[Music] US History an Open Stacks textbook read along with the full text at www.ops.org you can find this Audi book anywhere you listen to podcasts including Spotify YouTube Apple podcasts and [Music] more chapter 6 America's war for independence 177 75 to [Music] 1783 introduction by the 1770s Great Britain ruled a vast Empire with its American colonies producing useful raw materials and profitably consuming British goods from Britain's perspective it was inconceivable that the colonies would wage a successful war for independence in 177 6 they appeared weak and disorganized no match for the Empire yet although the Revolutionary War did indeed drag on for 8 years in 1783 the 13 colonies now the United States ultimately prevailed against the British the revolution succeeded because colonists from diverse economic and social backgrounds United in their opposition to Great Britain although thousands of colonists remained loyal to the crown and many others preferred to remain neutral a sense of community against a common enemy prevailed among Patriots the signing of the Declaration of Independence exemplifies the spirit of that common cause Representatives asserted that these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and for the support of this declaration we we mutually pledge to each other Our lives our fortunes and our sacred [Music] honor 6.1 Britain's Law and Order strategy and its consequences learning objectives by the end of this section you will be able to explain how Great Britain's response to the destruction of a British shipment of tea in Boston Harbor in 1773 set the stage for the revolution describe the beginnings of the American Revolution Great Britain pursued a policy of Law and Order when dealing with the crisis in the colonies in the late 1760s and 1770s relations between the British and many American Patriots worsened over the decade culminating in an unruly mob destroying a fortune in Te by dumping it into Boston Harbor in December 1773 as a protest against British tax laws the harsh British response to to this act in 1774 which included sending British troops to Boston and closing Boston Harbor caused tensions and resentments to escalate further the British tried to disarm the insurgents in Massachusetts by confiscating their weapons and ammunition and arresting the leaders of the Patriotic movement however this effort faltered on April 19th when Massachusetts militias and British troops fired on each other as British troops marched to Lexington and conquered an event immortalized by Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson as the shot heard round the world the American Revolution had begun on the eve of Revolution the decade from 1763 to 1774 was a difficult one for the British Empire although Great Britain had defeated the French in the French and Indian War the debt from that conflict remained a stubborn and seemingly unsolvable problem for both Great Britain and the colonies Great Britain tried various methods of raising revenue on both sides of the Atlantic to manage the enormous debt including instituting a tax on Tea and Other goods sold to the colonies by British companies but many subjects resisted these taxes in the colonies Patriot groups like the Sons of Liberty LED boycotts of British goods and took violent measures that styed British officials Boston proved to be theep Center of protest in December 1773 a group of Patriots protested the te Act passed that year which among other Provisions gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea by boarding British tea ships docked in Boston Harbor and dumping tea worth over $1 million in current prices into the water the destruction of the tea radically escalated the crisis between great Britain and the American colonies when the Massachusetts assembly refused to pay for the tea Parliament enacted a series of laws called the coercive acts which some colonists called The Intolerable Acts Parliament designed these laws which closed the port of Boston limited the meetings of the colonial assembly and disbanded all Town meetings to punish Massachusetts and bring the colony into line however many British Americans in other colonies were troubled and angered by parliament's response to Massachusetts in September and October 1774 all the colonies except Georgia participated in the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia the Congress advocated a boycott of all British goods and established the Continental Association to enforce local adherence to the boycott the association supplanted Royal control and shaped resistance to Great Britain in an effort to restore Law and Order in Boston the British dispatched General Thomas Gage to the New England Seaport he arrived in Boston in May 1774 as the new Royal Governor of the province of Massachusetts accompanied by several regiments of British troops as in 1768 the British again occupied the Town Massachusetts delegates met in a provincial Congress and public the suffk resolves which officially rejected the coercive acts and called for the raising of colonial militias to take military action if needed the suffk resolves signaled the overthrow of the royal government in Massachusetts both the British and the rebels in New England began to prepare for Conflict by turning their attention to supplies of weapons and gunpowder general Gage stationed 3500 troops in Boston and from there he ordered periodic raids on towns where guns and gunpowder were stockpiled hoping to impose Law and Order by seizing them as Boston became the headquarters of British military operations many residents fled the city Gage's actions led to the formation of local Rebel militias that were able to mobilize in a minute's time these minuten many of whom were Veterans of the French and Indian War played an important role in the war for for Independence in one instance general Gage seized Munitions in Cambridge and Charlestown but when he arrived to do the same in Salem his troops were met by a large crowd of Minutemen and had to leave empty-handed in New Hampshire Minutemen took over Fort William and Mary and confiscated weapons and cannons there New England Reed for war Americana joining the boycott many British col in Virginia as in the other colonies disapproved of the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor however after the passage of the coercive acts the Virginia House of Burgesses declared