08. The American Revolution pt. II

1. 08. The American Revolution pt. II • Purpose: to gain an understanding of the military, political, and social results of the American Revolution, specifically: • The course of the Revolutionary War • The French alliance • The impact of the Revolution on • Loyalists • Native Americans • Slaves • Women • Timeframe: 1775-1783 08. The American Revolution pt. II

2. 1.1 The War in the North • The Continental Army had to win independence in battle, but had chronic problems (finances, supply, logistics). Outstanding leaders were Washington, Henry Knox and Nathanael Greene. • The British possessed the largest navy in the world. They left Boston, took New York and later Philadelphia. • George Washington successfully harassed the British. • The Continental army under Horatio Gates managed to halt the British counter-invasion at Saratoga in late 1777. • In early 1778, the British withdrew from Philadelphia and evacuated to New York, which they held until the end of the war. The War in the North, 1776-1779 08. The American Revolution pt. II

3. 1.2 The French Alliance • From abroad came: Friedrich von Steuben, Thaddeus Kosciusko and Marquis de Lafayette joined the Continental Army. • France was a potential ally for the Americans. • Congress sent Benjamin Franklin to France to negotiate an alliance. • After the victory at Saratoga, France entered a formal alliance with the United States and brought Spain and the Dutch Republic into the war against the British. • They made the Revolution an international conflict. The Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834) 08. The American Revolution pt. II

4. 1.3 The War in the South • After 1778, British forces shifted their attentions to the South, took Charles Town and Savannah. Only in the Carolina hinterland could American troops win. • Lord Cornwallis then moved into Virginia and established a base at Yorktown. • However, French troops together with Continentals besieged Cornwallis at Yorktown while George Washington prevented reinforcements from New York. • In late 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his troops. The War in the South, 1778-1781 08. The American Revolution pt. II

5. 1.4 The Peace of Paris • Given Cornwallis’ surrender and the inter-national scope of the conflict, Britain felt it could not win the war. Peace negotiations began in June 1782, but dragged on until summer 1783. • The United States gained all territory between the Atlantic and the Mississippi, except Florida which went back to Spain, albeit with a disputed border. • Great Britain retained Canada, although the border with New England remained in dispute. 08. The American Revolution pt. II

6. 2.1 The Loyalists • Loyalist were the supporters of the British crown in revolutionary America and constituted ca 20% of the Anglo-American population. • The Revolutionary War was also a civil war. • Loyalism was not linked to class or occupation. Loyalists came often from Middle states, seaboard regions, westernmost frontier. were recently arrived English and non-English immigrants. were often Religious minorities. 08. The American Revolution pt. II

7. 2.2 The Loyalists during and after the War • In some cases, British officials managed to organize Loyalists into effective fighting forces. In most cases the British did not do enough to protect the Loyalists. • The Peace of Paris stipulated the restitution of Loyalist property, a rule that the new states widely ignored. • After the war, Tens of thousands of Loyalists faced persecution and confiscation of their property. They fled to Canada, Britain or the West Indies. • In retaliation, Great Britain refused to evacuate several forts in the West. An English caricature criticizing the government of Lord North for standing idly by as American Patriots savage the Loyalists 08. The American Revolution pt. II

8. 2.3 Native Americans and the Revolution • In 1776, 200,000 Native Americans lived between the Atlantic and the Mississippi. • Most groups (esp. the Iroquois Confederation) remained neutral at the beginning of the war. • In 1776, Joseph Brant, a Mohawk leader, traveled to England and was received by George III. He convinced many Iroquois and other Indians to join British side. • Attacks by Brant’s indigenous groups killed several hundred Patriot militia in New York and Pennsylvania from 1778 to 1780. • 1779 John Sullivan’s Continentals defeated Brant also with Iroquois nation’s support. • After the War Native Americans lost much of their land, including modern-day Kentucky, western Pennsylvania and New York. • Many moved into British Canada, many died of starvation. Brant received a land grant from the Crown in Ontario. Joseph Brant (1742-1807) 08. The American Revolution pt. II

9. 2.4 Slaves and the Revolution • Slave owners had long feared a slave rebellion in case of war with England. • In 1775 Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, promised freedom to any slave who fought on the British side. About 20,000 slaves worked as laborers or soldiers for the British army. • About 5,000 fought on the U.S. side in hope of manumission. • After the war, many black Loyalists emigrated to Nova Scotia, some to Sierra Leone. • Many white Americans came to question slavery. North of Maryland, slaves were gradually emancipated, with compensation for owners.In the Upper South, emancipation was made easier. Black sailor of the Royal Navy 08. The American Revolution pt. II

10. 2.5 Reinforcing Slavery in the South • A growing class of free Blacks emerged in the South: 60,000 in 1790, 108,000 in 1800. Nevertheless, emancipation was widely prohibited in the Lower South. • Political leaders agreed not to risk national unity over abolition. • The ideological basis of slavery became more explicitly racial. • The 1793 slave revolution in Haiti raised a hysteria in the slave-holding South. Gabriel Prosser‘s Rebellion in 1800 reinforced such fears. • Eli Whitney‘s 1793 invention of the cotton gin made the mass production of cotton possible and set the stage for antebellum slavery. Cotton Gin 08. The American Revolution pt. II

11. 2.6 Questioning Women’s Roles • White Women had played a prominent role in the various revolutionary resistance movements, especially in the boycotts of imported goods and in the production of home-made goods. • During the war, there was a small number of female combatants. • As a result of the Revolution, women‘s roles were questioned and debated. • Abigail Adams, led a vigorous debate with her husband John over equality in marriage. While Abigail Adams never demanded suffrage, other women did. • For a brief time, an omission in the 1790 New Jersey election law allowed propertied women to vote. Abigail Adams (1744-1818) 08. The American Revolution pt. II

12. 3.1 Revolution and Equality • Women made the most tangible inroads in the field of education. Feminist Judith Sargent Murray argued that women had equal intellectual capacities as men and demanded equal educational opportunities. • Public education became more available to girls; private academies were founded. • The Revolutionary War created the nucleus of an American identity. • The Declaration of Independence affirmed the concept of popular sovereignty. • The right to vote became available to many more white property holders. 08. The American Revolution pt. II

13. Conclusion • The Revolutionary War was neither short nor easy. The Continentals won through persistence, French aid, the internationalization of the conflict, and luck. • The Revolutionary War was also a civil war, involving Loyalists and Native Americans. • The American Revolution changed American society. Blacks and women made some advances but continued to face daunting obstacles. • There was little economic change, but a great change in the style of politics. • The American Revolution introduced the ideal of equality to American society more than the reality. 08. The American Revolution pt. II

14. Loyalists The American opponents of independence during the Revolutionary War (1775-83) called themselves Loyalists. Loyalism was especially common in backcountry Carolina and the seaboard region of the middle colonies. Loyalists were often recent English immigrants, merchants with strong ties to England, or ethnic and religious minorities who feared an American majority. Conflict between Loyalists an Patriots made the Revolution a civil war, as well. After 1783, many Loyalists left the United States to avoid harassment and persecution. Sample Keyword 08. The American Revolution pt. II