Chapter 6 - The War For Independence

Question 1

What type of event was the American Revolution?

Answer 1

A religious event.

Question 2

Why did religious ministers (Presbyterians and Baptists) advocate for revolution?

Answer 2

The Declaratory Acts declared parliament to be the ultimate authority in all cases whatsoever. Ministers saw this as violating the principle of sola scriptura (in Scripture alone). Parliment was trying to usurp the authority of God. Furthermore, rumors spread that Britain was going to try and force Anglicanism upon the colonies.

Question 3

Why were the terms liberty and freedom explosive (no pun intended) in the colonies?

Answer 3

Because political and religious freedom were intertwined along with the concepts of religious and political liberty. An attack on the political amounted to an attack on the religious values.

Question 4

What types of Churches supported the war?

Answer 4

Presbyterian, Congregational, and Baptist Churches

Question 5

What types of Churches opposed the war?

Answer 5

Methodist, Anglican, Mennonite, Quaker, and Amish Churches

Question 6

How many Presbyterians served in the Continental Army at the Battle of Yorktown?

Answer 6

1/2 of the Continental Army We’re Presbyterian.

Question 7

Why did Christians argue against the War of Independence?

Answer 7

1) Because they were Pacifists.

2) Because they saw Britains abuses as being too light to merit revolution. (John Wesley)

Question 8

How many colonists supported the Patriots, the Loyalists, and how many supported neither?

Answer 8

It was largely split. 1/3 Were Active Patriots, 1/3 Were Active loyalists, and 1/3 Were Undecided. If anything up to 50% of the colonists were undecided.

Question 9

What were the four fatal errors Britain committed during the War of Independence?

Answer 9

1) Failed to Utilize the Loyalists Effectively.
2) British Army Didn’t Defeat the Colonists at their weakest, 1776-77.
3) Did not use their native american allies effectively.
4) British never targeted American colonial leaders.

Question 10

How did the British fail to effectively utilize the loyalists in the colonies?

Answer 10

Britain never gave strategic leadership to the loyalists. However, the loyalists engaged in guerilla warfare that ended up alienating the neutral colonists to become patriots.

Question 11

Why did the British Army not defeat the colonists early despite winning the majority of the early battles of the war?

Answer 11

The British commanders saw themselves as conciliators and not as conquerors. They hoped the colonists would see the error of their ways and rejoin the empire. They waged a sentimental version of war. Retreating and waiting for peace, thus prolonging the war and losing their strategic advantages.

Question 12

How did the British fail to use the Native Americans effectively?

Answer 12

The Native Americans had long been allied with the British against the colonists. However, Britain thought it could easily crush the colonists. Therefore, they did not arm the native americans and force the colonists to move their resources further west and weakening the defense of the colonies in the east.

Question 13

What strategy did the Patriots use to win the war? What did it consist of?

Answer 13

The Patriots under Washington fought a war of attrition. They did not take the British forces head on. The Patriots chose the time and place of their battles and harass the British long enough to force them to stop fighting the war. Eventually, the British would lose homefront support and their debt would catch up with them.

Question 14

What tactics did Washington use to fight the war of attrition that the British disliked?

Answer 14

Attacking on Christmas Eve, using Guerilla Warfare, and using hidden snipers.

Question 15

Why did the war become easier for the Americans to fight in the fifth and sixth year of conflict?

Answer 15

1) British Merchants were losing and money and pleaded for the war to end.
2) European Nations rallied to the United States aid and helped them fight off the British. Especially France and Spain who challenged Britain internationally.
3) Britain’s Debt Collapsed the war effort.
4) Apathetic colonists started joining the war effort due to the actions of some loyalist militias in the South.

Question 16

How many soldiers did Washington usually command? How many did he command the most at one time?

Answer 16

5,000-10,000 usually. Maximum of 17,000.

Question 17

How many soldiers did Britain have? How many of these were Hessians?

Answer 17

75,000 total. 25,000 or so were Hessians.

Question 18

What was the soldier count in the largest battle of the war?

Answer 18

10,000 Americans routed by 22,000 British in 1776

Question 19

How many Americans died during the war? How was the death count broken up?

Answer 19

25,000. 8,000 battlefield deaths. 8,000-11,500 deaths in POW camps, and 9,000 from diease.

Question 20

How much of the U.S. population died in the war? How does it rank in scale of the bloodiest wars in American history?

Answer 20

1% of the U.S. population. It was the second bloodiest war in American history.

Question 21

Who provided for POWs in the war?

Answer 21

The country the POW was fighting for. Not the captors nation but the captive’s nation.

Question 22

How many American POWs were taken?

Answer 22

18,500.

Question 23

How many British sailors were former American POWs?

Answer 23

15-20% of British Sailors Were Former American POWs

Question 24

What happened to Brtish POWs?

Answer 24

They were used as indentured servants but later able to escape since they blended in well to American society.

Question 25

How many Hessians died? How many returned to Europe? How many stayed in America?

Answer 25

7,500 Hessians died. 16,000 returned to Europe. 5,500 stayed in America.

