Chapter 4
What advice did Abigail Adams give her husband regarding the Declaration of Independence?
Abigail Adams gave her husband John Adams advise on women's position in society and slavery. Regarding the declaration of independence -she wrote to him a few weeks before he was named to the committee to write the Declaration of Independence This was while he was in Philadelphia at the continental congress -Abigail was cut off from the public debate over the American Revolution since she was a woman but she did express her opinions to her husband -she wrote -she complained about the status of women in society -said it was time to rethink the relationship between men and women -she said the issue of slavery should be addressed by congress
What hardships did the Americans endure during the war?
-Americans endured many hardships during the war from a lack of necessities. -a lack of support from the Continental Congress, it asked states to provide troops, money, and supplies but did not have power to enforce these requests -Congress issued paper money that the army could use in order to get supplies. The money would be worthless if Britian were to win the war, so farmers sold crops to nearby British troops while George Washington's army starved at Valley Forge. -Civilians suffered hardships because the British Navy blockaded, or cuf off their contact with, the Atlantic Coast. This caused the combined value of American imports and exports to fall. Necessities became scarce. -some colonists begane profiteering, or selling items that were scarce at extremely hight prices. -A steady increase of prices over time, also known as inflation, took place reducing peoples ability to purchase goods and necessities. -The soldiers had a hard time getting the things they needed as well. -Soldiers and civilians faced hardships from a lack of necessities during the war.
How did the war weaken the colonists' loyalty to Britain?
-End of the war with the Treaty of Paris left relations strained -relations were strained between Britain and American colonists -British held the opinion that the colonists hadn't provided enough support for the war Britain had fought to protect them -the war was long and costly The French and Indian War -The Americans had used british military tactics even though they demanded to be led by a colonial officer -the British felt this was treason -British army tactics were weak against the french and indians -militia was shocked by this -many colonists lost a respect for British military power because of this -als o believed british didn't property respect the colonists -france no longer controlled canada or the west region of the Appalachian Mountains so the colonists saw no reason why they couldn't expand without the help of Britain
How did American victories in the West and the South lead to an end to the war?
-Fighting in the West and South led to the American victory in the war because smaller victories stacked up, which rallied people to the patriot cause, and British controlled posts were captured. -Colonel George Rogers Clark led 175 soldiers in the west and all British posts in present day Indiana and Illinois were captured. -This strengthened the American's claim to the Ohio River Valley -In the South in the Battle of Kings Mountain, patriots defeated an army of loyalists. -British General Cornwallis was forced to set up came in Yorktown as a result of the fighting in the South so that his troops could be reinforced -George Washington took this opportunity to attack the British troops in the Battle of Yorktown. -Cornwallis ended up surrendering to Washington -two years later, the Treaty of Paris was signed
What were the causes of the French and Indian War?
-French and Indian war: war the British and American colonists waged against the French and their Indian allies -was a 9-year conflict -was the final result of a struggle among the French, British, and groups of Native Americans for control over eastern North America -rivalry for control over North America rose after European nations started to explore and colonize -The English and French both claimed the same territory, the upper Ohio River Valley -french and British had different settlement patterns -the British founded towns and planted crops while the French build forts to protect their land claims -the French forts were also centers for trade with Native Americans giving the French the advantage when it came to Native American interactions -leading to the Indians siding with the French -fights between the British and the French colonists led up to it -The Albany Plan of Union was made during this time to strengthen the British unity but was rejected by colonial legislatures. -suspense of the war -the British used a militia, armed citizens, and British troops were surprised by about 900 French and Native Americans -fights led to war
What were the causes and effects of the Stamp Act?
-Stamp Act-passed in March 1765 -it placed a tax on newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, and other printed materials -an official government stamp was required to be put on these things to show that the tax had been payed Caused -a way to raise money to pay the cost of keeping British troops in America -Grenville the prime minister Effects -reaction was widespread and extreme -The Stamp Act Congress was held in October 1765 with delegates from 9 colonies -James Otis was the main organizer -used "no taxation without representation" -same used for sugar act Said colonists should have the same rights and liberties that people in Great Britain had -merchants organized boycotts or a refusal to buy certain products or use certain services as an act of protest -groups known as the Sons of Liberty and the Daughters of Liberty enforced the boycotts -stamp distributors were forced to resign or to flee because of threats -repealed the stamp act in 1765
How did the British win the French and Indian War?