its solidarity with Massachusetts by encouraging Virginians to observe a day of fasting and prayer on May 24th in sympathy with the people of Boston almost immediately thereafter Virginia's Colonial Governor dissolved the House of Burgesses but many of its members met again in secret on May 30th and adopted a resolution stating that the colony of Virginia will concur with the other colonies in such measures as shall be judged most effectual for the preservation of the common rights and Liberty of British America after the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia Virginia's Committee of safety ensured that all Merchants signed the non-importation agreements that the Congress had proposed a British cartoon pictured in this textbook shows a Virginia signing the Continental Association boycott agreement note the tar and Feathers hanging from the Gallows in the background of this image and the demeanor of the people surrounding the serer what is the message of this engraving where are the sympathies of the artist what is the meaning of the title the alternative of Williamsburg the outbreak of fighting throughout late 1774 and into 1775 tensions in New England continued to mount general Gage knew that a Powder Magazine was stored in conquered Massachusetts and on April 19th 1774 5 he ordered troops to seize these Munitions instructions from London called for the arrest of Rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock hoping for secrecy his troops left Boston under cover of Darkness but Riders from Boston let the militias know of the British plans Paul River was one of these writers but the British captured him and he never finished his ride Henry Wadsworth Longfellow memorialized Riv in his 18 60 poem Paul rever ride incorrectly implying that he made it all the way to conquered Minute Men met the British troops and skirmished with them first at Lexington and then at conquer the British retreated to Boston enduring ambushes from several other militias along the way over 4,000 militia men took part in these skirmishes with British soldiers 73 British soldiers and 49 Patriots died during the British retreat to Boston the famous confrontation is the basis for Emerson's conquered hymn 1836 which begins with the description of the shot heard round the world although propagandists on both sides pointed fingers it remains unclear who fired that shot after the battles of Lexington and conquered New England fully mobilized for war thousands of militias from towns throughout New England marched to Boston and and soon the city was besieged by a sea of Rebel forces in May 1775 Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold led a group of rebels against fort tond deroga in New York they succeeded in capturing the fort and cannons from tand deroga were brought to Massachusetts and used to bolster The Siege of Boston in June general Gage resolved to take breeds Hill and Bunker Hill The High Ground across the Charles River from Boston a strategic site that gave the rebel militias an advantage since they could train their cannons on the British in the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17th the British launched three assaults on the Hills gaining control only after the rebels ran out of ammunition British losses were very high over 200 were killed and 800 wounded and despite his victory general Gage was unable to break the colonial forces Siege of the City in August King George iiii declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion Parliament and many in Great Britain agreed with their King meanwhile the British forces in Boston found themselves in a terrible predicament isolated in the city and with no control over the countryside in the end General George Washington commander and chief of the Continental Army since June 15th 1775 used the fort Tai yoga cannons to force the evacuation of the British from Boston Washington had positioned these cannons on the Hills overlooking both the Fortified positions of the British and Boston Harbor where the British Supply ships were anchored the British could not return fire on the colonial positions because they could not Elevate their cannons they soon realized that they were in an untenable position and had to withdraw from Boston on March 17th 1776 the British evacuated their troops to Halifax Nova Scotia ending the nearly year-long Siege by the time the British withdrew from Boston fighting had broken out in other colonies as well in May 1775 mecklinburg county in North Carolina issued the mecklinburg resolves stating that a rebellion against Great Britain had begun that colonists did not owe any further allegiance to Great Britain and that that governing Authority had now passed to the Continental Congress the resolves also called upon the formation of militias to be under the control of the Continental Congress Loyalists and Patriots clashed in North Carolina in February 1776 at the Battle of Moors Creek Bridge in Virginia the Royal Governor Lord Dunmore raised loyalist forces to combat the rebel colonists and also tried to use the large enslaved population to put down the rebellion in November 1775 he issued a decree known as dunmore's Proclamation promising freedom to enslaved people and indentured servants of rebels who remained loyal to the king and who pledged to fight with the Loyalists against the insurgents dunmore's proclamation exposed serious problems for both the Patriot cause and for the British in order for the British to put down the Rebellion they needed the support of Virginia's land owners many of whom enslaved people while Patriot slaveholders in Virginia and elsewhere proclaimed they acted in defense of Liberty they kept thousands in bondage a fact the British decided to exploit although a number of enslaved people did join dunmore's side the proclamation had the unintended effect of galvanizing Patriot resistance to Britain from the rebels point of view the British looked to deprive them of their ensl slave property and inite a race war slaveholders feared an uprising and increased their commitment to the cause against Great Britain calling for Independence Dunmore fled Virginia in 1776 common sense with the events of 1775 fresh in their minds many colonists reached the conclusion in 1776 that the time had come to secede from the Empire and declare independence over the past 10 years these colonists had argued that they deserved