Chapter 5: The American
Revolution
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Terms to Know:
1. Rebellion
2. Confederation
3. Olive Branch Petition
4. Lord Cornwallis
5. Camp Followers
6. Judith Sargent Murray
7. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Exports & Imports: 1768-1783
Wholesale
Price
Index:
1770-1789
Conflicts
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Two struggles occurred
simultaneously
1. Military conflict with Great Britain
2. Political struggle within America
The United States
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America is an unformed nation with
vast inferior economic and military
resources
Overall Battle deaths for Americans
were over 5000
A revolution for liberation made it
possible to defeat the British
Defining American War Aims
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The 2nd Continental Congress
• Richard Henry Lee of Va. favored
independence from Great Britain
• John Dickinson of Penn. Wanted modest
reforms with Great Britain
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The Olive Branch Petition
• Passed July 6, 1775
• Last chance for peace
• Now the Americans could submit to tyranny or
fight
Common Sense
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Written by Thomas Payne
• Helped change the American Outlook
towards the war
• Stated that it was not enough to blame
problems on the British ministers – the
problem was the KING
• He sold over 100,000 copies
Decision for Independence
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Congress appoints committee for
draft declaration
July 2, 1776 – adopted and resolved
“That these United Colonies are, and,
of right, ought to be, free and
independent states.”
Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin
and John Adams
Signed July 4, 1776
Declaration of Independence
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Restates the Contract Theory of
Government (John Locke) that
governments were formed to protect
life, liberty, and property
Listed the crimes of the king and that
he has violated this “contract”
Responses to Independence
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Those loyal to the king – Loyalists
Those for independence – Tories
States acted like separate and
sovereign entities – had to balance
state and central authority
November 1777 – Congress adopted
the Articles of Confederation (ratified
1781)
• A weak decentralized government
Mobilizing for War
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US received most supplies from
Europe (France)
Congress had to issue paper money
for supplies
• Continental currency
• States could also print money
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Most of the army remained under
state control
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1775 – Continental Army created
with George Washington as
commander-in-chief
• Washington was respected
• Provided the army and people with a
symbol of stability
• Washington had shortcomings
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Was commander in French & Indian War
Lost more battles than he won
On the Eve of the
Revolution ?
Britain
Americans
Advantages
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Disadvantages
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British
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Pro –
• Greater Population
– 7.5 million (2.5 in
colonies)
• Monetary wealth
• Greater navy
• Command structure
• Army
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50,000 British
30,000 Hessians
30,000 Loyalists
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Con –
• Sent second rate
generals
• Brutal treatment of
soldiers
• Inadequate, poor
provisions
• Far from home
(3,000 miles)
• British people did
not support the war
American
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Pro –
• George Washington –
loyal to America
• Diplomat – Benjamin
Franklin
• Fighting for home
• Deeply committed
• Better marksmen
• Aid from other countries
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Con –
• New Army
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Inadequate firearms
and powder
Clothing and shoes
scarce
• Badly organized
• New Government
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Too much debate
• Economic difficulties
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Money, taxes, inflation
Phase I: The Northern Campaign
[1775-1776]
Phases of the War
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1st (1775 – 1776) New England
Battle of Bunker Hill – June 17, 1775
• British suffered heaviest casualties of
the war
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Americans launched invasion into
Canada
• Remove British treat
• Hoped to win Canada to our cause
• Canada never became part of the war
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2nd Phase – Mid-Atlantic (1776 – 1778)
British had 32,000 troops
Washington had 19,000 and no navy
18 c warfare was based on weather
• Dec 1776 – Washington crossed Delaware River to
attack
• Advanced on Princeton
• No casualties on Americans
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At Saratoga, British troops (Oct 1777)
surrendered
• Britain lost 5,000 troops
• Led to direct alliance between US and France
Aid from Europe
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France
• King Louis XVI came to throne in 1774
• Supplied the Americans
• Benjamin Franklin worked of formal
recognition
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Feb 6, 1778 – France recognized the US as a nation
• Provided their navy and forces for the
revolution
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Spain
• Provided cash to the US through France
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Final Phase – Southern (1778 – 1781)
British government never really behind the
war
US used guerrillas tactics
Washington divided forces to trap Gen
Cornwallis
• Oct 17, 1781 – Cornwallis caught between two
forces and the French Navy
• Surrendered more than 7,000 men
• War over
Winning the Peace
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Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and John
Adams signed treaty
Treaty of Paris of 1783
• Boarders
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North – Canada
South – Florida
East – Atlantic
West – Mississippi River
• America must return property of Loyalists
• Great Britain must recognized the US
North America After the
Treaty of Paris, 1783
War and Society
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Loyalists fled US (up to 100,000)
Minorities
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Anglicans: hurt due to war
Quakers: hurt due to pacifism
Catholics: improved due to support of war
African-Americans: many freed by British,
those who fought for Washington were given
freedom, many learned to read and write.
