American Revolution
Chapter 4 – Securing Independence
Independence Declared
 After passing the Declaration of Independence on 4
July 1776 the Continental Congress sent the document by
courier to a printing press in Philadelphia.
 Dunlap’s broadside (named after printer John Dunlap)
was distributed to legislative assemblies, military
commanders, committees and British governors and
generals. One copy was sent to King George III in
London.
 The official version, with signatures, was not completed
until early August. Public readings took place throughout
the colonies. In New York a crowd pulled a statue of
George III to the ground.
The British Response
 Loyalists dismissed the declaration as fantasy with
some, including Thomas Hutchinson, strongly
criticising it.
 The British speech writer John Lind formulated a
response, the 110-page Answer to the Declaration of
the American Congress but it was bland and
ineffective.
Even the cover had a
lukewarm response,
showing that it was
definitely a book you
could ‘put down’.
Critic’s were scathing of
Lind’s response describing it
as ‘bland and ineffective’
with too much salt.
The tormented ‘king’s men’
 Independence had strong implications for American
society, especially those whose allegiance remained
with Great Britain.
 American society divided into two distinct groups – those
who supported revolution (Patriots, Whigs and
Rebels) and those who didn’t (Loyalists, Royalists
and Tories).
 The persecution of loyalists had already emerged in
1765 when those who spoke up in support of the Stamp
Act had been attacked. This was a continuation of this.
Previously focused on the
reconstruction of clumsy
fictional ‘egg-man’
characters, the kings men
were caught unawares by
the revolution. They were
again met by failure.
Loyalists, Patriots & Neutralists
 John Adams observed that one-third of the people
supported independence (Patriots), one-third remained
loyal to England (Loyalists) and another third remained
uncommitted (Pussies).
 Robert Middlekauf’s The Glorious Cause suggests that
loyalists made up only 19 per cent of the American
population, with the highest number in the middle
colonies.
Why be a loyalist?
 Loyalists tended to be wealthier than Patriots.
 Their families were often recent arrivals in America and
maintained closer links with Britain.
 Many were active within the Anglican Church.
 Many held royal appointments or government posts, or
owned businesses dependent on English contracts.
 The southern states – producers of raw materials like
cotton and tobacco – relied on Britain for the sale of
goods.
 Some just were… “Loyalty was the normal condition, the
state that had existed and did exist… it was the Patriots who
must do the converting.”
There wasn’t
actually a vote.
I just found this
on the interwebs.
William Franklin
 Political differences not only separated states, cities
and towns.
 One of Ben’s ‘bastard’ children was appointed royal
governor of New Jersey (largely because of his
father’s influence) in 1763.
 He remained faithful to Britain throughout the
revolution, putting him at odds with his father who
declared him to be an ‘enemy to the liberties of
this country’.
 He was arrested and placed on detention as a
prisoner of war before eventually fleeing to
England.
Rumour has it
that William was
just annoyed at
Ben for ‘steelin
all the beetches’
Articles of Confederation
 On 12 June 1776, the day after appointing Jefferson to write the
Declaration of Independence, they also formed a sub-committee
(including one man from each of the 13 states) to draft a
constitution.
 Much of the writing, known as the ‘Articles of Confederation’ was
completed by John Dickinson.
 The articles were raised in April 1777 and approved in November,
establishing the US of A as a ‘firm league of friendship’.
 The document outlined the form and structure of government,
responsibilities of the states, voting procedures, sources of revenue
and matters of law, foreign affairs and defence.
 It was also rubbish (will discuss later).
Dickinson
dropped his
(insert Karla’s
response to most
questions),
picked up a pen
and got writing.
Articles of Confederation
 Article 1: Y’all call us the United States now ya hear.
 Article 2: Don’t mess with the states, specifically Texas
(which didn’t exist at the time but whatever).
 Article 3: People from each of the states can come and
go as they please… so long as they are not a slave.
 Article 4: Criminals need to be transported back to the
state they are accused of committing crimes in.
Did they tax these stamps?
Abigail and John Adams
 There were concerns about the new
government. John ‘drinks beer for breakfast’
Adams wrote letters to his wife saying so.
 Adams wondered whether the system would
lead to the larger, more powerful states (like
Massachusets, Virginia and New York) would
dominate the smaller states (like Delaware and
Rhode Island). He also owned a time machine
that sent him back to 1754 and allowed him to
remain there.
It was said that
John Adams black
friends called him
J-Money.
 These concerns led to a lengthy delay in getting
all of the states to ratify the Articles, which was
a warning sign for what would happen after the
revolutionary war (the Federalist debate).
 Abigail Adams told her husband to ‘remember
the ladies’. This was apparently important and
not a tokenistic attempt to revise history and
avoid making all of the founding fathers look
like a bunch of arrogant misogynists.
http://www.11points.com/News-Politics/11_Drunkest_Presidents_in_US_History
Abigail Adams.
Relevant. Apparently.
