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1
? lncepencence :novemenl5
Tlae Amnerican
War o{ Independence
Although they lvere unaware ol it at the time ' on Apnl \9 ' 177 i ' tllre
Waroflndepenc|encebeganinMassachuSettS.Fearinginsurgencl',
militiasl
members of the Britlsh Regular Army 1as opposed to local
that
provisitlns
military
were seltt ro the town of Concord to take any
concord
were being held there. colonial militiamen resisted in both
Boston'
and Lexington, forcing the British Regulars to retreat to
colonials'
which was then attacked by
A
Discussion Paint
The question wos not, whether bY a
declorotion of indePendence, we
should moke ourselves whot we
are not, but whether we should
declore a fact thot alreody exists.
Thomas Jefferson on the i'eason
for indePendence, iune i776
Second Continental Congress was convened that appointed
George Washington as commander o{ the Coniinental army
recojnizing that he had much w'rk to do with limited resolrrces;
not yet
rhis army was composed of untrained soldiers who had
as a
been organized. Washingtonts sociai status and repr'rtation
the right
hirn
made
successful officer in the French and IntJian war
the
choice to organize and oversee the army' In March 1776'
the
Continental army's cannons pointed at Boston and forced
I(nowing
Scotia.
Nova
Halifax,
evacllation ol the British Regulars to
Nationalism is not the owokening
of notions
to
self-consciousness;
invents notions where theY do
it
not
extst.
Ernest Ceilner'
Tho
uqht
ond Change, 1964
Compare and contrast the
meanings of the two
quotations. Are the ideas
presented here
contradictory or can theY
apply to the same case?
thathehadthenumericaladvantage,Washingtontriedtoforcea
(Quebec)' The
fast victory by attacking the British in Nlontreal
colonialforcelackedthestrengthforasustainedsiege,sooncethe
|6ss'
British retreated into the walled city, the colonials were at 3
had
When reinforcements reached the British' the American army
to retreat to New Yorl<'
strength as tl'rey
was to
strategy
Their
took both New York City and Philadelphia'
ln I776, it appeared that the British were gaining
divideandconquer:theintentwastoseparateNewEngland{romtl-re
a time'
middle and southern colonies and then tackle one area at
htm to
wanted
they
Recognizing the military genius of Washington'
remain isoiated from other strong ieaders'
wariare
Unfortunately for the British. the colonists used the type of
thatworkedtotheilaclvantage:grrerriilawarfare.TheAmericans
.rleas
knew the territory well, and in particular could Llse ihe Iorested
natural
for refuge and attack. The British were often stumbling across
it
making
barriers sttch as lakes or rivers that they didn't know of;
wherc thc'y
necessary to reroute the soldiers, o{ten into enem,v areas
frorn
sr:ffered
Burgol'ne
were then ambushed. ln 1777, General John
ol
battie
the
at
this calamity and his battalion was forcecl to surrender
Discusslon POint
Guerrilla warfare
ln the colonY of South
Carolina, Francis Marion,
known as the SwamP Fox,
used guerrilla warfare against
the Brtrsh. Thrs tYPe oI warfare
includes:
*
{ighting a war of attritton
(wearing the enemY down);
a
using knowledge of the
area io ambush larger,
Saratoga.
While the fighting continued. the British offered conciliatory
however,
measllres and there were oifers for peace . After July 1776,
rhe Americans were unwiiling io accept anir offer that did not
inclucle independence. Lexington and Concord were the turning
prtints in which American colonists no longer desired autonomy;
Ti-tis
ih"_r-' ,ln* wanteci complete freedom frotn the British Crorryn.
Indepetlticnce'
of
r,vas articlilated in the Declaration
belter-armed arrnles;
e
emPloYrng "hit and run"
tactics to minimize
casualties.
What other examPles of
guerriila warfare Co You know
of? rr what inslances :s ii ro'e
successful than conventionai
warfare? Why?