the same rights as Englishmen enjoyed in Great Britain only to find themselves relegated to an intolerable subservient status in the Empire the ground swell of support for their cause of Independence in 1776 also owed much to the appearance of an anonymous pamphlet first published in January 1776 entitled common sense Thomas Payne who had immigrated from England to Philadelphia in 1774 was the author arguably the most radical pamphlet of the revolutionary era Common Sense made a powerful argument for Independence Payne's pamphlet rejected the monarchy calling King George III a royal brute and questioning the right of an island that is England to rule over America in this way pain helped to channel Colonial discontent toward W the king himself and not as had been the case toward the British Parliament a bold move that signaled the desire to create a new political order disavowing monarchy entirely he argued for the creation of an American Republic a state without a king and extolled the blessings of republicanism a political philosophy that held that elected representatives not a hereditary Monarch should govern States the vision of an American Republic put forward by pain included the idea of popular sovereignty citizens in the Republic would determine who would represent them and decide other issues on the basis of majority rule republicanism also served as a social philosophy guiding the conduct of the Patriots in their struggle against the British Empire it demanded adherence to a code of virtue placing the public good and Community above narrow self-interest Payne wrote Common sense in simple direct language aimed at Ordinary People not just the Learned Elite the pamphlet proved immensely popular and was soon available in all 13 colonies where it helped convince many to reject monarchy and the British Empire in favor of Independence and a republican form of government the Declaration of Independence in the summer of 1776 the continental congress met met in Philadelphia and agreed to sever ties with Great Britain Virginian Thomas Jefferson and John Adams of Massachusetts with the support of the Congress articulated the justification for Liberty in the Declaration of Independence the Declaration written primarily by Jefferson included a long list of grievances against King George III and laid out the foundation of American government as a republic in which the consent of the Govern would be of Paramount importance the preamble to the Declaration began with a statement of Enlightenment principles about Universal human rights and values we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men derived their just powers from the consent of the Govern that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it in addition to this statement of principles the document served another purpose Patriot leaders sent copies to France and Spain in hopes of winning their support and Aid in the contest against Great Britain they understood how important foreign recognition and Aid would be to to the creation of a new and independent nation the Declaration of Independence has since had a global impact serving as the basis for many subsequent movements to gain independence from other Colonial Powers it is part of America's civil religion and thousands of people each year make pilgrimages to see the original document in Washington DC the Declaration also reveals a fundamental contradiction of the American Revolution the conflict between the existence of slavery and the idea that all men are created equal fifth of the population in 1776 was enslaved and at the time he drafted the Declaration Jefferson himself owned more than 100 enslaved individuals further the Declaration framed equality as existing only among white men women and non-white people were entirely left out of a document that referred to native peoples as merciless Indian Savages who indiscriminately killed men women and children nonetheless the promise of equality for all planted the seeds for future struggles waged by enslaved individuals women and many others to bring about its full realization much of American History is the story of the slow realization of the promise of equality expressed in the Declaration of Independence [Music] 6.2 the early years of the Revolution learning objectives by the end of this section you will be able to explain the British and American strategies of 1776 through 1778 identify the key battles of the early years of the Revolution after the British quit Boston they slowly adopted a strategy to isolate New England from the rest of the colonies and forc the insurgents in that region into submission believing that doing so would end the conflict at first British forces focused on taking the principal Colonial centers they began by easily capturing New York City in 1776 the following year they took over the American capital of Philadelphia the larger British effort to isolate New England was implemented in 1777 that effort ultimately failed when the British surrendered a force of over 5,000 to the Americans in the fall of 1777 at the Battle of Saratoga the major campaigns over the next several years took place in the middle colonies of New York New Jersey and Pennsylvania whose populations were sharply divided between Loyalists and Patriots revolutionaries faced many hardships as British superiority on the battlefield became evident and the difficult difficulty of funding the War caused strains the British strategy in the middle colonies after evacuating Boston in March 1776 British forces sailed to Nova Scotia to regroup they devised a strategy successfully implemented in 1776 to take New York City the following year they planned to end the Rebellion by cutting New England off from the rest of the colonies and starving it into submission three British armies were to move simultaneously from New York City Montreal and forto wgo to converge along the Hudson River British control of that natural boundary would isolate New England General William how commanderin-chief of the British forces in America amassed 32,000 troops on Staten Island in June and July 1776 his brother Admiral Richard how controlled New York Harbor command of New York City and the Hudson River was their goal in August 1776 General how landed his forces on Long Island and easily routed the American continental army there in the Battle of Long Island August 27th the Americans were outnumbered