Questioning the revolution
 While supporters of the revolution were
concerned about the Republic vs State
debate, opponents of the revolution
continued their appeals for a ‘limited
monarchy’.
 Historians like Inglis discuss the concerns of
many Americans. What would happen
when the mighty British navy arrived?
Would it be best to make a compromise?
 Quotes of the time may have included:
- “Grow a pair” – Samuel Adams
- “Step up” – George Washington
- “Y’all are yella” - some dude from Texas (didn’t exist
yet but I love Texas).
Bring it red cheeks.
British Army v Continental Army
 1776 was a tough year for the Continental Army and
many delegates started preparing for a British victory.
 The Continentals suffered a string of defeats at Bunker
Hill, Long Island, Harlem Heights and White Plains.
An invasion of Canada failed and Washington’s army was
pushed out of New York into New Jersey.
 By mid-December the Continental Army were
encamped on the Pennsylvania side of the
Delaware River.
I match your
horse and
one-shot
musket
and raise
you a
massive ship
with canons
British Army v Continental Army
 With both the American’s and the English
camped for winter, the English were not
expecting trouble in March and April of
1776.
 Washington’s army suffered from a low
morale and lack of supplies. There was also
a risk that his soldiers (who had signed up for
a twelve-month term) may opt to return to
their farms.
 Thomas Paine travelled with the soldiers and
wrote The American Crisis. He wrote
positively about the brave soldiers who were
suffering badly at the time.
 Possible quotes of the time:
- I’m going to kill you Paine. I’m going to &^%$#!g
kill you, you pamphlet writing bastard.
- Harry, would you please pass that gravy for me to
put on my dry bread and skunk-meat sandwich?
It’s
cold
No
shit
American Heroes – crossing the Delaware
 In their effort to overcome the horrible conditions the Patriots resorted
to all kinds of trickery and Washington-based mythology.
 One example was ‘Washington Crossing the Delaware River’
where they caught the Hessians (mercenary German soldiers fighting
with the British) unawares by crossing the river at night time before
attacking Trenton.
 Washington’s army then went on to defeat the British at Princeton,
New Jersey. This consolidated Washington’s position and restored
morale too.
 The popularity of Paine’s writing increased 713% (fact-check pending).
Washington was a sneaky rascal
Getting the French involved
 Trenton and Princeton gave some hope but there was still a long way
to go. The Continental Army was poorly equipped.
 So, people like Benjamin Franklin (France), John Jay (Spain), John Adams
(Holland) and even Francis Dana (Russia) were sent to Europe in an effort
to find allies.
 The French were keen to get involved with their interests in America,
as well as their amusement at the problems their British enemies were
facing. Vergennes described their selfish plans quite well in January
1778.
 But, being French, they waited until 1777 when the war had improved
before helping. Franklin stayed in France for a twerking-related research
project (and to ask for money… constantly).
Signing the French Alliance in 1777
Recruiting from overseas
 In addition to the French Alliance, both sides
recruited heavily from foreign nations to build
their forces.
 Mercenaries from Europe were in high demand
due to their military experience. Many took on
higher ranks because of this.
Marquis de Lafayette
 The most famous of these was Marquis de
Lafayette of France who joined the Continental
Army in 1777.
 The British also recruited men, particularly the
‘Hessians’ from Prussia (Germany).
The Hessians wore funny hats
American Heroes – death at Valley Forge
 The winter of 1777 and 1778 was again
challenging, with the Continental Army being
encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. They were
again cold and short of supplies. Many died of
starvation and disease.
 In the absence of any battle victories, the bravery of
Washington and his men during this time served as a
heroic propaganda story as he led his men through
this time of struggle.
Washington praying
 One benefit was the training the soldiers received from
Baron von Steuben of Prussia, including teaching
them how to use bayonets as a weapon (as opposed to
stirring stews with them).
 Still, during this time desertions and mutinies were
common and the Continental Army was at real risk of
losing its grip. On New Years Day of 1781, more
than 1500 Pennsylvania soldiers killed three of
their officers. Here Washington again showed great
leadership by writing a letter to congress showing his
understanding and asking for more help, rather than
focusing on a severe punishment for the mutineers.
Dude!
Shut.
Up.
It’s
cold
eh
Revolutionary Women – were there any?
 Possibly but Molly Pitcher was made up so there couldn’t
have been that many. On a positive note … Fun fact of
the day: A pastiche is where you combine several
crappy mythical stories together to make one halfdecent one.
 Deborah ‘squashed boobs’ Sampson got ‘in the bowl’
by joining the battles in New York under the namesake
of Robert Shurtliff. This story was adapted in the
Amanda Byrnes movie ‘She’s the Man’ with some key
differences (but similar humorous misunderstandings
and hijinks I would imagine).
Dat
ass
Not a dude.
Apparently.
Smallpox is bad
 The Revolutionary War was waged during a decadelong smallpox epidemic.
 The diseased killed up to five times as many people
as the war did.
 Some crazy science went on in this time which was a
precursor to the immunisations of today.
