Chapter 8: America Secedes from the Empire (1775-1783)

Congress May 1775 the Second Continental Congress met, wanted to continue fighting to get the British Drafts George government to redress their grievances, and passed laws to raise money for an army and navy Washington Also, they drafted George Washington to lead the improvised army in Boston to coop up the outnumber British there, despite him not having had much experience or talent But Washington was a strong leader and character and a rallying point His selection was mostly political; the Congress chose a Virginian because was the largest and most populous colony, an inheritor of wealth because could not be construed as pursuing it, and an aristocrat because could check the excesses of the masses Bunker Hill and Hessian Hirelings April 1775 to July 1776 pre-War fighting was characterized by desire to make amends and remain loyal to Britain while simultaneously fighting its troops May 1775 American troops under Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold overwhelmed the British Ticonderoga and Crown Point and seized valuable gunpowder and artillery June 1775 the colonists tried to seize Bunker Hill but ran out of gunpowder, but suffered less casualties than the British despite being outnumbered July 1775 the Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition that said that America was loyal to Britain and asked King George III to prevent further hostilities But August 1775 George III proclaimed the colonies in rebellion And September 1775 George III hired German Hessian mercenaries, and colonists shocked that outsiders be brought into the conflict

The Abortive October 1775 the British burned Falmouth, Maine Conquest of Autumn of 1775 the Americans tried to invade Canada because thought that the French Canada disliked being under British rule, Canada would become another colony, and the British could use it as a launch pad to attack America But the attack went against the Americans' claim that they were fighting defensively The Canadian campaign was almost successful; General Richard Montgomery captured Montreal and he and General Benedict Arnold tried to capture Quebec, but were defeated January 1776 the British burned Norfolk, Virginia February 1776 the colonists defeated the Loyalists at Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina March 1776 British troops and high-ups were forced to leave Boston June 1776 the colonists defeated a British fleet at Charleston harbor, Virginia But, Americans still denied that they wanted independence Thomas Paine The Americans continued to deny that they wanted independence because of deeply ingrained loyalty, colonial disunity, and the riskiness of open rebellion Preaches 1776 radical Thomas Paine published pamphlet Common Sense that pointed out the colonists' Common inconsistency and urged them to rebel Sense Paine and the Paine argued for a republic, a new kind of political society, in which the people are sovereign Idea of Republicanism had roots in classical Greece and Rome, was revived in the Renaissance, but Republicanis existed uneasily in the British mixed government of the king, nobility, and commons m The colonists, influenced by republic-minded British politicians' writings, thought that the

Crown was trying to abolish their liberties, as evidenced by the royal acts of the previous decade The colonists were predisposed to republicanism; had town meetings, elections, and committees of correspondence, had much more socio-economic equality, and valued citizen virtue But some Patriots wanted a natural aristocracy of talent, in which republicanism would end hereditary aristocracy but not social hierarchy, because feared that liberty would destabilize the social order Jefferson's July 2, 1776 the Second Continental Congress outright declared Americas independence Explanation But still needed something to enlist other British colonies, invite foreign aid, and rally of resistance and home Independence So July 4, 1776 Thomas Jefferson finished writing the Declaration of Independence that justified their breaking away by arguing that King George III had infringed upon the natural rights of humankind and listing them Effects of the Declaration: The Patriots were now rebels, not loving subjects seeking reconciliation Foreign aid easier to obtain Inspired numerous other revolutions worldwide, incl. the French Revolution Patriots and Loyalists Patriots (Whigs) fought both American Loyalists (Tories) and British recoats Only a minority of Americans were involved or supportive of the Revolution, with most neutral or apathetic So both sides tried to get Americans to side with them, but the rebels were more successful because the British could only influence when they could maintain a large military presence, so once they left the rebels would come in and commence political education The Loyalists: Made up about 16% of the population Loyalty was ingrained in America as virtuous Most were educated, wealthy, older, royal officers, and Anglican clergy who were satisfied with where they were and worried that change would be for the worse Usually, the stronger the Anglicanism, the stronger the Loyalism, but not in Virginia because of debted aristocrats Were strongest in New York City, Charleston, Quaker Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and were weakest in New England After the Declaration of Independence, persecution of Loyalists increased greatly in intensity So ~80,000 Loyalists fled, and their estates were sold by the Patriots to fund the war Loyalists volunteered in the British army, spied, incited Indians, and forced Patriot soldiers to stay home to protect their families