and lacked both military experience and discipline sensing Victory General and Admiral how arranged a peace conference in September 1776 where Benjamin Franklin John Adams and South Carolinian John rutage represented the Continental Congress despite the House's hopes however the Americans demanded recognition of their independence which The house's were not authorized to Grant and the conference disbanded on September 16th 1776 George Washington's forces held up against the British at the Battle of Harlem Heights this important American Military achievement a key reversal after the disaster on Long Island occurred as most of Washington's forces retreated to New Jersey a few weeks later on October 28th General how's forces defeated Washington's at the Battle of White Plains and New York City fell to the British for the next 7 years the British made the city the headquarters for their military efforts to defeat the Rebellion which included raids on surrounding areas in 177 7 the British burned Danbury Connecticut and in July 1779 they set fire to homes in Fairfield and Norwalk they held American prisoners aboard ships in the waters around New York City the death toll was shocking with thousands perishing in the holds meanwhile New York City served as a Haven for loyalists who disagreed with the effort to break away from the Empire and establish an American Republic George Washington and the Continental Army when the second continental congress met in Philadelphia in May 1775 members approved the creation of a professional continental army with Washington as commanderin-chief although 16,000 volunteers enlisted it took several years for the Continental Army to become a truly professional force in 1775 and 1776 militias still compos the bulk of the Patriots armed forces and these soldiers returned home after the summer fighting season drastically reducing the Army's strength that changed in late 1776 and early 1777 when Washington broke with conventional 18 century military tactics that called for fighting in the summer months only intent on raising revolutionary morale after the British captured New York City he launched surprise strikes against British forces in their winter cour ERS in Trent and New Jersey he led his soldiers across the Delaware River and surprised an encampment of Hessians German mercenaries hired by Great Britain to put down the American Rebellion beginning the night of December 25th 1776 and continuing into the early hours of December 26th Washington moved on Trenton where the Hessians were encamped maintaining the element of surprise by attacking at Christmas time he defeated Ed them taking over 900 captive on January 3rd 1777 Washington achieved another much-needed victory at the Battle of Princeton he again broke with 18th century military protocol by attacking unexpectedly after the fighting season had ended defining American Thomas Payne on the American crisis during the American Revolution following the publication of Common Sense in January 1776 Thomas Payne began a series of 16 pamphlets known collectively as the American crisis he wrote the first volume in 1776 describing the dire situation facing the revolutionaries at the end of that hard year these are the times that try men's Souls the summer Soldier and the Sunshine Patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of their country but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman Britain with an army to enforce her tyranny has declared that she has a right not only to tax but to bind us in all cases whatsoever and if being bound in that manner is not slavery then is there not such a thing as slavery upon Earth even the expression is impious for so unlimited a power can belong only to God I shall conclude this paper with some miscellaneous remarks on the state of our Affairs and shall begin with asking the following question why is it that the enemy have left the New England provinces and made these middle ones the seat of war the answer is easy New England is not infested with Tories and we are I have been tender in raising the cry against these men and used numberless arguments to show them their danger but it will not do to sacrifice a world either to their folly or their baseness the period is now arrived in which either they or we must change our sentiments or one or both Must Fall by perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue by cowardice and submission the sad choice of a variety of evils a ravaged country a depopulated City habitations without safety and slavery without hope our homes turned into barracks and body houses for HS and a future race to provide for whose fathers we shall doubt of look on this picture and weep over it and if there yet remains one thoughtless wretch who believes it not let him suffer it unlamented Thomas pay the American crisis December 23rd 1776 what topics does pay address in this pamphlet what was his purpose in writing what does he write about Tories Loyalists and why does he consider them a problem Philadelphia and Saratoga British and American victories in August 1777 General how brought 15,000 British troops to Chesapeake Bay as part of his plan to take Philadelphia where the continental congress met that fall the British defeated Washington soldiers in the Battle of Brandy Wine Creek and took control of Philadelphia forcing the Continental Congress to flee during the winter of 1777 to 1778 the British occupied the city and Washington's Army camped at Valley Forge Pennsylvania Washington's winter at Valley Forge was a low point for the American forces a lack of supplies weakened the men and disease took a heavy toll amid the cold hunger and sickness soldiers deserted in droves on February 16th Washington wrote to George Clinton governor of New York for some days past there has been little less than a famine in Camp a part of the army has been a week without any kind of Flesh and the rest three or four days naked and starving as they are we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and Fidelity of the soldiery that they have not been air before this excited by their sufferings to a general Mutiny and dispersion of 11,000 soldiers encamped at Valley Forge 2500 died of starvation malnutrition and disease as Washington feared nearly 100 soldiers deserted every week desertions continued and by 1780 Washington was executing recaptured deserters every Saturday the low morale