Social Studies Summary

REVOLUTIONARY ORIGINS
NATIVE AND EUROPEAN SOCIETIES

• Causes of American
Revolution:
European quests for social
freedom, individual liberties,
and economic prosperity on
North America’s shores.
Primary ones: the tensions
created by the Seven Years’
War.

THE NATIVES

• Natives: They shared no

unified identity. Conflicts
between groups (including
clan, tribe, village, chiefdom,
and confederacy) occurred due to territory, hunting or agricultural
practices, differing customs, and more. In early European colonization,
natives had no natural immunity to smallpox and were devastated,
reducing their population by 90%.

• Iroquois Confederacy: Also known as the Five (later Six) Nations, it was a
confederacy consisting of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca,
and the newly added (in 1772) Tuscarora.

• Iroquois’s Role: The Iroquois was important in intercultural interactions

because of its unique geography: It was distant enough to react; the
possession of waterways brings advantages in negotiations.

• Algonquians:.General term for populous groups located in Jamestown,

Virginia, and Plymouth, Massachusetts. They first encountered the colonists.
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The Algonquians included the Powhatans, the Pequots, and the

Narragansett. They live by the Atlantic coasts and along the St. Lawrence
River and Great Lakes, surviving through fishing and cultivating the Three
Sisters, which are corn, beans, and squash. The Powhatan group of the
Algonquians formed a confederacy called the Wampanoags, led by
Metacomet or King Phillip, in opposition to the colonists.

British and French colonies

• Geography: British colonies stretched from Maine to Georgia. French colonies

stretched from Newfoundland across the Great Lakes to the Ohio River
Valley, followed the Mississippi River south, and stretched as far west as the
Rocky Mountains.

• Population: The British had over 2 million people in 1756, whereas the
French had 65,000. British: 2 million people French:65000

• Religion: British colonists were mostly Protestant, whereas French colonists

were mostly Catholic.

COLONIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH NATIVE

• Trade Consequences: European military superiority provided European

traders with negotiating advantages.Reliance on European products forced
the Natives to increase hunting, which strained intertribal relationships.

• French-Native: Glory, profit, and the spread of religion shaped French

motivations. Thus, intermarriage and trade are common. The Jesuit
Relations by Father Paul Le Jeune detailed efforts to convert Native
Americans and was later used as a marketing tool to entice settlers to New
France.

• English-Native: The English displaced the natives. Intermarriages and

missionary marriages were uncommon. Due to their military superiority,
the English obtained land through forced purchase.

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British Colonial Identity

• Overall Identity: The New World had three main groups of people: European
settlers, Native Americans, and enslaved Africans. In the 1770s, English
citizens composed less than 2/3 of the colonial population. The Germans
and the Scots-Irish made up the rest of the white population. 1/5 of those
enslaved were of African descent.

• Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur questioned: “What then is the

American, this new man?”

• The process of Anglicization: before the Seven Years’ War, the diverse white
population in English colonies expressed a shared sense of British identity in
their political and judicial structures, material culture, economic systems,
religious practices, and their engagements with the British government.
Wearing clothes constructed of imported cloth and drinking tea were two
important parts of British colonial identity.

THE SEVEN YEARS WAR

BEFORE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR

• General: The Seven Years’ War and Pontiac’s War shaped events in North
America before Revolution. The Anglo-French relationship was aggravated
over European disputes and territorial issues in North America. The war
began in 1756 and ended in 1763.

• The Ohio Company: It was founded to secure 200,000 acres of land in the
Ohio River Valley to facilitate trade.

• The French: They built a chain of forts along the Allegheny River to secure
their land and trade.

• The Native Groups: The Iroquois and the Algonquians were vying for native
dominance.

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GROWING TENSIONS

• The Albany Congress: Seven of the thirteen British colonies (namely CT, MA,
NH, RI, NY, PA, and MD) met in Albany, New York, from June 19 to July 11,
1754, to discuss the relationship with the French and the Native. The
Congress sought a treaty with the Iroquois against France and its allies.

• The Albany Congress - Impact: A starting point for later unification

• a. was a model for future united congresses such as the Stamp Act Congress
of 1765 and the First Continental Congress in 1774.

• b. time was devoted to discussing whether the colonies should form a unified
colonial government (the Albany Plan, proposed by Benjamin Franklin, was
rejected.)
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• Alliances: The British teamed up with the Iroquois, while the French teamed
up with the Algonquians.

• Join, or Die: by Benjamin

Franklin (1754), a political
cartoon commentary on the
disunity of the Thirteen
Colonies during the French
and Indian War. This image
was also used to encourage
the colonies to unite for the
cause of independence during
the American Revolutionary
War.

WAR Begin: BATTLE OF JUMONVILLE GLEN

• General: The Battle of Jumonville Glen is widely considered the formal

beginning of the North American front of the Seven Years’ War.

• Part I: In 1753, Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie, an investor in the

Ohio Company, sent the 21-year-old Washington to demand a French
withdrawal, which the French refused.

• Part II: On May 27, 1754, Washington attacked a French scouting group,
killing 10 French soldiers and 21 captives.

• Part III: The French rebounded Washington’s people at Fort Necessity.

BRITISH STRATEGY

• General: The Seven Years’ War included fronts in North America, the
Caribbean, Europe, South America, India, and the Pacific Ocean. In North
America, the French, the British, their Native allies, and the Spanish were
involved.

