The Revolutionary War and the New Republic An

The Revolutionary War and the New Republic An Introduction to U. S. History

Causes of the Revolution �Americans’ relations with the British had been strained during the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763. �After the war, new British laws angered many Americans: �Proclamation of 1763: Americans were not allowed to move west of Appalachian Mtns. (to avoid conflict with Native American tribes like the Shawnee).

Other British Laws that Angered Americans �Stamp Act, 1765: an internal tax on printed materials made in the colonies – Americans were angry that British would tax goods produced in America. �Act was repealed after colonies held Stamp Act Congress and threatened to boycott British businesses in protest. �Townshend Acts, 1767: taxes on many goods imported from Britain – lead, glass, paint, tea, etc. �All but the tea tax were later repealed – so the tea tax became the one that Americans hated most. �Because colonies didn’t get to send representatives to Parliament, British taxes on colonists were criticized as taxation without representation; many colonists boycotted British business.

What famous revolutionary era event do these paintings depict?

Anger Boils Over �The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770: British troops opened fire on a crowd that harassed them, killing five. �Samuel Adams: first to call this event a “massacre, ” stirred up American anger against the British. �His cousin, future U. S. President John Adams, served as defense attorney for the British troops charged with murder for the massacre - only minor punishments were enforced on them. �Boycotts and American anger over the massacre resulted in Britain repealing the Townshend Acts – except the tea tax, which was kept to assert British authority over the colonies – again, this is why the tea tax was so hated – it was the only Townshend tax left.

“An unpopular Boston customs commissioner, John Malcomb, is entertained by Patriots. A rope around his neck, accursed British tea down his throat, and a bit of tar and feather to garnish. ” Retrieved from http: //www. history. org/Foundation/journal/Spring 06/tar. cfm, September 9, 2014.

What was this?

The Tea Party �Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773: �Parliament had waived tea tax only for East India Tea Co. , giving it a monopoly over tea sales in colonies (several members of Parliament owned stock in the East India Co. ). �Samuel Adams instigated the Sons of Liberty to take action; they threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. �Britain responded to the tea party by punishing Massachusetts w/the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts and the Quebec Act in 1774 – this led to more American anger toward British. �Intolerable Acts included revoking Massachusetts’ charter for self-gov’t. , a new quartering act, shutting down Boston Harbor until the tea was paid for, and allowing British soldiers charged with crimes in America to return to England for trial – Washington called this last one “the Murder Act. ”

The Battle of Lexington: The Revolutionary War Begins

Beginning of the Revolutionary War �April 1775: British army in Massachusetts decided to disarm militia groups called “Minutemen. ” �Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775: �First battle of war was at Lexington when British troops arrived to disarm Minutemen there. �British won, then continued to Concord & won again, but suffered heavy losses during march back to Boston as more Minutemen arrived throughout the night and fired at the British from behind trees, walls, and boulders.

This painting shows how Minutemen used guerilla tactics to kill over 250 British officers and troops during the British march back to Boston (after Lexington & Concord)

Early Successes for America �Second Continental Congress first met in May 1775: voted to create Continental Army w/George Washington as commander in chief. �American forces in Boston inflicted heavy losses on British at Battle of Bunker Hill, June 16, 1775 – British captured the hill, but this was a moral victory for Americans – proved they could defeat British troops. �Drove British out of Boston after capturing Dorchester Heights in March 1776 – American artillery on this high ground forced British to leave or risk destruction.

The Battle of Bunker Hill: most of the fighting was actually around nearby Breed’s Hill. The famous painting on the right by John Trumbull shows the death of American General Joseph Warren. The British drove the Americans from the hill, but suffered over 1, 000 casualties, compared to just 450 for the Americans.

George Washington overseeing the fortification of Dorcester Heights

Independence! � 1776: Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, sold 100, 000+ copies – argued for independence, convinced many it was necessary for colonies to break from Britain. �One important argument Paine made in favor of independence: once we declared independence as a separate country, we could make treaties of alliance with other countries, like France, to help us defeat Britain – we couldn’t do that if we were still officially British colonies ourselves. �Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776: mainly written by Thomas Jefferson, based on ideas of John Locke: includes a preamble, declaration of rights, list of complaints against the king, and resolution of independence. �Note: Only about 40% of Americans were Patriots (for independence) – another 40% were pro-British Loyalists (aka Tories), and about 20% didn’t care either way.

