The Revolutionary Republic

1
Chapter 6 The Revolutionary Republic
23 slides 6 images/maps
2
(No Transcript)
3
Declaring Independence on July 4, 1776 was only
the beginning. Over the next ten years the small
colonial rag tag forces defeated the British army
in a prolonged war, fought loyalists in a civil
war, wrote state constitutions, and finally in
1787, wrote the Constitution of the United States.
Revolutionary War was longer and more costly than
either the Americans or the British had
anticipated. Most Indians and slaves when
given a choice - sided with the British. For
more than 5 years the war dragged on with a
weak Congress, ill-prepared, ill-fed, unpaid
colonial army they fought against the worlds
largest professional and disciplined army and
navy.
4
Finally on Oct 19, 1781, Washingtons army forced
the surrender of General Cornwallis forces of
8000 men at Yorktown Virginia. In early 1782,
Lord Norths government in London resigned and
within a year, Britain recognized the
independence of the colonies. While the war
waged other colonists formulated Constitutions.
The first, Articles of Confederation proved
ineffectual drafted 1776 1777. In effect
until 1787. What the colonists did learn from
the war was a fear of power and a respect for
power respect for the republican citizenry over
the British imperial state and a fear that the
same forces could overwhelm the republican ideals
fought for and replace them with the very essence
of what they so opposed in British control. When
the new Constitution was finally ratified by New
Hampshire in 1788, the Americans had created a
new government with what promised to be a balance
of liberty, equality, and power.
5
Revolutionary Republic WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 1776
1781

• I. IMBALANCE OF POWER
• The Numbers
• The British
• The Colonists
• The Loyalists
• How Many
• Slaves
• Indians
• Patriot Chances
• The French and Others
• French
• Spanish

6

• II. THESE ARE THE TIMES THAT TRY MEN'S SOULS
• The Northern Campaign 1776 1777
• British Offensive
• Battle for New York
• Campaigns of 1777
• Traditional Warfare
• Battle of Trenton
• Human Failings
• III. The Tide Turns. The French, again.

7

• IV. Treaty of Paris
• 1783
• 6 major points
• Various Revolutionary Spin-Offs

8

• I. IMBALANCE OF POWER
• The Numbers
• i. British
• 110,000
• Howe, Clinton, Bourgoyne
• - mercenaries including Germans
• - Regulars
• - Loyalists
• - blacks slaves/former slaves
• - Indians
• worlds largest navy
• Disciplined, trained, armed.

HMS Victory, 1884
9

• ii. Colonists
• Farmers, laborers, apprentices
• Most
• Least
• Most colonists took up arms, not because they
  hated England, but to restore the empire to what
  it had been before 1763.
• Washington -
• Colonial Navy
• Small rag tag force

10

• b) The Loyalists
• How Many
• Some figures give it an even 1/3
• Approx 1/6 of all whites in North America
• Of the 1/3 in favor of independence most in
  the North.
• 100,000 leave for Canada
• slaves
• Southerners
• Property
• Slaves
• Some fought, some ran away
• Indians

11

• c) Patriot Chances
• Defensive war.
• In England, sentiment moved in favor of
• Edmund Burke
• John Wilkes
• hope European powers would intervene.

12

• d) The French and Others
• i) French
• Condescending attitude toward colonists.
• Loaned or gave support and supplies
• Demanded colonists demonstrate a victory before
  the French would involve themselves.
• ii) Spanish
• never intervened but wanted access to the victory
  party!

13
II. These are Times that try mens souls

• The Northern Campaign 1776 1777
• The British Offensive
• In June of 1776 the largest expeditionary force
  ever launched to date began to arrive in New York
  harbor under Britain's Admiral Richard Howe.

14

• Battle for New York
• 7/2/76 - Howe landed on Staten island with 21,000
  men
• Washington divided his 20,000 soldiers in two
  groups 1) Long Island, 2) Manhattan.
• On September 15, Howe landed about 14,000 on
  lower Manhattan, quickly taking control of New
  York City.
• For colonial forces, losses such as New York were
  disheartening. Morale dropped and would drop
  with every such loss while British morale went up
  and the desire to continue fighting.

15
Emanuel Leutzes Washington crossing the
Delaware
16
b) Campaigns of 1777

• i) Traditional warfare
• -Land
• Sea
• Seasons
• Cornwallis chased Washington into New Jersey.
  Then the British camped for winter.
• ii) Battle of Trenton
• December 26, 1776

17
iii) Human Failings Howe - plan to cut off the
colonies (take MA) while another force from
Montreal came south. Burgoyne and Howe didn't
get along and Howe wouldn't play games so he
changed tactics. Burgoyne was vastly
overconfident. Burgoyne would come down with
aide from General Howe and Henry Clinton. Howe
failed to move, and Clinton moved too
late. Initially successful Ft
Ticonderoga Weather Horatio Gates. October 17,
1777 Convention George Washington
18
III. THE TIDE TURNS - The French, again By 1779,
most major battles occurred in the South - The
French saw Saratoga as a sign that the colonists
could win. Commonwealth? French officially
recognized the colonies as an independent nation
12/17/77 Admiral DeGrasse August 1781, 29
ships of the line and 3200 men He held off the
British reinforcements 19 ships While Lord
General Cornwallis settled in Virginia where he
believed the war would be won. Where the NY
river runs into the Chesapeake Bay.
19
John Trumbulls painting of the British surrender
at Yorktown, October 1781
Cornwallis refused to surrender - instead,
Brigadier General Charles Ohara presented the
sword of surrender to Rochambeau. Rochambeau
shook his head and pointed to Washington. O'Hara
offered it to Washington, but he refused to
accept it, and motioned to his second in command
who had been humiliated by the British at
Charleston.
20
(No Transcript)
21
US Casulaties Battle deaths 4435 Wounded
6188
22

• IV. Treaty of Paris, September 1783
• 1783
• signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the
  Confederation Congress on
• 14 January 1784 and by the King George on 9 April
  1784.
• John Adams, Ben Franklin, and John Jay for the
  US
• and David Hartley for the King.
• 6 major Points
• free and independent
• boundary between US and British North America
• fishing
• lawful contracted debts
• Prisoners of war
• Mississippi river
• Spain

23
V. Various Revolutionary Spin-Offs Virginia
Resolutions of 1765 Pennsylvania Changes in
womens rights Republican Mother Northwest
Ordinance Shays Rebellion Daniel Shays,
1786-1787