THE REVOLUTION 1774-1778 Flashcards
Coercive acts 1774 response:
First Continental Congress [sept 1774]
– Overview
First Continental Congress (Sep 1774)
• 56 delegates from mostly extra-legal conventions from all colonies (×GA) in Phila all agree in unhappiness for C-act.
• B Opp roles Divided between Radicals (Ind) & Moderates (Repeal act) Radicals dominated.
Suffolk resolves endorsed
– declaring Coercive acts null & MA armed for defence.
• Congress make resolves for non-import, non-export & Non-consumption of all B goods
– starting 1st Dec (allow farmers sell grown crops)
– Cong set up continental associations to enforce resolutions till c-act repealed.
[Oct]
– dec of rights & grievances made
– acknowledge Col ally to crown but × Parl Auth, × enforce tax w/o col consent
– said Col Asmb staitioning troops and laws in am from 1763 = Broke Col authority
Had × coercive or legislative auth but useful unifying Colonies.
• Second congress was planned for May 1775.
Coercive acts [1774] resonse
cont congress sept 1774
Boycotts
Trade Boycotts:
• boost radical cause
– encouraging local production & pride in conserving what stuff had
• Most Am gave up luxury stuff for simple life
- aristocrats changed to be in tune with ordinary Americans
Coercive acts [1774] response
cont congress [sept 1774]
Comittees of Safety
Committees of safety:
[Late 1774]
• committee of safety set up across colonies
– ran by old elite & new, poorer men.
– Enforced trade boycott,
– some acted as local gov.
• Had considerable powers
+ investigated & punished who broke committee’s rules.
1775
– 7000 colonists involved in politics for first time.
• Royal governments broke down & committees of safety took over.
Coercive act [1774] response
Cont Congress [Sept 1774]
Situation in MA
Situation in Massachusetts:
[Late 1774]
• B auth in am broke completely.
– Loyalists = mobbed & forced from office.
– Outside Boston, power = Provincial congress diverting money to military resources.
– Militia units began for war.
• Gage, trapped in Boston, ask xtra troops
– Lord Dartmouth ordered him to challenge insurgence.
Coercive act [1774] response
Cont Congress [Sept 1774]
Situation in Other colonies
Situation in other colonies:
[early 1775]
• most colonies rid of trad auth + make extra legal conventions to arm militias.
– RI & NH seized B cannons
– NY was loyal to B
– Many looked for reconciliation, only a few wanted independence.
Coercive act [1774] response
Cont Congress [Sept 1774]
British Response
British Response:
[1774]
• Gage wrote to Lord North recommending temporary suspension of Coercive act,
– North + King = × Back down
– Norths military measures = lax, only sent 4000 xtra troops to Boston.
[1775]
• Parl passed resolution dec MA in state of rebellion against B, cutting most of New England off from B & west Indies
• by April this was extended to all colonies
Lexington & Concord April 1775:
Lexington & Concord April 1775:
General Gage prepared secret mission 2 concord & seize stockpiled military stores.
Radicals like Paul Revere found out about the plan and rode ahead.
At Lexington 700 Brits soldiers ran into collection of 70 Militia informed by Paul Revere.
8 colonists died and Britain pushed through to Concord where they met a larger Militia force,
Britain failed to arrest rebels and capture the ammunition and weapons as they were moved.
On the way back British were harassed by colonial fire on way back to Boston.
2nd Continental Congress May 1775
2nd Continental Congress May 1775:
Met 10th May in Philadelphia & started to prepare for war as fighting started in early 1775.
65 delegates attended from all 13 colonies.
They took responsibility for the army around Boston and raised Continental army,
+ put quota on each colony to raise 20,000 men.
George Washington was appointed leader of Continental army.
They needed a south commander to keep south involved in war which was predominately North.
Reconciliation effort – why did it fail?
olive branch petition
Many were reluctant for Congress to take a national government role.
July 1775
- Olive Branch petition adopted by Congress which begged King George not to take hostile measures so reconciliation could be worked out.
The King declined to hear an appeal of an illegal body which was waging war against him.
The King ordered a proclamation that America was in a state of rebellion which should be supressed.
A blockade began on America, this made trade with her illegal.
Bunker Hill June 1775
Bunker Hill June 1775
May 1775
British generals Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne arrived in Boston with thousands of reinforcements.
Gage had 6500 men.
In June Americans wanted to occupy Bunkers Hill which commanded Boston.
A rebel force of 1500 men marched to Breed’s Hill by mistake.
Howe launched an attack on rebels managing to dislodge them but lost over 1000 of his men.
American casualties were less.
*Therefore, although Britain won the battle
– the courageous fighting & impact on British troops, helped to increase morale and confidence in the Americans.
Washington troops training arc 1775
Washington:
Washington took command of continental army in July 1775,
with only 1500 poorly trained, equipped, disciplined troops for duty.
Army had fewer than 50 canons, hardly any powers, few gunners and lacked milliatry order.
Officers failed to inspect troops, provide food or check quarters.
Washington trained the militia forced into a professional army against Britain.
He set up imperative and distinctive ranks, curbing democratic incompetent officers.
Washington imposed discipline.
How did the British not take advantage of America’s weak position?
Washington was eager to take Boston but discouraged by fear of the towns destruction.
Along with Britain fortification and their own shortages.