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• First Four Years: The British were being defeated at Forts Oswego and
William Henry, and the French and the Algonquians pillaged their
settlements. The French made it within 60 miles of Philadelphia.

• Turning Point: In 1758, the British Prime Minister William Pitt put more
funds and troops to the North American front because he thought world
dominance needed the control of America. In 1758, British troops took
Louisbourg from French Canada, a strategically key port protecting the
mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The British soon defeated the French at
Montreal and Fort Niagara, ending French control of North America.

RESULTS (Effects)

• Treaty of Paris of 1763: The treaty officially marked the end of the Seven
Years’ War.

• Britain: They got Quebec and the Ohio Valley. However, However, the
British government was on the verge of bankruptcy and was having
difficulty pacifying French allies.

• Spain: They got the port of New Orleans and the west bank of the
Mississippi River.

• French: Their remaining claims were sugar-producing islands in the

Caribbean.

• Pontiac’s War of 1763: Knocking the French out of the game, the Natives
could not play the European powers against each other. Against the British,
the Ottawa Chief Pontiac united the Shawnee, Wyandot, Seneca, Cayuga,
Delaware, and Ottawa. In May 1763, they attacked Fort Detroit, beginning
the war. In the fall of 1763, Pontiac’s forces killed or captured 600 people.
By 1764, Pontiac’s forces surrendered due to a lack of supplies. This
rebellion forced the British to reconsider the Natives’ concerns.

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• Royal Proclamation of 1763: To pacify the French and the Natives, the
proclamation outlawed American settlement west of the Appalachian
Mountains and all private purchases of Native lands. However, many
colonists were reluctant and disobeyed the law. The proclamation
aggravated tensions between the colonists and the British government.

ORIGIN OF THE REVOLUTION

• Why Massachusetts: First, Democratic town meetings encouraged people to

get involved in politics. Second, Puritan resistance against the officials forged
a more rebellious culture than elsewhere. Third, lack of fertile soil
aggregated poverty, and the British troops exacerbated the situation. Fourth,
lots of skilled propagandists helped spread rebellious ideas.

• Boston Patriots: were skilled propagandists from all economic classes and
represented a broad spectrum of economic, social, and ethnic backgrounds.

James Otis was an early defender and wrote The Rights of the British
Colonists Asserted and Defended, which was later quoted a fair amount.

John Adams became an ambassador during the Revolutionary War and

later served as first vice-president and second president to the US

Samuel Adams became a political organizer leading up to the revolution.

Paul Revere was a silversmith and artist and made iconic propaganda
prints

THE STAMP ACT

• Salutary Neglect: an eighteenth-century British policy of avoiding strict

enforcement of trade regulations in the American colonies and limited

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imperial supervision of internal colonial affairs, provided that the colonies

remained loyal subjects.

• Stamp Act of 1765: Proposed by British Prime Minister George Greenville,

many printed material in the colonies needed to be produced on stamped
paper made in London and taxed and paid in British mainland currency. To
recover from the economic recessions caused by the Seven Years’ War, it
was Britain’s another attempt to tax the colonies after the Sugar Act and
Currency Act in 1764.

• Stamp Act Resolves: In May of 1765, Virginia issued the resolves to argue
that the Stamp Act was unlawful. However, Virginia didn’t attend the
latter congress of because of Lieutenant Governor Francis Fauquier’s
opposition.

• Stamp Act Congress of 1765: Many colonists considered that the tax was
not consented by the citizens. In October of 1765, representatives from 9
states. In October of 1765, representative from 9 colonies (namely MA, CT,
RI, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, and SC) met in New York. Also known as the
Continental Congress of 1765 (not the first), it was the first gathering of
elected representatives from several American colonies to formulate a
unified protest of British taxation.

• Virtual Representation: Claimed by Greenville, the colonists, along with most

British citizens, were virtually represented in the Parliament.

• Virtual Representation - Comments: Although many disagreed with it

(including William Pitt and Daniel Dulany Jr.), many supported it because
the idea affirmed Parliament’s power.

• The Declaratory Act: which affirmed Parliament's authority "to bind the
colonies in all situations whatsoever," was rapidly enacted by Parliament
following the repeal of the Stamp Act.

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THE TOWNSHEND ACTS

• General: A series of acts, launched by the British Chancellor of the

Exchequer Charles Townshend, and passed by Parliament in 1767 and
1768, to decrease colonial autonomy, fueled American dissent. The acts
imposed taxes on imported items (including glass, paper, paint, oil, lead,
and tea).

• British Gains: The tax directly paid the salaries of the officials, which
strengthened the governors’ loyalty to the crown. Additionally, the
American Board of Custom Commissioners, created by Townshend, enforced
trade regulations better by giving bonus commissions for reporting of
smugglers.