Question 26

When did fighting start against Britain?

Answer 26

1775. Before the DoI.

Question 27

What were Britain’s military advantages in the war for independence?

Answer 27

1) A professional and world class army and navy that far overpowered the Americans.
2) British population was far larger than the Americans (11 million to 2.5 million with 500,000 slaves.)

Question 28

What were Britain’s disadvantages in the war for independence?

Answer 28

1) Rugged Terrain Made Large Campaigns Difficult.
2) The Decentralized nature of the American political authority meant there was no one city or person whose capture would compel surrender.
3) Britain Could Not Deploy Its Full Military in America because of its huge international holdings.
4) There was no clear way to win the war. Even if the British beat the Americans it still had to reconcile with the colonists. Bayonets can kill men but they couldn’t change minds. This is why the Howe’s fought a sentimental war.

Question 29

Was the Howe’s way of fighting war misguided and ineffective?

Answer 29

No. In fact, it almost succeeded. They beat Washington badly and often. Over 5,000 Patriots accepted the Howe’s pardon after being demolished at battles near New York City.

Question 30

What reversed the Patriot’s trend towards defeat?

Answer 30

1) Small Morale boosting victories at Trenton and Princeton.

2) The British Debacle at Saratoga.

Question 31

What were the three military themes in the War for Independence? What engagements illustrate the three themes?

Answer 31

1) Guerilla Warfare - Illustrated by Saratoga.
2) Failed Pacification - The South
3) The Necessity of Allies - Yorktown

Question 32

What happened at the battle of Saratoga that turned the fate of the war around?

Answer 32

British General Burgoyne took his huge army and 3 mile train of wagons to march on Philly by traveling through the Wilderness of NY. Patriots ran ahead of him and cut down trees to block the caravan’s path. American snipers picked off British soldiers while the British were trying to clear the path to continue. Burgoyne ran low on food when he tried to divert 900 soldiers to attack a patriot outpost for food but 2,000 patriots repelled them. When Burgoyne got to Saratoga he met a heavily fortified 10,000 American troops that later surrounded him and forced him to surround you.

Question 33

Why did the Battle of Saratoga matter in the greater scope of the war?

Answer 33

It showed the Americans could defeat the British. It persuaded France and Spain to get in on the war effort and back the American colonies. After Saratoga, the British tried to negotiate a settlement with the Americans.

Question 34

Why did pacification in the South fail despite Britain’s numerous military thrashings of the Americans?

Answer 34

The loyalist militias and redcoats looting and destroying the property of apathetic colonists in the Southern colonies drove those people the support the Patriots. More and more informal patriot militias were formed in the South and successfully halted the British advance and ensured control of some parts of the South.

Question 35

Why were the Americans able to end the war and win at the Battle of Yorktown?

Answer 35

Simple Answer: The French. The Brits tried to build a huge fortification in Yorktown to have a base of operations. The Americans had the gall to attack and successfully cut off the British navy from retrieving their troops. French advisors pleaded to attack at Yorktown. French support kept the colonists fighting til Yorktown. The Spanish attacking the British in the Gulf of Mexico Allowed the French to Outgun the British Navy.

Question 36

What are the five overlooked aspects of the Revolutionary War?

Answer 36

1) Diplomacy in the War
2) The War and Controlled Revolution
3) A Revolution or Civil War?
4) The War and Slavery
5) The War and Women

Question 37

What seven aspects of diplomacy were overlooked in the Revolutionary War?

Answer 37

1) The Importance of Allies
2) The Model Treaty
3) France Entered the War
4) Foreign Assistance Proved Essential
5) After Yorktown, The Brits wanted the war over without surrender.
6) The Importance of European Rivalries.
7) The Global Diplomatic Situation in 1783.

Question 38

Who were the international allies that helped the Americans?

Answer 38

Spain, France, and the Netherlands. They declared war on England when the Colonies proved they could win.

Question 39

What was the Model Treaty and Why was It Important?

Answer 39

The Model Treaty was a document drafted to gain European military allies by using American commercial opportunity as the benefit instead of U.S. military support. The Founding Fathers wanted European support with European Entanglement. None of the European states accepted. The Continental Congress threw out the document and authorized military alliances.

Question 40

Why did France enter the war?

Answer 40

1) The Americans lost at Philidelphia and the French, fearing American surrender, tried to prolong the war out of spite for Great Britain.
2) The American’s Shocking Message at the Battle of Saratoga convinced the French that the Americans could actually win.

Question 41

How did France enter the war?

Answer 41

By signing a formal alliance in 1778. France entered a separate diplomatic agreement to bring Spain into the war.

Question 42

What four types of assistance did the Americans receive from world powers to win the war?

Answer 42

1) Money.
2) Manpower.
3) Naval Power
4) Military Leadership.

Question 43

What were the three important points in the peace settlement?

Answer 43

1) Britain granted them independence and all land east of the Mississippi River.
2) Created a Favorable U.S. Boundry Line With Canada that gave the U.S. joint ownership over the Great Lakes,
3) The Americans got the right to fish off of the Newfoundland coasts and service their fishing vessels in Newfoundland.

