalist (“Tory”)
Supported the king (George III)


– Often went to battle against
fellow Americans
– Generally conservatives
– Most numerous where the
Anglican Church was
strongest (the South)
Less numerous in New England,
where Presbyterianism and
Congregationalism flourished
More numerous in the
aristocratic areas such as
Charleston, SC
William Franklin
Others
• Moderates
– In the middle or didn’t care either way
– Constantly asked to join one side or another.
• “Profiteers”
– Sold to the highest bidder, selling to the
British and ignoring starving, freezing soldiers
(i.e. George Washington at Valley Forge).
The Loyalist Exodus
• After the Declaration of Independence, Loyalists and
Patriots were more sharply divided, and Patriots often
confiscated Loyalist property to resell it (an easy way to
raise money), tarred and feathered them, made them ride
astride fence rails, imprisoned them, and exiled
them…….
• Though it was tough on the Loyalists, at least they
weren’t murdered in a mass reign of terror that would
befall the French Revolution in the ensuing years.
• Some 50,000 Loyalists served the British in one way or
another (fighting, spying, etc…) It was odd the Brits
didn’t make more use of them during the war.
General Washington at Bay
•
After the evacuation of Boston, the
British focused on New York as a
base for operations.
– An awe-inspiring grand fleet
appeared off the coast in July
1776, made up of some 500
ships and 35,000 men—the
largest armed force seen in
America until the Civil War.
– Washington only mustered
18,000 ill-trained men to fight,
and was routed by the British
at the Battle of Long Island.
• Washington escaped to
Manhattan Island, crossed
the Hudson River to New
Jersey, reaching the
Delaware River with
taunting, fox-hunt calling
Brits on his heels………
– After making it across the river just in
time (leaving no boats for which the
British to cross), Washington recrossed the Delaware River at Trenton
on Dec. 26, 1776, and surprised and
captured 1,000 Hessians sleeping off
their Christmas Day celebration
(drinking).
– A week later, Washington left his
campfires burning as a ruse, slipped
away, and inflicted a sharp defeat on
a smaller British detachment at
Princeton, showing his military
genius at its best.
– The victories at Trenton and
Princeton saved the revolutionary
effort and inspired new confidence in
America’s military.
– Oddly (and fatefully) British Gen.
William Howe did not crush
Washington at the Delaware when he
had his chance, but he remembered
Bunker Hill, and was overly cautious.
Burgoyne’s Blundering Invasion
London officials adopted a complicated scheme for capturing the vital Hudson
River valley in 1777, which, if successful, would sever New England from the
rest of the colonies. The plan was such that…
– General Burgoyne would push down the Lake Champlain route from
Canada.
– General William Howe’s troops in New York, if needed, could advance up
the Hudson and meet Burgoyne in Albany.
– A third and much smaller British force commanded by Col. Barry St. Leger
would come in from the west by way of Lake Ontario and the Mohawk
Valley.
• However, Benedict Arnold, after failure at Quebec,
retreated slowly along the St. Lawrence back to Lake
Champlain, where the British would have to win
control (of the lake) before proceeding.
– The Brits stopped to build a huge force as Arnold
gathered a ragged fleet from boats he could
find.
– His “navy” was destroyed, but he got valued
time. Winter came and the British settled in
Canada. They’d have to begin anew the next
spring.
• Had Arnold not contributed his daring and
skill, the Brits most likely would have
recaptured Ticonderoga and Burgoyne could
have started from there and succeeded in his
venture.
• Burgoyne began his mission with 7,000 troops and a
heavy baggage train made up of many officers’
wives.
– Meanwhile, sneaky rebels, sensing the kill, were
gathering along his flanks.
• General Howe, at a time when he should be moving up the Hudson,
purposely embarked to attack Philadelphia.
– He wanted to force an encounter with Washington leaving the path open
for Burgoyne’s thrust. He thought he had
time to help Burgoyne if
needed.
– Washington transferred his troops to Philadelphia, but was defeated at
Brandywine Creek and Germantown.
– The fun-loving Howe settled down in Philadelphia, leaving Burgoyne “to
the dogs.”
– Ben Franklin joked Howe “Philadelphia had captured Howe” rather than
vice-versa.
•
Washington retired for the
winter at Valley Forge. His
troops froze in the cold.
•
Prussian drillmaster, Baron
von Steuben, whipped the
troops into shape.
•
Burgoyne’s doomed troops
were bogged down, and the
rebels swarmed in with a
series of sharp engagements,
pushing St. Leger’s force back
at Oriskany while Burgoyne,
unable to advance or retreat,
surrendered his entire force at
The Battle of Saratoga, on
October 17, 1777.
