Lecture on the Revolutionary War

Questions About Independence

• Women, Blacks, Indians
• Protection from French Spanish and Indians
• War is part revolution, part civil war, guerilla war

Second Continental Congress

• Convene one month after Lex & Concord
• Assumed authority, not legal authority
• Must raise & supply army and try to reconcile with GB
• Radicals, moderates and Tories (loyalists)
• Massachusetts among most radical
• Washington chosen to lead army
• Issues $2m (without backing) in paper currency to fund army
• Created army, declared war, and issued currency in a matter of 2 months

Early Fighting of the War

• Bunker Hill: costly British victory after several assaults on Breed’s Hill wear down colonists
• Howe keeps troops in Boston rather than pushing into countryside
• Washington tries to build discipline & structure among MA troops
• 2nd CC offers Olive Branch Petition, rejected by GB

Building Case for Independence

• Paine’s Common Sense
• Republican democracy (people vote to choose rulers who represent them)
• Consensus for Independence grow - debate focuses on specifics of D of I
• D of I lays out ideology & grievances
• Unanimous vote on Independence complete when NY agrees on July 15

Colonial Army

• Americans trying to form local militias into national army
• Try to use 3 year enlistment, women play key support role
• Blacks allowed eventually in limited roles
• Lacks discipline & professionalism of British, but highly motivated

British Strategy

• Goal is to put down rebellion & restore order
• No key political target to hit, need to restore power of old gov’ts
• Seek to divide & conquer, start with NY & control of the Hudson
• Squeeze MA & VA into surrender & others would fall in line

Fighting in the North

• Washington & Howe clash in NY -Washington chased into PA
• Attacks Trenton on Christmas Eve, then Princeton
• Wins boost morale - but Americans still struggling, lucky that British won’t push advantage

Campaigns of 1777-1779

• British bring Indians into fight to help control the Hudson (isolate MA)
• Multi-ethnic fighting in upper NY, Burgoyne gets isolated at Saratoga, surrenders in 10/77
• British occupy Philadelphia, Washington takes his army to Valley Forge for the winter (brutal conditions, lack of support)
• In western territories Indians and Loyalists wage war on colonists
• Indians caught between helping British & dealing with colonists
• George Rogers Clark typifies brutal nature of war in west
• Americans use success at Saratoga to negotiate more help from French
• French looking for improved trade with N. America & a chance to defeat GB

The War in the South

• British start wondering if war is winnable. George III presses on - turns to southand its valuable cash crops
• British take Georgia & install Loyalist government - look to push north
• May, 1780: British take Charleston, Cornwallis establishes military government
• August: Gates is crushed at Camden
• Arnold’s treason & Gates defeat help mobilize American rebels in South
• War turns to guerilla warfare - British get stretched thin
• Cornwallis heads to VA - where he is pinned down by French & Americans and surrenders
• Fighting continues for some time but war is basically over

Home Front

• Committees of correspondence take over local government functions
• Workload of women changed dramatically
• 20-40% still loyalists throughout war - variety of reasons
• Loyalists branded as traitors (T & F, deportation, etc.)
• Real fear for many of democratic tyranny
• Financial instability (devaluating currency, borrowing hard money, inflation)
• Price fixing leads to black market
• Corruption abounds

Peace Settlement

• Ultimately British lose because of problems with supplies & help we get from France
• Colonies get freedom
• West boundary is Mississippi
• Indians ignored, their battle continues