Chapter 4 Test History

"Minute Men"

- Colonial militias organized to protect the colonies • So named b/c they were to respond in a moment's notice - Had been stockpiling arms at Concord • 20 miles W. of Boston

Thomas Gage

- Commander-in-chief of British forces in N. America - Appted. governor of Mass. - Ordered to use troops to re-est. order and arrest rebel leaders • Sam Adams and John Hancock • To capture weapons at Concord

Articles of Confederation

1st Nat'l Gov't • 2nd Continental Congress had no legal basis. - Formed as temporary gov't in time of crisis • Articles of Confederation - Became 1 st nat'l constitution - Approved by Congress on Nov. 15, 1777 - Needed to be ratified by all 13 states • Granted formal approval - Did not go into effect until Mar. 1, 1781 Provisions of the Articles • Est. a "firm league of friendship" - Each state surrendered some powers to the nat'l gov't, but retained most powers and sovereignty - Referred to as these United States, rather than the United States • Structure of the Gov't - Leg. Branch • Unicameral • Based on 2nd Continental Congress - Exec. Branch • Did not exist - Colonists were trying to rebel against a strong king (exec.) • Functions were performed by Congress - Judicial Branch • Did not exist • Functions were performed by the states Powers of the Nat'l Gov't • To make war and peace • To conduct foreign relations - Can send and receive ambassadors - Can make treaties • To borrow money • To est. a monetary system • To build a navy and raise an army • To fix standard weights and measures • To settle disputes btw. states

Concord

Battle of Concord • Redcoats continued march to Concord. • Met w/ guerrilla attacks from colonials - Deterred attack on Concord - Continued to harass troops back to Boston • 273 Redcoats injured or killed.

Battle of Long Island

Battle of Long Island • British forces began landing on July 2, 1776. - Same day independence was declared. - They had been forced out of New England. • Because of the Battle of Dorchester Heights • Howe could have outflanked and defeated the Continental Army. - Could have ended the war - Indecision cost Howe total victory. • Washington w/drew to Manhattan Island and then into N. Jersey. • Howe then settled in for the winter.

Battle of Saratoga

Battle of Saratoga • Started as British plan to capture Hudson Valley - To cut off New England from the rest of the colonies - 3-pronged attack • Gen. John Burgoyne - To push S. from Canada down Lake Champlain • Col. Barry St. Leger - To push E. from Lake Ontario • Gen. Howe - To push N. from NYC • Not very well coordinated - Howe decided to leave NYC to capture Philly. - St. Leger turned back. - Burgoyne pushed onward to Albany. •Bogged down in woods w/ supply train •Surrounded by colonials •Surrendered 5,700 troops • Became turning point of the war - French entered the war. •After seeing the Americans might have a chance •Louis XVI recognized the United States.

Battle of Yorktown

Battle of Yorktown • Lord Charles Cornwallis - C-in-c of British troops in the S. - Ordered to est. base at Yorktown • On a peninsula - So easy to defend - could be supplied by sea • Washington coordinated attack w/ the French. - François De Grasse • Admiral of French fleet in W. Indies • Defeated British fleet to win control of Chesapeake - Cutting Cornwallis off from the sea - Washington • Convinced by Comte de Rochambeau to attack Yorktown - Commander for French land forces • Tricked Clinton into thinking he was attacking NY - Marquis de Lafayette • Led a 2nd army that met up w/ Washington • Cornwallis' 7,000 Redcoats surrounded. - By 17,000 American and French soldiers - Held out until Oct. 17, 1781, and then forced to surrender • Celebration of Victory - French band played "Yankee Doodle." - British band played "The World Turned Upside Down."

