Chapter 05: The American Revolution (1763-1783) Flashcards
1
Q
How did George III coronation (1760) change British and American relations?
A
British colonies: separated & British wanted control
Seven Year’s War → Allies
- the mid-1760s: wanted them to be subordinate
- new laws → supported rulers & not colonists
Taxes: fund wars
2
Q
How was the Navigation Act’s enforcement change with George III coronation?
A
Navigation Act → (until now) Statutory neglect
British saw: colonists “cheating” the treasury
3
Q
How did 18th-century British people view their parliament? How did this compare to that of the Americans?
A
British people: Parliament represent entire empire and right to legislate it
Many not have representation
Theory: VIRTUAL REPRESENTATION
- House of Commons represented the entire empire; whether or not they could vote
- When colonies insisted on representation → no support from Brits
4
Q
What were the “Writs of Assistance?” (1760s)
A
British combat Smuggling: “WRITS OF ASSISTANCE”
- unlimited search warrants to look for smuggling
- 1761: Boston lawyer James Otis argued it was destructive to English liberties
5
Q
What was The Sugar Act (1764)?
A
Who_: Prime Minister George Grenville_
Reduction of molasses into North American from the French West Indies from 6 -3 pence per gallon
Purpose: Strengthen Navigation Act
Also: new way combat smuggling
- Before: light sentence for smugglers in colonies
- Now: accused could be judged without a jury
6
Q
How did the colonists view The Sugar Act (1764)?
A
- Reduction on trade
- Pay a levy otherwise evaded
7
Q
What was the Currency Act of 1764?
A
Reaffirmed earlier ban on colonies issuing paper as “legal tender”
8
Q
What was the Stamp Act (1765)?
A
First time Parliament directly raised taxes (not through trade regulations)
All printed materials produced in colonies required a stamp purchase from authorities
Motivation: finance operations of the empire
9
Q
How did the Stamp Act affect the colonists?
A
Affected all colonists: (especially writers)
- Directly challenged authority local elites
- wanted to defend authority in the name of liberty
Opposition: First drama of the revolutionary era
infringed “English Liberties”
10
Q
How did the colonial and British outlook on “colonial rights” compare in the 18th century? How did this affect taxation laws?
A
Colonial outlook: Same rights as Britons
Name of liberty: right to govern self
British outlook: All of the empire subject to the Parliament
Surrendering taxation to colonies: dangerous president
11
Q
What two views existed regarding the Stampt Act in America?
A
Distinguish between: (One view)
- “internal” taxes → Parliament no right impose
- Regulations through trade → Parliament right
Other View:
- Parliament no right to tax them at all
- not represented in House of Commons
12
Q
What was the rallying cry of American opponents to British’s taxation laws?
A
“No taxation without representation”
13
Q
What were the 4 resolutions of Patrick Henry (approved by the Virginia House of Burgesses in the 1760s)?
A
Enjoyed same: cornerstone British freedom
- liberties
- privileges
- franchises
- immunities
Rejected: call to resistance
14
Q
What was the Stamp Act Congress?
A
27 delegates from nine colonies
15
Q
What did the Stamp Act Congress of October 1765 do?
A
Stamp Act Congress > met in New York to endorse Virginia
- Start Resolution: “subordination to Parliament”
- wanted right to consent to taxation
Merchants boycotted British goods
16
Q
How did resistance to the Stamp Act not lead to a revolution?
A
All colonies in Northern Hemisphere protested > only half wanted independence
saw liberties safer in the British colony
17
Q
How did “liberty” play an important role in resistance to British taxation laws in the 1760s?
A
- Mock funerals for liberty → person revived last minutes
- Liberty tree → large elm tree
18
Q
What was the Committee of Correspondence (1760s)?
A
Committee to oppose Sugar and Currency Act
19
Q
What physical resistance towards to Stamp Act occurred in 1765?
A
1765: Sons of Liberty
- lead protest processions
- posted notices about liberty
- Enforced British boycott
20
Q
What was the Declaratory Act of 1766?
A
Repealed Stamp Act
- Rejected Americans’ claim that they could levy taxes
- “Parliament power to pass laws for people in America for ever
- Needed more tax money
21
Q
What land conflicts took place in South Carolina in the 1760s with the Regulators?
A
- South Carolina
- group of wealthy residents
Protested: underrepresentation and legislator’s failure to establish local governments
Condemned “rich and powerful”
1771: Battle of Alamance
farmers suppressed by militia
22
Q
What Land Conflict took place in North Carolina (1760s)?