Thomas Paine (left) and Thomas Jefferson (right)

Left: General George Washington Right: Hessians – German mercenaries who fought for the British, considered the best soldiers in the world

The War �August-September 1776: British General William Howe defeated Washington & captured New York. �Much of Washington’s army deserted – situation seemed hopeless. �Battle of Trenton, Dec. 26, 1776: American cause was saved when Washington’s surprise attack captured 900 Hessian mercenaries w/only 4 Americans lost; followed by Washington’s victory over British at Princeton, Jan. 2, 1777. �After Trenton & Princeton, most of Washington’s army chose to re-enlist, and America was able to continue the revolution.

“Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze, 1851 commemorates Washington’s victory at the Battle of Trenton. One of the most famous paintings in history, it actually has several historical errors: Washington’s boats are headed the opposite direction of how they really crossed the Delaware; the crossing occurred at night, not at dawn; the actual boats used were much larger than the ones shown here; and it is debated whether Washington would have stood in the boat, or been seated throughout the crossing.

The Turning Point: Saratoga �Battle of Saratoga, Sept. -Oct. 1777: British planned 3 pronged attack to trap U. S. forces led by Horatio Gates & Benedict Arnold near Saratoga in northern New York. �One British army, led by Col. St. Leger, turned back after a battle with American forces partway through its trip to Saratoga; another, led by General Howe, never got the message to drive toward Saratoga, so Howe attacked & captured Philadelphia instead – but since the Continental Congress fled before it could be captured, the war continued despite British capture of the U. S. capital city. �Only 1 British army, led by Gen. John Burgoyne, actually made it to Saratoga.

Saratoga Changes the World �Burgoyne’s force was surrounded and surrendered to U. S. on October 17; Benedict Arnold was hero for U. S. but later turned traitor & joined the British due to money problems, family pressure from his Loyalist in-laws, and anger for lack of recognition for his heroism as an American general. �Saratoga was the turning point of the war – the victory convinced France to formally w/U. S. , which would lead to U. S. winning the war. �An alternate history, “For Want of a Nail: If Burgoyne Had Won at Saratoga” was a popular 1970 book describing how world history may have turned out much differently if the British had won the Battle of Saratoga.

British general John Burgoyne surrenders at the Battle of Saratoga, October 17, 1777. The painting below is another famous revolutionary era painting by John Trumbull, one of America’s great early artists. It was painted in 1821.

Spies!!! Left: Nathan Hale, a spy for General Washington in New York. Posing as a Dutch school teacher, Hale was quickly reported to the British by his Loyalist relatives, captured, and hanged. He is remembered for his famous words just before his execution: “My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country. ” Right: Benedict Arnold, American general and hero of the Battle of Saratoga, but later became America’s most famous traitor. Faced with money problems and pressure from his wife’s Loyalist family, Arnold changed sides and attempted to turn over plans to help the British capture Fort West Point. Arnold narrowly escaped capture when his plan was discovered, and spent the rest of his life in Britain.

More Spies! Left: Robert Townsend, a key member of America’s Culper Spy Ring. Townsend passed along information about the British that he gathered from his New York City shop during the British occupation of the city. The information from the Culper Ring helped Washington plan his decisive victory over the British at the Battle of Yorktown. The identities of the Culper Ring were kept so secret that they were not learned until the 1920 s, and one member’s identity has never been learned – she’s known only as Agent 355. Right: John Andre, Britain’s top spy in New York. Andre was captured and hanged by the Americans in 1780 when caught with papers from Benedict Arnold, which also proved that Arnold had turned traitor and joined the British.

Valley Forge �Valley Forge: winter camp for Continental Army, 1777 -78; miserable conditions, but army emerged well-trained. �Prussian Baron von Steuben was key to improved discipline & training. �Arnold Friberg’s 1975 painting, “The Prayer at Valley Forge” is one of the most famous depictions of this period.

Europeans Who Joined the Continental Army: Baron da Kalb (France, but born in Germany); Baron von Steuben (Prussia); Marquis de Lafayette (France), Casimir Pulaski (Poland); Thaddeus Kosciuszko (Poland)

Washington and Lafayette inspecting the troops at Valley Forge

Yorktown: America Wins the War �Battle of Yorktown, Sept. -Oct. 1781: �Washington & French general Rochambeau were preparing to recapture New York from the British (the British had captured NY in 1776) when they learned that Cornwallis’s British army was at Yorktown, Virginia – they learned this from intelligence gathered by the Culper spy ring. �Yorktown is on a peninsula – so Washington saw this as an opportunity to trap & capture Cornwallis’s whole army. �Washington & Rochambeau’s U. S. -French army quickly marched hundreds of miles from NY to Yorktown.