– One of the most decisive
battles in British and
American history.
– The importance of
Saratoga was afterwards,
France sensed America
might actually win and
came out to officially help
America.
The Battle of Saratoga (1777)
Revolution in Diplomacy?
 France was eager to get revenge on Britain,
and secretly supplied the Americans throughout
much of the war.
 The Continental Congress sent delegates to
France. The delegates were guided by a “Model
Treaty” which sought no political or military
connections, only commercial ones.
– Ben Franklin played the diplomacy
game by wearing simple gray clothes
and a coonskin cap to supposedly
exemplify a raw new America
After Saratoga
(An Alliance With France)
• Britain offered the Americans a measure for home rule—
everything they sought but independence.
• France was finally persuaded to enter the war.
– Louis XVI’s ministers claimed this the best time to act,
b/c if Britain regained control, she might try to capture
the French West Indies for war compensation.
– Now was the time to strike, rather than risk a stronger
Britain with its reunited colonies.
– In 1778, France offered an alliance treaty with,
offering everything Britain had plus recognition of
independence.
– The Americans accepted the agreement with caution,
since France was pro-Catholic.
• Since the Americans needed aid, they’d take it.
The Colonial War Becomes a Wider War
• In the 1779, Spain and
Holland entered the
war against Britain
• In the 1780, Catherine
the Great of Russia
took the lead in
organizing the Armed
Neutrality that lined up
all of Europe’s neutrals
in passive hostility
against England.
The Colonial War Becomes a
Wider War
• When the alliance with France was
formalized, the Americans were able to:
–
–
–
–
gain access to large sums of money.
Double the size of their fighting forces.
Avail themselves of French naval strength.
Gain immense amounts of equipment.
French aid to the colonies:
- Greatly aided America’s struggle for
independence.
- Was motivated by what the French considered to
be their own national interests.
- Forced the British to change their military
strategy in America.
- Helped them protect their own West Indies
islands.
Blow and Counterblow
•
Besides Washington, the main American
commanders in the war were:
-George Rogers Clark in the West (here
in KY)
-Nathanael Greene in the South
-John Paul Jones at sea
•
French reinforcements, commanded by Comte de
Rochambeau, arrived in Newport, Rhode Island
in 1780, but flares sometimes erupted between
the Americans and the French.
•
In 1780, feeling unappreciated and lured by
British gold, Gen. Benedict Arnold turned
traitor by plotting with the British to sell out West
Point.
When the plot was discovered, he fled with the
British.
“Whom can we trust now?” cried George
Washington in anguish.
The British devised a plan to roll up the colonies
from the South.
Georgia was ruthlessly overrun in 1778-1779.
•
•
•
•
• Comte de Rochambeau
• Marquis de Lafayette
• George Rogers Clark
• John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones’ Corpse
Benedict Arnold: Hero, Traitor
Blow and Counterblow
•
Georgia was ruthlessly overrun in 1778-1779.
•
Charleston, South Carolina, fell in 1780.
•
In the Carolinas, Patriots bitterly fought their Loyalist neighbors, most
notably effective was Francis Marion’s (the Swamp Fox) hit and run
attacks on British detachments.
•
However, in 1781, Daniel Morgan’s American riflemen wiped out a British
detachment at King’s Mountain, and then defeated a smaller force at
Cowpens.
•
At the Carolina campaign of 1781, Quaker-reared tactician Gen. Nathanael
Greene distinguished himself with his strategy of delay.
– By slowly retreating and losing battles but winning campaigns, he
helped clear the British out of most of Georgia and South Carolina.
The Land Frontier and the Sea Frontier
• 1777 was known as the “bloody year” on
the frontier, as Indians went on a scalping
spree.
• Most of the Indians supported Britain
and believed that if they won, it would
stop American expansion into the
West, and save Indian land.
• Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, recently
converted to Anglicanism, and his men
ravaged the backcountry of Pennsylvania
and New York until checked by the
Americans in 1779.
• In 1784, the pro-British Iroquois (the
Oneidas and the Tuscaroras had sided
with the Americans, the other four with the
British) signed the Treaty of Fort Stanwix,
the first treaty between the U.S. and an
Indian nation.
Simon Kenton saving Daniel Boone at the
siege of Boonesboro April 24, 1777
• Even in wartime, pioneers, such as Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone,
moved west, showing their gratitude to the French with such town
names as Louisville while remembering the revolution with Lexington,
Kentucky.
• George Rogers Clark, an audacious frontiersman, floated down the Ohio
River with about 175 men in 1778-1779 and captured British forts at
Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes in quick succession.
• The tiny American navy never really hurt
the British warships, but it did destroy
British merchant shipping and carried the
war into the waters around the British
Isles.