A
Mobilized small farmers
- refused pay taxes
- kidnapped local officials
- assaulted homes
Motivation: corrupt country authority
23
Q
What was the Townshend Act of 1767?
A
Who: Chancellor of the Exchequer → Charles Townshend
Colonies: said Britain right to impose trading taxation
Act:
- tax on goods imported into colonies
- create new board of customs (1) collect them and (2) suppress smuggling
24
Q
How [3] and why did the colonies reimpose the ban on British goods in 1768?
A
Resistance to the Townshend Act
(1) Relying on American goods (not British) symbol of resistance
Women spun and wove at home: Daughters of Liberty
(2) Appealed to Chesapeake farmers:
increasing money to British merchants
NONIMPORTATION: could reduce British luxuries without making people think you were poor
(3) Urban Artisans: supported boycott
streets filled with protests against Parliament
25
What happened in the Boston Massacre (March 05, 1770)?
* fight British troops and citizens
* 5 Bostonians dead
Died: **Crispus Attucks**
* Baited British officers
* mixed Indian-African-white decent
Trial: Commanding officer and 8 guards
* defender: John Adams
* 7 found not guilty
* 2 convicted manslaughter
26
Explain Paul Revere's depiction of the Boston Massacre:
part Boston Sons of Liberty
Circulated (inaccurate) depictions of British soldiers into an unarmed crowd
27
What was the **Nonimportation** movement in 1768?
could reduce British luxuries without making people think you were poor
28
How did the Nonimportation movement collapse in 1770?
1. **Merchants reduction in profit**
2. **Elite could not live without British goods**
British merchants wished removal possible sources of interruption to trade:
1. Townshend repealed
2. Only tea tax remained
3. Removed troops from Boston
29
How did Americans view British in 1770?
1. Corrupt (like own ministers)
2. Thought Anglican Church going to send Bishops to America
30
Explain what happened when the East India Company trade monopoly bubble collapsed (1770s)?
Bubble collapsed → **government bailout:**
**1. market Chinese tea in North America**
* enable to dump low-priced tea on American markets
* undercut merchants and smugglers
**2. Series of tax exemptions and rebates**
31
What was the American Response to the Government Bailout of the East India Company and tea tax in the 1770s?
* tax on tea not new
* Saw payment as acknowledgment of British right of tax on colonies
* resistance in ports
32
What happened during the **Boston Tea Party** (December 16, 1773)?
1. Group colonists (disguised as Indians) boarded three ships in Boston
2. Threw 300 chests of tea into the water
Losses: **£10,000** (the equivalent of more than $4 million today).
33
What was the British response to the Boston Tea Party?
Swift and decisive
Parliament **closed Boston ports till tea was paid for**
34
How did the "Intolerable Acts" alter the Massachusetts Charter of 1691?
* authorized governor appoints members to the council
* Empowered military commanders to lodge soldiers in private homes
35
What was the **Quebec Act?** What did the colonists react?
1. Extended Canadian border to Ohio River
2. Granted **legal toleration to Roman Catholic Church in Canada**
_Angered colonists:_
* questioned land claims
* thought London conspiring to strengthen Catholicism
36
How did the opposition of the Intolerable Acts move to the rural areas? (example Worcester)
Opposition to Intolerable Acts \> **move to rural areas** (not previously active)
_September 1774:_ **Worcester** (Massachusetts)
* 4600 militiamen from 37 towns
* lined both sides of Main Street \> British officials walked between them
* In month: **_Suffolk Resolves_**
series of resolution
urged Americans to refuse obedience to new laws + withhold taces + prepare war
37
What was the *Suffolk Resolves?*
series of resolution
urged Americans to refuse obedience to new laws + withhold taces + prepare war
38
What did the Continental Congress do in regards to the Intolerable Acts?
**Coordinate resistance to Intolerable Acts**
* convened Philadelphia \> leaders 12 main colonies (not Georgia)
* Delegates:
1. George Washington
2. Richards Henry Lee
3. Partick Henry
**March 1775:**
Henry concluded speech urging the Virginia convention to begin military preparations
39
What did the Continental Congress do in October 1774?
1. Endorced **Suffolk Resolves**
2. adopted **Continental Association** (called halt to trade Britain and West Indies)
3. authorized **local Committees of Safety** \> implement mandates take actions against "enemies of American liberties"
businessmen tried profit from scarce goods
40
What was the Committee of Safety's purpose in the 1770s?