Question 44

Why were European Rivalries important?

Answer 44

It allowed America to disregard some obligations and still maintain the support of the nation they harmed. The U.S. used Europe’s toil to their advantage.

Question 45

What was the U.S. diplomatic condition in 1783?

Answer 45

They had no allies. Every nation was trying to manipulate the U.S. for its advantage. The U.S. was alone and independent however.

Question 46

What was the British diplomatic condition in 1783?

Answer 46

The war created an advantageous situation for Britain. They were freed from the expense of keeping the U.S. in the Empire. Britain’s commerce boom and industrial revolution put in a place of unrivaled economic power.

Question 47

What was the French diplomatic condition in 1783?

Answer 47

French accumulated enormous debts and gains from trade slowed dramatically. In order to raise revenue, the French raised taxes that would later cause the French revolution. The American war was the proxy cause of the French Revolution.

Question 48

What was the Netherlands diplomatic condition in 1783?

Answer 48

The War put an end to the Netherlands brief status as a major world power. Britain ravaged the Dutch in the East Indies and the Dutch lost most of their commercial and economic power as a result.

Question 49

What was the Spanish Diplomatic condition in 1783?

Answer 49

The War temporarily halted Spain’s decline though it did not stop it entirely. Spain gave up Louisiana, Florida, and later most of the Spanish empire was caught up in revolution.

Question 50

What was remarkable about the American revolution?

Answer 50

The Founding Fathers got the revolution to basically stop where they wanted it to, unlike the French revolution. It didn’t spiral into chaos and all-out civil war. Maybe because the revolution wasn’t actually a revolution after all but instead a war.

Question 51

Why did the revolution not spiral out of control?

Answer 51

Because it was not a revolution. It fought to preserve the status quo and to prevent change. Not to cause change and disrupt the status quo.

Question 52

What type of war is the War for Independence best described as?

Answer 52

A civil war. The U.S. was not trying to take anything over but simply remove itself from the grasp of the British Empire. Kinda like another famous civil war ;)

Question 53

What were the six reasons why Americans questioned slavery in the later 1700s?

Answer 53

1) Enlightenment thought encouraged new thinking about the issues of cruelty, torture, fairness, and rights.
2) Enlightenment thought declared all humans were born with some form of equality. Challenged that Africans were genetically inferior.
3) Enlightenment Thinkers waxed eloquent about nature’s laws in regards to capitalism that slavery disrespected. Therefore, since natural laws were God’s laws, slavery made the Americans hopelessly out of sync with the universe.
4) The Quakers Vocally demonstrated their opposition to slavery based on the three principles above.
5) People argued that slavery cultivated bad moral attitudes in society such as laziness, sexual predation and caused individuals to hold anti-republican sentiments.
6) The Great Awakening motivated Christians that it was their moral duty to fix the harsher aspects of slavery and to push for reform in American.

Question 54

Did the War for Independence spark the abolitionist movement?

Answer 54

No. It simply started the conversation about slavery.

Question 55

The War for Independence represented the first _________ in North American history?

Answer 55

Large Scale Slave Emancipation. Went from 25,000 - 60,000 free blacks living in the United States.

Question 56

What two long-term, significant effects did the War have on slavery?

Answer 56

1) The slavery regime was relaxed in the Upper South. More slaves learned trades and moved into cities. Freed blacks and slaves started interaction and slaves were more free than before though not entirely free.
2) The slavery regime got easier in the Lower South too but for a different reason. Slave owners became more absentee but still knew his slaves as flesh and blood people. The import of massive amounts of slaves before the 1808 ban caused insulated slave societies that created their own culture distinct from American culture.

Question 57

What roles did the War for Independence cause women to play in American society?

Answer 57

1) Women aided directly in nursing wounds on the warfront.
2) Few women actually fought in battle.
3) Created political roles and precedent for women to be actively involved in politics.
4) Women were seen as the keepers of virtue.
5) They were seen to support the notion of Republican Motherhood. To Raise and educate virtuous citizens on whom the Republic could depend.
6) Women were still complementary to men.

Question 58

Why Did Larger Countries Fight The War?

Answer 58

1) Domino Theory
2) Zero-Sum International Politics
3) National Pride

Question 59

Why Did the Big Country Expect to Win?

Answer 59

1) Most Powerful Military and Economy.
2) Population and Resource advantage.
3) Small Country has small army and no navy.
4) Big country has solid homefront support.
5) Small Country Split internally, and even internal fighting.

Question 60

Why did the Big Country lose?

Answer 60

1) No Homefield advantage.
2) War on Small Country’s Soil Creates National Unity.
3) Small Country’s Soldiers are elusive and blend in.
4) Small Country has high morale
5) There is not centralized government for the big country to crush
6) The big country cannot capitalize on the allies in the small country
7) Unable to kill the small nation’s leaders
8) Significant foreign aid saves the small country
9) Big Country’s homefront support erodes due to the long war
10) War of attrition makes the big country leave the war even though it is not defeated. It wants fighting to stop.