The Revolution's End and Impact 2: The American Revolution

Loyalist Opinion

A disgusted Loyalist explained to a British officer, "The lower sort of People, who were . . . originally attached to the British Government, have suffered so severely, [and] been so frequently deceived, that Great Britain has now a hundred enemies, where it had one before." Instead of destroying the Patriots, the British army helped create more of them.

The War Ends

Although earlier it seemed unlikely, the Patriots won the war. Four main factors contributed to their success. First, the British made tactical mistakes because they initially underestimated the Patriots. Second, the British misunderstood the political nature of the conflict. Third, the Patriots were highly motivated and benefited from George Washington's shrewd leadership. Fourth, the Patriots received critical assistance from France.

Deceit of Victory

As the countryside became sympathetic to the Patriots, General Cornwallis became frustrated. The Continental Army in the South was small, but it was led by two superb new commanders, Nathanael Greene and Daniel Morgan. In early 1781, the Continental Army inflicted heavy losses on the British at the battles of Cowpens in South Carolina and Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina. Despairing of winning in the Carolinas, Cornwallis marched north into Virginia. But he was leading his troops directly into a trap.

Why did General Charles Cornwallis retreat from the Carolinas and march north into Virginia?

Cornwallis had decided he could not win the Carolinas after losing two key battles.

The British negotiated the Treaty of Paris with an American delegation that included Benjamin Franklin. The treaty recognized America's independence and granted generous boundaries to the new nation. What was one of the key terms of the Treaty of Paris?

Great Britain recognized American independence and granted boundaries.

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The British Win Early Victories

In the South, as in the North, the British won most of the battles and captured the leading seaports. In late 1778, they seized Savannah, Georgia. During the spring of 1780, they captured Charleston, South Carolina—along with 5,000 Patriot soldiers. That summer, the British crushed another Patriot army at Camden, South Carolina. Just as the British began their offensive in the South, Spanish forces under Bernardo de Gálvez made key attacks on British forts in the Gulf Coast region. In 1780, they captured the British fort at Mobile, Alabama. The next year, they took Pensacola, the capital of British West Florida. These moves were intended to solidify Spanish power in North America, but they also diverted British troops from the offensive against the Patriots.

What was the practice of enslaving African Americans after the Revolution?

It was eliminated in the North.

The British Abandon Their Allies 2

Native Americans were also stunned when the British abandoned them in 1783. The Treaty of Paris ignored the Indians, leaving them vulnerable to the American hunger for revenge and land. In treaties at Fort Stanwix in 1784 and Hopewell in 1785, the Patriots forced the Indians to give up massive tracts of land as the price of peace. Settlers surged westward. More than 100,000 Americans lived in Tennessee and Kentucky by 1790. The Revolution was a disaster for the Indians.

How did the Treaty of Paris effect Native Americans?

Native Americans were forced to give up large amounts of land.

French Revolution

Over the next three centuries, the Patriots' principles inspired revolutions around the world. Beginning with the French Revolution in 1789, European republicans cited the American precedent to overthrow kings and aristocrats. In the nineteenth century, independent republics emerged throughout Latin America. During the twentieth century, Africans and Asians began national liberation movements. As Thomas Paine had predicted, the American Revolution changed the world.

Revolutionary Ideas Spread

Perhaps the greatest effect of the Revolution was to spread the idea of liberty, both at home and abroad. The statement that "all men are created equal" was radical when Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. Although Jefferson probably intended his statement to apply to white men, African Americans and women repeated those words to claim their rights.

Changes for African Americans

Slavery seemed inconsistent with the ideals of the Revolution, but in 1776, one of every five Americans was of African ancestry, and a majority of African Americans were enslaved. Most Americans—including some Patriot leaders—accepted slavery as natural. British and Loyalist critics mocked the Patriots as hypocrites who spoke of liberty while holding slaves. In 1778, the Patriot governor of New Jersey confessed that slavery was "utterly inconsistent with the principles of Christianity and humanity; and in Americans, who have idolized liberty, peculiarly odious and disgraceful."

What is one reason that the American Revolution led to the emancipation of slaves in the North but not in the South?

Slavery was not critical to the success of the economy in the North.

Which is an important effect of the American Revolution on other countries?

The American Revolution inspired revolutions around the world in years to come.

Cornwallis Surrenders

During the late summer of 1781, Washington boldly and rapidly marched most of his troops south. He planned to trap Cornwallis's army at Yorktown, Virginia. For the plan to work, however, Washington needed a French fleet to arrive at the right moment to prevent the British navy from evacuating their army by sea. Although Washington thought that a French fleet was on its way, he could not be certain when it would arrive.

Why was manumission banned in the South after 1800?

Whites feared that free blacks would seek revenge for past treatment.

The Revolution Impacts Women

Women gained few political or legal rights as a result of the war, but they won respect based on the new conception of women as "republican mothers." Abigail Adams and Judith Sargent Murray noted that the Republic needed virtuous citizens, who learned their virtue from their mothers. This invited women to speak out on issues that affected their ability to raise virtuous children.

As a result of the American Revolution, ideals that America came to represent—liberty, in particular—were spread to other countries. America's fight for freedom inspired many subsequent revolutions around the world. What was the most important concept that the American Revolution spread at home and abroad?

liberty

Under the Treaty of Paris, how much territory did the Americans secure?

more territory than the Patriots had won in the war

What was the first sign that American revolutionary ideas had spread abroad?

the French Revolution Europeans were among the first to follow the principles set forth by the Patriots and the American Revolution.