How did they function in New York?
**Committees of Safety:**
Process transferring effective political power
From: established governments (derived Britain)
To: _grassroots bodies_
* 1775: 7000 men
* farmers, city artisans, propertyless laborers
_New York:_
refused endorse Association \> local committees enforced anyway
41
How did the common talk of liberty in the 1770s influence _Joseph Allen's_ sermons? How did this deviate from Anglicanism?
1775: common talk of liberty
Lots of PAMPHLETS
**1772**: **_Joseph Allen_** sermon \> most popular before independence
_Deviation from Anglicanism:_
* increasingly based freedom claims on (1) _natural rights_ and (2) _universal freedom_
* John Locke's theory of natural rights
* Thomas Jefferson wrote *A Summary View of the Rights of British America*
* NOT: historical rights of an Englishman
42
When was the Second Continental Congress?
May 1775
43
What events in April 1775 led to the start of the Ameican War of Independence?
_Who_: British soldiers & Massachusetts citizens
_Events_:
**01**: April 19 \> British soldiers marched from Boston to Concord (objective: seize arms)
**02**: Paul Revere and other Bostoners warned local leaders
**03**: Militiamen resisted British advance
**04**: **_Battle of Lexington and Concord_**
* fight
* 49 Americans dead & 73 British
Result: Began the American War of Independence
44
What happened during and leading up to the Battle of Lexington and Concord (April 1775)?
01: April 19 \> B_ritish soldiers marched from Boston to Concord_ (objective: seize arms)
02: Paul Revere and other Bostoners warned local leaders
03: Militiamen resisted British advance
04_: Battle of Lexington and Concord_
* fight
* 49 Americans dead & 73 British
Result: Began the American War of Independence
45
What happened during May 1775 (*during the War of Independence)?*
_Who_: Ethan Allen & Green Mountain Boys (Vermont) & Benedict Arnold (Connecticut)
_What_: Surrounded **Fort Ticonderoga** & demanded the surrender
46
What happened during the Winter of 1775 (during the War of Independence)?
_Who_: Henry Knox (George Washington's commander of artillery)
_What_: Ticonderoga cannon dragged to east \> reinforce _siege of Boston_
47
What happened during the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775)?
*Part of American War of Independence*
What: took **British control from Breed's Hill**
48
What happened during March 1775 (*in relation to the War of Independence)?*
_Who_: Sir William Howe (British commander)
_What_: forced out of Boston (due to American cannon)
Cut down original Liberty Tree
49
What actions did the Second Continental Army during the American War of Independence? [3]
1. Continental Army
2. Printed money
3. George Washington as commander
50
How did the British respond to the events in May-March of 1775? [3]
1. Declared colonies in a state of rebellion
2. dispatched thousands of troops
3. closed colonial ports
51
Why did Americans move away from the idea of independence at the end of 1775? [2]
1. British _nationalistic sentiment_
2. Leaders feared to break with Britain result in _further conflict_
52
What were the views in these places on the idea of independence from Britain at the end of 1775?
1. **Massachusetts and Virginia**
2. **Southern Leaders**
3. **New York and Pennsylvania**
[1] **Elites Massachusetts & Virginia** = _supported_ break
[2] **Southern leaders:**
_not keen on break_
November 1775: Outrage → Lord Dunmore's Proclamation (freed any slave bore arms forking
[3] **New York & Pennsylvania:**
diverse population \> different opinions
**_Joseph Galloway:_**
Pennsylvania leader & Second Continental Congress delegate
1. Urged compromise
2. Declared war between northern and southern colonies
53
Who was Thomas Paine?
*(1774: Emigrated to Pennsylvania)*
became part of **advocates for American Independence** (with John Adams and Dr. Benjamin Rush)
Rush suggests he write a pamphlet: ***Common Sense***
54
What was Thomas Paine's pamphlet *Common Sense* about?
January 1776
_began_: attack on hereditary rule and monarchy
Drew on American experience
_End_: outline of the vision of the American Revolution
home of freedom & **"asylum for mankind"**
55
Why was ***Common Sense*** so popular and influential?
Unique: *not ideas*
1. **Mode of expression**
2. **Audience**
previously: targeted elites
Paine _wrote directly_, avoided Latin
One of the _most influential pamphlets of the time_
150,000 copies
used profits to buy supplies for Continental armies
56
When did the Second Continental Congress decide to separate from Great Britain (how did the timeline line up with the publication of *Common Sense)?*
**Spring 1776**: (_6 months after Common Sense_) Second Continental Congress decided to separate from Great Britain
57
When was the United States declared an independent nation?