30
**eEere€Er:ct s€ Eetdepenxdene*,'277&
ar the beginning oi tlte War oi irrciepenrience, tire gbjecriyes ot the
Colonisrs \,vere not entireit, Clear, erren to those iigl-rtln.q. Once again,
the Continet'ital Congress \^/aS convened to de cide the coilectlr/e \4'ar
aims {oi the 1i coionies. It was detettlined tl-rai tire colonies i'rad to
presenl a r-rnired lront, and that ttuaninitt, wolild be necessarl'tor
ant, decis'on: lhere rvere 56 reilresentatives {ron rhe coior-ries inrith
diverse and ottcn disparate Viern;points repi-esenred. In Jltne 1776'
tire Congrcss named tire COt'unittee o1 Firze to n'rile a statement tlt
comr1on action witl'r the tLnderstanding tl-rat all represenLalives lnust
appr0\,e tire docurlent {o1 it to be reieased. T}re commitLee included
John Aclans, Beniartrin Frat-rklin, Robert Livingsttiit alrd Rtlger
Sherm.an, but rire Lrue author o1 the dralt r,r,ould be Thomas
plesentcci to
-le{[erson, a represenlative [Iom Virginia. The draft was
the Congress whtch debafed the Lcrus ar-rd edired ir so thal rhet'
couid reach coltsensus. The final product le{t most o1 Jefferson's
rvolds intaci; this was tci become the Declaration o1 Independetlce'
wl-rich v\/as approved on Jr-rly 4, 1776. The Declaration n'as a f()rmal
statenenl of the liberation of the I I ctilonies from Britain and
the crealion of a new countr,\r-the united Stares o1 America.
The Declaration shotryed the commitment o[ these colonies t0 merge
/
intcl one pgiitical unit that wor,rld work cgllectively to overthro\
British rule. lt also gave the rationale for independence and
explained the grievances that the colonists had against l(ing George
III and the mother countrY.
Thomas Jefferson (t743-l 826)
The third president of the United States and main
author of the Declaration of lndependence was born
to wealthy landowners in the colony of Virginia'
He attended the College of William and Mary and
studied law.ln 1772, he married Martha Wayles Skelton
and went to his home in Monticello to run the estate.
He was a member of the House of Bur:gesses anC then
the Contrnental Congress; while a quiet member of
Congress, he was an eloquent writer who used his
talent to sway people to the cause of colonial
autonomv. ln 1774, he wrote 'A Summary View of the
Riehts of British America" in whrch he criticized the
CJercive Acts and lustified colonial actions such as the
Boston Tea Party not just on legal grounds but also as
part of the natural rights of British Americans. At the
age of 53, this "srlent member" of the Congress was
unk"d to draft the Declaration of Independence with
the assistance of four others.
During the war he served as Covernor of Virginia.
ln 1785, he replaced Benjamin Franklin as the US
Minister to France and served as Secretary of State until
his endorsement of the French Revolution led to
con{iict with other members of Washington's Cabinet,
so ne restQnec ln | /95.
As American politictans became
polarized on the issue of the
French Revoiution and the
nature of government, Jefferson
became a supporter of the
Democratic-RePublicans agatnst
the Federalisis. He was an oPPonent
of strong central Sovernment and
wrote vehement articles'advocating states' rights. He
by
ran for president in 1796 and lost to John Adams
.l800
he
in
president,
and
vice
becoming
three votes,
the
term,
first
ln
his
vote'
one
by
president
was elected
US acquired the Louisiana Purchase from France
(1803) and he supported the Lewis and Clark
expedition to explore the tenitory between,the United
States and the Pacific Ocean. In his second term, he
confronted more pressing domestic issues in the wake
of US expansion and sought to avoid his country's
oarticipation in the war betureen France and Creat
britain. After his second term he retired to Monticello,
selling his books to the US Sovernment to form the
Library of Congress and foundingthe University of
Virginia, the first non-sectarian university in the United
States. He died on July
4,
1826, lhe 50th anniversary
of the document that made him famous.