• Colonial Oppositions:
1 Boston-Non-Importation Agreement, on August 1, 1768, Boston-based
merchants and traders vowed to not import or export British goods
served as an example to other colonies: New York and Philadelphia
2 The women’ important role in non-importation agreements
Acts against included not serving tea and using homespun cloth
Daughters of Liberty organized spinning bees in support of the Patriots

- Violent acts
Extralegal harassment of tax collectors had been common
Much can be attributed to the Sons of Liberty, originally formed due to
the Stamp Act, loosely organized, against British policy
Patriot leaders publicly disagreed with SoL but depended on networks
behind the scenes

3 Samuel Adams created committees to spread news throughout the

colonies and made an underground communications network, serving as
foundation for a united network

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THE BOSTON MASSACRE （a.k.a. Bloody Massacre）

• General: On March 5, 1770, Bostonians and British troops involved in an

armed conflict on King Street, killing 5 colonists. According to the “Boston
Gazette”, most killed were young, poor, and laboring men, with one
exception of an elite who wasn’t involved in the fighting.

Samuel Gray, owner of a rope-making shop

Crispus Attucks, “a mulatto” (The first casualty in Revolutionary)
James Caldwell, a mate on a ship
Samuel Maverick, apprentice to an ivory worker
Christopher Monk, apprentice to a shipwright (ship’s carpenter)

• Investigation: British Captain Thomas Preston and some soldiers are charged
with murder, but to avoid British retaliation, John Adams defended them.
Preston and 4 soldiers were discharged while 2 others were branded.

• Paul Revere: He is a Patriot propagandist who produced a printmaking of

the massacre, which further infuriated the colonists.

THE TEA ACT AND THE BOSTON TEA PARTY

• Background: In April of 1770, most of the Townshend Acts were repealed

with the exception of taxation on tea.

• Tea Act: Prime Minister Frederick. Lord North granted British East India
Company a monopoly on the colonial market. With monopoly, the
Parliament still charged the three-pence tax on tea.

• Nearly all colonial ports met British ships carrying cargoes of British East
India Company Tea with threats of violence. Most ships turned around;
however, only one ship and its cargo were burned in Annapolis, Maryland.

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• Boston Tea Party: The Sons of Liberty threatened many British ships to
express opposition. On December 16, 1773, a group of 30 to 100 people,
who were disguised as Natives, boarded 3 British ships and dumped 342
chests of tea into the harbor.

THE INTOLERABLE ACTS AND THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS

• Background: As a punishment to Massachusetts’s Boston Tea Party, the

Parliament imposed the Coercive Acts in 1774, listing below:

1 Port Act: Closed the port of Boston.

2 Massachusetts Government Act: Revoked the Massachusetts Charter of

1691, limited town meetings to once a year, and increased power of the
royal governor.

3 Administration of Justice Act: Allowed trials for royal officials and

British troops in elsewhere within the empire for a “fair” trial.

4 Quartering Act: Allowed governor to provide housing for British soldiers.

(Applied to all colonies)

5 Quebec Act(not intend the Quebec Act as a response to the Boston Tea
Party.) :

Expanded the boundary of Quebec into the Ohio Valley

recognized the Catholic Church to pacify the French population
set up an appointive council replacing the election. However, the act
agitated protestant Patriots.

• The First Continental Congress: On September 5, 1774, delegates from all

colonies except Georgia (which was more conservative) met in Philadelphia’s
Carpenter’s Hall to discuss about colonies’ relationship with Britain.

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• Results:
1. Continued non-importation with the Continental Association helping
enforcing it.
2. Drafted a declaration of colonial rights complaining about the
unlawful acts, and sent a copy to London.
3. Would reconvene in May of 1775 if nothing progressed.

Timeline
August 1619 The first enslaved people arrive in Virginia.
June 19 – July 11, 1754 The Albany Congress
May 27, 1754 Battle of Jumonville Glen
1756−63 Seven Years’ War / French and Indian War
1763 Treaty of Paris of 1763
1763 Royal Proclamation of 1763
1763−66 Pontiac’s War
1764 Sugar Act and Currency Act
1765 Stamp Act
May 1765 The Stamp Act Resolves
October 1765 The Stamp Act Congress
1766 The Stamp Act is repealed.
1766 Declaratory Act
1767−68 Townshend Acts
August 1, 1768 Boston Non-Importation Agreement
March 5, 1770 Boston Massacre
1773 Tea Act
December 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party
1774 Intolerable Acts
September 5, 1774 First Continental Congress
May 10, 1775 The Second Continental Congress convenes.

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REVOLUTIONARY WAR
GENERAL

• Chance of an American Victory: The British significantly outnumbered the

Patriots, having 48,000 and 18,000 troops respectively. The British Royal
Navy and Army also have better training and equipment, whereas the
Continental Army led by Washington is not.

• Stages of the War - Stage I: The British attempted to separate New

England (MA, CT, RI) from the rest of the colonies by controlling the
Hudson River. The British faced strong opposition and guerrilla tactics.

• Stages of the War - Stage II: The British won in the Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ,
PA) colonies, while the Patriots won in New Jersey and New York, bringing
the war to a stalemate.

• Stages of the War - Stage III: The British hoped to control the Southern
colonies, which the King was relatively more popular, until the American
and the French took York Town, Virginia, forcing the British to make peace.

NEW ENGLAND - THE BEGINNINGS OF WAR

• Background: Since 1768, the British had occupied Boston and continued to
increase military presence. In 1775, the military governor of Massachusetts,
General Thomas Gage, garrisoned 3000 troops in Boston.

• Massachusetts Provincial Congress: It was established to defy the Intolerable

Acts and command local militias for possible hostilities. The local militias
originally defended themselves from the French and the Natives, and they
were able to be ready for a fight in a minute. They gathered their arms at
Lexington, Concord, and Worcester.