-William Pitt became Britain's prime minister in 1757 - the highest official of a parliamentary government -he convinced parliament to have taxes raised an to borrow large sums of money -this was put to use in the army and the troops were more prepared and better led -this resulted in British victories forcing the french to go on the defensive -In 1759 the British troops commanded by General James Wolfe suffered heavy losses after directly attacking Quebec in New France. -Wolfe decided to launch a siege of the city, meaning he surrounded the enemy and cut them off from other supplies -on September 12 Wolfe moved troops to attack the city and Marquis de Montcalm moved french soldiers into position. -The city surrendered within a few days -war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. -France gave present day Canada to Britain and surrendered all its land in eastern Mississippi
How and why did British policies in the colonies change after 1763?
-why: -war with the Native Americans -Pontiac's Rebellion, and uprising where the Ottawa, Huron, Potawatomi, and other Indians on the Great Lakes rebelled against eh British in 1763. How: -Proclamation of 1763 -this closed the region west of the Appalachian Mountains to all colonists for settlement -This area was put under the control of the British military -treaties with the Indian groups that took part in Pontiac's Rebellion were made between 1764 and 1766 -colonists still moved to the forbidden land, undermining Britain's authority why In 1763 George Grenvill became the prime minister. -was a good money manager but he ignored the needs of the colonies -How: -Sugar act in 1764 -started the change in British policy to raise more income from the colonies -it cut the duty on foreign molasses in half in hopes of increasing tax collections from more imported molasses -ship owners told that if they forgot to pay their duties than their ship would be seized Quartering Act passed in 1765 -colonists were required to give housing and supplies to British troops who remained in American after the French and Indian War.
What happened during the siege of Boston?
During the Siege of Boston while the British were pinned, fights went on outside of Boston ultimately resulting in many casualties and the British abandoning Boston. -as many as 20,000 armed Patriots surrounded Boston - they prevented the British troops from quickly stopping the rebellion -then the patriots gained military equipment while the British were surrounded. -General Gage decided that the American rebels needed to be driven from the two hills that they occupied. -Breed's Hill was attacked on June 17, 1775, and the British commander William Howe ordered a third attack on the hill which was successful because the patriots ran out of ammunition. -Next Bunker Hill was attacked -Battle of Bunker Hill -which the British won but at a high cost. About 1,100 of 2,400 soldiers were killed -Casualties, or people killed, wounded, or missing, on the patriots side was fewer than 400. -Gage's army was pinned down in Boston during all this action. -Colonel Henry Knox arrived outside Boston in January 1776 with cannons. -The British fled Boston knowing they could no longer defend it. -They went to a Canadian city named Halifax, and took around 1,000 loyalists along with them.
How did rising tensions in the colonies lead to fighting at Lexington and Concord?
Rising tensions in the colonies led to the Battles of Lexington and Concord because the issue of who had authority over the colonies grew, and minor clashes broke out in the colonies over this. -over the issue of whether Parliament could tax the colonists without their representation -in 1767 Parliament placed duties on imported goods such as glass and tea -These were the Townshend Acts -tried to raise duties rather than taxes -this led to protests and violence again -Colonists said it didn't make a difference whether britain raised money through taxes or duties because either way the colonists were taxed without representation -many boycotted British goods such as tea -the Sons of Liberty openly opposed the presence of British troops in a series of minor clashes -In march 5, 1770 British were threatened by an unruly crowd -the soldiers open fired and killed 5 colonists -Called the Boston Massacre -After this Samuel Addams, a leader in Boston, reminded the colonists of the British offences -committee of correspondence formed by James Otis and other Bostonians to coordinate resistance -The Tea Act passed in May 1773, which was meant to drive the American tea merchants out of business by giving the British East India Company the right to sell its tea in America without paying the normal taxes. -showing control over trade -The Boston Tea Party took place where colonists dressed as indians boarded three tea ships and dumped out the tea into the harbor. -Britain passed the Coercive Acts in response. -These laws limited town meetings to once a year, and suspended the Massachusetts general court. -This led to the First Continental Congress, the gathering of committees of correspondence in several colonies for a meeting to decide what to collectively do in response to these laws.
