Transcript Notes on the Revolutionary War

Jun 9, 2024

Revolutionary War Lecture Notes

Announcements

  • Reminder: Short research assignment on the movie The Patriot with Mel Gibson due Friday by 10 PM.
  • Self-grading, comments will be provided over the weekend via email.

Key Historical Events and Figures

Failed Attack on Canada

  • Mentioned as a recent topic.

Benjamin Franklin's Transformation

  • Received verbal lashing from the solicitor general in Great Britain.
  • Saw himself as a British citizen before and a patriot after.
  • Returned to the colonies and joined the Continental Congress.

Hessian Mercenaries

  • Hired by British to fight in the colonies.
  • Known for negative reputation (raping, pillaging).
  • ~16,000 deployed, feared character.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

  • 47-page pamphlet advocating for independence.
  • Thomas Paine was new to the colonies, came from Great Britain 15 months prior.
  • Not focused on facts, aimed to evoke emotional response.

Declaration of Independence

International Recognition

  • Aim for de jure recognition from other countries, especially France.
  • Importance of legitimacy and formal government acknowledgment.

Flag Creation

  • Required for legitimacy and differentiated treatment of soldiers (vs. pirates).
  • Early flags: The Grand Union flag (13 stripes, Union Jack elements).
  • Official Stars and Stripes established June 14, 1777 (no specific arrangement).
  • Betsy Ross possibly made a version but not confirmed.
  • Samuel Reed's recommendation: keep 13 stripes, add stars for new states.

Continental vs. British Forces

British Army

  • Well-disciplined, but ineffective in North America.
  • Reluctance for full-scale war against British subjects.

Colonial Militias

  • Under-equipped, lacked supplies and uniforms.
  • Multi-state effort with varying levels of support.
  • Issues with military discipline and camp sanitation.

Camp Sanitation and Discipline

Major Diseases and Issues

  • Includes “The Itch,” milk sickness, Quincy (tonsillitis), Scarlettina (scarlet fever), scrum pox, typhus, typhoid, dysentery, and cholera.
  • Washington's measures: sanitation, ordering cowpox variolation for smallpox.
  • Dealt with STIs (e.g., gonorrhea and syphilis), punished infected soldiers.

Military and Political Developments

Significant Battles

  • Battle of Saratoga (1777): Major victory, captured 5,700 British soldiers.
  • Encouraged French support.

Key Figures

  • Benedict Arnold: Turned traitor, gave military documents to the British.
  • Major Andre: Captured as a spy, hanged due to being out of uniform.
  • Nathan Hale: American spy, hanged, famous last words, statue at CIA.
  • Deborah Sampson: Woman disguised as man to fight.

Valley Forge

  • Winter hardships, varied by militia support.

War Conclusion

Treaty of Paris (1783)

  • Official end, Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown.
  • British troops stayed in some regions, leading to future conflicts.

Post-War Issues

  • African Americans in war, no formal policy for freedom.
  • War reduced population by 211,000 due to deaths and loyalists fleeing.

Articles of Confederation

Formation and Problems

  • Created as a league of friendship, no strong central authority.
  • Could not tax, raise an army, or regulate commerce.

Interesting Facts

  • First president: John Hanson under Articles of Confederation.
  • Created the presidential seal, standardized the postal service.

Constitutional Developments

  • Next class: Detailed look at the failures of the Articles of Confederation and formation of the Constitution.