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LEXINGTON AND CONCORD (1775)

• Onset: In February 1775, Parliament declared Massachusetts rebellious in

the Proclamation of Rebellion.

• Gage’s Plan: He secretly planned to seize Patriot leaders and supplies at

Lexington and Concord.

• Spies leaked his plan, which allowed Patriot leaders including John
Hancock and Samuel Adams to flee.

• Hanging Lantern: The Patriots communicated by hanging lanterns in the

steeple of Boston’s Old North Church. One lantern means a British attack by
land; two if by sea.

• Paul Revere and others spread the news through the countryside on
horseback: the Regulars were coming

• Battle of Lexington: In the morning of April 19, 1775, 240 British troops
landed by sea and 70 Patriots fought, resulting 1 British death and 8
Patriot deaths.

• Battle in Concord: 220 British troops secured the North Bridge across the
Concord River and searched for arms. 400 militiamen converged on the
North Bridge and backed off the British. Rejoined with the main force, the
British marched back to Boston, facing guerrilla tactics and resulting 125
British deaths.

• Philosopher Emerson recorded this in his poetry “the shot heard

round the world.”

SIEGE OF BOSTON (1775)

• Fort Ticonderoga: a supply and communication link in northern New York

that connects the British to Canada,

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• Benedict Arnold (a wealthy shopkeeper in CT) and Ethan Allen (d’

leader of a militia in VT) captured Fort Ticonderoga,on May 10, 1775.

• The Stalemate: The British retreated to the Boston peninsula and continued
to reinforce the 6000 British troops in Boston with their navy. The Patriots
controlled Roxbury Neck, the only land access to the city. Without a navy,
however, they were unable to control Boston Harbor.

• Battle of Bunker Hill

• Onset:

• (美）Colonel William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker and Breed’s

Hills, constructed a redoubt on Breed’s Hill, and fortified lines across
the Charlestown Peninsula.

• （英）On June 17, 1775, Major General William Howe is

commanded to attack the Patriots, who were on the high ground.
British ships bombarded and soldiers crossed the Charles River and
stormed the hills.

• Process: Major General Israel Putnam held their fire until the British
were in cloth range. The Patriots repulsed two waves, but, running
low on ammunition, they lost the hill on the third wave.

• Results: Despite the British victory, the British side underwent huge
losses (226 killed, 800 wounded), which enhanced the Patriots’
confidence

• The British Crown issued a Proclamation of Rebellion，to treat the

rebellion as a foreign war

• Historian Charles Royster describe the phenomenon which the initial

enthusiasm for arms sparked by American success in New England as
“rage militaire”

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• Despite the enthusiasm brought by British damages, General

Washington faced the challenge of professionalizing the militias (after
arriving in MA on July 2, 1775).

• Capture of Boston: Henry Knox, delivered 60 tons of cannons and material

over an arduous 300-mile journey from Fort Ticonderoga to the Patriot
forces in Boston. Frightened, General Howe and the British troops fled (on
March 17, 1776) from Boston to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Washington
marched for New York.

THE MID-ATLANTIC - STALEMATE

• Introduction: The British diverted its focus to Mid-Atlantic region, wanting

to cut of New England from the rest of the colonies. However, the success in
New England inspired other people throughout the colonies, including
Alexander Hamilton.

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY (1776~1777)

• British Seizure of NYC: In June and July of 1776, the British sailed landed
on Staten Island (NY). Upon General Howe’s arrival, his first peaceful
overtures were rejected. Consequently, the Battle of Long Island began on
August 27, 1776. The American forces retreated to Brooklyn Heights, but
Howe didn’t pursue.

• Aftermath: After peaceful negotiation at Staten Island Peace Conference

being rejected again, the British landed at Kip’s Bay and controlled NYC.
However, Howe’s reticence cost Britain the chance to annihilate the
American Army. On the American side, Washington later went to
Pennsylvania.

• Hamilton: Alexander Hamilton’s (captain of the New York Provincial

Company of Artillery) talent drew Washington’s attention. He was

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appointed to serve as Washington’s aide (being lieutenant colonel) and

worked on intelligence and diplomacy.

• Small but decisive victories that boosted morale and re-enlistment.

1 Battle of Trenton (NJ): While the British ceased-fire in winter,

Washington surprise attacked at Trenton (NJ) because he needed a
victory to boost morale. He crossed the Delaware River to attack Hessian
forces. On December 26, the Hessian forces (Britain-hired German
soldiers) surrendered.

2 The Battle of Assunpink Creek (NJ) , on January 2, 1777

3 The Battle of Princeton (NJ) , on January 3, 1777

• Battle of Saratoga

• Background: Astonished by Washington’s success in NJ, Howe planned

to capture Philadelphia (home of Congress) in 1777 and control the
Hudson River to separate New England from the rest of the colonies.

• Development:

• British General Burgoyne led 7000 soldiers and captured Fort

Ticonderoga. Despite the victory, the British faced problems with
destroyed infrastructure led by General Horatio Gates, lack of
local and native support, and miscommunication (which happened
when Howe didn’t meet Burgoyne from the south but went to
Philadelphia instead).

