The Realities of War

Discussion 7-1 US History ~ Chapter 7 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – The Realities of War

Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 7; 4 sections; 35 pages The American Revolutionary War The American Revolution (1775-1783) The French Revolutionary War Section 1 ~ The Early Years of the War Pages 194-203 Section 2 ~ The War Expands Pages 204-211 The Declaration of Independence Section 3 ~ The Path to Victory Pages 212-221 The Continental Congress Section 4 ~ The Legacy of the War Pages 222-228 Treason against the British Crown

Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups. What is the cost of War? 2. Taking the land. 3. The individual versus the state. How does War impact us today? 4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc. 5. Sectionalism. What does it take to declare War? 6. Immigration and Americanization. 7. The change in social class. The United States has been involved in many Wars. 8. Technology developments and the environment. 9. Relations with other nations. What impact does War have on Patriotism? 10. Historiography, how we know things.

Talking Points I Introduction 1. Is war necessary? This question divides people. There are reasons to support both sides of the issue. War is seen by most as a measure that should only be used if there is no other alternative. Some would argue that war should be an offensive strategy because if we perceive a country as a threat, we should be able fight them. And the others point out that war should never be used. Only diplomatic resolutions should be used. But no matter what opinion one may have on the issue, it seems that war is inevitable is our world. Throughout the history of the human race, we have been at conflict with each other because of our differences and failure to coop- erate with each other. 2. Is war ever justified? How would you argue? Take a look at the Iraq War for example. Saddam Hussein was a mass murderer who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of his own people. He tried to attain chemicals to make deadly weapons and failed to listen to the United Nations. The only alternative in this situation was to take him out of power. Even though this is a controversial issue, it seems that no matter what anyone says, war will happen and we have to realize that. 3. Let us look at the reality of the situation. Why is war evil? It kills people and destroys nations. Why is war good? It gives us a positive outlook on the future and allows us to be able to look over our mistakes. The human race has

Questions to Think About Supporting Materials How can the US go to War with another country if War The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Wood is not officially declared? Revolutionary Summer by Ellis What powers does the President have regarding the The People's War by Rae War Powers Act? The Struggle to set America Free by Ferling Is War necessary? Discussion 7-1 US History ~ Chapter 7 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – The Realities of War

Talking Points been embroiled in conflict since our first days, but the wars of the world have made us a stronger people and that is undeniable. II The Effects of War 1. Here are some other relevant figures. Our country sent more than two million men and women to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 6,500 of them are dead. Tens of thousands were physically injured, including some 1,500 amputees. Iraq and Afghanistan were minefields, literally and metaphorically, rife with improvised explo- sive devices, or I.E.D.’s. 2. Of the two-million-plus Americans who spent time there, studies suggest that 20 to 30 percent have come home with post-traumatic stress disorder. Depression, anxiety, nightmares, memory problems, personality changes, and suicidal thoughts: every war has its after-war, and so it is with the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, which have created some five hundred thousand mentally wounded American veterans.” 3. Pause here for a few seconds. Take that in. Half a million Americans carry around a darkness they didn’t used to, because when our country went to war, they, unlike most of us, actually had to go. 4. There is also the financial strain of military engagement. There’s the wrath of nations that disapprove of it and the possible repercussion from terrorists. With Syria, each of these has been discussed.

Talking Points 5. But there’s also a worst-case scenario of a point, down the line, when things get messier than we ever meant them to and when there’s a call for something more than aerial bombardment, for the presence and the sacri- fice of American servicemen and servicewomen. III The American Revolutionary War 1. No one knows exactly how many people died in the American Revolutionary War, but eight years of fighting took a terrible toll. An estimated 25,700 Americans died in the war, and 1,400 remained missing. Over 8,200 Americans were wounded. Some were left with permanent disabilities, such as amputated limbs. The British military suffered about 10,000 deaths. 2. Debts and Losses Many soldiers who survived the war left the army with no money. They had received little or no pay. Instead of back pay, the government gave some soldiers certificates for land in the West. Many men sold that land to get money for food and other basic needs. 3. Both the Congress and the states had borrowed money to finance the conflict. The war left the nation with a debt of about $27 million—a debt that would prove difficult to pay off. 4. Those who supported the losing side in the war also suffered. Thousands of Loyalists lost their property. Be- tween 60,000 and 100,000 Loyalists left the United States during and after the war. Among them were several

