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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 32 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. 54 ::1 :: :l .: n