• In summer of 1777, British victory at the Battle of Hubbardton,

the Americans won at the battles of Bennington and Freeman’s
Farm.

• Result: Burgoyne reached and began defend Saratoga since September

13th 1777 but was defeated by General Horatio Gates and
surrendered on October 17th 1777
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• Conflict: Though Benedict Arnold played a significant role in the battle

and wounded a leg, he was not appreciated by Congress.

WAR IN PENNSYLVANIA (1777~1778)

• Battle of Brandywine led to the Occupation of Philadelphia: On September

11 of 1777, the British outflanked the American Army. On September 26,
British controlled Philadelphia, and the Continental Army and Congress fled.
Washington attempted to attack at Germantown on October 4, but was
repulsed. The Continental Army fortified the Delaware River, but was
captured in November.

• Marquis de Lafayette: The French aristocrat and military officer joined

the Continental Army on July 31, 1777 as a major general. He
befriended Washington, both Masonic members. He played a significant
role as a commander and advocate (with France).

• Valley Forge: While the British enjoyed winter in Philadelphia, the

Continental Army retreated to Valley Forge (20 miles away) and suffered
from supply shortage and disheartening morale. Some people questioned
Washington’s leadership and preferred General Horatio Gates instead.

• Revitalization of the Continental Army: In Spring, the Continental Army

is professionalized by Baron Friedrich von Steuben.

• In June of 1778, the British withdrew from Philadelphia, and Arnold

was appointed by Washington to be the commander of the city. Arnold
married Peggy Shippen (daughter of a wealthy Loyalist) and tried to
join the British side.

• THE CONTINENTAL NAVY

• Establishment: It was created by Congress on October 13, 1775,

consisting of mostly small ships, to disrupt British shipping. In December,
8 (originally 13) frigates entered service.

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• Privateers: Despite being outmanned by the Royal Navy, Congress

received key help from privateers (private ship owners) and
commissioned and encouraged them to attack and seize British vessels.
Privateers, owning 1700 vessels, captured 2283 British ships valued
$66M. Although most travels in American waters, Commander John
Paul Jones captured “HMS Drake” (a ship in the Royal Navy) in British
waters.

EUROPEAN ALLIANCES

• France:

• Attitude when the war began: humiliated by the 1763 Treaty of Paris,
France watched with interests
When the war reached mid-Atlantic region: saw the chance to help
America to weaken Britain.

• Fundamental reason to help: The French foreign minister Charles

Gravier the Comte de Vergennes hoped to replace Britain as America’s
primary trading partner and to protect its remaining colonies in North
America.

• American attitude:
When the war began: reluctant
As war progressed: accepted the necessity of foreign aid militarily and
financially.

• Assistance:
In December 1777, Britain offered peace with the Carlisle Peace
Commission to give American right to home rule themselves.
In February of 1778, France and America signed the Treaty of Amity
and Commerce (for trading) and the Treaty of Alliance (conditional and
defensive).

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• Spain:

• Attitude before the war: lent America money and allowed American
ships to enter the Port of Havana of Cuba to smuggle resources.
Attitude after joining the war in June of 1779: assisted the Americans
on the western frontier.

• Fundamental reason to help: wanting to damage British trade and

regain the Mediterranean territories (Gibraltar and Minorca) that were
under British control since 1704.

• Assistance:
In 1779, The British prepared to attack the Mississippi River.
In 1780, at the Battle of Saint Louis (now Missouri), Spanish forces
thwarted an attack by combined British and Native American forces.
Spain’s quick efforts to protect the area prevented the British from
securing the lower Mississippi River.

• The Netherlands:

• Country’s history: In 1588, the Dutch Republic was founded against

Spanish oppression, and thus shared similar ideologies with America.
The Dutch Republic flourished until the Batavian Revolution of 1795.

• Assistance:
Although never entered war, Dutch merchants collaborated with
American and French merchants to evade the Navigation Acts, which
regulated international trade. By smuggling, America made more
money.

• Britain, however, wanted the Netherlands to be its ally (as they had
been allies since the Glorious Revolution of 1688). The Dutch refused,
leading to the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780-1784).

• In April of 1782, the Netherlands, being the second European country

(after France), recognized America after establishing diplomatic

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relationship with John Adams. Later that year, they negotiated a treaty
of amity and commerce, and America received some loans.

THE SOUTH - CIVIL WAR

• To the British, after France entered the war in 1778, Britain planned to
concentrate on the southern colonies (the Virginia, the Carolina, and the
Georgia), because taxes on tobacco was more lucrative and there were more
loyalist supporters. Britain hoped to squeeze the Patriots between the north
(Canada) and the south.

• To the patriots, they faced resistance from the locals who wanted to keep
their slaves (the loyalists) , who wanted freedom(the slaves that belongs to
the loyalists).

BLACK INVOLVEMENT

• Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation: John Murray Lord Dunmore, the last royal
governor of Virginia, passed the Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation (November
1775), which offered freedom to the slaves of the Patriots, to limit
American strength. Lord Dunmore further formed the Ethiopian Regiment,
which composed of 1000 former slaves.

• Philipsburg Proclamation: In 1778, General Sir Henry Clinton replaced

Howe as the commander and issued the Philipsburg Proclamation in 1779,
further extending the range of freed slaves. Quickly as the news spread, over
5000 slaves fled to freedom with the British in Georgia alone.

