*Thomas Paine said ‘We have it in our power to make the world anew.’  The American Revolution was more than a change of leaders; it was a change in how people conceived of their government and their place in the world.

*Discuss old grievances against Britain from the last unit.  These include taxes, the Boston Massacre, the Intolerable Acts, Lexington and Concord.

*Explain that even at this point, the colonists still, for the most part, thought of themselves as British.  They saw themselves fighting for their traditional rights, especially the right to representation in the legislature that levies taxes upon them, and even (in colonies like Massachusetts and Virginia) the right to have a legislature at all.

*Following the battles of Lexington and Concord, and remembering the moderate but promising usefulness of the First Continental Congress, the colonies sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress in May, 1775.  This group would ultimately lead the colonies and then the United State for the majority of the Revolutionary War.

*Some delegates to the Congress were in favour of independence (these included John and Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry) while others still wanted to reconcile with Great Britain (including John Dickinson).

*Dickinson, of Pennsylvania, wrote a letter to King George III called the Olive Branch Petition.  This petition expressed the colonies’ loyalty to the King and asked him to call for a cease-fire until some solution could be found.

*In November, 1775, the Congress learnt that King George had rejected to Olive Branch Petition.  It seemed that the last chance for peace was gone.

*In January, 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense.  This was a simple and compelling pamphlet that everyone could understand.  Unlike most pamphlets written at the time, it did not refer extensively to the classical Greek and Latin writers.  Rather, as the title implies, it drew upon common sense—is it sensible that a continent should be ruled by an island?  The book argued for (and convinced many people to support) a break from Britain—possibly a violent one.  Within a few months 120,000 copies were sold.

*During this time fighting continued.  Canada was invaded by American forces; Montreal was captured briefly, but the Americans were driven back.  Norfolk, Virginia was burned, but the British were forced to evacuate Boston.

*With the Olive Branch Petition rejected, fighting continuing, and people increasingly inflamed by Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Congress decide to declare independence.  Five men (John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson) are chosen to work on this, and Mr Jefferson is selected to write it.

*The Declaration is a statement of purpose.  It first (in the preamble), explains why it is neccesary to issue a declaration, second, prpvides an explanation of the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, third, gives a long list of complaints against King George, some exaggerated or invented, but based in various real problems the colonies experienced, and finally, presents a concluding resolution in which the it is declared that the colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent and the signers agree to support the declaration with their lives, fortunes, and sacred honour.

*This was based on the concept of the social contract and the rule of law, under which governments must work for the public good rather than personal interest.  Governments that cease to hold up their end of the bargain may be rebelled against legitimately.

*4 July, 1776, the Declaration is signed and adopted.

*However, there were some complaints.  Abigail Adams reminded her husband that this Declaration did not really affect women (because they were not fully citizens, being unable to vote and constrained by other laws), and that slaves certainly are not getting independence or liberty.

*However, before this Declaration means anything, the colonies have to win a war.

*As mentioned, even before the Declaration of Independence, the colonies had fought a number of battles.

*19 April, 1775:  Lexington and Concord.

*May, 1775:  Ticonderoga provides colonists with cannon and other supplies.

*June, 1775:  Colonial forces occupy Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill outside Boston.  On 17 June, 1775, the British attacked them and eventually defeated them after the colonists used up all the ammunition.  However, in this battle 1,600 colonial troops killed or wounded between 1,100 and 2,400 troops while there were less than 400 American casualties.

*General Gage is pinned down in Boston.

*January, 1776:  Colonel Henry Knox arrives outside Boston and begins shooting artillery into it.  The British leave in March, taking with them about 1,000 Loyalists.  In total about 80,000 would flee the country and most of their property would be seized to pay for the war.

*There are many Loyalists in America.  John Adams thought a third of the people were Patriots, a third Loyal, and a third indifferent.  Probably the number of Loyalists was lower (perhaps under 20%) but it was still significant.

*Both sides had strengths and weaknesses:
 

British Strengths	British Weaknesses	American Strengths	American Weaknesses
*Well-trained army *World’s greatest navy *50,000 Loyalist troops *Indian allies *30,000 Hessian mercenaries	*War unpopular *War expensive and leads to high (and unpopular) taxes) *British troops in distant, foreign, hostile territory, facing troops who use strange tactics	*Familiar territory *Internal supply lines	*Small, poorly-trained army

 

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