The Revolutionary Republic

1
The Revolutionary Republic

• Chapter 6

2
The British Offensive 1776

• Britain believed loss of colonies would mean loss
  of ?
• - raised 30K for 1st campaign
• Washington divided force of 19k in N.Y.
• British success (August- December)

3
General Howe

• English General, Commander-in-Chief of British
  forces during the American Revolutionary War
  (until 1778)

4
British Offensive 1776(continue)

• Howe decided not to capture continental entire
  army. Why?
• Morale at all time low / many believed war was
  over

5
The Trenton-Princeton Campaign

• Washington crosses Delaware River
• - surprises British at Trenton (12-25-76)
• - captured 1,000 Hessians

6
Trenton-Princeton Campaign (continue)

• Cornwallis goes after Washington w/ 8k troops
  (1-2-1777)
• - locates him at Trenton, waits to attack
• Washington surprises Cornwallis at Princeton (p
  162)
• What was the Impact of Washingtons two quick
  victories?

7
French support for America

• British-French relations
• Louis XVI authorized secret aid to colonists (may
  1776)
• Franklin arrives in France (1776)

8
British take Philadelphia (9-11-1777)(pg 164)
Surviving Cold Winter Valley Forge
9
Washingtons letter

• A part of the army has been a week, without any
  kind of flesh, and the rest for three or four
  days Naked and starving as they are, we cannot
  enough admire the incomparable patience and
  fidelity of the soldiery, that they have not been
  ere this excited by their sufferings, to a
  general mutiny or dispersion.

10
French Intervention

• Loss of Philadelphia (1777)
• Franco-American treaties (Feb 1778)
• - trade / recognize independence
• - Britain declares war on France (1778)
• - Spain enters war in 1779

11
Crisis of Revolution

• Colonists expected a rapid victory with French
  alliance
• War of attrition (survival)
• Many loyalist still committed to British
• - loyalists banished under state govts
• Slaves Indians sided with British
• War created enormous amount of refugees

12
Prolonged War

• British problems
• public divided
• trade
• taxes
• debt
• recruitment
• Atlantic
• France, Spain

• American Problems
• Indian raids
• productive work weakened
• high inflation
• soldiers ill-equipped desertion
• Benedict Arnold

13
Benedict Arnold

• best known for plotting to surrender an American
  fort at West Point, N.Y. (1780)
• opposed the decision to form an alliance with
  France
• felt unrewarded

14
Yorktown Treaty of Paris

• Cornwallis takes control of British army in
  Virginia (1781)
• - campaign damaged Virginia withdraws to
  Yorktown
• Washington sees opportunity for a major strike
• - Franco-American forces cripple Cornwallis at
  Yorktown
• - Cornwallis surrenders army of 8k men

15
Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown,
Va
16
Treaty of Paris British recognize American
Independence
17
Early Governments in America

• 1st 2nd Continental Congress
• Articles of Confederation (1781-89)
• - each state retains it sovereignty
• - the tail could wag the dog

18
Three Systems of Govt
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Problems with Articles (continue)

• weak Central govt
• - no power to tax
• - Federal govt demanded 15.7 million from
  states but only received 2.4
• no power to raise army
• Shays rebellion (1786)
• - farmers takeover Mass courthouse
• - showed weakness of Articles

22
Constitutional Convention 1787

• 55 delegates met to revise Articles

23
Constitutional Convention (continue)

• Decision to scrap Articles of Confederation
• Controversial issue 3 branches of govt
• Executive limited role for president
• Legislative 2 houses of Congress
• Great Compromise derived from New Jersey
  Virginia Plan
• Judicial issue of Courts

24
Ideas of Constitution

• Final agreements / prevention of tyranny
• - Separation of Powers / checks balances

25
Checks Balances
26
The struggle to ratify the constitution

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
• Federalists papers- 85 essays in defense of
  constitution
• Promise of Bill of rights
• limited powers of Natl govt over liberties
  of individuals
• Constitution ratified
• Bill of Rights adopted

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Bill of Rights