By winter troops suffered from typhoid fever and their ranks fell in numbers that Britain could overpower them.
Howe in October did nothing, thereby giving Americans time to gain numbers and consolidate elsewhere, while Howe kept locked up in Boston.
Problems and failures for the Americans
– The Invasion of Candida. Sep-Dec 1775
In 1775,
Congress wanted to invade Canada hoping French would join rebels and weaken Britain.
In Sep 1775
, 2 expeditions set out to Montreal & Quebec.
Montgomery with 1200 men advanced through waterway,
while Benedict Arnold marched through Maine to meet with Montgomery to attack Quebec.
Although wasting time capturing other forts, Montgomery captured Montreal with 150 men in November.
In December he joined Arnold who reached Quebec with 700 hungry and sick men.
Since enlistments expired at the end of the year.
The assault on 31st December ended badly, in a snowstorm facing 1800 French Canadian men.
Montgomery was killed, Americans suffered from lack of supplies and from Smallpox and deserted.
War of the South; 1775-6
DUNMORE PROCLEMATION
Dunmore with 500 Loyalists & assistance of warships launched raids on Virginia costal town in Nov 1775,
he issued proclamation promising freedom to any slave who flees rebel master and supports British war effort.
This was hated by white southerners solidifying rebel support in Virginia.
By late 1775
Dunmore suggested operation by minimal British forces & loyalist could end rebellion in Carolinas and Georgia.
NC starting point, backwater settlers hated Tidewater elites and were ready to support the British, but the Carolina loyalists acted too quickly and were fired upon at Moores creek in 1776.
General Clinton sailed south from Boston in Feb 1776 and found little support along North Carolina coast,
sailed north to South Carolina attempting to take Charlestown but failed.
American success: Evacuation of Boston.
early 1776
Early 1776
Washington could finally besiege Boston with help from Henry Knox with artillery from Ticonderoga which was transported by sledges, boats and wagons to Boston.
On March, 1700 strong rebels captured Dorchester heights overlooking Boston exploiting British Weakness.
On 17th March Howes army and 1000 loyalists evacuated Boston and sailing to Halifax.
Why was the Declaration of Independence: 2nd July 1776 signed?
Only a few radical Americans talked of independence until early 1776.
Many still saw themselves as Britons over sea.
Cutting political, economic and emotional ties with Britain was not easy.
Not all Americans thought independence was in their best interest.
A large minority remained loyal to Britain.
Others fought for colonial rights but insisted that they remained loyal to the crown hoping for royal reconciliation.
*Reasons for declaration: By early 1776 it was clear reconciliation would not happen;
King George was bent on American subjection,
Several months of fighting (Lexington & Concord, Bunkers Hill, Invasion of Canada and Evacuation of Boston) had weakened American-Britain ties.
Royal governments started to break down in America and Congress called for any colony without a government to set an appropriate (Radical) one as quickly as possible.
If war was to be won then order had to be maintained
How influential was ‘Common Sense’ by Thomas Paine?
The pamphlet Common Sense developed the mood for independence.
It was a best seller, selling 1200 copies and had greatest influence in 1770’s.
Protestant ministers read it aloud in New England, calling the King and ‘Royal Brute’.
The pamphlet argued against monarchy as a form of government and set up the mood for colonial independence and their own government.
Putting issue of independence on Congress’ agenda.
Paine also argued to win a war without Britain they needed help from France and Spain and they weren’t willing to help if the breach between Britain and America weren’t locked with independence.
Problems with declaring independence:
It had to be unanimous. The delegates of Continental congress didn’t have the authority of all their colonies to vote independence.
A major push for independence was foreign assistance,
in November 1775 committee of secret correspondence sent a diplomate to France to gain military support.
America alone had no chance against Britain, France were unlikely to help just mere rebels.
In April more local authorities urged Congress to declare independence.
Rhode Island went independent before Congress by removing mentions of the King from their charter.
In May, Virginia ordered their delegate to support independence but Pennsylvania, Delaware, NJ, NY & Maryland refused.
Richard Lee introduced to congress resolutions stating that united colonies had the right to be free & independent.
Even though moderates gave up on reconciliation Congress was not ready for independence.
A committee of 5 set up drafting the declaration which was presented in June by Thomas Jefferson.
On 2nd July 12/13
colonies voted independence, all except New York who abstained due to Britain military force in New York.
The declaration of Independence was proclaimed on 4th of July.
To what extent was the UK to blame for USA Independence?
• After 1763 UK ministers had attempted to squeeze money from the colonies through taxes.
• 1764, 65, 67 & 73 UK had tried to force power over the colonies through the first Declaration Act, other three were responses from confrontation & Britain backed down twice, repealing stamp act & Townshend giving into USA pressure.
*Therefore, the UK undermined it’s exercise of power over colonies
• After Boston Tea Party, North stood firm expecting that a show of force would put Massachusetts in line.
UK however, had little forces to suppress the rebels.
Defence of UK:
• UK didn’t know colonists would rebel against the nation which nurtured their liberties.
• UK was demonised by colonies without a good cause. Through the notion that parliament wanted to reduce the colonies to a state of slavery, as overall UK did not want to diminish American liberties.
• Parliament was empires supreme governing body, if it was sovereign it had to tax, giving away that power was to give up its supremacy.
• UK’s determination to hold onto colonies was understandable due to their market & valued resources.