Yorktown: “The World Turned Upside Down” �Cornwallis was now trapped – cut off from land escape route by Washington & Rochambeau. �British navy tried to rescue Cornwallis by sea but was defeated by French navy at Battle of Virginia Capes. �With no way to escape, Cornwallis was forced to surrender to Washington on October 19, 1781. �Britain then gave up and chose not to continue fighting in America – America won the war.

“Surrender of Lord Cornwallis” by John Trumbull �This painting was finished in 1820 and has been on display in the rotunda of the U. S. Capitol building in Washington, D. C. since 1826.

The Revolution: Why America Won and Britain Lost �Americans knew the land better – used this knowledge to fight the British in places where the landscape favored the Americans. �Americans were fighting for liberty and survival – were more inspired than British troops. �Leadership and perseverance of George Washington as commander of Continental Army. �British were not used to American guerilla warfare tactics. �America was too big for the British to completely control all of it. �The longer the war lasted, the less that the taxpaying public in England wanted to continue it.

Treaty of Paris �Treaty of Paris of 1783: Britain recognized U. S. as an independent nation. �U. S. got all territory from Atlantic Ocean to Mississippi River (except Florida, New Orleans, & Canada).

The New Republic �U. S. gov’t. from 1777 -1787 was the Articles of Confederation: �National gov’t. was (intentionally) weak, state gov’ts. were strong – operated like 13 separate countries. �Problems: nat’l. gov’t. couldn’t raise taxes, draft soldiers; each state had own currency; no national courts, etc. �Shays’ Rebellion, 1786 -87: rebels fought against Massachusetts state gov’t. policies & tax collection – failed, but showed problems with current gov’t. and led to calls for change.

The Constitutional Convention �Convened in Philadelphia in 1787 to improve Articles of Confederation – soon became obvious that a whole new system of gov’t. was needed. �States agreed to a new Constitution that formed a republic: the federal (national) gov’t. has supremacy, but state gov’ts. also have reserved powers that federal gov’t. can’t take away. �Created three branches of federal gov’t: legislative (Congress) makes laws; executive (headed by President) enforces laws; judicial (headed by Supreme Court) interprets law. �New Constitution was ratified in 1789. �Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments) was added in 1791 to protect people’s basic rights – freedom of religion, speech,

The Great Compromise �The Great Compromise (aka the Connecticut Compromise): �At the convention, delegates argued over whether each state should have equal # of votes in legislature (the New Jersey plan), or if a state’s number of votes should be based on population (the Virginia Plan). �Compromise was that Congress would be bicameral: in the Senate, all states get 2 senators; in the House, the # of representatives a state gets is based on its population. �This is why we have both the House AND Senate in Congress.

The Three-Fifths Compromise �Southern states wanted to count slaves in population so they would get more representatives (more representatives=more votes=more power) in House of Representatives. �Northern states didn’t want slaves counted at all b/c they couldn’t vote – compromise was that each slave would count as 3/5 of a person when calculating populations of slave states to determine how many representatives each state would get in Congress.

President Washington �Ge 0 rge Washington was unanimously elected by the Electoral College in both 1789 and 1792. �Put down Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 – proved that federal gov’t. had ability to enforce its laws. �Improved U. S. relations w/Britain. �Refused opportunity to become president for life – retired after two terms – farewell address warned against sectionalism, political parties, & alliances w/foreign countries. �Today, Washington is still rated as one of the top three presidents of all time by most historians and political scientists.

George Washington, First President of the United States

Liberty vs. Order �Sec. of Treasury Alexander Hamilton was for order and a strong federal gov’t. ; Sec. of State Thomas Jefferson was for liberty and stronger state gov’ts. �Hamilton believed in broad construction of the Constitution – federal gov’t. can do anything unless the Constitution specifically says it can’t. �Jefferson believed in strict construction – federal gov’t. can only do things the Constitution specifically says it can do.

Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton clashed with Thomas Jefferson over the issue of whether liberty or order was most important for the new republic (Hamilton favored order). He was very effective as Treasury Secretary, setting the U. S. up on solid economic principles that would allow the new nation to succeed.

President John Adams �Adams was Washington’s vice president; elected president in 1796, Adams was a Federalist (political parties had been formed by then). �Adams’ term was notable for: �The Quasi War against France – no war declared, but both sides seized many of the other’s ships at sea. �Sedition Act to punish people who criticized the gov’t. or Adams – made it a crime to criticize the president or the government! �Adams VP was from the other party (Thomas Jefferson – a Republican) due to rule that 2 nd place winner in electoral vote won VP (Jefferson had finished 2 nd to Adams in 1896 election).

John Adams, Second President of the United States

Early Political Parties �When Washington had first become president, the U. S. had no political parties yet. �Soon, most Americans became either Federalists or Republicans. �The Federalists, led by John Adams & Alexander Hamilton, were in favor of a stronger federal government, weaker state governments, & higher taxes. � The Federalists’ beliefs were somewhat similar to today’s Democrat Party, but dwindled in numbers in the early 1800 s and finally died out after the War of 1812. �The Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, were in favor of stronger state governments, a weaker federal government, & lower taxes. � The Republicans’ beliefs were more like today’s Republican Party – but interestingly, they were actually the earliest version of the Democrat Party – they later changed their name from Republicans to Democratic Republicans, and then just to Democrats – and also changed many of their political views on issues like taxes and the role of the federal government to end up with the beliefs they have now.

Election of 1800 �Jefferson defeated Adams in popular vote, but election was decided in House of Representatives when Jefferson tied in Electoral College w/his own VP candidate, Aaron Burr. �Federalist representatives wanted to choose Burr over Jefferson, but Hamilton convinced them not to – Jefferson became president. �Burr-Hamilton feud continued, later ending with VP Burr killing Hamilton in 1804 duel. � 12 th Amendment changed Constitution in 1804 so President & VP are now on separate ballots in Electoral College – a VP candidate cannot be elected President.

Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States

President Thomas Jefferson �One early key event in Jefferson’s term - Marbury v. Madison, 1803: Supreme Court decision est’d. courts’ power of judicial review (power to declare laws unconstitutional). �Louisiana Purchase, 1803: U. S. purchased Louisiana (from France) - all land drained by the Missouri River. �Violated Jefferson’s belief in strict construction, but too good a deal to pass up – he claimed the purchase was legal under the president’s implied powers. �Doubled the size of the U. S. ; also weakened political power of the Federalists and strengthened the Republicans (new states formed from La. Territory would be mostly rural, and most rural people were Republicans – Federalists tended to be city people).

The Duel: Aaron Burr shoots Alexander Hamilton, July 11, 1804. Burr blamed Hamilton for causing him to lose the presidential race in 1800 and the election for governor of NY, and challenged Hamilton to a duel for insulting his character. Hamilton died of his wound, but Burr’s political career was ruined. In 1807, Burr was charged with treason for a conspiracy to invade Mexico and make himself president there, but was found not guilty. Burr became famous again in the 1990 s because of this: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=OLSsswr 6 z 9 Y

Left: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark Right: Lewis and Clark’s route to the Pacific

The Corps of Discovery �This was the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which was given four goals by President Jefferson: � 1. Explore Louisiana Territory – recording geology, flora, & fauna. This goal was met – they made detailed maps of the territory and recorded 178 new species of plants and 122 of animals. � 2. Explore the Missouri River to its headwaters. This goal was met – headwaters are near present Three Forks, MT. � 3. Locate an all-water route (Northwest Passage) to the Pacific Ocean. This goal was not met – the Northwest Passage did not exist. � 4. Establish contact with the natives; note their dress, customs, etc. This goal was met.

Other Events During Jefferson’s Term �Conflict with Britain & France: at war w/each other, both sides seized U. S. ships they thought were trading w/ the other side. �Impressment: British would seize U. S. sailors and press them into duty in the British navy – over 6, 000 Americans taken – caused many Americans to demand war w/Britain. �Embargo Act, 1807: instead of war, Jefferson stopped U. S. ships from sailing to all foreign ports – goal was to cripple British & French economies, but ruined the U. S. economy instead; replaced in 1809 by Nonintercourse Act, which only stopped U. S. trade w/Britain & France. �Period from approx. 1800 -1824 is called Age of Jefferson b/c of his influence on U. S. politics at that time.

