Chapter 5: The American Revolution and Confederation, 1774-1787
I. The First Continental Congress1
a. 1774- First Continental Congress meets
i. Colonists felt threatened, rights and liberties.
ii. Didn’t want independence.
b. The Delegates
i. Diverse, had radicals like Patrick Henry, moderates like George Washington, conservative like Joseph Galloway.
ii. The Loyalists were not represented
c. Actions of the Congress
i. Joseph Galloway proposed a plan
1. Suffolk Resolves- Intolerable Acts repealed, boycott Britain
2. Declaration of Rights and Grievances
a. Tells kings to make right the colonial grievances.
b. Recognized Parliament’s right to regulate commerce.
3. The Association- urged creation of committees in every town to enforce economic sanctions of the Suffolk Resolve.
4. If colonial rights weren’t recognized, a final measure called for a second congress in May 1775.
II. Fighting Begins
a. King’s gov’t dismisses petition of First Continental Congress
b. MA declared a state of rebellion, battles begin.
c. Lexington and Concord
i. Aprim 18, 1775- General Thomas Cage (Brit) sent troops to Boston for supplies.
ii. Paul Revere, William Dawes, militia assembled to face Brits
1. Forced to retreat- heavy fire, eight died. First shot?
2. Brits entered Concord, destroyed military supplies.
iii. Return to Bostong- Brits get attacked by militamen firing from behind stone walls.
d. Bunker Hill
i. June 17, 1775- Real Battle fought.
ii. Brits attack colonists, managed to take the hill, over 1000 casualties. Kind of a win to Americans.
III. The Second Continental Congress
a. May 1775 in Philly.
b. Military actions
i. Congress had a Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms and called on colonies for troops.
ii. Georg Washington = Commander in Chief
iii. Benedict Arnold raided Quebec, make French agains Brits.
iv. Am. Navy and marine made in fall of 1775, to attack Brit ships
c. Peace Efforts
i. Contradictory: Waging war, also making peace settlement.
ii. Many colonies didn’t want independence.
iii. July 1775- Olive Branch Petition
1. Pledged loyalty to King George II, in return secure colonial rights.
2. King dismisses
a. Parliament’s Prohibitory Act (Aug, 1775), declared colonies in rebellion.
b. Few months later, trade b/w England and colonies banned
d. Thomas Paine’s Argument for Independence
i. Jan 1776- Common Sense by Thomas Paine
e. The Declaration of Independence
i. June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced resolution- independence.
ii. Thomas Jeffeson drafts Declaration, adopted July 4, 1776
IV. The War
a. 1775- 1783
b. Patriots
i. Most from New England and Virginia.
ii. Didn’t want to travel outside region, had short leaves.
iii. No supplies, few people
iv. African Americans
1. Idea first rejected by Washington.
2. Brits offered freedom to those who joined their side, made the same offer. About 5000 fought as Patriots
c. Loyalists
i. AKA: Tories. 60,000 died fighting w/ Brit soldiers, also like a civil war
ii. Most from wealthier families, Anglican clergymen
iii. Native Americans: Many attacks by the Americans made them join the Brits, promised to limit colonial settlements.
d. Initial American Losses and Hardships
i. 1775-1777, went bad for Washington’s army
ii. Lost in Philly, troops disheartened.
iii. Economic troubles too.
e. Alliance with France
i. New York, Oct. 1777- Victory at Saratoga.
ii. French join, American inspired them.
f. Victory
i. 1778-1779, George Rogers Clark gets Brit forts.
ii. Yorktown 1781- last major, France join them.
iii. Treaty of Paris.
1. 1783- Treaty of Peace signed in Paris, Brits recognize US independence, Americans have fishing rights on the coast of Canada, Americans will pay debts owed to British merchants and honor Loyalist claims.
V. Organization of New Governments
a. State Governments
i. By 1777 10 colonies have written new constitutions, most were adopted.
ii. Radicals and conservatives had disagreements
iii. Features in common:
1. List of Rights- Each constitution start with a a list of basic rights and freedoms.
2. Separation of powers- Legislative, executive, judicial
3. Voting. All white males who owned some property.
4. Office-holding. Those who wanted office needed higher property qualification than voters.
b. The Articles of Confederation
i. Philly, 1776- John Dickinson drafted first constitution of US as a nation.
1. Was modified for each state.
2. Articles of Confederation adopted in 1777, submitted to states for ratfication.
ii. Ratification
1. Rat. Of articles delayed b/c of dispute over land.
a. Finally ratified in March 1781
2. Structure of Government
a. Est. a central gov’t that had three pats. Each state given one vote, to pass a law 9 needed.
3. Powers
a. Gave congress power to wage war, make treaties, send dip. Repres, borrow money. Can’t regulate commerce, collect taxes, no executive power to enforce own laws
4. Accomplistments
a. Winning the war
b. Land Ordinance of 1785
c. Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
d. Problems w/ articles
i. Central gov’t weak.
1. Financial- debts from war, congress has no taxing power.
2. Foreign- Other nations had little respect for new nation w/ no money, take no action.
3. Domestic- 1786- Cap’t Daniel Shays leads a farmer rebellion.
c. Social Change
i. Abolition of Aristocratic Titles
1. No nobility, feudal practices of primogeniture
ii. Seperation of Church and State
1. No money to any religious group
2. Anglican Church diassembled
iii. Women
1. Became more important, worked as cooks, nurses, farmed, ran businesses during war, but still second class
d. Slaver
i. Contradictory to Constitution
ii. Tried abolishing for a while, but Southern states did not agree, said it was essential to economy.
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