Sasso
US I
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR AMERICA TO GO
TO WAR WITH ENGLAND?
HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR WAR?
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After TJ’s work, the American
colonies begin to refer to
themselves as states
Each province treats itself as a
sovereign entity
Most states will develop state
constitutions by 1781, however
a national constitution is hard
to develop
Most Americans aren’t entirely
sure that they want a national
government
This is a pretty big issue, since
waging a war requires some
element of central direction
HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR WAR?
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Organizing the war effort is a
formidable task for the new
state govts and the weak
Continental Congress
Have to figure out a way to
finance the war
Have to raise and equip an army
Very difficult to accomplish
these tasks
Taxing seems to be a simple
solution, but that’s not the case
The Continental Congress
doesn’t have the authority to tax
State govts generally choose not
to tax
HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR WAR?
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Hard currency (gold/silver) is extremely
scarce in America
Congress will request money from each
of the states, but will only receive a
small % of what they ask for
Congress will try to borrow funds by
issuing bonds, but most people tend to
invest their money in other ways
As a last resort, Congress will issue
paper money (Continentals)
This isn’t the best choice in the world,
but desperate times lead to desperate
measures
No value to the money, which leads to
extreme inflation
Many American farmers and
businessmen would much rather do
business with the British, because they
would pay in hard currency
HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR WAR?
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Raising the army is only
slightly easier
Big initial surge of
patriots, but that will
eventually tail off
People will become
reluctant to volunteer
States will have to pay
bounties or draft
Militias will be very
important, but they do
present some difficulties
SOCIETAL ISSUES
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1/5-1/3 of the white population stayed loyal to England
during the war
Many cultural and ethnic minorities felt they would not
be protected in a “new” America
Some people just felt that England would surely win
Loyalists will be mercilessly harassed; up to 100,000
citizens will flee
Many choose to go to England, but that’s not always a
great choice
Canada becomes another popular destination
SOCIETAL ISSUES
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For many slaves the war meant
freedom
England will offer emancipation
for slaves that serve in the
British military
When the fighting shifts to the
Southern states, British armies
will emancipate thousands
This is probably the worst
nightmare for Southern
plantation owners
Eventually the America military
will provide similar terms of
service
SOCIETAL ISSUES
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Yet again, there is a lot of
uncertainty for the Native
Americans
Both the Americans and the
British want them to stay
neutral
Some Natives will perceive the
British as the lesser of two
evils
Some will launch attacks of
their own on both sides
Their position is considerably
weakened
Many internal divisions as well
SOCIETAL ISSUES
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Many women will begin to step to the
forefront in their towns/villages/city
Have to step up in place of the men
who will be fighting
Begin to take control of farms and
businesses
Some will attack British soldiers they
were supposed to quarter in their
homes
Other women will directly contribute to
the war effort
Many will fill auxiliary roles at battle
camps
Others will find themselves in combat
Many women will begin to question
their position in society
SOCIETAL ISSUES
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However, little will change for women at this stage
Single women had certain legal rights, but married women
had none
Coverature- policy in English common law, that was adopted
in Colonial America
Everything a married women may possess or earn would be
transferred to her husband
Married women have no property rights, so they would be
unable to engage in legal transactions
Can’t vote, can’t divorce, no legal authority over their
children, etc.
It will be awhile before all of this changes
ENGLAND
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England is a precarious
position, but still is a far better
position to win than the
Americans
It has a far superior military
It has far more money
It has a structured and stable
government
However- tactical errors doom
the English
Overconfidence, dependency
on mercenaries, and
ineffective leadership all prove
to be detrimental to the British
war effort