American Revolution

Chapter 1

The North American continent is a vast landmass with enormous diversity of terrain (e.g. mountains), climate (i.e. weather), natural resources (e.g. coal), flora (i.e. vegetation) and fauna (e.g. buffalo).

The unchartered world

The modern-day United States began in the eastern third of the continent between the Atlantic coast and the Mississippi River with the Appalachian Mountains providing a barrier to the ‘Wild West’.

The initial settlement

As in Australia, the Europeans in their ‘Age of Conquest’ declared the United States terra nullius (uninhabited).

First Europeans

This was the case throughout North, Central and South America.

Europeans in the Americas

The Viking

1000 A.D. - Leif Ericson, a Viking seaman, explores the east coast of North America and sights Newfoundland, establishing a short-lived settlement there.

The Spanish(Florida, New Mexico and California)

1492 - Christopher Columbus (an Italian) makes the first of four voyages to the New World, funded by the Spanish Crown, seeking a western sea route to Asia. On October 12, sailing the Santa Maria, he lands in the Bahamas, thinking it is an outlying Japanese island.

1513 - Ponce de León of Spain lands in Florida. 1519 - Hernando Cortés conquers the Aztec (Mexico) empire. 1541 - Hernando de Soto of Spain discovers the Mississippi River. 1565 - The first permanent European colony in North America is founded at St.

Augustine (Florida) by the Spanish. 1588 - In Europe, the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English results in Great

Britain replacing Spain as the dominant world power and leads to a gradual decline of Spanish influence in the New World and the widening of English imperial interests.

Columbus worked out that the world was round, genius!In many other ways he was a murderous idiot.

The Italian

1499 - Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, sights the coast of South America during a voyage of discovery for Spain.

1507 - The name "America" is first used in a geography book referring to the New World with Amerigo Vespucci getting credit for the discovery of the continent.

The man whom Americawas named in honour of

The English(throughout the 13 colonies – see map)

1497 - John Cabot of England explores the Atlantic coast of Canada, claiming the area for the English King, Henry VII.

1606 - The London Company sponsors a colonizing expedition to Virginia. 1607 - Jamestown is founded in Virginia by the colonists of the London Company. By

the end of the year, starvation and disease reduce the original 105 settlers to just 32 survivors. In January, 1608 110 additional colonists arrive at Jamestown. In December, the first items of export trade are sent from Jamestown back to England and include lumber and iron ore.

1609 - Native tobacco is first planted and harvested in Virginia by colonists. 1616 - Tobacco becomes an export staple for Virginia. 1619 - The first session of the first legislative assembly in America occurs as the

Virginia House of Burgesses convenes in Jamestown.

The English

1620 - November 9, the Mayflower ship lands at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with 101 colonists. On November 11, the Mayflower Compact is signed by the 41 men, establishing a form of local government in which the colonists agree to abide by majority rule and to cooperate for the general good of the colony. The Compact sets the precedent for other colonies as they set up governments.

1630 - In March, John Winthrop leads a Puritan migration of 900 colonists to Massachusetts Bay, where he will serve as the first governor.

1634 - First settlement in Maryland as 200 settlers, many of them Catholic, arrive in the lands granted to Roman Catholic Lord Baltimore by King Charles I.

1681 - Pennsylvania is founded as William Penn, a Quaker, receives a Royal charter with a large land grant from King Charles II.

1682 - A large wave of immigrants, including many Quakers, arrives in Pennsylvania from Germany and the British Isles.

Yeah, you shouldbe ‘quake’-ing in your boots

The Dutch

(New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and Pennsylvania)

1609 - The Dutch East India Company sponsors a seven month voyage of exploration to North America by Henry Hudson. In September he sails up the Hudson River to Albany.

1619 - Twenty Africans are brought by a Dutch ship to Jamestown for sale as indentured servants, marking the beginning of slavery in Colonial America.

1624 - Thirty families of Dutch colonists, sponsored by the Dutch West India Company arrive in New York.

1626 - Peter Minuit, a Dutch colonist, buys Manhattan island from Native Americans for 60 guilders (about $24) and names the island New Amsterdam.

A stylish dresser with shrewd businessacumen, Peter Minuit convinced the natives to sell Manhattan Island on the cheap. His cannon was also helpful.

“I use this for ‘gaming’ purposes” - Minuit

The French

1524 - Giovanni da Verrazano, sponsored by France, lands in the area around the Carolinas, then sails north and discovers the Hudson River, and continues northward into Narragansett Bay and Nova Scotia.

1682 - French explorer La Salle explores the lower Mississippi Valley region and claims it for France, naming the area Louisiana for King Louis XIV.

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle won the following competitions in 1682:• Longest ‘fancy’ name• Cleo Bachelor the Year• Most ‘boss’ perm of the century

In fact there had been people living on the continent for thousands of years. As the map shows there were many Native American tribes with their own cultures and customs that were disregarded by settlers.

Native Americans

The first British settlement in North America occurred in 1607, when three ships commissioned by the Virginia company established a colony at Jamestown. It was a disaster as the effects of poor farming and disease led to starvation for many, with 90 percent of the initial 500 settlers dying.

Jamestown

No natives lived at Jamestown but several tribal villages of the Powhatan lived close by. Initial contact was friendly but other British officials, such as Captain John Smith were less diplomatic which led to tensions. Powhatan’s speech provides a good insight to the developing conflict between the British and the natives.