Battle of Trenton

Battles of Trenton and Princeton • Trenton - Garrisoned the hated Hessian mercenaries • Washington's Crossing the Delaware R. - Ice-clogged - On Christmas night in 1776 - Caught the Hessians by surprised • And intoxicated from Christmas celebrations • 400 Hessians casualties vs. 4 colonials • Battle of Princeton - Washington slipped away from Trenton. • Left campfires burning as decoy - Dealt a defeat to a small British detachment. • Kept British pinned down in New York for duration of war

rifle

Colonies' Advantages • Leadership - Military —Washington - Diplomatic —Franklin • Motive - Fighting for independence and survival • Rifles - More accurate and had greater range than the British musket • Foreign aid - Esp. from France • Traditional enemy of Britain • "Home-court advantage" - Had to hold out until the British got tired of fighting - Self-sustaining agricultural base to supply army • Tactics - Used guerrilla warfare tactics

privateers

Colonies' Disadvantages • Small army - Also unorganized and undisciplined • Few supplies • No central gov't - Weak Continental Congress - Fought as 13 independent states - Often did not assist one another • No professional navy - Relied upon privateers to carry out the fight

Richard Henry Lee

Decision for Independence • Richard Henry Lee of Virginia - Introduced resolution for independence • "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States." • Committee chosen to write Declaration of Independence. - John Adams, Roger Sherman, Ben Franklin, Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson - Written mostly by Jefferson • Formally adopted Dec. of Ind. on July 4, 1776

mercenary

England's Advantages • Population - 9 million Englishmen vs. 2.5 million colonists • Large standing army - 50,000 professional soldiers (Redcoats) • Strong navy - Used to capture port cities • Cut colonists off from foreign aid - Used to transport troops to the colonies efficiently • Money to hire mercenaries - Paid soldiers - Hessians • Loyalty of many colonists - Called Loyalists or Tories - Esp. prevalent in the S. - Made good spies • Slave revolts - Had to be careful, though • Many slaveholders were loyalists • Native American support - In the Ohio Valley - British seen as the lesser of the two evils. • Canada - Remained loyal to Britain - Always posed a threat of invasion England's Disadvantages • Distance - Separated by the Atlantic Ocean (3,000 miles) - Made delivery of news, orders, and supplies difficult • Often took months • Tactics - Fought according to the code of chivalry • Fighting face-to-face • Opposed by the colonists using guerrilla warfare • Objective - Had to defeat the colonists • Poor leadership - George III and Lord North (PM) were inept. • Military difficulties -2 nd-rate generals - Brutal treatment of soldiers • 800 lashes for striking an officer - Inadequate, poor provisions • Old, rancid, wormy

George Rogers Clark

George Rogers Clark • "George Washington of the West" • Assigned the task of defending Kentucky - By Virginia - Kentucky was a buffer against Indian attacks. • Believed best way to defend Kentucky was to attack - British in Illinois Country had been inciting the Indians. War in the West • British were under-strength in Illinois. - No regular troops - Lots of supplies, though • Kaskaskia and Cahokia fell w/o a shot being fired. • Vincennes also fell. • Indians capitulated. - Surrendered - Clark convinced them he was just an advance patrol for larger force. • British retook Vincennes. • Clark decided to counter-attack rather than go on defensive. - Massacred Indian raiders carrying scalps of white settlers - Convinced the British to surrender • Efforts of Clark in the W. assured the Ohio Valley would be part of the new nation rather than Canada.

Francis Marion ("Swamp Fox")

Guerrilla Leaders in the S. • Francis Marion - A.k.a., the "Swamp Fox" • Thomas Sumter - After whom Fort Sumter was named

Quebec

Invasion of Quebec • Invasion of Quebec - Led by Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery - Failed to conquer Canada - Kept the Canadian force occupied for the duration of the war

George iii

Parts of the Declaration • List of grievances - Directed towards George III - Shows how the colonists' rights had been violated • "The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world." • Explanation of efforts made by the colonists to get the "injuries and usurpations" redressed - But were ignored - "In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury." • Formal declaration of independence - "We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States. . . ." • Signatures of the delegates - John Hancock was first, since he was pres. Purpose of the Declaration • To convince the people of England that the colonists were justified • To convince other major states that the colonists were justified - France and Spain • To convince the colonists that they were justified - 1/3 of colonists supported independence - 1/3 of colonists against independence • Loyalists or Tories - 1/3 of colonists don't care

social contact

Parts of the Declaration • Explanation of the social contract - To justify the separation - Influenced by John Locke • Promoted the idea of "natural rights" - Rights a person should never give up - Life, liberty, and property - ". . . all men are created equal, . . . they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." • Promoted the idea that if a gov't tries to take these rights away, it is the duty of man to rebel against that gov't - ". . . whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government. . . ."