Talking Points thousand African Americans and Native Americans, including Mohawk chief Joseph Brant. Most of the Loyalists went to Canada. There they settled new towns and provinces. They also brought English traditions to areas that the French had settled. To this day, Canada has both French and English as official languages. 5. The Revolution had been a civil war that left both Patriots and Loyalists with bitter memories. Patriots found it especially difficult to forgive the former American general Benedict Arnold. In 1780 Arnold had betrayed his country by trying to turn over an American fort to the British. Throughout American history, the name Benedict Arnold is used to mean traitor. 6. The American Revolution, as with all wars divides Americans along social, religious, and ethnic lines. New Eng- land and Virginia had many Patriots. Loyalists were numerous in cities, New York State, and the South. Judges, councilors, and governors tended to be Loyalists. Many Loyalists were clergy or members of the Church of Eng- land. Some Quakers were active Loyalists, although many were pacifists—people opposed to all war. The Patri- ots drew support from Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and Baptists. 7. Most Southern states did not allow African Americans to enlist. They feared that armed African Americans might lead slave revolts. In contrast, the British offered enslaved persons their freedom if they joined British forces. Many slaves ran away to fight for the British. In the North, however, about 5,000 African Americans served in

Talking Points the Continental Army. 8. The American Revolution was the largest Indian war in American history. All Native American nations east of the Mississippi were caught up in the fighting. Some Native Americans, like the Mohawks, joined the British because they feared Americans would take Native American land. Others, who lived within areas settled by the colonists, sided with the Americans. IV The American Revolution in Summary 1. In 1775, opposition became armed rebellion. Many of the participants of the Continental Congress at Philadel- phia, including Benjamin Franklin, assumed that victory over the British would be accomplished with relative ease. In reality, as George Washington, who had been granted the command of the newly-raised Continental Army, saw, the campaign would be long and difficult. Ultimately, independence could not be gained without foreign aid, especially French naval and financial support. 2. The War of Independence (1775–1783) was fought on several fronts and in novel ways, with small-scale skir- mishes involving light infantry and militia often as important as fixed battles. America formed the Continental army, while Britain relied on German mercenaries as well as British and Irish troops. 3. Following early American successes at Lexington Green (April 1775), Concord and the Battle of Bunker's Hill, the

Talking Points British evacuated Boston by sea. The revolutionaries failed to defeat the British forces in Canada, and in early 1776, the British General Howe arrived with 30,000 men, successfully retaking New York. Washington managed a morale victory at Trenton in 1776, but the British then took Philadelphia. Other British forces moved down from Canada towards New York in an attempt to surround New England. This march, however, met with disas- ter, and 5,700 British, German and Loyalist troops under the command of Major General John Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, New York State, in October 1777. 4. The remaining British forces retreated from Philadelphia to New York and, believing the slave-owning colonies more supportive of British rule, concentrated their campaign on the south, taking Charleston in 1780. More British victories followed, but in 1781, the Americans won military and financial support from the French. Cru- cially, the French fleet secured the Chesapeake Bay against British reinforcements and the British forces under the command of Lieutenant General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown (October 1781), destroying any remaining British hope of eventual victory. Parliament voted to end the war on hearing news of the defeat. V The Legacy of the American Revolutionary War 1. The Treaty of Paris, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay began formal peace negotiations with the British on September 27, 1782. The final Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War, was signed on Sep- tember 3, 1783.