 George Washington feared that the British would
deliberately infect his soldiers (chemical warfare?) so
made sure they were all inoculated, even though it killed
approximately 1 in 300 soldiers. It was considered a
success.
Did you know that some people
are campaigning against vaccines?
These people are called idiots.
We are at risk of Smallpox outbreaks
because of them.
Slaves in Uniform
 African-Americans participated in fighting from the
outset, including at Lexington and Bunker Hill.
 However, Washington (a slave owner) recommended
to Congress that ‘Negroes’ be prohibited from
enlisting.
 This was add odds with others, such as Lord Dunmore
on the British side, who promised freedom to any
slave who took up arms against the revolution.
 Most Continental Army regiments banned the
recruitment of black soldiers, until states like
Massachusetts and Rhode Island struggled to meet their
quota of recruits.
 The soldiers on both sides remained incredibly racist.
The American Revolution
bought on a new-found
respect for the slaves
ability to wear silly
uniforms and get shot at.
The war at sea – advantage Britain
 The war for American independence was mostly fought on
land. However armies in the 1700s were heavily
dependent on naval support.
 This was a serious problem for the Americans who
didn’t have a navy, while the British Navy was the best
in the world.
 To counter this the American navies attacked British
merchant ships, which was approved by congress.
 When the French (and to a lesser extent the Spanish)
joined the revolution, a rise in ‘privateers’ occurred as
the British Navy were occupied.
 The damage to British merchant ships was massive and
added pressure to the concerns about the war back in
England.
Really what
congress did
was legalise
piracy against
the British.
The war in the south
 By late 1778 strategists in London were
frustrated with the Loyalists failures to find and
defeat Washington’s army.
 So they tried a new approach by launching
attacks against the southern colonies and their
two main cities; Savannah, Georgia and Charleston,
South Carolina.
 Reasons for this included the weaker Patriot
forces and stronger Loyalist support, as well as
the southerners dependence on British trade.
 This approach was initially successful with
General Clinton launching a successful attack on
Charleston. By late 1780 it appeared that the
British were firmly in control.
 However, the turning point came at the Battle
of Cowpens in January 1781, when with the help
of their French allies the patriots had a decisive
victory at Yorketown.
 The southern theatre may be considered a ‘civil
war’ (what are the similarities to Russia?).
Many battles came down to
military strategy. Britain
had the experience, the
Americans had the local
knowledge.
Learn about the battles here…
 http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/neh/interactive
s/americanrevolution/
 http://mrnussbaum.com/amflash2/
Benedict Arnold: Traitor
 Benedict Arnold was a respected General in the Continental Army, helping
them to victory at Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and other campaigns including Saratoga.
 However, he had many enemies within the army and was often annoyed at not
being credited for his success.
 In 1780 Arnold was given command of West Point in New York.
 On September 21 of that year, Arnold met with British Major John Andre and
made his traitorous pact, in which the American was to receive a large sum of
money and a high position in the British army.
 However, the conspiracy was uncovered and Andre was captured and killed.
Arnold fled to the enemy side and went on to lead British troops in Virginia and
Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he’d
been promised by the British. He died in England in 1801.
 Suffer in your jocks Benedict Arnold.
The cult of George Washington
 The bulk of written history focuses on the actions
of powerful public figures (Kings, Generals etc.).
 The focus on Washington as a ‘great man’ was a
continuation of his popularity in ‘real life’.
 However, as the figurehead of the revolution many
elevated Washington to the status of a demi-god
who represented the ‘virtues which the young republic
wanted its citizens to have’.
 Washington contributed massively to the revolution
but he wasn’t perfect. He came to wealth by luck and
marriage, lost significant battles, owned slaves and was
at times greedy in his requests for payment.
 He also had a vested interest in the revolution, as
he wished to speculate beyond the Appalachian
Mountains. The Iroquois called Washington ‘Devourer of
Towns’.
 It is important to consider the many perspectives
that historians have of George Washington
because they form the different ideas behind what
motivated the revolution and the United States of
America that was created as a result of the revolution.
Overrated?
How and why the Americans won
 The British government were heavily criticised for remaining in the war, the
failure of its southern campaign and the 1781 defeat at Yorketown.
 Neither the Continental Congress or the Continental Army had been vanquished, as
Americans controlled 12 of the 13 states.
 The war had cost Britain 80 million pounds ($16 Billion in today’s terms).
 Parliament decided that they had had enough and in February 1782 voted to end
the war and pursue a peace treaty with the Americans. The following month Lord
North resigned as prime minister.
 Poor strategy by the British and the ability of Washington’s men to ‘hang in
there’ (and hide) led to the British withdrawal and therefore the American
victory.
 Foreign support towards the end of the war was also critical, as it helped the
Americans to have some success at sea. This was particularly decisive in the victory
over Cornwallis at Yorketown (1781). Foreigners training the ill-equipped
Continental Army were also vital.
 Independence was only guaranteed by a military victory over Britain. Now, the
American’s needed to secure the ‘United’ States of America on the home front. This
would not be an easy task.