constitution

State Gov'ts • Each state adopted a written constitution - Document containing basic principles, structures, and processes of gov't • Common features of state constitutions - Popular Sovereignty • Idea that people have the right to govern themselves • Favors representative gov't - Limited Gov't • Idea that gov't is not all powerful - Civil Rights and Liberties • Idea that people have certain rights that can't be denied by gov't - Separation of Power • Idea that powers of gov't should be divided btw. 3 branches of gov't • Branches of Gov't - Leg. to make the laws - Exec. to enforce the laws - Judicial to interpret the laws • Leg. branch was dominant. - Checks and Balances • Idea that each branch should share powers and have their power checked by the others

Northwest Territory

The Great Land Ordinances • Dealt w/ the N.W. Territory - Region S. of the Great Lakes, N. of the Ohio R., and E. of the Miss. • Land Ordinance (1785) - Divided the territory into sections •36 mi. x 36 mi. •Divided into townships - 6 mi. x 6 mi. - 16 th township of each section to fund public education The Great Land Ordinances • N.W. Ordinance (1787) - Provided for N.W. Territory to be divided into at least 3 and no more than 5 new states - Est. procedure to admit new states • When pop. reached 5,000 - Could elect member to House (to observe) and a governor • When pop. reached 60,000 - Could write a constitution and apply for statehood • New states admitted on equal basis to the original 13 states. - Prohibited slavery in territory

Treaty of Paris

Treaty of Paris (1783) • Committee to Negotiate Peace - John Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens - Most work done by Jay and Franklin Treaty of Paris • Ended the American Revolution • No further persecution of Loyalists and restitution for confiscated property "recommended" to the U.S. • Defined boundaries of the United States - Great Lakes to the N. - Miss. R. to the W. - 31 N latitude in the S. • N. border of Florida

Valley Forge

Valley Forge • Winter camp of Washington - Est. after lose of Philly • Low point of war for Continental Army - Morale was low. - Supplies were low. - Desertion rate was high. - Death rate was high. • Rumors about replacing Washington - W/ Horatio Gates • "Hero" of the Battle of Saratoga

Henry Clinton

• After Howe replaced with General Henry Clinton • B/c of large number of Tories in the S. - Savannah fell in Dec. 1778 - Charleston fell in Dec. 1779 • Largest defeat of Continental Army • Behavior of British - Was brutal - Turned many neutral colonists into patriots • Generals of the Continental Army - Horatio Gates • Suffered heavy losses - Nathanael Greene • Replaced Gates

Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill)

• Colonists seized Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill in Charlestown - Opposite Boston • Redcoats tried to seize Breed's Hill twice. - Failed and suffered heavy losses • On the 3rd try, Redcoats were successful. - Colonists ran out of ammo. - 1,000 Redcoats killed vs. 400 colonials Results of Battle of Bunker Hill • Gage replaced as c-in-c. - By Wm. Howe • Congress dispatched Olive Branch Petition. - Final plea to the king • Congress authorized more severe action. - Ordered Canada to be seized - Created committees to seek foreign aid - Created a navy •Commanded by Esek Hopkins of Rhode Island

Second Continental Congress

• Met in Independence Hall in Philadelphia • 1st met on May 10, 1775 - About a month after Lexington and Concord • Only 12 colonies originally represented - Georgia arrived late. • John Hancock - Chosen as the pres. of the 2nd Continental Congress • George Washington - Appted. commander-in-chief of the Continental Army • Had worn uniform to 1st session, giving a strong hint

Lexington

• Redcoats met by "Minute Men" on the commons - Morning of April 19, 1775 - 700 Redcoats vs. 70 "Minute Men" • "Minute Men" argued briefly and began to w/draw. • A shot was fired. - "The shot heard around the world." - Sparked a general skirmish • 8 "Minute Men" left dead.

Paul Revere

• Road along w/ other horsemen to warn the countryside

Thomas Paine

• Wrote Common Sense - Pamphlet promoting separation from the British • Convinced the colonists to support independence