The American Revolution I Flashcards
Review - Timeline: Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests, 1763-1774
1763 - Proclamation Line establishes boundary restricting westward settlement. 1764 - Sugar Act reduces tax on molasses and strengthens compliance. 1765 - Stamp Act and Stamp Act Congress. 1767 - Townshend Revenue Act. 1770 - Boston Massacre. 1773 - Tea Act, Patriots dump tea into Boston Harbor in Boston Tea Party. 1774 - Coercive Acts and First Continental Congress.
Timeline: America’s War for Independence, 1775-1783
1775 - Battles of Lexington and Concord and British win costly victory at ‘Battle of Bunker Hill’. 1776 - Thomas Paine publishes ‘Common Sense’ and ‘2nd Continental Congress’ signs ‘Declaration of Independence’. 1777 - American forces defeat General Burgoyne at the ‘Battle of Saratoga’. 1781 - Lord Cornwallis surrenders to American and French forces at Yorktown. 1783 - The United States and Great Britain sign the ‘Treaty of Paris’.
The Revolutionary War (1775-83) - Summary
The Revolutionary War (1775-83), also known as the American Revolution, arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence. France entered the American Revolution on the side of the colonists in 1778, turning what had essentially been a civil war into an international conflict. After French assistance helped the Continental Army force the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.
The Thirteen Colonies
The British colonies in North America that declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, which included Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, the province of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and Virginia.
Britain’s Law-and-Order Strategy and Its Consequences
Until Parliament passed the Coercive Acts in 1774, most colonists still thought of themselves as proud subjects of the strong British Empire. However, the Coercive Acts (or Intolerable Acts), which Parliament enacted to punish Massachusetts for failing to pay for the destruction of the tea, convinced many colonists that Great Britain was indeed threatening to stifle their liberty. In Massachusetts and other New England colonies, militias like the minutemen prepared for war by stockpiling weapons and ammunition. After the first loss of life at the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, skirmishes continued throughout the colonies. When Congress met in Philadelphia in July 1776, its members signed the ‘Declaration of Independence’, officially breaking ties with Great Britain and declaring their intention to be self-governing.
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies who met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament, which the British referred to as the Coercive Acts, with which the British intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. More importantly, they took several important actions. First, they sent the ‘Declaration and Resolves’ to King George III in which they condemned the Intolerable Acts as a violation of British law. They sanctioned the colonial militias and a Patriot government in Massachusetts and endorsed a boycott of British goods, including slaves. Finally, they agreed to meet again the following spring if England had not granted them full representation and undone some of the wrongs they had committed.
“Shot heard ‘round the world”
Refers to the first shot of the American Revolution at the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, where the first British soldiers fell in the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Historically, no single shot can be cited as the first shot of the battle or the war. Shots were fired earlier that day at Lexington, Massachusetts, where eight Americans were killed and a British soldier was slightly wounded, but accounts of that event are confused and contradictory. The North Bridge skirmish did see the first shots by Americans acting under orders, the first organized volley by Americans, the first British fatalities, and the first British retreat.
Minutemen
The terms militia and minutemen represent different things. Militia were men in arms formed to protect their towns from foreign invasion and ravages of war. Minutemen were a small hand-picked elite force which were required to be highly mobile and able to assemble quickly. Minutemen were selected from militia muster rolls by their commanding officers. Typically 25 years of age or younger, they were chosen for their enthusiasm, reliability, and physical strength. Usually about one quarter of the militia served as Minutemen, performing additional duties as such. The Minutemen were the first armed militia to arrive or await a battle. Although today Minutemen are thought of as connected to the Revolutionary War in America, their existence was conceived in Massachusetts during the mid-seventeenth century. The militia would go on to form an army for Lexington and Concord, surrounding Boston and inflicting heavy casualties on the British army at Bunker and Breed’s Hill.
Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Siege of Boston
After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, British General Thomas Gage took control of Massachusetts. Upon learning of a plotted rebellion, Gage commanded a raid to seize the militia’s weapons and arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams on April 19, 1775. But the colonists learned about the raid and were ready for the advancing British troops at Lexington and Concord. Though several men were killed in the village of Lexington, their showdown bought the militia valuable time in Concord, where they routed the enemy, harassed them all the way back to their headquarters and began an 11-month siege of Boston.
The capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Bunker Hill
An attempt by the British to break out of the siege led to the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775). The British won control of two hillsides, but sustained heavy losses and couldn’t break through the siege lines. The colonists decided to conduct their own raid on the British arsenal at Fort Ticonderoga in June. They captured it without a single shot fired. The same morning, the Second Continental Congress got to work in Philadelphia and chose George Washington to lead the gathering army. Washington headed for Boston in July and sent Henry Knox to drag the cannons from Ticonderoga to Boston. Upon their arrival in March 1776, Washington was able to end the standoff in Boston and force the British to evacuate the city by sea.
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry’s (1736-1799) legacy is that of a revolutionary leader who used his fiery language and firm beliefs to inspire, lead, and advocate for principles of freedom and democracy during a crucial formative period in American history. Henry had numerous roles in the American Revolution, yet he will always be remembered for his immortal plea to his fellow Virginians in 1775: “Give me Liberty, or give me Death!”