• Continental Army and Navy:

When black soldiers first volunteered to support the Patriot cause in the
early days of the war, colonial legislatures and the Continental Congress
were reluctant to accept them. After Dunmore’s Proclamation, America
then reconsidered the inclusion of black recruits. Throughout the war, about
5000 black soldiers served with the Continental Army and Navy.

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THE SIEGE OF SAVANNAH

• On December 29th 1778, British Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell

captured Savannah (GA). In the fall of 1779, about 5000 to 7000
Americans and 4000 French attacked the 3000 British. However, being
repelled twice, the French commander Charles Hector, the Comte d’Estaing
departed; later, General Benjamin Lincoln retreated as well.

WEST POINT AND THE SPIES

• Arnold’s Betrayal: Arnold, who commanded West Point (a fort in NY)

secretly negotiated with Henry Clinton via Major André, the head of British
intelligence, and offered the British West Point in return for the position of
brigadier general and £20,000. On September 23, 1780, three militiamen
captured André near Tarryton (NY), with documents implicating Arnold’s
betrayal. Hence, André was hung to death on October 2 and Arnold fled to
VA as a brigadier general.

• Culper Spy Ring: It was a network of Patriot spies organized by Washington

and Major Tallmadge. Tallmadge was the spies’ contact while Washington
directed their activities. The organization unveiled British plans (including
Arnold’s scheme).

• Culper Spy Ring - Example: Tailor from NYC Mulligan and his slave Cato
had access to high-ranking British officers through their shop. In the spring
of 1781, they discovered a British plot to capture Washington. In addition,
Two sisters of the Culper Spy Ring’s leaders, Sally Townshend and Mary
Underhill, served as informants.

CAROLINAS

• Siege of Charleston: After failing in Savannah, General Benjamin Lincoln

withdrew to Charleston (SC). In April of 1780, British troops led by Clinton
and Cornwallis besieged the city. Lincoln requested a conditional surrender,
but was rejected. On May 12 1780, Lincoln unconditionally surrendered.

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The British seized over 5000 captives and devastated American force in the
South.

• The Battle of Camden: While Clinton returned to NY, Cornwallis was left
overseeing the South. On August 16, 1780, Horatio Gates was defeated at
the Battle of Camden. The British marched into North Carolina.

• Battle of Kings Mountain: Major Ferguson recruited Loyalist militiamen to

protect the left flank of Cornwallis’s troops. They harassed local Patriot
militias, causing the Patriots to attack on Ferguson’s forces. Although
Ferguson’s troops had the high ground, he was killed during a charge and
his forces surrendered. Despite being a minor victory, it boosted Patriot
morale. The battle forced forced Cornwallis to reconsider his plans to march
through North Carolina.

TURNING POINT (1781)

• Background: In December 1780, Washington replaced Gates with Nathanael

Greene as the commander in the south.

• Battle of Cowpens: In January 1781, American forces under Brigadier

General Morgan devastated the British led by Colonel Tarleton.

• Battle of Guilford Courthouse: On March 15, 1781, Greene challenged the

exhausted British. Despite a British victory, the British troops had lost 27%
of its total forces. British Whig Leader Charles Fox criticized this victory.
Later, Cornwallis marched to Virginia, raiding farms.

• Battle of Yorktown

• Preparation: Washington and French commander Rochambeau joined

force 300 miles south. They confused the British that their target was
New York, so Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown (VA) to construct
defenses. Meanwhile, 28 French vessels commanded by Admiral François
Paul, Comte de Grasse, met with their army in Virginia.

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• Process: On September 28, 1781, 7800 French, 3100 militiamen, and

8000 American troops under Washington bombarded Cornwallis.
Meanwhile, the French Navy blocked British supply lines from the sea.

• Results: On October 17, 1781, the British (8000 troops) surrendered.

This was the last major military engagement.

• Continued Hostilities

• In January 1782, Parliament passed a law forbidding any additional

offensive action by the British Army in North America.

• Battle of Combahee River: It was an example of further skirmishes,

which happened on August 27, 1782, near Charleston (SC). John
Laurens, known for his recruitment of enslaved soldiers, fought a British
foraging party and was wounded fatally.

WESTERN FRONTIER

• Location and background: The western frontier, including present-day Ohio,

Michigan, Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania became significant in the
last years of the war. The British held Fort Detroit, while the Americans
held Fort Pitt (near present Pittsburgh).

• British strategic placement: In 1777, Detroit officials began recruiting

Indians to raid American settlements in Kentucky, West Virginia, and
Pennsylvania as a diversionary tactic.

• US strategic placement: Western American settlements built ineffective

forts along the Ohio River and stationed 2 regiments from the
Continental Army after frequent assaults from the British..

• Gnadenhutten Massacre

• Development:
1. On March 8, 1782, Militiamen from PA massacred 96 natives at
Gnadenhutten (OH). Later, Colonel Crawford led 480 militiamen into
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the Indian territory.

2. British and the Natives met at the Sandusky River and surrounded
Crawford and his men, resulting 70 American casualties. They executed
the prisoners as a retaliation of the massacre.

