THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
JUSTIFICATION FOR REVOLUTION
2ND CONTENTIAL CONGRESS AND OLIVE BRANCH PETITION
• Second Continental Congress -- May 10, 1775 – All 13 colonies present – Most significant act of Congress: Selected George Washington to head of the Continental
Army. • Declaration of the Causes & Necessity of Taking Up Arms (written by Jefferson &
Dickinson) – Drafted 2nd set of appeals to the king – Seen as intermediate step towards the Declaration of Independence – Adopted measures to raise money and to create an army and a navy.
• Olive Branch Petition (written largely by John Dickinson) – Last ditch effort by moderates in the Continental Congress to prevent an all-out war. – Pledged loyalty to the crown; sought to restore peace – Appealed to George III to intercede with Parliament to reconsider the “Intolerable Acts” – King refused to recognize Congress; the war raged on
APRIL 19TH 1775 LEXINGTON & CONCORD"The Shot Heard around the World"
• 2ND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS SEND “OLIVE BRANCH PETITITON”– Parliament ordered General Gage, new Gov. of Massachusetts, to arrest
leaders of the rebellion and prepare for military action. – April 1775, 700 British redcoats sent secretly to nearby Lexington &
Concord to seize gunpowder and arrest Sam Adams & John Hancock. – Battle of Lexington and Concord began when Minutemen refused to
disperse on the Lexington Green and shots were fired. – Concord -- British forced to retreat by American reinforcements
Minutemen encamped outside the city and lay siege to Boston. • HOPES FOR RECONCILIATION
JANUARY 1776 TOM PAINE’S COMMON SENSE
• ARGUES FOR INDEPENDENCE– Britain's colonial policies were inconsistent; – Why should tiny England control huge North America?– America had a sacred mission – Persuaded Congress to go all the way for independence – Could not hope for aid from France unless they declared
independence
• ATTACKS THE KING AS “ROYAL BRUTE” • Instant best-seller in the colonies; effective propaganda
JUNE 7TH 1776 LEE’S MOTION FOR INDEPENDENCE.
• JUNE 11TH A COMMITTEE IS FORM TO WRITE A STATEMENT JUSTIFYING INDEPENDENCE
• TOM JEFFERSON, JOHN ADAMS, & BEN FRANKLIN
• JEFFERSON DOES MOST OF THE WRITING.
JULY 2, 2ND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS PASSES LEE’S MOTION
• NOT ANNOUNCED UNTIL JULY 4TH
PURPOSE OF THE DECLARATION
• LEGAL BRIEF FOR THE RIGHT OF REVOLUTION.
• LIST OF AMERICAN GRIEVANCES • PROPAGANDA TO ENCOURAGE THE
AMERICAN CAUSE.• CREATE SYMPATHY IN EUROPE.
STRUCTURE OF THE DECLARATION
• PREAMABLE - STATES PRINCIPLES OF THE REVOLUTION
• BASED ON THE WORKS OF JOHN LOCKE, VOLTAIRE, MONTESQUIEU, AND ROUSSEAU
NATURAL RIGHTS THEORY
• AUTHORITY TO CREATE GOVERNMENT COMES FROM THE PEOPLE
• FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE.
GRIEVANCES AND FORMAL DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
• NOTE THE GRIEVANCES ARE ALL AIMED AT THE KING.
• KING HAS FAILED TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS
CONCLUSION
• THE DECLARATION SIMPLY REPEATS LEE’S RESOLUTION.
• “THESE COLONIES …ARE FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES.”
ON WITH THE WAR!
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
1775 TO 1783
THE BALANCE SHEET
• AMERICAN ADVANTAGES– Home Ground– Acquaintance with firearms– Superior Rifle– Large number of Officers with Experience• Marquis de Lafayette
– George Washington• Benjamin Franklin
MORE..
• BRITISH ADVANTAGES– Well equipped discipline Army– The British Navy– Money to support the war– Cooperation of the Loyalists (1/3rd of the
population)
MORE..
• AMERICAN DISADVANTAGES– Short Enlistments– Poor Discipline– No Money• Continental money• Husbands/fathers left• Inflation
– Small Navy (John Paul Jones)
MORE…
• BRITISH DISADVANTAGES– A long way from home– Officers slow to adapt tactics– Under-estimated the Americans
KEY AMERICAN ADVANTAGE
BRITISH HAD TO WIN TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL• AMERICANS ONLY HAD TO NOT LOSE.
BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL JUNE 1775
• FOUGHT ON BREEDS HILL BY MISTAKE.• AMERICAN LEADER WILLIAM PRESCOTT• BRITISH GENERAL WILLIAM HOWE• BRITISH TAKE THE HILL LOSE 1,054
CASUALTIES• AMERICANS: 367 CASUALTIES
BRITISH STRATEGY
• DIVIDE THE COLONIES INTO 4 SECTIONS• NORTH AND SOUTH• EAST AND WEST• BLOCKADE ALL HARBORS• FORCE A CONVENTIONAL WAR ON THE
AMERICANS
BRITISH SUCCESSES IN 1775-1776
• BUNKER HILL• QUEBEC• LONG ISLAND• FORTS WASHINGTON & LEE• AMERICAN’S ARE NEAR DEFEAT.
Battle of Quebec
Battle Of Long Island
Battle of Ft. Washington
/Lee
COUP AT TRENTON
• DEC 26TH 1776• WASHINGTON CROSSES THE DELAWARE • WINS SURPRISE VICTORY• KEY VICTORY KEEPS HOPE ALIVE.
PRINCETON JAN 3, 1777• ANOTHER SMALL AMERICAN VICTORY• HELPS MORALE
• One week after Trenton, Washington defeated a smaller British force at Princeton
• British forced to pull his outposts back to New York • Trenton and Princeton was a gamble by Washington to
achieve quick victories to revive the disintegrating Continental Army.