• Swift privateers prayed on enemy
shipping, capturing hundreds of British
merchant ships, forcing them to sail in
convoys.
• John Paul Jones & the Bonhomme Richard
Engaging the Serapis in Battle
• “I have not yet begun to fight!”
Yorktown and the Final Curtain
• Before the last decisive victory, inflation continued
to soar, and the government was virtually bankrupt.
It announced that it could only repay many of its
debts at a rate of 2.5 cents on the dollar.
• However, Cornwallis was blundering into a trap.
• Retreating to Chesapeake Bay and assuming that
British control of the seas would give him much
needed backup, Cornwallis instead was trapped by
Washington’s army, which had come 300 miles from
NY, Rochambeau’s French army, and the navy of
French Admiral de Grasse.
Surrender of Cornwallis to Washington
at Yorktown
• After hearing the news of Cornwallis’
defeat, Lord North cried, “Oh God! It’s all
over!”
• Stubborn King George wanted to continue
the war, since he still had 54,000 troops in
North America and 32,000 in the U.S., and
fighting did continue for about a year
after Yorktown, especially in the South,
but America had essentially already won.
Peace at Paris
• Many Brits were weary of the war, since they had suffered heavily in India
and the West Indies. The island of Minorca in the Mediterranean had fallen,
and the Rock of Gibraltar was tottering.
• Ben Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay met in Paris for a peace deal.
• Jay suspected that France would try to keep the U.S. cooped up east of the
Alleghenies and keep America weak.
• Instead, Jay, thinking that France would betray American ambition to satisfy
those of Spain, secretly made separate overtures to London (against
instructions from Congress) and came to terms quickly with the British, who
were eager to entice one of their enemies from the alliance.
Peace at Paris
• With the Treaty of Paris of 1783, Britain formally recognized
U.S. independence and granted generous boundaries,
stretching majestically to the Mississippi River to the west, the
Great Lakes on the north, and to Spanish Florida on the South.
• The Yankees also retained a share in the priceless fisheries of
Newfoundland.
• For their part, the Americans agreed to not persecute Loyalists,
yet Congress could realistically only recommend to the colonial
legislatures that they should return or pay for confiscated
Loyalist land.
A New Nation Legitimized
•
Britain ceded so much land
because it was trying to entice
America from its French
alliance.
–
George Rogers Clark had only
conquered a small part of that
western land, so the ceded land
was quite generous.
•
Also, fortunately for the brand
new U.S.A., the Americanfriendly Whigs were in control of
Parliament at the time of the
signing.
•
France approved the treaty,
though with cautious eyes…..
•
In truth, America came out a
HUGE winner, and seldom, if
ever, have any people been so
favored.
Treaty of Paris 1783
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Even after Lexington and
Concord, the Second Continental
Congress did not at first pursue
independence. The Congress’s
most important action was
selecting George Washington as
military commander.
After further armed clashes, George III
formally proclaimed the colonists in
rebellion, and Thomas Paine’s Common
Sense finally persuaded Americans to
fight for independence as well as liberty.
Paine and other leaders promoted the
Revolution as an opportunity for selfgovernment by the people, though more
conservative republicans wanted to retain
political hierarchy without monarchy.
Jefferson’s Declaration of
Independence deepened the
meaning of the struggle by
proclaiming its foundation in selfevident and universal human rights.
The committed Patriots, only a
minority of the American population,
had to fight both Loyalist Americans
and the British.
Loyalists were strongest among
conservatives, city-dwellers, and
Anglicans (except in Virginia), while
Patriots were strongest in New
England and among Presbyterians
and Congregationalists.
In the first phase of the war, Washington
stalemated the British, who botched their
plan to quash the rebellion quickly at
Saratoga. When the French and others
then aided the Americans, the
Revolutionary War became a world war.
American fortunes fell badly in
1780–1781, but the colonial army in
the South held on until Cornwallis
stumbled into a French-American
trap at Yorktown. Lord North’s
ministry collapsed in Britain, and
American negotiators achieved an
extremely generous settlement from
the Whigs.
Kennedy, The American Pageant
Chapter 8
• The Continental Congress’s primary reason
for naming George Washington commander
of the army was
– 1. his demonstrated military experience and skill.
– 2. that he was a wealthy planter from Virginia
and thus provided political balance.
– 3. that he knew how to raise and train a
professional army.
– 4. that Washington would be more politically
skilled in working with Congress than any other
potential leader.
• The Continental Congress’s primary
reason for naming George Washington
commander of the army was
– 2. that he was a wealthy planter from
Virginia and thus provided political
balance.
– See page 140.