John Smith, Pocahontas and the

Powhatan

Captaine Smith, you may understand that I having seene the death of all my people thrice, and not any one living of these three generations but my selfe; I know the difference of Peace and Warre better then any in my Country. But now I am old and ere long must die, my brethren, namely Opitchapam, Opechancanough, and Kekataugh, my two sisters, and their two daughters, are distinctly each others successors. I wish their experience no lesse then mine, and your love to them no lesse then mine to you. But this bruit from Nandsamund, that you are come to destroy my Country, so much affrighteth all my people as they dare not visit you. What will it availe you to take that by force you may quickly have by love, or to destroy them that provide you food. What can you get by warre, when we can hide our provisions and fly to the woods? whereby you must famish by wronging us your friends. And why are you thus jealous of our loves seeing us unarmed, and both doe, and are willing still to feede you, with that you cannot get but by our labours? Thinke you I am so simple, not to know it is better to eate good meate, lye well, and sleepe quietly with my women and children, laugh and be merry with you, have copper, hatchets, or what I want being your friend: then be forced to flie from all, to lie cold in the woods, feede upon Acornes, rootes, and such trash, and be so hunted by you, that I can neither rest, eate, nor sleepe; but my tyred men must watch, and if a twig but breake, every one cryeth there commeth Captaine Smith: then must I fly I know not whether: and thus with miserable feare, end my miserable life, leaving my pleasures to such youths as you, which through your rash unadvisednesse may quickly as miserably end, for want of that, you never know where to finde. Let this therefore assure you of our loves, and every yeare our friendly trade shall furnish you with Corne; and now also, if you would come in friendly manner to see us, and not thus with your guns and swords as to invade your foes.

John Smith, Pocahontas and the

Powhatan

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5838

A second, more successful, settlement was started by the ‘pilgrims’ in Plymouth, Massachusetts. From the northern counties of England, they were a branch of the Puritan religious group who had separated from the Church of England. In September, 1620 fifty settlers and fifty-two other passengers departed on the Mayflower and arrived in November, writing the important Mayflower Compact, which gave a few indications of negative attitudes towards the English monarchs and a quest for independence.

Mayflower and the Pilgrims

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620.

The Mayflower Compact

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mayflower.asp

After the success of Plymouth and with improved shipbuilding techniques the British colonies of North America expanded rapidly over the next 150 years or so with improved farming of valuable crops including tobacco and cotton.

The thirteen colonies

The early American’s often settled as an escape from religious persecution at home. This led to a wide range of religions being expressed more freely than they had allowed previously. It also led to strong ‘puritan’ styles of religion that were somewhat close-minded and caused problems, such as the Salem Witch Hunts of 1692. These religions were very restrictive, particularly for women.

A religious lifestyle

The Salem Witch Trials has been described by some (ok, just me) asthe ‘bitch-fight of the millennium’.

Women

The Invisible Sex – see pages 17 and 18

To help with the growing demand for cheap labour, the British colonies took great advantage of the European slave trade. There were also European ‘indentured servants’ who paid off debts over 7 years of work for a master, before becoming ‘free-men’.

Forced labour

Although the American Revolution was built upon the ideas of democracy and liberty, in reality the British system of government already provided (relatively speaking) a great deal of political freedom. Britain was a constitutional monarchy, led by the king or queen with decisions being made by parliament. Having said that, at that point in time it was still a system that favoured the rich and disadvantaged the poor and minorities, with voting being a show of hands (not silent ballot) leading to influence and intimidation.

The British Government

The British ‘House of Commons’

In America, each of the thirteen colonies had its own provincial government and charter signed by the king or queen of the time. There was a governor, the king’s representative, and an assembly of property-owning residents in each colony. The assemblies held great power over the governor as they paid his salary.

Colonial decision-making

Colonial Governor’s of the 17th and 18th centuries lived alife of luxury with cool hatsand lots of parties… if they didwhat they were told!

Colonies, by definition, are ruled by their ‘mother country’. In America there were many freedoms but the British still had the power to enforce laws, restrictions and taxes on the people. Britain and America benefitted from this relationship, with the American’s providing raw materials and the British being a willing trade partner. However as the economies of the American’s grew, tension increased. American’s wanted to trade for themselves and not just with the British. This led to conflict including laws restricting trade and taxes aimed at raising revenue.

Managing the Empire

The Molasses Act of 1733 required American’s to pay a duty on sugar syrup purchased in the West Indies. This was to restrict trading with foreign nations, which created tension.

Because of these restrictive policies and because the distance between Britain and America made these policies difficult to enforce, there was a rise in ‘shifty’ trading throughout the 1700s. By smuggling goods, many American merchants (including famous revolutionary John Hancock) increased their profits and for a long time they got away with it by bribing custom officials. However, once the British became more aware (and greedy for money after the French-Indian War) the crackdowns led to conflicts that would influence the revolution significantly.

Traders and Smugglers

Movies like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’have a strong link to America’s history, with illegal shipping ports being used toevade British trade controls.

The growing British intrusion on American trading led to a series of rebellions (see page 30). These were an inconvenience which the British shutdown with force. However, this only led to greater discontentment and a growing underground political movement that would influence the revolution greatly.

Colonial Rebellions

A growing unity between the previously separate British colonies led to calls for a ‘general government’. This movement would act as a precursor for the revolution that led to the formation of the United States. The Albany Plan of 1754, led by famous revolutionary (amongst other things) Benjamin Franklin, was one of the most important attempts, but it was put down by differences between the colonies over representation.

The Albany Plan