Declaration of Independence

1. SSUSH4: Analyze the ideological, military, social, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution. a. Investigate the intellectual sources, organization, and argument of the Declaration of Independence including the role of Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Five.

2. Declaration of Independence • The document’s ideas can be traced to several philosophies: • John Locke –-believed people were born with certain natural rights (life, liberty and property) -have a “contract” -people had the right to overthrow a government if it did not uphold its end of the contract

3. Declaration of Independence • Montesquieu • French philosopher • Wrote of three types of political power (executive, legislative, and judicial) • Separation of power and checks and balances

4. Committee of Five: • June 11-July 05, 1776 • Congress elected a committee of five men to draft a declaration of independence from Great Britain • Members: *John Adams (Massachusetts) *Robert R. Livingston (New York) *Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania) *Thomas Jefferson (Virginia) *Roger Sherman (Connecticut) • Thomas Jefferson becomes known as “the Father of the Declaration of Independence”

5. Declaration of Independence • Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson in June 1776, he borrowed the ideas of Locke and Montesquieu • The document was edited several times prior to it’s presentation to the Congress • The original included a condemnation of the practice of slavery • This was removed by editors of Jefferson’s work Benjamin Franklin and John Adams editing Thomas Jefferson’s original writing of the Declaration of Independence

6. Declaration of Independence • Made up of 5 parts: • The Preamble which explains the purpose of the document • Declaration of Natural Rightswhich is taken almost directly from Locke (Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness) • List of Grievanceswhich list the colonists’ complaints against Britain • Resolution of Independencewhich declares that the colonies are free from Britain • Signers declared that they, as representatives of the colonies approved the document

7. Excerpts from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence • When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. • We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

8. Declaration of Independence • The signing of the Declaration of Independence signaled the beginning of the American Revolutionary War

9. French Allegiances b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and foreign assistance including the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

10. France enters the war • The French, old enemies of Britain, began to secretly send supplies to the Americans • Benjamin Franklin is sent to France in 1776 to try and persuade the French to enter the war. He stayed in France until 1785 • The Americans wanted France to send troops as well, but France wanted an impressive American victory before declaring war on Britain

11. John Adams’ role during the war: • Acted as a diplomat in France during the war • Sent to Paris to secure aid for the colonists • Helped to write the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the Revolutionary War

12. George Washington & the Continental Army c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader, including but not limited to the influence of Baron von Steuben, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the significance of Valley Forge in the creation of a professional military.

13. George Washington & the Continental Army • When the American Revolution began, George Washington was named commander in chief of the Continental Army. • He displayed extraordinary leadership abilities in the role. • Washington reorganized the army, secured additional equipment & supplies, & started a training program to turn inexperienced recruits into a professional military.

14. George Washington & the Continental Army • Life was hard for the common soldier in the Continental Army. • Enlistments lasted from one to three years, & the states differed in how well & how often they paid their soldiers, housed them when they were not on the march, & supplied them with food, clothing, & equipment. • These issues undermined morale, as did the army’s stern discipline, the chances of being wounded or killed, & British victories.

15. George Washington & the Continental Army • Winter of 1777–1778: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; spent six months there. • The army’s problems with wages, housing, food, clothing, & equipment were at their worst. • Disease spread throughout the camp, increasing the suffering of the 12,000 men. • As conditions worsened, almost 4,000 soldiers were too weak or ill to fight. Nearly 2,500 troops die from exposure to the cold and food shortages • Yet that winter Washington ordered an intense training program—similar to a modern boot camp—that turned the Continental Army into a capable & self-assured infantry.

16. The Marquis de Lafayette • The early war effort goes poorly for the Americans as they lose several key battles • Assisted in the professionalization and training of American forces at Valley Forge. • He also returned to France for a time to work with Franklin & the French king on how to win American independence.

17. Baron von Steuben • Prussian born general arrived at Valley Forge and offered to help train the Continental Army • Helped to train and drill soldiers and created confidence and discipline in throughout the colonists army

18. Battles & geography d. Investigate the role of geography at the Battles of Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.

19. Battle of Trenton (Delaware River); • On Christmas night 1776, Washington led his troops to a victory that was another turning point for America & the Revolutionary War. • As a snowstorm pounded Washington & his soldiers, they crossed the Delaware River to stage a surprise attack on a fort occupied by Hessian mercenaries fighting for the British. (Trenton, NJ) • This victory proved Washington’s army could fight as well as an experienced European army.

20. Battle of Saratoga: • October 1777 • The Americans defeated the British at Saratoga, NY. • This American victory was a turning point in the war because it boosted American moral and brought France into the war against Britain

21. Yorktown, Virginia • In April 1781, British forces led by General Cornwallis invade Virginia • Cornwallis moves his troops to Yorktown (a peninsula) in order to gain supplies and keep a line of communication open by sea Though moving his army to Yorktown to get easily supplied by the British navy seemed like a good decision, why might moving your army onto a peninsula be a bad idea?

22. Yorktown Washington took the opportunity to march from NY to Yorktown with a combined American and French army The French navy sailed up from the Caribbean to block supplies from reaching Cornwallis’ army and to cut off his ability to escape by sea

23. Yorktown • In September 1781 American and French forces surround Yorktown and begin to attack Cornwallis’ army • After almost 3 weeks of constant bombardment, the 8,000 man British army surrenders • The surrender at Yorktown signaled the end of the war for the British What role did the French play in defeating the British?

24. Roles of Women, American Indians, and enslaved & free Blacks e. Examine the roles of women, American Indians, and enslaved and free Blacks in supporting the war effort.

25. Women: • Helped to make clothes from materials grown in the New World • Acted as nurses on the battlefields; some served as spies for the colonists • Did not gain many political or legal rights as a result of the war, but won respect for their roles as “republican mothers” • Encouraged women to speak out on issues that affected their ability to raise their children • Sought rights to protect women from being beaten • Could not vote, own property, or make contracts

26. Women: • Martha Washington: *travelled 52 out of 103 months with her husband • Deborah Sampson: *disguised herself as a man to fight in the military • “Molly Pitcher” *believed to be a woman who carried pitchers of water to soldiers on the battlefields *her husband collapsed so she took over firing his cannon

27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkhoubO8yTA

28. American Indians: • Many tried to stay out of the war • Some sided with the Americans and would later be disappointed when the Treaty of Paris 1783 did not include protection of their land against colonial settlement • Some sided with Britain with the hope of protecting their lands from encroaching Americans

29. African-Americans: • Slavery seemed inconsistent with the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, yet a majority of African Americans remained enslaved • After the war, many demanded freedom using petitions and suing their owners in court • About 5,000 African Americans joined the war effort with the promise of freedom • 50,000 Southern slaves joined the British forces (promise of freedom) • The war led to emancipation in the North, only increased in the South

30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3p-uo03CtE

31. Treaty of Paris f. Explain the significance of the Treaty of Paris, 1783.

32. The Treaty of Paris, 1783 • Signed in September 1783, the Treaty: • Recognized the United States as a new nation, setting it’s western border at the Mississippi River • Gave Florida back to Spain, and gave the French several colonies in Africa and the Caribbean