SARATOGA OCT 1777
• KEY BATTLE OF THE WAR• BRITISH LAUNCH 3 PRONG ATTACK– HOWE UP THE HUDSON– ST.LEGER FROM LAKE ONTARIO– BURGOYNE DOWN FROM MONTREAL
• BUT HOWE NEVER GETS HIS ORDERS, CAPTURES PHILADELPHIA INSTEAD.
MORE ON SARATOGA
• ST LEGER’S ARMY IS STOPPED BY THE AMERICAN FORCES.• BURGOYNE BELIEVES GEN HOWE IS COMING• AMERICAN GENERAL GATES SURROUNDS BRITISH AT
SARATOGA.• BURGOYNE SURRENDERS SIGNS “THE CONVENTION OF
SARATOGA”
CONSEQUENCES OF SARATOGA
• MAJOR MORALE BOOST• CONVINCES THE FRENCH TO SIGN AN ALLIANCE WITH THE
AMERICANS
FRENCH HELP
• A NAVY• MONEY• TROOPS• MILITARY LEADERSHIP
VALLEY FORGE 1777-78
• LOW POINT OF THE CAUSE• CONTINENTAL ARMY HUNGRY AND FREEZING• LIMITED SUPPLIES NO BOOTS OR WINTER CLOTHES• WASHINGTON HOLDS THE ARMY TOGETHER.
YORKTOWN AUGUST TO OCTOBER 1781
• BRITISH SHIFT ATTACK TO THE SOUTH• GENERAL CORNWALLIS LANDS ON THE YORK JAMES
PENINSULA • FEELS SAFE BECAUSE OF THE BRITISH NAVY• FRENCH NAVY UNDER ADMIRAL DE GRASSE BLOCK THE
BRITISH FLEET
FINAL DEFEAT
• WASHINGTON AND RACHAMBEAU LAY SIEGE TO YORKTOWN
• BRITISH ARE TRAPPED AND CORNWALLIS SURRENDERS AN ARMY OF 8000 MEN.
• BAND PLAYS “THE WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN”
TREATY OF PARIS 1783
• U.S. REPRESENTATIVES: JOHN ADAMS, BEN FRANKLIN, & JOHN JAY
• TREATY DELAYED UNTIL FRENCH ARE SATISFIED.
• 1783 NEGOTIATIONS COMPLETED.
BRITISH GIVE UP
• LORD NORTH ON HEARING ABOUT YORKTOWN: “OH GOD! ITS ALL OVER!”
• BRITISH STILL HAD 32,000 TROOPS AND CONTROLLED NEW YORK
• BUT BRITISH DECIDE TO CUT THEIR LOSES• WHIG PARTY COMES TO POWER ON PROMISE OF PEACE
TERMS OF THE TREATY
• BRITAIN RECOGNIZES AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
• PROMISES TO WITHDRAW FROM U.S. SOIL• US. TERRITORY EXTENDS FROM ATLANTIC TO
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
MORE…
• U.S. GIVEN FISHING RIGHTS OFF THE GRAND BANKS OF CANADA
• SPAIN IS GIVEN FLORIDA, BUT NORTHERN BOUNDARY IS UNCLEAR
• U.S. PROMISES TO COMPENSATE LOYALISTS FOR THEIR LAND.
• U.S. PROMISES TO PAY PRE-WAR DEBTS OWED TO BRITISH MERCHANTS
COST OF THE WAR
• 5% OF ALL FREE WHITE MALES BETWEEN 16 AND 45 DIED IN THE WAR.
• A LARGE FINANCIAL DEBT TO FRANCE
What do you think will be the problems of victory?
• Write down 5 problems the Americans will have after the Revolutionary war..
PROBLEMS OF VICTORY
• HOW TO GOVERN A VAST COUNTRY?• HOW TO RE-START THE ECONOMY?• HOW TO RE-PAY DEBTS?• HOW TO DEAL WITH THE LOYALISTS?• HOW TO PROTECT AMERICAN MERCHANT
SHIPS?
MORE…
• WHAT WILL BE OUR NEW PATTERN OF TRADE?• WHAT WILL BE THE BALANCE OF POWER BETWEEN THE
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND THE STATES?• HOW TO CREATE A MONETARY SYSTEM?• ARE WE ONE LARGE COUNTRY OR 13 SMALL INDEPENDENT
COUNTRIES?
A CONSERVATIVE REVOLUTION
• NO MAJOR BLOOD BATH• GOAL WAS TO PROTECT WHAT WE HAD, NOT
ESTABLISH SOMETHING NEW
QUESTION: WHAT CAUSED THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION?
WAS IT THE VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ENGLISHMEN?
• WRITS OF ASSISTANCE• USE OF ADMIRALTY COURTS• TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
WAS IT BAD BRITISH LEADERSHIP?
• KING GEORGE III• WEAK POLITICAL LEADERS IN PARLIAMENT
WAS IT MERCANTILISM AND THE CHANGE OF BRITISH POLICY?
• BRITISH CONCERN ABOUT THE NATIONAL DEBT
• THE GREENVILLE PROGRAM• END OF SALUTARY NEGLECT• THE TOWNSEND PROGRAM
WAS IT THE WORK OF AMERICAN RADICALS?
• TOM PAINE• JOHN HANCOCK• PATRICK HENRY• SAM ADAMS• TOM JEFFERSON
WAS IT TIME AND DISTANCE
• AMERICAN COLONIALS LOST PERSONAL CONTACT WITH BRITAIN
• AMERICANS WANTED MORE FREEDOM, WHILE BRITISH WANT TIGHTER CONTROL