Who helped the Patriots by diverting British troops away from their offensive in the South?

the Spanish Spanish forces attacked key British forts in the Gulf Coast region. This action diverted British troops away from their fight against the Patriots.

In a famous letter of 1776, why did Abigail Adams ask John Adams to "remember the women" while drafting the new nation's laws?

Abigail Adams wanted legal protection for women.

Loyalists, Native Americans, women, and African Americans were affected in various ways by the American Revolution. Some groups in the new United States won far more rights than others. What happened to Loyalists after the American Revolution?

About 90,000 became political refugees.

Benjamin Franklin

An American delegation, including Benjamin Franklin, negotiated a treaty with appealing terms. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris recognized American independence and granted generous boundaries to the United States. At the negotiating table, Franklin secured far more territory than the Patriots had won in the war. By making a separate peace with the British, the Americans strained their alliance with the French, who had expected to control the negotiations.

The British Invade the South

As the war continued, the British expected Loyalist support in the South, especially among the farmers of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. But the British wasted this support by continuing their misguided strategy. Instead of supporting Loyalist militias, the British continued to wage a conventional war.

Patriots Drive the British Back

Despite winning major battles, the British failed to control the southern countryside, where the Revolution became a brutal civil war between Patriot and Loyalist militias. Both sides plundered and killed civilians. A German officer in the British service observed, "This country is the scene of the most cruel events. Neighbors are on opposite sides, children are against their fathers." In October 1780, at Kings Mountain in South Carolina, the Patriots crushed a Loyalist militia and executed many of the prisoners. As the Loyalists lost men and territory, neutral civilians swung over to the Patriot side. They increasingly blamed the British troops for bringing chaos into their lives

In what way could the American victory at Yorktown be called "lucky"?

The French fleet arrived at the right moment to blockade a British escape.

What events at Kings Mountain caused formerly neutral colonists to support the Patriots?

The Patriots crushed a Loyalist militia, and they executed many of the prisoners.

The Revolution Impacts Society

The Patriots promised liberty and opportunity, but some Americans won more than others. The greatest winners were Patriot men of at least modest prosperity. They secured political rights and the economic benefits of western expansion. The losers were Loyalists and Native Americans who had sided with the British.

The British failed to win the war in the South because they insisted on conventional tactics, rather than supporting Loyalist militias which would have enabled them to control the countryside. How were the results of the British strategy in the South similar to the results in the North?

The British captured large seaports but could not control the countryside.

The British Abandon Their Allies

The British tried to protect their Loyalist allies by setting conditions in the treaty, but state laws and mob violence prevented most Loyalists from returning to their homes after the war. About 90,000—including 20,000 former slaves—became refugees. About half of them resettled in Britain's northern colonies. Many slaves were re-enslaved in the British West Indies. In effect, the American Revolution spawned two new nations: the American Republic and the future Dominion of Canada.

After General Charles Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, how did the British public generally feel about the war?

The British were fed up with war's casualties and with heavy taxes levied to pay for the war.

Cornwallis Surrenders 2

The French fleet appeared at just the right moment to block the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, trapping the British navy. Given the lack of efficient long-distance communication, this coordination was an incredible stroke of luck for the Patriots. Trapped by land and by sea, Cornwallis surrendered his army of 8,000 at Yorktown on October 19. The French had made the critical difference. At Yorktown, their soldiers and sailors outnumbered Washington's Americans.

In 1781, Washington marched most of his troops south, hoping to trap Cornwallis's army at Yorktown, Virginia. The French fleet arrived at just the right moment, trapping the British navy, and Cornwallis surrendered his forces on October 19. What was one reason the Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown and the Patriots won the war?

The Patriots received critical help from French soldiers and sailors.

Demanding Freedom

The Revolution inspired many slaves to demand freedom. In the northern states, some slaves petitioned legislatures for emancipation and sued their owners in the courts. About 5,000 African Americans joined Patriot militias, the Continental Army, or the small Continental Navy in return for a promise of freedom. However, the southern states feared armed blacks as a threat to the slave system, so at least 50,000 southern slaves escaped to join the British.

Abigal Adams

The Revolution inspired some women to seek a larger voice in public affairs. In a famous letter of 1776, Abigail Adams asked her husband, John, to "remember the Ladies" in drafting the new nation's laws. In particular, she sought legal protection for wives beaten by their husbands. Although John Adams respected his wife, he dismissed her request. The law reserved legal and political rights to husbands. Widows could vote in New Jersey but nowhere else. As was the norm in most of Europe at the time, wives could not own property or make contracts.

Emancipation in the North

The Revolution led to emancipation in the North, where slavery was not critical to the economy, and slaves numbered only 5 percent of the population. Although laws eventually banned slavery in the northern states, many northern masters sold their slaves to the South before they could become free. Emancipation failed in the South, where slaves amounted to about one-third of the population and were essential to the plantation economy. In Maryland and Virginia, some planters voluntarily freed their slaves, a practice known as manumission. After 1800, however, southern states passed laws to discourage further manumissions. Southern whites feared that freed blacks would seek revenge for past treatment as slaves. However, by 1810, about 20,000 southern slaves had been freed, including 300 liberated by George Washington.

The Treaty of Paris

The loss of 8,000 soldiers was a crushing blow to the British war effort. After seven years of fighting, the British public was fed up with the casualties and with heavy taxes to pay for the war. In early 1782, a new administration came to power, determined to make peace.

Why did southern whites discourage freeing slaves after the Revolution?

They thought freed slaves would seek revenge.

Now, in the Independent Practice, test your understanding of the impact of the Revolution on society. What effect did the American Revolution have on the role of women in society

Women began to speak out about issues that affected their ability to raise their children.