Thomas Jefferson (DR)
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president, was a leading figure in America’s early development. During the American Revolutionary War (1775-83), Jefferson served in the Virginia legislature and the Continental Congress and was governor of Virginia. He later served as U.S. minister to France and U.S. secretary of state, and was vice president under John Adams (1735-1826). Jefferson, who thought the national government should have a limited role in citizens’ lives, was elected president in 1800. During his two terms in office (1801-1809), the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory and Lewis and Clark explored the vast new acquisition. Although Jefferson promoted individual liberty, he was also a slaveowner. After leaving office, he retired to his Virginia plantation, Monticello, and helped found the University of Virginia.
Patriot Movement
The Patriot Movement was an effort to protest Britain’s rule and to secure more freedoms for the colonists. The movement marked tensions between the American colonists and the British government, which carried on for several years before the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775. Their decision was based on the political philosophy of republicanism as expressed by spokesmen such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine. They were opposed by the Loyalists who supported continued British rule.
Mecklenburg Resolves
By the time the British withdrew from Boston, fighting had broken out in other colonies as well. In May 1775, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina issued the ‘Mecklenburg Resolves’, stating that a rebellion against Great Britain had begun, that colonists did not owe any further allegiance to Great Britain, and that governing authority had now passed to the Continental Congress. The resolves also called upon the formation of militias to be under the control of the Continental Congress. Loyalists and Patriots clashed in North Carolina in February 1776 at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge.
The Second Continental Congress
As war broke out in the colonies, the delegates met again and formed the Second Continental Congress in May 1775 to organize a single army to fight the British and formally declare independence (Established: May 10, 1775; Disbanded: March 1, 1781). This Congress was the first government over all 13 former colonies. The Congress acted as the de facto national government of the United States. They organized the Continental Army under the leadership of George Washington, secured funding, and initiated diplomatic relations with foreign governments. At the same time, they sent the Olive Branch Petition assuring the king they would only fight in defense of their rights, not for independence.
The Second Continental Congress - Olive Branch Petition and John Dickinson
The Second Continental Congress went to great lengths to pledge their loyalty to Great Britain as long as they were granted full rights. This letter insisted that the colonies wanted to negotiate trade and tax regulations with Great Britain, not gain independence. First drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the Olive Branch Petition was rewritten by John Dickinson to be less hostile towards the crown. Dickinson, an American colonist, still believed that the American colonies could remain peaceful with Great Britain. Rather than make concessions, King George III declared the colonies to be in rebellion; their leaders wanted for treason. He brought in Hessian mercenaries to squash the escalating revolt, which helped change their minds. (1775)
The Second Continental Congress - Proclamation of Rebellion
King George III refused to even hear the petition. Instead, he proceeded to issue the ‘Proclamation of Rebellion’, which essentially condemned the colonists for insurrection against the crown. Within the next year, full-fledged fighting between colonists and Red Coats would begin. (1775)
The Second Continental Congress - Hessians
German mercenaries hired by Great Britain to put down the American rebellion.
The Second Continental Congress - Continental Currency
The paper currency that the Continental government printed to fund the Revolution.
The Second Continental Congress - Committee of Secret Correspondence and Nathan Hale
The Second Continental Congress authorized the Committee of Secret Correspondence to initiate diplomatic relations with foreign governments, like France (who aided the rebels secretly for a while), and to conduct covert intelligence operations in the colonies and abroad. The most famous spy in this grandfather of the CIA may be Nathan Hale, whose legendary last words were: ‘I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.’ Hale was hung by the British in 1776.
Dunmore’s Proclamation
The decree signed by Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, in November 1775, which proclaimed that any slaves or indentured servants who fought on the side of the British would be rewarded with their freedom. This exposed serious problems for both the Patriot cause and for the British. While on one hand it freed slaves and increased troop numbers for the British, it also weakened support of Virginia’s Loyalist slaveholding landowners, as well as galvanizing Patriot slaveholders in Virginia and elsewhere who claimed they acted in defense of liberty to own their property and Britain was inciting a race war. Slaveholders feared a slave uprising and increased their commitment to the Patriots. Dunmore fled Virginia in 1776.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary (see Patriot Movement). One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he authored the two most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, ‘Common Sense’ and ‘The American Crisis’, and inspired the rebels in 1776 to declare independence from Britain.
Common Sense
In January 1776, Thomas Paine released a pamphlet titled ‘Common Sense’. Using the emotional, biblical arguments and progressive style of logic employed by preachers of the Great Awakening, Paine made the case that America needed to rebel against British rule. Considering how many people lived in the colonies at the time, ‘Common Sense’ was more widely distributed than any book in American history and turned the people in favor of the Patriot cause for independence.
Lee Resolution
The ‘Lee Resolution’ (also known as ‘The Resolution for Independence’) was the formal assertion passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776 which declared the establishment of a new country of United Colonies as independent from the British Empire, creating what became the United States of America.
