American Revolution

1. American Revolution Chapter 4 – Securing Independence

2. Independence Declared • After passing the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776the 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.

3. 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 Congressbut 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.

4. 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 continuationof 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. William Franklin • Political differences not only separated states, cities and towns. • One of Ben’s ‘bastard’ children was appointed royalgovernor 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’

8. 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.

9. 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?

10. 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. • 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. It was said that John Adams black friends called him J-Money. Abigail Adams. Relevant. Apparently. http://www.11points.com/News-Politics/11_Drunkest_Presidents_in_US_History

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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. • 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). Marquis de Lafayette The Hessians wore funny hats

17. 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. • 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 greatleadership by writing a letter to congress showing his understanding and asking for more help, rather than focusing on a severe punishment for the mutineers. Washington praying Dude! Shut. Up. It’s cold eh

18. 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 half-decent 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.

19. Smallpox is bad • The Revolutionary War was waged during a decade-long 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. Learn about the battles here… • http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/neh/interactives/americanrevolution/ • http://mrnussbaum.com/amflash2/

24. 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.

25. 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?

26. 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.