Chapter 4
The War for Independence
The Stamp Act
March 1765- PM George Grenville
Required colonists to purchase special stamped paper for:
Legal documents, license, newspaper, pamphlet, almanac
Special “stamp duties” on playing cards and dice
Upset by this the colonists united and formed a secret resistance
group known as the Sons of Liberty
One of the founders was Sam Adams
Harassed customs workers, stamp agents and even royal governors
Protests actually prevented any stamps from being sold
The Stamp Act
October 1765 delegates from 9 colonies met in NYC- Stamp Act
Congress
Issued ‘Declaration of Rights and Grievances’ which stated that
Parliament lacked pwr to impose taxes on the colonies because
they were not represented in Parliament
“no taxation without representation”
Merchants in NY, Boston and Philly boycotted British goods until
Stamp Act was repealed
March 1766 England repealed Stamp Act but then issued
Declaratory Act
Gave Parliament full right to make laws “to bind the colonies and
people of America...in all cases whatsoever”
Townshend Acts
Charles Townshend, leading gov’t minister for England, decided on a
new method of gaining revenue from the colonists
His proposed revenue laws became known as Townshend Acts
Townshend Acts: indirect taxes put on imported materials from England
Glass, lead, paint, paper & a 3 cent tax on tea
Colonists were outraged and started well-organized resistance
Sam Adams called for another boycott of British goods
Women were urged not to buy British luxuries and instead participate in
spinning bees
Public displays of spinning and weaving colonial made cloth
Also began to boycott tea and made their own out of birch bark and sage
The Boston Massacre
Presence of British soldiers (“redcoats”) in Boston caused hostility
More competition for jobs between colonists and poorly paid
soldiers looking for work in shipyards during off-duty hours
March 5, 1770 a fistfight broke out over jobs
That night, a mob gathered outside the Customs House and taunted
guards
When Crispus Attucks and several dockhands showed up an
armed fight erupted leaving him and 4 others dead
Sam Adams and other colonial agitators labeled it the Boston
Massacre
Presented as a British attack on defenseless citizens
High Tensions in Massachusetts
Tensions relaxed for 2 years until 1772 when Rhode Island colonists
attacked a British ship that was patrolling the coast for smugglers
The ship accidentally ran aground near Providence so the colonists
boarded the ship and burned it
King George named a special commission to find the suspects and bring
them to England for trial
The plan to haul Americans to England caused widespread alarm
Massachusetts and Virginia set up committees of correspondence to
communicate with other colonies about various threats to American
liberties
Committees formed a communication network linking leaders in all the
colonies
Boston Tea Party
British East India Company held official monopoly on tea imports
Hit hard by the colonial boycotts and nearing bankruptcy
To save the company they devised the Tea Act:
Granted the company right to sell tea to the colonies free of the taxes
colonial tea seller had to pay
This would cut colonial merchants out of the trade and the East
India Tea Co. could sell directly to consumers for less
They hoped colonists would buy the cheaper tea but instead they
protested violently
Boston Tea Party
On the evening of
December 16, 1773 a large
group of Boston rebels
disguised themselves as
Native Americans
Took action against three
British tea ships anchored
in the harbor
Dumped 18,000 pounds
of tea into the Boston
Harbor
The Intolerable Acts
King George III was furious by the destruction of British property
1774 Parliament responded with a series of measures the colonists
called The Intolerable Acts
Law shut down Boston Harbor because colonists refused to pay for
damaged tea
Quartering Act authorized British commanders to house soldiers in
vacant private homes and other buildings
Boston placed under martial law- rule imposed by military force
Committees of correspondence moved into action and set up the
First Continental Congress in 1774 in Philadelphia
Drew up declaration of colonial rights
Agreed to meet again in 1775 if their demands weren’t met
Fighting Erupts at Lexington and
Concord
After the First Continental Congress many towns stepped up
military preparations
Minutemen (civilian soldiers) began to quietly stockpile firearms and
gunpowder
British General Thomas Gage became concerned about reports of
large amounts of arms and munitions hidden outside of Boston
In March 1775 he sent agents towards Concord (outside of Boston)
to investigate
Agents returned with detailed maps of where the weapons were
possibly being held
Also reported that Sam Adams and John Hancock were staying in
Lexington- 5mi east of Concord
Fighting Erupts at Lexington and
Concord
Gage drew up orders to march to Concord where they were would seize
and destroy all munitions they could find
Minutemen were aware the British troops would be coming due to
confidential informants but didn’t know where or when
Paul Revere was sent to warn Adams and Hancock as well as townspeople
along the way
On the night of April 18 Revere and 2 others set off on horse to spread
the word
Guns and church bells further spread the message
Revere eventually reached and warned Adams and Hancock but soon
after he was captured by British troops
British quickly released him so General Gage and troops could quickly
move after realizing their cover was blown
The Second Continental Congress
May 1775- met in Philadelphia to debate their next move
John Adams suggests a radical plan: each colony set up their own
gov’t and Congress would declare the colonies independent
Also stated that the minutemen should become the Continental
Army and a general should be named to lead them
Debate continued into June but the Congress did decide to
recognize the Continental Army and assigned George Washington
to the position of general
The Congress also authorized the printing of money to pay the
troops and organized a committee to deal with foreign nations
Battle of Bunker Hill
Stuck in Boston, General Gage decided to attack minutemen stationed
on Breed’s Hill
On June 17, 1775 Gage sent out 2,400 troops to march up the hill
Colonists began shooting down at the British
With their thick wool uniforms and heavy packs the British eventually had
to retreat
The British regrouped and came back for a second and third attack