extended all the way to Congress where some wanted to replace Washington with a more seasoned leader assistance came to Washington and his soldiers in February 1778 in the form of the Prussian Soldier Friedrich vilhelm Von stoin Baron von stoin was an experienced military man and he implemented a thorough training course for Washington's ragtag troops by drilling a small core of soldiers and then having them train others he finally transformed the Continental Army into a force capable of standing up to the professional British and Hessian soldiers his drill manual regulations for the order and discipline of the troops of the United States informed military practices in the United States for the next several decades meanwhile the campaign to sever New England from the rest of the colonies had taken an unexpected turn during the fall of 1777 the British had attempted to implement the plan drawn up by Lord George Germaine and prime minister Lord North to isolate New England with the combined forces of three armies one Army led by General John beroy would March south from Montreal a second Force led by Colonel Barry St Ledger and made up of British troops and iroy would March East from Fort aswo on the banks of Lake Ontario a third Force led by General Sir Henry Clinton would March North from New York City the armies would converge at Albany and effectively cut the rebellion in two by isolating New England this Northern campaign fell victim to competing strategies however as general how had meanwhile decided to take Philadelphia his decision to capture that City SED off troops that would have been vital to the overall success of the campaign in 1777 the British plan to isolate New England ended in disaster St Leer's efforts to bring his force of British regulars loyalist Fighters and iroy allies East to link up with General beroy failed and he retreated to Quebec bergy's forces encountered ever stiffer resistance as he made his way south from Montreal down Lake Champlain and the upper Hudson River Corridor although they did capture Fort taond deroga when American forces retreated bergy's Army found themselves surrounded by a sea of colonial militias in Saratoga New York in the meantime the small British Force Under Clinton that left New York City to Aid bergoin Advanced slowly up the Hudson River failing to provide the much needed support for the troops at Saratoga on October 17th 1777 beroy surrendered his 5,000 soldiers to the Continental Army the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga was the major turning point in the war this victory convinced the French to recognize American independence and form a military alliance with the new nation which changed the course of the war by opening the door to badly needed military support from France still smarting from their defeat by Britain in the Seven Years War the French supplied the United States with gunpowder and money as well as soldiers and Naval forces that proved decisive in the defeat of Great Britain the French also contributed military leaders including the Marquee de Lafayette who arrived in America in 1777 as a volunteer and served as Washington's Aid to Camp the war quickly became more difficult for the British who had to fight the rebels in North America as well as the French in the Caribbean following France's lead Spain joined the war against Great Britain in 1779 though it did not recognize American independence until 1783 the Dutch Republic also began to support the American revolutionaries and signed a treaty of Commerce with the United States in 1782 Great Britain's effort to isolate New England in 1777 failed in June 1778 the occupying British force in Philadelphia evacuated and returned to New York City in order to better defend that City and the British then turned their attention to the southern [Music] colonies 6.3 war in the South learning objectives by the end of this section you will be able to outline the British southern strategy and its results describe key American victories and the end of the war identify the main terms of the Treaty of Paris 1783 by 1778 the war had turned into a stalemate although some in Britain including prime minister Lord North wanted peace King George III demanded that the colonies be brought to obedience to break the deadlock the British revised their strategy and turned their attention to the southern colonies where they could expect more support from loyalists the southern colonies soon became the center of the fighting the southern strategy brought the British success at first but thanks to the leadership of George Washington and general Nathaniel Green and The crucial assistance of French forces the Continental Army defeated the British at Yorktown effectively ending further large scale operations during the war Georgia and South Carolina the British architect of the war strategy Lord George Germaine believed Britain would gain the upper hand with the support of loyalists enslaved people and Native American Allies in the South and indeed this southern strategy initially achieved great success the British began their southern campaign by capturing Savannah the capital of Georgia in December member 1778 in Georgia they found support from thousands of enslaved individuals who ran to the British side to escape their bondage as the British regained political control in Georgia they forced the inhabitants to swear allegiance to the king and formed 20 loyalist regiments the Continental Congress had suggested that enslaved people be given Freedom if they joined the Patriot Army against the British but re evolutionaries in Georgia and South Carolina refus to consider this proposal once again the revolution served to further divisions over race and slavery after taking Georgia the British turned their attention to South Carolina before the Revolution South Carolina had been starkly divided between the back country which harbored revolutionary partisans and the coastal regions where loyalists remained a powerful force waves of violence rocked the back country from the late 1770s into the early 1780s the revolution provided an opportunity for residents to fight over their local resentments and antagonisms with murderous consequences Revenge killings and the destruction of property became Main Stays in the Savage Civil War that gripped the south in April 1780 a British force of 8,000 soldiers besieged American forces in Charleston