Talking Points 2. Favorable Terms, the Americans won favorable terms in the peace treaty: 3. The United States was independent. 4. Its boundaries would be the Mississippi River on the west, Canada on the north, and Spanish Florida on the south. 5. The United States would receive the right to fish off Canada’s Atlantic Coast, near Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. 6. Each side would repay debts it owed the other. 7. The British would return any enslaved persons they had captured. 8. Congress would recommend that the states return any property they had seized from Loyalists. 9. Neither Britain nor the United States fully lived up to the treaty’s terms. Americans did not repay the prewar debts they owed British merchants or return Loyalist property. The British did not return runaway slaves. 10. Boundary Disputes, the Treaty of Paris led to boundary disputes, or dis- agreements, with Spain, who could now claim control of both banks of the Mississippi river for over 100 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. This Spanish control threatened American shipping. In the northwest, the British refused to give up military outposts, or ba- ses, in the Great Lakes area, such as Fort Detroit

Talking Points 11. The Threat to Native American Lands, the Treaty of Paris redrew the national boundaries with little concern for Native American interests. In Chapter 5, you learned that the British had attempted to keep white settlers away from Native American territory by establishing the Proclamation Line of 1763. Because of this, many tribes had supported the British in the war. But in the treaty, the British handed over Native American lands without even consulting their former allies. When Chief Joseph Brant heard the news, he was shocked by the betrayal. 12. Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi found themselves living within the boundaries of a new nation that was intent on westward expansion. Their lands were now at risk. 13. Creating a New Nation 14. “Liberty” had been the rallying cry of the Revolution as Americans freed themselves from British rule. Now, the success of the Revolution challenged the existing world order. For the first time in the Americas, a colonial rebellion against an imperial power had succeeded. By destroying British authority, the Revolution offered political reformers a chance to prove that republicanism, the idea that a country can be governed by the people, and without a king, could work. Imperial powers around the world began to fear this new threat. 15. At the same time, the war created a new nation—one that valued the ideal of liberty. As Americans built their new society, the ideal of liberty became one of the most important legacies of the Revolution.

Talking Points 16. New State and National Governments As early as 1775 British rule had become ineffective in many areas of the colonies. Eventually, in May of 1776, the Continental Congress advised the colonies to establish new governments. By 1777 nearly all the former colonies had adopted written constitutions. Two colonies—Connecticut and Rhode Island—retained the governments established by their royal charters. 17. All the new state constitutions contained some enumeration of individual rights and liberties. For instance, Vir- ginia’s new Constitution of 1776 was based on the Virginia Declaration of Rights. It protected many rights and guaranteed freedom of the press and freedom of religion. Some states, including Delaware, prohibited slavery and a state-supported religion. Georgia’s constitution established public schools. 18. The states also realized early on that they needed a national government, if only to conduct the war. By 1777, the Continental Congress had drafted a plan: the Articles of Confederation. (The new government finally took charge in 1781.) The Articles gave very limited powers to the central government—little more than waging war and signing treaties. 19. Freedom and Slavery, during the Revolution, some people began to see a conflict between slavery and the ideal of liberty. In response, Vermont outlawed slavery, and Pennsylvania passed a law to free slaves gradually. Indi- vidual African Americans also fought to end slavery, sometimes suing for freedom in the courts. For example,

Talking Points Elizabeth Freeman sued for her freedom in a Massachusetts court and won. Her victory in 1781 and other simi- lar cases ended slavery in that state. 20. Freed African Americans formed their own institutions. For example, in Philadelphia Richard Allen had earned the money to buy his freedom by working for the Revolutionary forces. As a preacher, Allen’s leadership was shaped by his belief that he had a special duty to teach and help people, of all backgrounds, who had suffered from discrimination. Allen also founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first African-American church in the United States. 21. Despite the efforts to end slavery in the North, in the South slavery continued. However, many people, including Southern plantation owners, were troubled by the new nation’s dependence on slavery. In 1784, Thomas Jeffer- son, a slave owner himself, wrote of his fears for America if slavery were allowed to continue: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.” 22. Defining Religious Freedom for many Americans, central to the ideal of liberty was the idea that religion is a pri- vate matter and that people should have the right to choose and practice their personal religious beliefs. People such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson called for a “separation of church and state,” meaning that the state should not be involved in religious affairs.