• Aftermath:
1. On July 13, 1782, a raid by British and Seneca warriors destroyed
Hanna’s Town (a small settlement). In August, Americans were defeated
at the Battle of Blue Lucks. Later, Fort Henry was defended from a
British attack.
2. With peace negotiation, the Continental Army stopped its expedition
to the Western frontier in the fall of 1782.

TREATY OF PARIS OF 1783

• American Representatives: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay,

Henry Laurens and William Temple Franklin represented the United States.
They served in the Congress and were sent to Europe for support and loans.

• Negotiation of Land: The French foreign minister, Vergennes, proposed that

an independent America stretches east of Appalachian Mountains only.
Displeased, John Jay directly negotiated with the British PM, William Petty,
Earl of Shelburne, ignoring the Franco-American Treaty of Alliances. The
British, wanting to damage Franco-American alliance and to establish a
profitable trade relationship with America, offered America all territory
east of the Mississippi River, north of Florida, and south of Canada.
Additionally, America gained fishing rights in Canada.

• Peace of Paris of 1783: Britain made separate accords with France, Spain,
and the Netherlands. First drafted on November 30, 1782, Britain formally
recognized America on September 3, 1783 at the Hôtel d’York according to
the Anglo-American treaty. Congress ratified it on January 14, 1784.

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THE REVOLUTIONARY HOMEFRONT (THE PEOPLE’S ROLE)

COMMUNITIES DIVIDED

• General: The general groups are the Loyalist, the Patriots, and the
undecided, which held a significant part of the people.

• Loyalists

• General situation

• were called King’s Men, Royalists, and Tories.

• were generally wealthy and educated plantation owners, enslavers,

and merchants who benefit from the British global trade network.

• the British had more support from New York City, Hudson River,
eastern shore of Maryland, the western frontier, particularly
Carolina and Georgia

• During the war

• experienced public humiliation and violence at the hands of the

Patriots.

• property in some areas was vandalized, looted, destroyed, or even

seized by Patriots.

• Individuals were sometimes subjected to tarring and feathering, a

cruel punishment that often led to death.

• After the War:

• 80,000 loyalists departed for Canada or Britain because loss of

property and prosperity and loyalty (Including William Franklin)

• 80% remained in the states. Loyalists after the war experienced

public humiliation and destruction of property.

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• Patriots:

• General situation

• were known as Patriots, revolutionaries, continentals, colonials,

rebels, Yankees, or Whigs.

• held 40~50% of the colonial population, were from a broad

spectrum, including plantation owners (like Jefferson and
Washington), lawyers (like John Adams and John Dickinson),
merchants (like Hancock and Arnold), and farmers (Daniel Shays),
as well as freed and enslaved African-Americans and Native
Americans.

WOMEN

• Roles: Women were significant in maintaining the farms and businesses

during the war while struggling with hardships such as inflation, shortages,
and destruction of crops. They were also important in boycotting imported
products, making homemade clothes, and replacing tea with coffee. Though,
women generally didn’t have social status and followed their husbands.

• On the Home front

• Went through hardships: Lucy Knox, wife of Henry Knox, Abigail

Adams, wife of John Adams, all addressed political comments about
economic stress. Catherine van Cortlandt’s husband was loyal to the
King, so her neighbors refused to help.

• Serve in war: Sarah McGinn, who helped communicating between the

Natives and the Colonists got compensation.

• At War:

• Travelled with troops: Martha Washington joined George Washington

at Valley Forge. Single women (aka “camp followers”) often followed

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the troops and provided services such as nursing, laundry, cooking,

and companionship.

• Attending in Battles: Mary Hays brought water to the soldiers at the

Battle of Monmouth, earning the nickname “Molly Pitcher”. Hays
later replaced her injured husband at the cannon, later earning the
title “Sergeant Molly” from Washington. Margaret Corbin, another
example, was wounded during a conflict on Fort Washington. Deborah
Sampton of Plympton disguised as a man and joined the army.

AFRICAN-AMERICANS

• General: 500,000 enslaved people lived in the colonies, mostly in the south
where they labored on plantations.

• As a system, slavery and other forms of unfreedom were evident in

every British colony in North America.

• Black Loyalists: Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation and the Philipsburg

Proclamation offered freedom to 3000 to 10,000 slaves. The British
intention, however, was merely to undermine Patriot enslavers only (not
Loyalist enslavers).

• Boston King: an example of a freed slave who joined the British Army as
a servant and messenger. Though, any freed slaves after the provisional
peace treaty in 1782 were rejected.

• New York City - the last British stronghold

• Black Patriots: many actively supported the cause such as Crisps Attucks
(killed in the Boston Massacre) who by the mid-nineteenth century had
become a symbol for abolitionists.

• 5000 blacks were enlisted in the Continental Army.

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• In 1778, Rhode Island, having the highest proportion of slaves in New

England, formed a black regiment. Some also fought for their masters
and earned freedom.

• Jack Sisson: a slave who served in the Rhode Island Regiment. In

1777, under Colonel William Barton, they captured British General
Prescott, and traded him for American General Charles Lee.

• James Armistead Lafayette: a slave joined Lafayette’s (the Frech

aristocrat who joined Washington’s staff) military units as a spy. He
infiltrated Cornwallis’s headquarters in 1781. He provided the British
wrong information and the American crucial information at the
Battle of Yorktown. The Virginia Act of 1783 emancipated enslaved
Patriot soldiers (not spies). With the help of Lafayette, he gained
freedom at last.