5t
1 r :ndependence 'novenents
ActiviU
Extracts from the Deciaration of lndependence, July 4, 17V6
Source A
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve
the political bands which have connected them wiih another, and to assume .. . the
separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle
thim, a decent respecr to the opinions of mankind requires that they shouid declare
the causes which impei them to the separation.
=4j<.-?*.e.n#<3.?-r-:-.25*q-.t=7-+
Questions
t
2
ln this passage, what rs Jefferson expiaining?
What does Jefferson mean when he wrote that "all men are created equal"?
Source
I
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 ol Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from rhe consent of the governed.
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
-That
right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government -..
Prudence. indeed, will dictate rhat Governments long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes. ... But when a long train of abuses and
usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object. eviaces a design to reduce them
under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw of{ such
Government, and to provide new Guards for their luture security. ... The history of the
present I(ng of Great Britain is a history o{ repeated injuries and usurpations, all
having in direct object the estabiishment of an absoiute Tyranny over these States.
Questions
I
2
How are people allowed to pursue "unaiienable rights"?
What are the "repeated rnluries and usurpations" that Jefferson refers to?
Source
'
C
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States ol America, in General Congress,
Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our
intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies
solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Rigtrlqqgt-tt to b_e.
Free and rndependent grares; rhat rEJ3rg iEglveclirq.gr41g1.5t9rl.-rg4:94+
crown_ and Lhar_all political connecrion berw-een lhel1jrnd th.g-$ate ofsr:sa,i^3rjfatl*is.
and oughr ro b..tEl@frffi]
and that, as Free and Independent states, they have
tql.-yyJkr. cqg9dc&ace. cg$Ieglj4g$, es1abJrib.S-s::ll:gge, and do
Jy-11-fsw-.:*.r
+itjtl:.:Ast
gggf
l1g!;-*"
Questions
I
2
What is iefferson statrng in this concluding paragraph?
What rights do the "United Colonies" have?
General discussion
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1
2
3
How does the Declaration reflect the historical context in whrch it was written?
Who was the primary intended audience?
What makes this so revoiutionarv for the time?
t
;. The Ar^nei-ican Wai-
of independence
Ehe Ba€tEe s€ Sara€*ga
Tire Battle oi Sararoga teplesenrcd a kev trlming puint in the
Revoluti0r-rar,v Wat. The advance of troops began when the British
York and
decided ro send an arlTr\r from canacia to take Llpsiate New
the Hudson River, to drvide the Americans in Neu'England from t1-re
lrom
rest of the colonies. Afrer successfulll' taking Fort Ticonderoga
General
the patriots, the 6,000-man royalisi arin,v led by Major
advanced to the city of Alban,v which they found protected
eurloyne
b,v 7,000
Americans led by Major General Gates'
Sepren'fierI9,1777,mat]<edthefirstBatt]eofSaratoga.TheRritislr
attackedthepatriotsatFreeman'sFarmat'rddtovethemintoaretreat
Tl-re British
tc, Bemis Heigl'rts rryith sr-tbstanrial casualties on both sides.
rhem
kept up theiiassault on the patriots but this oniy served ro wear
The fulidctwn, so on october 7 the patriots decided to counteratrack.
wheu
letleat;
to
{orced
on attack stunned the British who were then
they reached Saratoga, Burgoyne surrendered to the patriots'
and
The British never managed t0 sever ties between New England
the rest of the coionies, and seeing the success of the patriots, the
The
French decicied to support the cause of American independence.
