Brinkley, Chapter 5 Notes Defining American War Aims When te Second Contnental Congress met tey agreed t support te war but disagreed about its purpose. Brinkley, Chaptr 5 Nots Te Adams Cousins - Favored Independence Tomas Paine, autor ofC ommon Sense Te American Revoluton argued tat te greatst problem facing te colonists was te English Consttuton and geting rid of it was wort fightng for. Moderats - Quick reconciliaton wit Britain( John Dickinson) Most Americans believed at first tat tey were fightng not for independence but for a redress of grievances witin te Britsh Empire, but tey changed teir minds as te fightng spread t teir backyards. Declaraton of Independence Mobilizing for War Contnental Congress, July 4 1776 Financing te war was difficult because Congress had no autorit t levy taxes on “Tat tese Unitd Colonies are, and, of right, ought t be, fee and independents tats; tat its own and had t borrow fom stat governments. tey are absolved fom al alegiance t te Britsh crown, and tat al politcal connexion between tem and te stat of Great Britain is, and ought t be, ttaly dissolved.” Most of te money used t finance te war came Launched a period of energetc politcal innovaton, as fom France and oter natons. one colony aftr anoter considered itself as a “stat.” Volunter soldiers were scarce. Stats had t pay Jefferson wrot most of te Declaraton, but had bountes or draft tem int service. help fom Ben Franklin and John Adams. Borrowed many concepts circulatng troughout At first, militamen remained under contol of teir respectve stats but Congress te colonies and fom te Enlightnment. recognized te need for a centalized military command and creatd A By 1777, Congress adoptd a plan for union, te Artcles of Confederaton - a weak Contnental Army wit George Washingtn as te Commander. decentalized systm of government. War for Independence Te First Phase Britsh Advantages: American Advantages: Parliament did not believe it was a “real” war, but quarrels Americans suffered many losses wit some exceptons like Bunker Hil Greatst Navy Fightng on own trritry If not for a series of Britsh mistakes, te war would More commited t te conflict Best Equipped Army probably have ended by 1778 Resources of an empire Substantal aid fom abroad Te Second Phase Britsh General Wiliam Howe offered te colonists: Coherent stucture of command surrender wit a royal pardon or face a batle against overwhelming odds. Americans rejectd Howe’s offer. Te Britsh statgy relied on dividing te Contnental Army int 2. Americans suffer more losses. Luck: In al te defeats, te Colonists managed a huge victry at Saratga (New York) Early Britsh blunders andm iscalculatons Saratga changed EVERYTHING = French Diplomatc Recogniton, Military Support, Skiled Generals, and MONEY. 1 Brinkley, Chapter 5 Notes Securing Aid From Abroad American Canada Te French stod t gain te most of a Britsh defeat Revolution Battles and Cities At first tey provided te Colonists wit badly needed supplies but no formal diplomatc recogniton. French foreign ministr, Charles Gravier de Vergennes Saratoga wantd evidence tat te Americans had a real chance of winning. (Saratga) Boston Delaware River Lexington & Concord Battles Prime Ministr Lord Nort offered te colonists complet home rule witin te Philadelphia Cities empire for Americans if tey would quit te war. Valley Forge Richmond Vergennes feared te Americans would accept te offer and destoy France’s opportunit t support Britain. Formal Charleston recogniton was grantd t America. One of te greatst gifts fom France was Le Marquis de Lafayete. George Washingtn at Valey Forge Te Final Phase: Te Sout Winning te Peace Aftr Saratga, te Britsh relied on heavily Loyalist sentment in te Sout. Tey Conwalis’s defeat provoked outcries in England overestmatd Loyalist sentment. Tey also tied t convince slaves t fight for tem. Lord Nort resigned as Prime Ministr Aftr Britsh victries in Savannah and te Carolinas, Cornwalis moved Nort t Britsh emissaries appeared in France t negotat a peace setlement Virginia for te final batle of te war which tok place at Yorktwn, VA. American and French forces Ben Franklin, John Adams, and quickly descended on Yorktwn. John Jay were te American George Washingtn and French diplomats General Count de Rochambeau marched t Yorktwn t meet te Treat signed on Septmber 3, 1783 Marquis de Lafayete. Tis joint operaton caused te surrender of Cornwalis. Te war for independence was over. Treat of Paris 1783 War and Slavery For some Afican Americans, war meant feedom. Te Britsh helped many escape 1. Ful American independence te county as a way of disruptng te American war effort. recognized by Britain Nov. 7, 1775 Lord Dunmore issued a 2. Boundaries set: Proclamaton“A nd I hereby frter declare al Nort = Great Lakes indentured servants, Negroes, or oters fee, tat West = MS River are able and wiling t bear arms, tey joining Sout = 31st Paralel His Majest’s Troops...” 