The Loyalist Exodus

Many aristocratic Loyalists thought themselves the better sort of people and thought that Makers of separation would result in anarchy and that the Patriots didnt have a chance America: The Average people who were Loyalists included: Loyalists Veterans from the Seven Years War who had settled in New York with land grants Recent immigrants from the non-English British isles, esp. Scotland and Ireland Some Dutch, German, and French, because thought that the British would grant greater religious freedom

 African-Americans, because hoped that service in the British army would grant them freedom; some ended up free, some abandoned, others sold back into slavery Loyalism could be punished by arrest, exile, confiscation of property, loss of legal rights, and death, so some fled to mostly Britain and Canada, but lived as second-class citizens in Britain Most Loyalists remained in America and reestablished themselves in society, ex. printer Hugh Gaine who sided with the Federalists who wanted a strong central government After Boston evacuated, the British wanted to re-center in New York City, so July 1776 sent a General Washington at massive fleet Washingtons troops were outnumbered and undertrained, so were defeated badly at the Battle Bay of Long Island British General William Howe inexplicably did not crush the American troops soon afterwards So December 26, 1776 Washington crossed the Delaware and captured unsuspecting Hessians, and the next week surprised and defeated the British at Princeton Burgoynes Blundering Invasion 1777 the British adopted a plan to capture the Hudson River Valley under General Burgoyne in order to cut off New England from the rest of America 1776 the remains of General Benedict Arnolds troops from the failed invasion of Canada managed to delay the British and force them to retire to Canada, although he was defeated 1777 Burgoyne began the invasion, but was slowed down by a heavy baggage train, the accompanying women, and the need for a path to be chopped through the forest Meanwhile, Howe moved towards Philadelphia instead of going to join Burgoyne because wanted to destroy Washingtons army and thought he had enough time Late 1777 Howe defeated Washington in battles at Brandywine Creek and Germantown But Howe stayed in Philadelphia, and Washington retired to Valley Forge where his troops finally received training from Baron von Steuben Meanwhile, Burgoyne slogged along, and was surrounded by American militramen, and October 17, 1777 surrendered at Saratoga The victory at Saratoga revived colonial enthusiasm and made it possible to get aid from France France, under Louis XVI, helped America because Wanted revenge against Britain, and thought that the breaking away of America, its most valuable possession, would weaken it The bored aristocracy, read on thinkers ex. Rousseau, were intrigued by the ideal of liberty After 1775 Lexington, gave America firearms and gunpowder, but in secret because did not want in their weakened state to provoke a declaration of war from Britain After Saratoga in 1777, the Parliament belatedly gave the Americans home rule but not independence, and France worried that the revolution would fall through So 1778 France formed an alliance with America and promised them independence, because worried that Britain would regain America and together they would seize the French West Indies, although the Americans were loath to be bound to a hereditary, Catholic enemy

Strange French Bedfellows

The Colonial 1779 Spain and Holland joined France and America against Britain War Becomes Britain's navy was now outnumbered, so 1780 the weak naval forces who were neutral in the a World War conflict formed the Armed Neutrality against Britain under Catherine the Great of Russia America did not defeat Britain per se; France provided a great portion of the capital, arms,