July 02, 1776
58
When was the Declaration of Independence approved?
July 04, 1776
59
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and what was it about?
Written by Thomas Jefferson (approved by Congress)
What: **Grievances directed against King George III**
1. Quartering troops in colonial homes
2. Imposing taxes
*Deleted by congress:*
* the inhumanity of the slave trade
* overturning colonial laws that sought to restrict imports of slaves
60
What was the immediate impact of the Declaration of Independence?
not grievances (little impact)
Most Impactful: **Preamble** (especially the second paragraph)
* Rights rooted in human nature → not taken away by governments
* Assertion of "the right of revolution"
61
How did the meaning of "American Freedom" before and after the Declaration of Independence?
_From_: "Rights of an **Englishman**"
_To_: "Right of **Mankind**"
* "pursuit of happiness"
* property
* SELF-FULFILLMENT
62
What did **American Exceptionalism** mean in the late 18th century?
the belief that the **US has a special mission:**
[1] _refuge from tyranny_
[2] _symbol of freedom_
[3] _model rest of the world_
* central to American nationalism
* place of universal freedom
Why Jefferson addressed Declaration to "opinions of mankind" (not colonies or Britain) → global importance
63
What three important things happened (in North America) during 1776?
[1] **Mission Dolores**
* Spanish settlement (San Francisco)
* objective: Throw off Russian advances
[2] **Indian Rebellion in San Diego**
[3] **Lakota Sioux**
* migrated from Minnesota → Black Hills (North Dakota)
* for next century
64
What was the impact of the Declaration of Independence?
_French_ & _German_ (later Spanish) translations
Last in _Spanish_ → *government afraid of rebellion*
Jefferson wanted it to **appeal to all men**
inspired other countries _"declarations of independence"_ (Vietnam and China)
65
What did the American military consist of during 1775-1783?
1775-1783: 200,000 men
**1. Local militias**
* required all able-body men
**2. Continental army**
* inadequately equipped
* volunteers
66
What did the British military consist of during 1775-1783 (*compared with the Americans)*?
Balance of power in their favor
1. Well-trained army
2. World's most powerful navy
3. Experienced military commanders
4. Hessian soldiers *(Germans mercenaries used in revolutionary war)*
67
What upper hand did the American military have in the War of Independence? What (dis)advantages did the British have?
_American Advantages:_
* fighting own turf
* inspired
_British Advantages:_
*Balance of power in their favor*
1. Well-trained army
2. World's most powerful navy
3. Experienced military commanders
4. Hessian soldiers
_British Disadvantages:_
1. Large territory \> time-consuming & costly conquer
2. not a lot of support for raised taxation
3. France eager at the prospect of the British defeat
68
What was Lord Dunmore's proclamation (1775)?
promised freedom to blacked who supported British
69
How did the War of Independence pose an opportunity for Blacks to get freedom?
**Fighting in opposing armies**
_Americans_:
* Beginning war: George Washington not accept black recruits
* Washington changed his mind:
5,000 blacks in army and militias
_British_:
* 1775: Lord Dunmore's proclamation
**How**:
1. Drafting allowed substitute → blacks bargaining power → acquired freedom by taking owners place
2. **1778**: Rhode Island → freedom those enlisted in black regiment
70
How were blacks employed in Southern Caronies during the War of Independence? (*except South Carolina and Georgia)*
enrolled free blacks & slaves
* not promised freedom
* some received it after the war
71
How did blacks fight for the British in the War of Independence?
1. 800 blacks joined **Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment** (before expelled from Virginia)
2. Free blacks joined **Royal Armies** as:
* spies
* guides through swamps
* military cooks, laundresses, and construction workers
72
What happened during the War of Independence in the Summer of 1776 (Middle Colonies)?
*Sir William Howe vs. George Washington*
_Sir William Howe vs. Washington army_
* could stop the war if Howe attack Washington army early on
**Washington**:
* many defeats → none decisive
* never confronted the British directly
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Howe attacked New York
confronted W → almost cut off retreat at Eat River
73
What happened on December 26, 1776 (Trenton, New York) and January 03, 1777 (Princeton), during the War of Independence?
Washington's soldiers demoralized by constant defeat
* many went home
* from 28,000 → 3,000
Effort restore moral
1. Attacked Hessian soldiers
2. Also: Thomas Paine essay read to soldiers:
*The American Crisis*
74
What British movements occurred during the summer of 1777 (during the War of Independence)?