after 6 weeks of the siege of Charleston the British triumphed general Benjamin Lincoln who led the effort for the revolutionaries had to surrender his entire force the largest American loss during the entire War many of the defeated Americans were placed in jails or in British prison ships anchored in Charleston Harbor the British established a military government in Charleston under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton from this base Clinton ordered General Charles corn Wallace to subdue the rest of South Carolina the disaster at Charleston led the Continental Congress to change leadership by placing General Horatio gates in charge of American forces in the South however General Gates fared no better than General Lincoln at the Battle of Camden South Carolina in August 1780 corn Wallace forced General gates to retreat Retreat into North Carolina Camden was one of the worst disasters suffered by American armies during the entire Revolutionary War Congress again changed military leadership This Time by placing General Nathaniel Green in command in December 1780 as the British had hoped large numbers of loyalists helped ensure the success of the southern strategy and thousands of enslaved individuals seeking Freedom arrived to Aid cornwallis's Army however the war turned in the Americans favor in 1781 General green realized that to defeat Cornwallis he did not have to win a single battle so long as he remained in the field he could continue to destroy isolated British Forces Green therefore made a strategic decision to divide his own troops to wage war and the strategy worked American forces under General Daniel Morgan decisively beat the British at the Battle of cpin in South Carolina General corn Wallace now abandoned his strategy of defeating the backcountry rebels in South Carolina determined to destroy Green's Army he gave Chase as green strategically retreated North into North Carolina at the Battle of Guilford courthouse in March 1781 the British prevailed on the battlefield but suffered extensive losses an out come that paralleled the Battle of Bunker Hill nearly 6 years earlier in June 1775 Yorktown in the summer of 1781 corn Wallace moved his army to Yorktown Virginia he expected the Royal Navy to transport his army to New York where he thought he would join General Sir Henry Clinton Yorktown was a tobacco Port on a peninsula and corn Wallace believed the British Navy would be able to keep the coast clear of Rebel ships sensing an opportunity a combined French and American Force of 16,000 men swarmed the peninsula in September 1781 Washington raced South with his forces now a disciplined Army as did the Marquee de Lafayette and the K de roshambo with their French troops the French Admiral degrass sailed his Naval Force into chesapeak Bay preventing Lord Cornwallis from taking a seaword Escape Route in October 7 1981 the American forces began the battle for Yorktown and after a siege that lasted 8 Days Lord Cornwallis capitulated on October 19th tradition says that during the surrender of his troops the British band played the world turned upside down a song that befitted the Empire's unexpected reversal of Fortune defining American the world turned upside down the world turned upside down reput mly played during the surrender of the British at Yorktown was a traditional English ballad from the 17th century it was also the theme of a popular British print that circulated in the 1790s why do you think these images were popular in Great Britain in the decade following the Revolutionary War what would these images imply to Americans the Treaty of Paris the British defeat at Yorktown made the outcome of the war all but certain in light of the American victory the parliament of Great Britain voted to end further military operations against the rebels and to begin peace negotiations support for the war effort had come to an end and British military forces began to evacuate the former American colonies in 1782 when hostilities had ended Washington resigned as commanderin-chief and returned to his Virginia Home in April 1782 Benjamin Frank Franklin John Adams and John J had begun informal peace negotiations in Paris officials from Great Britain and the United States finalized the treaty in 1783 signing the Treaty of Paris in September of that year the treaty recognized the independence of the United States placed the western eastern northern and southern boundaries of the nation at the Mississippi River the Atlantic Ocean Canada and Florida respectively and gave new englanders fishing rights in the waters off New Finland under the terms of the treaty individual states were encouraged to refrain from persecuting Loyalists and to return their confiscated [Music] property 6.4 identity during the American Revolution learning objectives by the end of this section you will be able to explain loyalist and Patriot sentiments identify different groups that participated in the Revolutionary War the American Revolution in effect created multiple Civil Wars many of the resentments and antagonisms that fed these conflicts predated the Revolution and the outbreak of War acted as the Catalyst they needed to burst forth in particular the middle colonies of New York New Jersey and Pennsylvania had deeply divided populations loyalty to Great Britain came in many forms from wealthy Elites who enjoyed the pre-war status quo to escaped enslaved people who desired the freedom that the British offered loyalists historians disagree on what percentage of colonists were loyalists estimates range from 20% to over 30% in general however of British America's population of 2.5 million roughly onethird remained loyal to Great Britain while another third committed themselves to the cause of Independence the remaining third remained apathetic content to continue with their daily lives as best they could and preferring not to engage in the struggle many loyalists were Royal officials and Merchants with extensive business ties to Great Britain who viewed themselves as the rightful and just defend ERS of the British constitution others simply resented local business and political Rivals who supported the revolution viewing the rebels as Hypocrites and schemers who selfishly used the break with the Empire to increase their Fortunes in New York's Hudson Valley animosity among the tenants of Estates owned by revolutionary leaders turned them to the cause