British
the
and
colonies consolidated their control ovel the north,
\^/here they thougirt
srn irched their efforts to fighting in the south
victorl''
lhere was a gt'eater chatlcc of
Foreign intervesltioEl: France, Prussia, Spain
the beglnnrng of the war, the Continental Congress met with the
to
French to try and secure an alliance, although France was eager
French
reverse the fortunes of the British after their victory in the
the
o{
support
and Indian War. In 1776, they began the covert
revoludonary forces by providing the Americans with armaments
the
and use of their ports' Seeing the American success at Saratoga'
ln
and
fotces
American
French were convinced of the viability of the
1778 signed treaties ol commerce and alliance with the newiy-created
joined the
united States of America. Spain and the Netherlands also
war on tl-re side of the United States tn 1779 and 1780 respectively'
A1
seas
The French proved to be an especialiy helpful ally on the high
thin,
navy
its
where rhe exrent o{ the British Empire had stretched
leavingitunabletopatrolal]areas.French,SpanislrandDutchnavies
preven".edaBritishblockadeoftheUnitedStatesandal]owed
provisions to continue to arrive, while also interrupting the flow of
trade from the west Indies to Great Bdtain. ln 177 6 alone, the amounl
ofsugarshippedtoBritainwashalved.However,theAmericanvictory
Crown
over the British wor-rld prove costly to France' and the French
wats
previous
three
the
in particular; it cost the French more than
Discussion Point
The soidrers returned to France with a feelrng of success and victory.
Havingfoughttnawarthatgaverightsandprivi|egestoordtnaryCltlzens,
how would these soldiers feel about returntng homing to an absolutist
resime? How did the US War of independence affect France?
Discussion Point
How has the scorched-ear-th
policy been used tn other
wars?
33
I * lndecendence movements
ir had fought put together. This left the French with a financial crisis
that would ultimately end the regime of Louis XW'
The British also received {oreign assistance, with support from the
Gerrnan kingdoms and the Native Americans who feared American
expansionism. Various members of the German confederation
provided 30,000 soidiers that served in the uS war of Independence.
Native Americans attackecl frontier settlements in New York and
Pennsylvania. often from bases in the Ohio terntory to the west.
The Continental Army retained control of the highly strategic Fort
pitt (Iocated ar the confluence of the Aliegheny, Monongahela
and
Ohio rivers) and pursued a scorched-eartir policy against the natives,
destroying villages and crops, and making thern a negligibie force
in the war.
The end of the war and the Trea$ o{ Paris
In 1778, the British felt they'needed to change their tactics and
focused on the southern states instead. They believed that the
southern colonies were more loyal and that resistance wouid coliapse
once they feit the force of armed combat in their regions. Once again,
the British found themselves the target of guerrilla warfare and while
they took the cities of Savannah, Georgia and Charles Town in South
Carolina, they were unabie to penetrate the inland territories. The
American forces success{uily undertook a policy of attrition, and
while they lost most of the battles, they uitirnately succeeded in
wearing down the British. In 1781, Lord Cornwallis foughr what
proved to be the finai major battle of the war. At Yorktown (Virginia)
Washington and the French General Rochambeau trapped the
Cornwallis forces on the peninsula of Yorktown with 17,000 soldiers.
The French navy prevented British ships from landing and
provisioning or reinforcing the British army, and Cornwallis
surrendered his army of 7,000 men in October 178 i.
The British government determined that it ivas more coslly to
continue the war, especially with French assistance to the Americans.
The Bdtish agreed to a cease-fire wrth the Americans, but figbting
against the French continued until 1782, when the British defeated
the French navy in the Caribbean. In the Treaty of Paris (i783), the
British formally recognized the independence of the United States of
America and ceded all of its territory east o{ the Mississippi River and
south of the Great Lakes. The United States demanded canada, but
the British rebuffed this and maintained its colonial possessions in
America north of the Great Lakes. with this, the United states was
now independent and could pulsue its own destiny as an independent
country. Its influence in the region and the world was yet to be
established, but a precedent had been set: colonies could overthrow
their imperlal powers and estabiish their own state with its own
structure of government. The infllence of the mother country would
be evident in the new state, br-rt direct oversight rrvas gone.
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