3. Americans gained fishing rights off Fewer tan 1,000 fought for Dunmore Newfoundland PA was te 1st stat t abolish About 5,000 served in te Contnental Army 4. Britain kept contol of Canada slavery (1780) Emancipaton of slaves in te Nort was VT was te 1st colony t abolish 5. Navigaton of te MS River was t slow, but te number of slaves dwindled slavery (1777) be open t bot Britsh & Americans over te next few decades. 2 Brinkley, Chapter 5 Notes Tension Between Libert and Slavery Natve Americans and te Revoluton For some Afican Americans, teR evoluton meant an increased exposure t te Most tibes ultmatly chose t stay out of te war. Only te Iroquois alied wit concept of libert Britain - altough tey claimed t be neutal. Te Revoluton exposed te contnuing tnsion between te natn’s commitment t Many Indians te Revoluton would replace a somewhat tustworty ruling group libert and its commitment t slavery. (te Britsh) wit a hostle ruling group bent on expansion (Americans) It seemed obvious t most tat slavery and libert were incompatble, but it was less obvious in te Sout Te Revoluton weakened te positon of te Natve Americans in several ways: Many whit souterners believed tat enslaving Aficans was te best way t Increased whit demand for westrn land ensure libert for whit people. Tey feared tat witout slaves, it would be Resentment twards Indians for not alying wit Colonists and carryingout raids necessary t recruit a servile whit workforce in te Sout, and tat te resultng inequalites would jeopardize te survival of libert Patrnalistc point of view tward te Indians led by Tomas Jefferson: Te Indians were “noble savages,” uncivilized in teir present stat but redeemable if One of te ironies of te American Revoluton was tat many whit Americans tey were wiling t adapt t te norms of whit societ. were fightng bot t secure feedom for temselves and t preserve slavery for oters. Abigail Adams America, a Republic Te emphasis on libert and te “rights of man” led somew ealty women t queston Most politcians ignored women’s requests, and most men insistd on te taditonal sexual teir positon in societ. and politcal prerogatves of teir sex. Husbands remained patiarchs who dominatd teir households. Even younger men did not Abigail Adams wrot t her husband John, “In te new code of support legal equalit for teir wives and daughtrs. In te new American republic, only whit laws which I suppose it wil be necessary for you t make, I men enjoyed fl citzenship. desire you would remember te ladies and be more generous Neverteless, te republican belief in an educatd citzenry creatd opportunites for some and favorable t tem tan your ancestrs.” She was caling women. In 1779, Judit Sargent Murray wrot an essay caled “On te Equalit of Sexes.” In for new protctons against abusive and trannical men. her essay she argued tat men and women had equal capacites for memory and tat women Eliza Wilkinson had superior imaginatons. She conceded tat most women were inferior t men in judgment and reasoning, but only fom lack of taining. “Te men say we have no business [wit politcs]. Tey won’t even alow us libert of Tat situaton changed in te 1790s, when te atorney general of MA declared tat girls had tought, and tat is al I want.” Women did not insist on civic equalit wit men; an equal right t schooling under te stat consttuton. By 1850, te litracy rats of women tey sought only t an end t restictve custms and laws. and men in te norteastrn stats were equal, and educatd women again chalenged teir subordinat legal and politcal status. Republican Moter Women’s Rights and Women’s Roles Despit te efforts of Adams and oters like Judit Women were in charge of farms and businesses Sargent Murray (equal educaton), American while men foughT societ became more patiarchal tan ever. Led protsts against price increases, riotd, No votng, al propert belonged t te husband, no or lootd food legal tansactons, no propert rights, no legal Atacked Britsh toops autorit over her children, could not initat when possible divorce. “Camp Folowers” - nurses, cooks, launderers; some Spies Out of tis tough, was te importance of te woman as moter - t produce a new disguised temselves as men kind of citzen, one steped in te principles of libert. Te “Republican Moter” t fight - Deborah Sampson 3 Brinkley, Chapter 5 Notes Assumptons of Republicanism Equalit “Al men are creatd equal.” If Americans agreed t noting else, tey agreed tat teir new governments would be republican. Al people have t earn teir success. Tere might be no equalit of conditon, but Republic - government systm in which power comes fom te people, not a tere would be equalit of opportunit.