of King and Empire during the war all the states passed confiscation acts which gave the new revolutionary governments in the former colonies the right to seize loyalist land and property to faret out loyalists revolutionary governments also passed laws requiring the male population to take Oaths of allegiance to the new States those who refused lost their property and were often imprisoned or made to work for the new local revolutionary order William Franklin Benjamin Franklin's only surviving son remained loyal to to Crown and Empire and served as Royal Governor of New Jersey a post he secured with his father's help during the war revolutionaries imprisoned William in Connecticut however he remained steadfast in his allegiance to Great Britain and moved to England After the Revolution he and his father never reconciled as many as 19,000 colonists served the British in the effort to put down the rebellion and After the Revolution as many as 100,000 colonists left moving to England or north to Canada rather than staying in the new United States 8,000 white people and 5,000 free black people went to Britain over 30,000 went to Canada transforming that Nation from predominantly French to predominantly British another sizable group of loyalists went to the British West Indies taking enslaved people with them my story Hannah Ingram on removing to Nova Scotia Hannah Ingram was 11 years old in 1783 when her loyalist family removed from New York to St an's point in the colony of Nova Scotia later in life she compiled her memories of that time father said we were to go to Nova Scotia that a ship was ready to take us there so we made all haste to get ready then on Tuesday suddenly the the house was surrounded by rebels and father was taken prisoner and carried away when morning came they said he was free to go we had five wagon loads carried down the Hudson in a Sloop and then we went on board the transport that was to bring us to St John I was just 11 years old when we left our farm to come here it was the last transport of the season and had on board all those who could not come sooner the first transports had come in May so the people had all the summer before them to get set settled we lived in a tent at St an's until father got a house ready there was no floor laid no windows no chimney no door but we had a roof at least a good fire was Blazing and mother had a big loaf of bread and she boiled a kettle of water and put a good piece of butter in a peer Bowl we toasted the bread and all sat around the bowl and ate our breakfast that morning and mother said thank God we are no longer in dread of having shots fired through our house this is the sweetest meal I ever tasted for many a day what do these excerpts tell you about life as a loyalist in New York or as a transplant to Canada enslaved people and Native people while some enslaved people who fought for the Patriot cause received their freedom revolutionary leaders unlike the British did not Grant these allies their freedom as a matter of course Washington the enslaver of more than 200 people during the revolution refused to let enslave Saed people serve in the Army although he did allow free black people to serve in his will Washington did free the people he enslaved in the new United States the revolution largely reinforced a racial identity based on skin color whiteness now a national identity denoted freedom and stood as the key to power Blackness more than ever before denoted servile status indeed despite their class and ethnic differences white revolutionaries stood mostly United in their hostility to both black and Native Americans for enslaved people willing to run away and join the British the American Revolution offered a unique occasion to escape bondage of the half a million enslaved people in the American colonies During the Revolution 20,000 joined the British cause at Yorktown for instance thousands of black troops fought with Lord corn Wallace people enslaved by George Washington Thomas Jefferson Patrick Henry and other revolutionaries seized the opportunity for freedom and fled to the British side between 10 and 20,000 enslaved people gained their freedom because of the Revolution arguably the revolution created the largest slave Uprising and the greatest emancipation until the Civil War After the Revolution some of these African loyalist s immigrated to Sierra Leon on the west coast of Africa others removed to Canada and England it is also true that people of color made heroic contributions to the cause of American independence however while the British offered Freedom most American revolutionaries clung to Notions of black inferiority powerful native peoples who had Allied themselves with the British including the Mohawk and the Creek also remained loyal to the Empire a mohawk named Joseph Brandt whose given name was th and Dana Rose to prominence while fighting for the British during the revolution he joined forces with Colonel Barry St Le during the 1777 Campaign which ended with the surrender of General beroy at Saratoga after the war Brandt moved to the Six Nations Reserve in Canada from his home on theore of Lake Ontario he remained active in efforts to restrict white encroachment onto native lands after their defeat the British did not keep promises they'd made to help their Native American Allies keep their territory in fact the Treaty of Paris granted the United States huge amounts of supposedly british-owned regions that were actually native lands my story boo brinch and Boston King on the Revolutionary War in the Revolutionary War some black people both free and enslaved chose to fight for the Americans others chose to fight for the British who offered them freedom for joining their cause read the excerpts below for the perspective of a black veteran from each side of the conflict boyo brinch was captured in Africa at age 16 and brought to America he joined the Patriot forces and was honorably discharged and emancipated after the war he told his story to Benjamin prentis who published it as the blind African slave in 1810 finally I was in the battles at Cambridge White Plains Monmouth Princeton Newark frogs Point HCK where I had a ball pass through my napsack all which battles the reader can obtain a more perfect account of in history than I can give at last we returned to West Point and were discharged in 1783 as the war was over thus was I a slave for 5 years