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South Carolina and Georgia feared slave revolt
Women and the War
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In charge of farms and businesses
Launched attacks on British troops
Flocked to help Patriot camps
Big value to support armies
Increased morale, cooking, laundry,
nursing
Molly Pitcher: Watched her husband fall
and took his place
Abigail Adams: called for women’s rights
Judith Sargent Murray: women were as
good as men and wanted education
English Common Law
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Unmarried women had some legal rights
Married Women had no rights
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Property belonged to husband
No legal authority over their children
No property rights
No legal transactions
No voting
No divorce
If lived longer than husband – became
property of closest male
CREATION OF STATE
GOVERNMENTS
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Republicanism – all power came
directly from the people rather than
from some supreme authority
Every citizen equal (???)
All would earn their success
American society more open than
Europe
First State Constitutions
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Written so that no individual or group
could pervert them
Power of executive would be limited
Different branches of government
Direct popular vote
• Property was required to vote
Revision of State Governments
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States were inviting disorder and
political turbulence
Two Major Changes:
• Constitutional Convention – special body
that meets and then is gone
• Strengthening the executive
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Elected by the people
Fixed salary
Expanded powers of appointment
Veto legislation
SEARCH FOR A NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
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The Articles of Confederation
• November 1777 (ratified in 1781)
• All Western lands turned over to the
government
• Each state had one vote
• Powers
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Could conduct wars and foreign relations,
Appropriate, borrow, and issue money
• Set up
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No separate executive
No national court system
9 of 13 states would have to approve legislation
13 states would approve amendments
Land Ordinance
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Ordinance of 1784 – by Thomas
Jefferson
• Divided western lands into ten selfgoverning districts
• Each could become states when
population reached a certain level
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Ordinance of 1785
• Each township divided into 36 sections
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4 given to government to sell if needed
1 section set up for education
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Northwest Ordinance of 1787
• Repealed part of Ordinance of 1784
• Set up one for Ohio
• Population of 60,000 needed for
statehood
• Guaranteed freedom of religion, trial by
jury and prohibited slavery
Debts and Taxes
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International:
• Great debts
• Nation faced prospect of defaulting on
obligations
• Import tax (failed)
• Angered the people
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Domestic:
• Debts of the states
• Farmers demand states to issue money
• Debtors who fail to pay their taxes can loose
their property
Daniel Shay
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Connecticut Valley
Daniel Shay
• Former captain
• Demanded paper money, tax relief, relocation
of capital, no imprisonment for debt
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Summer 1786 – preventing of collection of
debt
Winter – took up arms
A privately financed army was sent to stop
Shays
• Jan 1787 - disbanded
Results of Shays Rebellion
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Added to the urgency for a new
national government
Annapolis Convention to deal with
economic problems. Instead
requested to meet in Philadelphia to
deal with the Articles
55 Representative from 12 states
(Rhode Island) met in may of 1787
to “make a more perfect union.”