The “Ograbme” or “The American Snapping Turtle” – a political cartoon about Jefferson’s Embargo Act

President James Madison �A Republican, Madison was President from 18091817 – in his younger days, he’d written most of the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention, so he’s often called “the father of the Constitution. ” �He had also been Secretary of State during Jefferson’s first 4 years as president, then Jefferson’s VP for the next 4 years. �June 1812: U. S. declared war on Britain due to impressments and British seizure of U. S. ships – the War of 1812 (aka “Mr. Madison’s War”).

James Madison, fourth President of the United States. Known as the Father of the Constitution (he wrote much of it), Madison was also our smallest president – about 5 foot 5 and 105 pounds!

War of 1812 �South and west (Republican states) favored war; northeast (Federalist states) opposed it – this antiwar position was a main reason why the Federalist party died out by 1820 – they were seen as unpatriotic. �War didn’t result in any changes to U. S. or British territory. �U. S. won last battle of war (Battle of New Orleans) in January 1815 – Gen. Andrew Jackson was the hero, helped launch his political career. �War was technically over already – Treaty of Ghent had officially ended it in Dec. 1814, but news didn’t reach U. S. until after Battle of New Orleans. �Victory still proved that U. S. deserved international respect and increased Americans’ national pride.

The Battle of New Orleans � One of the most famous battles in U. S. history, even if it didn’t “count!” It is memorialized in paintings and in Johnny Horton’s hit song (#1 on both the pop and country charts in 1959): https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=50_i. RIcxsz 0 � The battle is also noteworthy because of the diversity of the U. S. force: whites, blacks, Indians, creoles, and even pirates fought on the U. S. side.

Leaders of the Shawnee tribe and allies of the British: Tecumseh (left) was a chief of the Shawnee and formed a confederation of many tribes to resist white encroachment into Indian lands in the American midwest, but the confederation fell apart after his death at the Battle of the Thames in 1813, where he fought with British troops against the United States as part of the War of 1812. His younger brother Tenskwatawa (right), commonly known as the Prophet, also fought against the U. S. , but after Tecumseh’s death, he lost power and moved to what is now Kansas.

After the War of 1812 �U. S. success in the war led to long period of peace and increased national pride in the U. S. �U. S. had no more wars for next 30+ years, allowing it to grow in peace. �Federalist Party died out by 1820, leaving only the Republican Party – so politics entered the “Era of Good Feelings, ” which lasted until the Republicans split in mid 1820 s. �President James Monroe (Republican), in office from 18171825, was a Revolutionary War veteran who had served under Washington and been wounded at the Battle of Trenton. �Rush-Bagot agreement (1817): U. S. & Britain agreed to remove warships from Great Lakes; improved relations w/Britain were important for trade. �Adams-Onis Treaty, 1819: Spain ceded all of Florida to U. S.

Henry Clay’s American System �Clay was a senator from Kentucky; plan of the American System was to benefit all sections of U. S. – building roads & canals (for the West), protective tariff (for the South), and a national bank (for the Northeast).

The Missouri Compromise � 1820: kept balance of free and slave states by admitting Maine as free state, Missouri as slave state, and making rule that future states north of Missouri Compromise line on map would be free & those south of line would be slave. �Keeping an equal number of free and slave states was important because each state gets 2 votes in the Senate – if one side had more votes, it could control the Senate. �Devised by Henry Clay (known as “the Great Compromiser”), this compromise temporarily kept the U. S. from being torn apart by the issue of slavery.

Missouri Compromise Map

James Monroe, fifth President of the United States Monroe, famous for the Monroe Doctrine, is sometimes called “the last founding father” because he had served under Washington and was wounded at the Battle of Trenton in the Revolutionary War.

The Monroe Doctrine � 1823: because of European threats to new democracies in Latin America & Russian expansion into Oregon, Monroe declared that: � No new European colonies could be est’d. in Western Hemisphere. � European aggression against any W. H. country would be treated as aggression against the U. S. �U. S. didn’t have a strong enough navy to really enforce this doctrine at the time – but Britain did, and Britain liked the Monroe Doctrine because Britain already had plenty of colonies and this doctrine ensured that other European states couldn’t form their own colonies to compete with the Brits – so the British basically enforced the doctrine for the U. S. at this time.