Talking Points 23. In 1777 Thomas Jefferson proposed his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In it, he claimed that people have a “natural right” to freedom of opinion, including religious opinion. Jefferson opposed state laws that prohibited Jews or Catholics from holding public office. He also opposed the practice of using tax money to support church- es, because, he wrote, “to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical.” 24. Jefferson’s statute was eventually adopted as law in Virginia. Later, it became the basis of the religious rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. 25. Uniting the States for almost two centuries each colony had been governed independently of its neighbors. The colonies had been quarrelsome and often uncooperative. However, as the war turned colonies into states, Americans saw how important it was for these states to work together as a nation. The great challenge that lay ahead was how to remain united as a nation of independent states, despite regional and religious differences. VI How does the US Declare War? 1. The Constitution of the United States divides the war powers of the federal government between the Executive and Legislative branches: the President is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces (Article II, section 2), while Congress has the power to make declarations of war, and to raise and support the armed forces (Article I,

Talking Points section 8 ). Over time, questions arose as to the extent of the President's authority to deploy U.S. armed forces into hostile situations abroad without a declaration of war or some other form of Congressional approval. Con- gress passed the War Powers Resolution in the aftermath of the Vietnam War to address these concerns and provide a set of procedures for both the President and Congress to follow in situations where the introduction of U.S. forces abroad could lead to their involvement in armed conflict.

2. Conceptually, the War Powers Resolution can be broken down into several distinct parts. The first part states the policy behind the law, namely to "insure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the Presi- dent will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities," and that the President's powers as Commander in Chief are exercised only pursuant to a declaration of war, specific statutory authorization from Congress, or a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States.

3. The second part requires the President to consult with Congress before introducing U.S. armed forces into hostilities or situations where hostilities are imminent, and to continue such consultations as long as U.S. armed forces remain in such situations. The third part sets forth reporting requirements that the President must com-

Talking Pointsply with any time he introduces U.S. armed forces into existing or imminent hostilities is particularly significant because it can trigger a 60 day time limit on the use of U.S. forces. 4. U.S. Presidents have consistently taken the position that the War Powers Resolution is an unconstitutional in- fringement upon the power of the executive branch. As a result, the Resolution has been the subject of contro- versy since its enactment, and is a recurring issue due to the ongoing worldwide commitment of U.S. armed forces. VII Military Conflicts in U.S. History 1. Throughout the history of man, there have been many battles and armed conflicts. Unfortunately, it seems as though world peace is way out of our reach. Below I have listed the worst armed conflicts in history so far with the estimated death toll, years of duration, and location. (The death toll estimates include death of civilians, soldiers in battle, and those who have died from diseases, famine, etc.) 2. American Revolution (1775–1783) Great Britain forced its 13 American colonies to pay taxes but did not give them representation in the British Parliament. This and other injustices led the colonies to declare independence on July 4, 1776. Independence was achieved in 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed with Britain. 3. War of 1812 (1812–1815) British interference with American trade, impressment of American seamen, and “war hawks” in Congress calling for western expansion into British territory led to war. At the war's conclusion, trade

Talking Points issues remained unresolved, but Britain gave up some of its territorial claims on the continent.

4. Civil War (1861–1865) Economic and political rivalry between an agrarian South and an industrial North grew into a civil war fought over slavery and states' rights. Eleven states seceded from the Union to form the Confed- erate States of America. The Union victory led to the reunification of the country and ended

5. World War I (1914-1918) - This world war took place in the Middle East, Pacific, Atlantic, Europe, and Africa. 19,000,000-59,000,000 people were said to be killed as a result. The 59,000,000 includes Spanish flu deaths. 6. World War II ( 1939-1945) - Battlefields took place worldwide and it is estimated that 40,000,000-72,000,000 people were killed as a result of this war. 7. Korean War (1950-1953) - located in the Korean Peninsula is said to of taken the lives of 2,500,000-3,500,000 people. 8. Vietnam War (1959 to 1975) - in South East Asia, 2,495,000-5,020,000 people were killed as a result of this war. 9. Afghan Civil War ( 1979 to present) So far, it is estimated that 1,500,000-2,000,000 people lost theirs. 10. Iraq War (2003 to present) it is said that 90,805-1,200,000 people have lost their lives so far in this war.

Talking Points