Why was the Battle of Saratoga considered a turning point of the war?
The Battle of Saratoga was considered a turning point in the American Revolution because it was the biggest American victory yet, and it brought a major foreign power aid to the American cause. -General Horatio Gates attacked British troops -In previous american victories the army had suffered many casualties. In this victory, the line between victory and victory with losses was more clear. -This victory inspired many Americans to join the war effort who had not previously joined. -The victory also convinced the French that the Americans had a real chance of defeating the British. The result of this was a treaty of alliance which greatly helped the Americans. -Americans were now getting supplies, help from French troops, help from the French navy, and loans of money from France. -France had been helping the war effort in secret, but now was doing so openly. This inspired other powers to contribute to the American's side of the war -Spain joined the war as an ally of France a year later. -The Netherlands followed in 1780.
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the British and American forces?
The British and American forces had distinct strengths and weaknesses. British strengths -Army was well equipped, disciplined, and trained. -Its navy was the world's finest -Had help from about 50,000 loyalists, people who remained loyal to Great Britain, and some African Americans who were promised freedom -Native Americans didn't like the colonies expanding into their homes, so some tribes fought alongside the British. -The Creeks, Cherokees, and Shawnees fought for the British in the South and in the West. -had 30,000 mercenaries, who were foreign soldiers paid for fighting. Weaknesses. -The war wasn't popular in Great Britain -British citizens sympathized with the Americans and didn't like paying taxes for the war - British commanders resisted adapting their fighting tactics to conditions in America Americans strengths -things that weakened the British strengthened the American army -Patriots fought on their own territory -Officers were familiar with fighting tactics that had worked in the French and Indian war. -An example of a person like this is George Washington Weaknesses -Didn't have a well-supplied, stable, and effective fighting force -there were constantly new recruits coming in, and experienced soldiers would be heading home at this time because their time of service was up -George Washington was never sure how many troops he would have as a result
What Ideas and arguments are presented in the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence brought forth ideas about rights, government, and leadership of the colonies. -Declaration of Independence -a statement of reasons for the colonists separation from Great Britain -political ideas were influenced by Enlightenment, which was an eighteenth-century European movement that emphasized reason and science as keys to improving society -had four sections, the preamble, or introduction, a declaration of rights, a list of complaints against the king, and a resolution of independence -preamble explained the purpose of the Declaration of Independence -the declaration of rights explained the political ideas the document was based on -This was heavily influenced by John Lock, who believed in natural rights. -These were rights that belonged to people because they were human not because they were granted by kings or queens -another idea was that if the government does not act in the best interest of the people, than the people had the right to revolt and replace the current government with a new one -people form the governments in order to protect their natural rights but not surrender total control Complaints -colonists were tired of having self-interested decisions made by the King and ministers. -the colonies have a right to be free independent states
What was the impact of the American Revolution?
The war impacted specific groups of American society in distinct ways. -established American's independence, and inspired patriotism in the people. -Patriotism meaning love for one's country -American people were accepted as independent by Great Britain. -made people appreciate the rights that they had fought for and understand the value of freedom. -changed traditional ideas about women -because women had took charge of family business and some had even cared for husbands and fathers in battle -promoted antislavery in the North, most Northern states abolished slavery -African Americans in the South became more conscious of a way to freedom. -the power of the Iroquois League was completely destroyed Americans justified their attacks on the Native Americans for decades to come because to their support of the British -women and African Americans spurred to demand greater equality
What was the importance of Thomas Paine's Common Sense?
Thomas Paine's Common Sense was important because it expressed the two levels of the American Revolution and brought colonists together in the consensus that they needed to break apart from Great Britain. -Common sense -a document that expressed the two sides in the American Revolution involving the colonists, and Great Britain -it came out about the same time as the Second Continental Congress took place -First of all,the revolution was a struggle over power between the colonists and Great Britain. -Second, the revolution was a rethink of ideas on the colonists part. The colonists were rethinking the relationship between government and people. -Americans began to think of themselves as independent citizens rather than subjects of the king -written by Thomas Paine who was an artisan with little formal education. -he used simple and direct way of writing to suggest that anyone could understand the conflict between Great Britain and the colonies -it persuaded many colonists to favor a complete and violent break from Britain