Second British Army (_General John Burgoyne_)
* from Canada
* objective: **unite with Howe** (isolated in New England)
75
What miscommunication took place on October 17, 1777 (between Howe and Burgoyne)?
Howe moved from New York to Philadelphia
* Not know about General John Burgoyne's plan (unite with Howe in New England)
* unintentionally abandoned him
76
What happened during September 1777 (during the War of Independence)?
Continental Congress fled to Lancaster (Pennsylvania)
Howe took City of Brotherly Love
77
What happened during the Battle of Saratoga (October 17, 1777)?
Americans surrounded Burgoyne's forces → forced to surrendered
* Burgoyne abandoned by Howe
* Howe in City of Brotherly Love
Boosted morale Americans
78
What happened during the Winters of 1777 and 1778 with the British and American Armies?
*The fighting came to halt (like most other 18th century wars in winter)*
_British_:
* British Army Commander**: Sir Henry Clinton**
* quartered in Philadelphia
_Americans:_
Washington Army: encamped Valley Forge (**suffered**)
* some went home
* others suffered
* end:
mostly African-Americans, immigrants = 1/2 army
rest: landless or unskilled laborers
79
What was the **Treaty of Amity and Commerce** in 1778?
*Made war a global affair*
Americans convinced **France join the war against Britain**
* Benjamin Franklin (leader Americans diplomats)
* France support America → military assistance
* Spain also joined America
_French Role:_
Originally: _attacked British ships in West Indies_
decisive role
80
What happened role did the Indians play in the War of Independence (Trans-Appalachian West)?
How much authority did the Indians have after the war ended in the region?
1. borderland conflict
2. struggle for independence
_Situation:_
* After Seven Years' Wars \> British authority weak (compared to France)
* Indians considerable authority
* Patriots' victory \> shift of power away from tribes to white settlers
81
How were the Indians affected after/despite the Proclamation of 1763?
Despite Proclamation of 1763 \> 1760-1770s
* Colonial movement westwards
* Indians complain
* 1772: Lord Dunmore \> **impossible to force colonials to treat Indians honorable**
Patriot leaders \> **invested in land speculation**
Washington: 60,000 acres of land in western Pennsylvania (after SYW)
How: purchased land vouchers from men (discount)
82
What divided allegiances existed between the Native Americans during the War of Independence?
1. Stockbridge tribe
2. Iroquois nation
3. Oneida
4. Cherokee tribe
**1790**: (Mississippi River) 200,000 Native Americas
*Divided allegiances*
**_Stockbridge tribe: (_**Massachusetts) losses fighting British
Many tribes:
* tried to maintain neutrality
* tries to break into pro-British or pro-American factions
**_Iroquois nations:_** British side
**_Oneida_**: American side
Iroquis fought each other
South:
**_younger Cherokee_**: joined British
**_older chiefs_**: favor Americans
83
How was the Patriot view that Indians were "not humane" echoed in the Declaration of Independence?
Among grievances in Declaration of Independence: **British enlisting "savages"**
84
How was the patriot attitude that the Indians were savage seen in 1776 South Carolina?
1776 (South Carolina) **_William Henry Drayton_**
* leader patriot cause
* advised officers marching against Cherokees & enslave all Indian captives
85
How was the patriot attitude that the Indians were savage seen in 1779 by Goerge Washington?
1779: Washington dispatched **expedition against hostile Iroquois**
* leader: General John Sullivan
* buried 40 Indians, destroyed 1000 corn bushes
86
What was Daniel Morgan's effect on the American War of Independence in the South (January 1781)?
Defeated British Forces
Where: **Cowpens, South Carolina**
87
What happened during the War of Independence in March 1781 in the North Carolina?
March 1781: General Nathanael Greene **inflicted heavy losses on British**
* Where: Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina
* English leader: Cornwallis
* French helped win
88
What happened during the Battle of Yorktown (October 19, 1781)?
How did this victory contribute to the British abandoning the war?
French and Americas
Cornwallis surrendered army (8,000 men)
Reached London:
1. Public support shattered
2. peace negotiations began
89
What was the **Treaty of Paris** (September 1783)?
American delegation: *John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay*
1. Won recognition of American independence
2. Gained control entire region between Canada and Florida (east of Mississippi River)
3. Loyalists
* not prosecuted
* property returned