• In July 1775, after the Battle of Bunker
Hill, the Continental Congress
– 1. passed a resolution demanding that the
British army withdraw from America.
– 2. adopted a Constitution that would
henceforth govern all the states.
– 3. adopted an “Olive Branch Petition”
declaring American loyalty to the king and
begging him to find a peaceful solution.
– 4. called for the complete mobilization of
the militia in all the colonies to fight the
British.
• In July 1775, after the Battle of Bunker
Hill, the Continental Congress
– 3. adopted an “Olive Branch Petition”
declaring American loyalty to the king and
begging him to find a peaceful solution.
– See page 141.
• The two brilliant American generals who
conducted the nearly successful invasion of
Canada in October 1775 were
– 1. Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold.
– 2. George Washington and Horatio Gates.
– 3. Nathanael Greene and the Marquis de
Lafayette.
– 4. George Rogers Clark and John Paul Jones.
• The two brilliant American generals who
conducted the nearly successful
invasion of Canada in October 1775
were
– 1. Richard Montgomery and Benedict
Arnold.
– See page 142.
• The key development leading a majority
of Americans to favor independence
after January 1776 was
– 1. Washington’s defeat of the British in the
Battles of Trenton and Princeton.
– 2. the British use of German mercenaries
to try to crush the rebellion.
– 3. the belief that only independence could
bring France to their aid.
– 4. Thomas Paine’s brilliant arguments for
independence in his publication Common
Sense.
• The key development leading a majority
of Americans to favor independence
after January 1776 was
– 4. Thomas Paine’s brilliant arguments for
independence in his publication Common
Sense.
– See page 144.
• Thomas Paine’s appeal for a new
republican form of government attracted
many Americans because
– 1. they believed that social class
differences promoted by monarchy were
wrong.
– 2. their own experience with local and
colonial democratic governance had
prepared them for the idea.
– 3. they were impressed that Paine was
drawing on the best classical ideas from
Plato’s Republic.
– 4. they were fearful that wealthy southern
planters like Washington wanted to
establish nobility in America.
• Thomas Paine’s appeal for a new
republican form of government attracted
many Americans because
– 2. their own experience with local and
colonial democratic governance had
prepared them for the idea.
– See page 144.
• Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of
Independence was most brilliant and
effective in
– 1. proving that King George III was one of
the worst tyrants who had ever ruled a
great empire.
– 2. declaring that Americans were really
fighting for the rights of Englishmen.
– 3. appealing to France and other European
countries to join the revolutionary cause.
– 4. linking the cause of American
independence to natural law and the
universal rights of man.
• Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of
Independence was most brilliant and
effective in
– 4. linking the cause of American
independence to natural law and the
universal rights of man.
– See pages 145–146.
• The patriot militia was most effective in
– 1. its campaign of “political education” in
favor of independence among ordinary
colonists.
– 2. its ability to defeat crack British troops in
open combat.
– 3. its ability to discredit and defeat the
Loyalists.
– 4. its campaigns against the British on the
western frontier.
• The patriot militia was most effective in
– 1. its campaign of “political education” in
favor of independence among ordinary
colonists.
– See page 146.
• At the end of the Revolutionary War, the
harshest punishments inflicted on most
Loyalists were
– 1. public branding or imprisonment.
– 2. execution.
– 3. exile or confiscation of property.
– 4. being sold into slavery or indentured
servitude.
• At the end of the Revolutionary War, the
harshest punishments inflicted on most
Loyalists were
– 3. exile or confiscation of property.
– See page 150.
• The British strategy of dividing the
American colonies by controlling the
Hudson River failed largely because
– 1. it was not a well-considered or feasible
plan.
– 2. General William Howe stayed in
Philadelphia rather than moving to meet
General Burgoyne as was planned.
– 3. George Washington foiled the plan by
defeating the British in the Battles of
Brandywine Creek and Germantown.
– 4. the French navy prevented effective
reinforcements from reaching General
Burgoyne.
• The British strategy of dividing the
American colonies by controlling the
Hudson River failed largely because
– 2. General William Howe stayed in
Philadelphia rather than moving to meet
General Burgoyne as was planned.
– See pages 152–153.
• Americans believed that their new
national motto, “a new order for the
ages,” meant that in international affairs
they would stand for
– 1. the rule of law, free trade, and an end to
colonialism.
– 2. a new international organization that
would replace the doctrine of national
sovereignty.
– 3. an alliance of democratic republics to
overthrow tyrannical monarchies around
the world.
– 4. America’s entry into the system of
alliances and balance of power in Europe.
• Americans believed that their new
national motto, “a new order for the
ages,” meant that in international affairs
they would stand for
– 1. the rule of law, free trade, and an end to
colonialism.
– See page 154.