troops, and naval power The British now could not blockade the American coast because of the presence of the French fleet, so evacuated Philadelphia and moved to New York City June 1778 Washington attacked the British at Monmouth, New Jersey, but the battle was inconclusive, and the British escaped to New York Blow and Summer of 1780 French troops under Comte de Rochambeau arrived in Newport, Rhode Counterblow Island and forged good relations with the colonists despite initial friction Later in 1780 General Benedict Arnold turned traitor by planning to selling out the stronghold of West Point to the British because felt underappreciated, but was discovered just in time The British now planned to start in the South, where there were more Loyalists, and work their way north; 1778-79 Georgia was taken over, and 1780 Charleston, South Carolina fell In the Carolinas, Patriot and Loyalist neighbors fought bitterly 1780 and 81 Americans defeated the British at King's Mountain and Cowpens 1781 General Nathaniel Greene led a successful campaign through the most of Georgia and South Carolina against British General Charles Cornwallis The Land Frontier and the Sea Frontier The land frontier: 1777 was the bloody year in which the British-aligned Senecas, Mohawks, Cayugas, and Onondagas under Mohawk chief Joseph Brant attacked the frontiers of Pennsylvania and New York because believed that British victory would slow American expansion into their land; 1779 Americans defeated Brant 1784 the pro-British Iroquois forced to sign the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, the first treaty between Indians and Americans, that ceded most of their land to America But colonists continued to push westward 1778-79 George Rogers Clark captured the scattered posts the British had captured from the French in the wild Illinois, ex. Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes The sea frontier: At the time, the navy consisted of a few ships with daring officers, ex. John Paul Jones, that destroyed British merchant shipping, so brought war to the British Isles Privateers, privately owned armed ships, were authorized by Congress to capture enemy ships, but the British captured about as many American; but diverted effort and was shady; but boosted morale and caused British shippers and merchants to pressure Parliament to end the war

Yorktown and 1780-81 the government was nearly bankrupt and declared that much of its debt would be the Final repaid extremely slowly, so despair, disunity, and mutinosity Curtain British general Cornwallis was waiting at the Chesapeake Bay for supplies from Britain after failed operations in Virginia, so Washington and French attacked them by land and a French fleet under Admiral de Grasse attacked them by sea; October 19, 1781 Cornwallis surrendered Fighting continued stubbornly after the decisive defeat Peace at Paris After Yorktown, many Britons wanted to stop fighting; also, had losses in India, the West Indies, and the Mediterranean, March 1782 Lord Norths ministry collapsed and a Whig ministry rose to power Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay met at Paris to negotiate a peace, and Congress told them to make no separate peace and to consult with the French at all times, but

they did not want to France had promised Spain Gibraltar and the trans-Allegheny area, but the British were fending off assaults, and Americans were already settling there France wanted the new America to be east of the Alleghenies, weak, and manageable for promoting French interest John Jay saw that the French were leaning towards giving trans-Allegheny to Spain, so secretly went to the eager British to negotiate peace 1783 Treaty of Paris: Britain formally recognized Americas independence Britain bounded America by the Great Lakes, the Mississippi, and Spanish Florida The Americans were to cease persecuting Loyalists and allow the repayment of debts to British creditors, but did not do so as Britain wanted them to A New Nation Britain was extremely liberal in the Peace because the Whig ministry wanted to seduce America from its French alliance Legitimized The Paris Foreign Office approved the Peace and France was glad that the expensive conflict was over and that they were freed from their promises to Spain, but were disturbed by the lone wolf quality Britain was now weakened France wanted revenge, but plunged into bankruptcy and revolution Summary The Second Continental Congress appointed Washington as military leader and extended the Olive Branch Petition to Britain, but Britain proclaimed America in rebellion The Americans, still maintaining that they were fighting defensively and not for independence, attempted and almost succeeded in capturing Canada Thomas Paine's Common Sense pointed out the colonists' denial of their want to rebel and urged them to rebel and form a republic; the colonists were split on the republican issue July 1776 the Second Continental Congress declared independence and wrote the declaration of Patriots and Loyalists, all Americans, clashed at home The American victory at Saratoga marked the beginning of French aid to the Americans The French helped America to further their interests, and drew other countries worldwide into the conflict The American/French victory at Yorktown was the decisive battle of the war The Peace of Paris, negotiated in secret with Britain instead of France, recognized America's independence and granted it generous boundaries, and required that it also give some concessions, but it did not Britain was left weakened, and the French Revolution soon occurred