fighting for Liberty after we were disbanded I returned to my old Master at Woodbury Connecticut with whom I lived one year my services in the American war having emancipated me from further slavery and from being Bartered or sold here I enjoyed the pleasures of a Freeman my food was sweet my labor pleasure and one bright gleam of Life seemed to shine upon me Boston King was a Charleston born ens slav man who escaped his captor and joined the Loyalists he made his way to Nova Scotia and later Sierra Leon where he published his Memoirs in 1792 the excerpt below describes his experience in New York after the war when I arrived at New York my friends rejoiced to see me once more restored to Liberty and joined me in praising the Lord for his mercy and goodness in 1783 the horrors and Devastation of War happily terminated and peace was restored between America and Great Britain which diffused Universal Joy among all parties except us who had escaped from slavery and taken refuge in the English army for a report prevailed at New York that all the slaves in number 2,000 were to be delivered up to their masters although some of them had been 3 or four years among the English this Dreadful rumor filled us all with inexpressible anguish and Terror especially when we saw our Old Masters coming from Virginia North Carolina and other parts and seizing upon their slaves in the streets of New York or even dragging them out of their beds many of the slaves had very cruel Masters so that the thoughts of returning home with them embittered life to us for some days we lost our appetite for food and sleep departed from our eyes the English had compassion upon us in the day of distress and issued out a proclamation importing that all slaves should be free who had taken refuge in the British lines and claimed the sanction and privileges of the proclamations respecting the security and protection of negroes in consequence of this each of us received a certificate from the commanding officer at newor New York which dispelled all our fears and filled us with joy and gratitude what do these two narratives have in common and how are they different how do the two men Describe freedom Patriots the American revolutionaries also called Patriots or wigs came from many different backgrounds and included Merchants shoemakers farmers and sailors what is extraordinary is the way in which the struggle for Independence brought a vast cross-section of society together together animated by a common cause during the war the revolutionaries faced great difficulties including massive Supply problems clothing ammunition tents and Equipment were all hard to come by after an initial burst of enthusiasm in 1775 and 1776 the shortage of supplies became acute in 1777 through 1779 as Washington's ult winter at Valley Forge demonstrates funding the war effort also proved very difficult whereas the British could pay in gold and silver the American forces relied on paper money backed by loans obtained in Europe this first American money was called Continental Currency unfortunately it quickly fell in value not worth a continental soon became a shorthand term for something of no value the new revolutionary government printed a great amount of this paper money resulting in runaway inflation by 1781 inflation was such that 146 Continental dollars were worth only $1 in Gold the problem grew worse as each former Colony now a revolutionary State printed its own currency women in colonial America women shouldered enormous domestic and child rearing responsibilities the war for independence only increased their workload and in some ways solidified their roles Rebel leaders required women to produce articles for war everything from clothing to food stuffs while also keeping their homesteads going this was not an easy task when their husbands and Sons were away fighting women were also expected to provide food and lodging for armies and to nurse wounded soldiers the Revolution opened some new doors for women however as they took on public roles usually reserved for men the Daughters of Liberty an informal organization formed in the mid 1760s to oppose British Revenue raising measures worked tirelessly to support the war effort Esther debert Reed of Philadelphia wife of Governor Joseph Reid formed the ladies Association of Philadelphia and led a fundraising drive to provide sorely needed supplies to the Continental Army in the sentiments of an American woman 1780 she wrote to other women the time is arrived to display the same sentiments which animated us at the beginning of the Revolution when we renounced the use of tees however agreeable to our taste rather than receive them from our persecutors when we made it appear to them that we placed former necessaries in the rank of superfluities when our Liberty was interested when our Republican and laborious hands spun the flax prepared the linen intended for the use of our soldiers when Exiles and fugitives we supported with courage all the evils which are the concomitants of War Reed and other women in Philadelphia raised almost $300,000 in Continental money for the war women who did not share Reed's prominent status nevertheless played key economic roles by producing Homespun cloth and food during shortages some women formed mobs and rested supplies from those who hoarded them crowds of women beset merchants and demanded fair prices for goods if a merchant refused A Riot would ensue still other women accompanied the Army as camp followers serving as Cooks washer women and nurses a few also took part in combat and proved their equality with men through violence against the hated British this has been US history from Open Stacks openstack textbooks and this free audiobook are covered under a Creative Commons license the full text is available at www.ops.org this project was made possible by CC EO the California Consortium for Equitable change in Hispanic serving institutions open education resources you can learn more about CC EO by visiting the link in this episode's show notes you can find this Audi book anywhere you listen to podcasts including Spotify YouTube Apple podcasts and more instructors can even download a course shell to embed these recordings in canvas courses learn more by visiting www.open audio. us did you find this audiobook helpful if so let us know by leaving a comment and sharing this recording with a colleague or a [Music] friend