The third attack was successful but only because the colonists ran low on
ammunition
In the end: the colonists lost 450 men but the British suffered 1,000
causalities
The misnamed Battle of Bunker Hill would prove to be the deadliest
battle of the war
Olive Branch Petition
July 8, 1775 the Second
Continental Congress sent King
George III an Olive Branch
Petition
It urged a return to “the former
harmony” between Britain and
the colonies
King George rejected the
petition and issued a
proclamation:
Stated that the colonies were in
rebellion
Urged Parliament to blockade
the American coast with naval
ships
Common Sense
Common Sense was written by
colonist Thomas Paine but
published anonymously
The 50-page pamphlet attacked
King George III and declared that
the time had come for colonists to
proclaim and independent republic
Argued independence would allow
America to freely trade with other
nations and give Americans the
chance to create a better society- free
of tyranny
Sold nearly 500,000 copies and was
seen as positive
Declaration of Independence
Congress created committee to draft declaration
Thomas Jefferson picked to write due to strong writing skills
July 4, 1776: Congress approved draft & John Hancock first
to sign
Declaration considered revolutionary because no gov’t had
been founded on principles of human liberty and consent of
the governed
Inspired by John Locke
Jefferson declared that governments derive their power from
the people (“consent of the governed”)
Parts of the Declaration
Part 1 (Intro)
Statement of purpose and basic human rights
Part 2 (Middle)
Specific complaints against George III
Each describes violation of political, economic and civil
liberties
Part 3 (Conclusion)
States determination to break from Great Britain
Note how efforts for a peaceful solution had failed so no
choice but to declare freedom
Americans Choose Sides
Loyalists
Remained loyal to England
Reasons people stayed loyal:
Felt a special tie to the king
Thought the British were going
to win the war
Thought the king could protect
their rights better than the new
colonial governments
Patriots
Most followers supported
because they saw economic
opportunities in an independent
America
Made up ½ of the population
Embraced various types of
people
Taking Sides
Quakers generally supported Patriots but did not fight
because they did not believe in war
African Americans were split- some for the Patriots but
others for the Loyalists because the British promised
freedom for those who fought for the crown
Most Native Americans supported British b/c saw colonial
settlers as a bigger threat to their land
Colonies essentially fighting two wars: one for independence
and a civil war against each other
United States Military
Strengths
Familiar with territory
Leadership of George
Washington and other leaders
Inspiring cause of independence
Weaknesses
Most soldiers untrained and
undisciplined
Shortage of food and
ammunition
Inferior navy
No central government to
enforce wartime policies
Great Britain Military
Strengths
Weaknesses
Strong and well-trained army
and navy
Large distance separating Britain
from battlefields
Strong central government with
available funds
Troops unfamiliar with terrain
Support of colonial Loyalists
and Native Americans
Weak military leaders
Sympathy of certain British
politicians for the American
cause
Colonial Life During the
Revolution
Congress ran out of hard money (gold and silver) so it
borrowed money by selling bonds to American investors and
foreign governments
Printed paper money BUT as they printed more and more
its value plunged causing rising prices
Known as inflation
With the British navy blocking the coast, Americans had to
smuggle weapons from Europe
Colonial Life During the
Revolution
Some gov’t officials began profiteering: selling scarce goods
for a profit
Corrupt merchants hoarded goods or sold defective
merchandise
Demands of war also affected families
Wives of soldiers had to manage farms, shops, businesses and
households
Some women participated in the war effort by mending
clothes for soldiers, cooking food and making ammunition
from their household silver
Colonial Life During the
Revolution
Women even fought on
the front lines
Ludwig Hayes McCauly
took her husband’s place
at cannon when he was
wounded (“Molly
Pitcher”)
About 5,000 African
Americans served in the
Continental Army
Courage and loyalty
impressed white
Americans
European Allies
February 1777 Prussian
(German) captain Friedrich
von Steuben volunteered
his services to General
Washington
Taught the army basic military
strategies-field maneuvers and
fire and reload quickly
French military leader
Marquis de Lafayette also
offered his assistance
Asked for French reinforcements
in 1779 and led troops in
Virginia for the last years of the
war
British Move South
After their major defeat at Saratoga, British changed their
strategy and began to shift their operations to the South
(summer 1778)
Hoped to rally loyalist support, reclaim former colonies, and slowly fight
their way back North
By end of 1778 British took Savannah, Georgia and a royal governor
was put in place
May 1780: Generals Clinton and Cornwallis sail South with 8,500
men and capture Charles Town, SC and march 5,500 American
soldiers off as POW- biggest victory of the war
General Clinton left the South and put Cornwallis in charge of
Southern troops and the goal of conquering the Carolinas
British Move South
Within 3 months British est forts all over the South
British tried to advance in to NC but were pushed back into SC
by Patriots
Washington saw this as an opportunity to break up the British
General Morgan and his Patriot troops led British on a grueling chase through
rough countryside- British eventually surrender
2 months later Greene and Cornwallis meet- Patriots win but Greene loses
nearly ¼ of his troops
After exhausting battles in the Carolinas, Cornwallis moves troops north
towards Virginia
Tries to captures troops led by von Steuben and Lafayette but its unsuccessful
Eventually camps at Yorktown with plans to fortify the location and
eventually take Virginia
Location of Yorktown
War Becomes a Symbol of
Liberty
Revolutionary ideals set a new course for American society
During the war class differences between rich and poor
began to blur together
Changes created a rise in egalitarianism: belief in the
equality of all people
Brought about new idea: wealthy or family alone does not define your
wealthy- also ability, virtue and effort
Egalitarianism only applied to white males- not women or African
Americans