NATIVES

• General role in the war: Several native nations allied with the colonists, but
most viewed American independence as a threat. To limit American
expansion, which encouraged natives to join the British forces during the
war.

• Iroquois Neutrality:

• Relation towards the British Crown and Colonist: important allies

• Sir William Johnson was the key to keep the Iroquois as allies in the
Seven Years War.

• Reasons the relationship changed:

1 Native tribes appeared to be on the verge of war
2 increased American settlement in the area fanned the flames of
conflict, leading to a high level of tension in the Ohio region before
the Revolutionary War began.
3 Johnson's death in 1774

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• Relation towards the British Crown and Colonist: neutral.

• The Oneida Declaration of Neutrality in June 1775, as the natives

perceived the struggle as a civil war

• Reaction towards Iroquois:

• Americans hoped the Indians to remain neutral and feared Indian

raids

• British persuaded the Iroquois to continue to support the Crown.

The End of the Iroquois Confederacy (The break up of the confederacy led
further civil war and raid)

• Reason: supported of either the Americans or the British during American

Revolution

• Seneca, Onondaga, and Cayuga supported the British

• Oneida and Tuscarora supported the Americans.

• Mohawk fought for both sides.

• Mohawk leader Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), led a Mohawk-

Loyalist force called “Brant’s Volunteers” and fought in New York.
Akiatonharonkwen (Joseph Louis Cook, aka Colonel Lewis) became
a colonel and joined Arnold. He also led Native delegation to meet
Rochambeau in 1780. Two leaders were enemies and divided the
nation.

Native Allies in the Southern Theatre with British

• South:

• In Georgia and South Carolina, the Creek and the Seminole allied with
the British. The Creek assisted in the Siege of Savannah.

• The Cherokee attacked North Carolina.

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• The Chickasaw, the Greek, and the Choctaw went against Spain along
Mississippi River and played major role in the Battle of Fort Charlotte,
the Battle of Mobile, and the Siege of Pensacola.

• End of Revolution: The Treaty of Paris brought no advantage for the natives.
The Iroquois and the Cherokee alliances were shattered. The western native
groups were raided. America-supporters received little compensation.
British-supporters were abandoned.

Conclusion

• In the American Revolution, thirteen colonies gained independence from the

British crown and established the United States of America, the first
modern constitutional democracy.

• The benefits of the American Revolution for women, freed and enslaved
African Americans, and Native Americans were either extremely limited or
nonexistent.

• The Revolution failed to live up to the declaration “all men are created
equal.”

• The republican political institutions created by the American Revolution

proved remarkably stable and resilient.

• During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln described the purpose of the United
States as “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

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Timeline
April 19, 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord
May 10, 1775 Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
May 10, 1775 The Second Continental Congress convenes
June 14, 1775 The Continental Army is created.
June 1775 Oneida Declaration of Neutrality
June 17, 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill
August 23, 1775 Proclamation of Rebellion
October 13, 1775 Creation of the Continental Navy
November 1775 Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation
March 17, 1776 The British evacuate Boston
June 1776 The Committee of Five begins work on the
Declaration of Independence.
August 27, 1776 Battle of Long Island
September 11, 1776 Staten Island Peace Conference
December 26, 1776 Battle of Trenton
January 2, 1777 Battle of Assunpink Creek
January 3, 1777 Battle of Princeton
July 31, 1777 Marquis de Lafayette joins the Continental
Army
September 11, 1777 Battle of Brandywine
Sep. 19–Oct. 17, 1777 Battle of Saratoga
September 26, 1777 The British occupy Philadelphia
Winter of 1777−78 Continental Army winter encampment at
Valley Forge
1778 Formation of the Culper Spy Ring
February 1778 The Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the
Treaty of Alliance are signed with France.
April 1778 American Capture of H.M.S. Drake
June 1778 The British evacuate from Philadelphia
June 28, 1778 Battle of Monmouth
December 29, 1778 The British capture Savannah

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June 1779 The Spanish enter the Revolutionary War.

June 30, 1779 Philipsburg Proclamation
Sept. – Oct. 1779 Siege of Savannah
Feb. 20 – Mar. 9, 1780 Battle of Fort Charlotte
April – May 12, 1780 Siege of Charleston
May 26, 1780 Battle of St. Louis
August 1780 Benedict Arnold assumes command of West
Point
August 16, 1780 Battle of Camden
September 23, 1780 Capture of John André
October 7, 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain
December 1780 Nathanael Greene replaces Horatio Gates as
Commander of Southern
Continental Forces.
January 7, 1781 Battle of Mobile
January 17, 1781 Battle of Cowpens
Mar. 9 – May 8, 1781 Siege of Pensacola
March 15, 1781 Battle of Guilford Court House
September 28, 1781 Beginning of the siege of Yorktown
October 19, 1781 The British surrender at Yorktown.
January 1782 Parliament forbids offensive action in North
America.
March 8, 1782 Gnadenhutten Massacre
July 13, 1782 Raid on Hanna’s Town
August 19, 1782 Battle of Blue Licks
August 27, 1782 Battle of the Combahee River
November 30, 1782 The Peace of Paris is drafted.
September 3, 1783 The Anglo-American Peace Treaty is signed.
January 14, 1784 Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris.

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