Revolution in America

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Revolution in America

• End of Revolutionary War
• Life on the Homefront
• Life in Military

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Treaty of Paris

• The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783,
  established peace between Great Britain and the
  United States. That same day, at Versailles,
  Britain signed separate peace treaties with
  France and Spain.
• Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, Britain
  formally recognized the independence of the
  United States.
• defined the new nation's boundaries, giving the
  United States the land between the Atlantic Ocean
  and the Mississippi River, bordered to the south
  by Spanish territory and to the north by the
  British territory of Canada.
• nullified the Proclamation of 1763.
• Treaty of Versailles between Britain and Spain,
  Britain returned Florida to Spain. However, the
  treaty did not define the northern boundary of
  West Florida (now southern Mississippi and
  Alabama), an omission which led to years of
  dispute between Spain and the United States.
• Pacific Northwest was the object of competing
  claims by Spain, England, and Russia. The US
  would join the struggle for this territory.

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Victory

• Was the war won by the Patriots or lost by the
  British generals?
• What do you believe was the turning point of the
  war?
• Was there a point that Patriot victory became
  inevitable?

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What if?

• What would have happened in the colonies if the
  outcome of the Revolution had been different?
• How long would fighting have continued?
• What other battles may have occurred?
• Would British have ever given up?
• Could Patriots have outlasted them?

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War on the Homefront

• Revolutionary War fought at home
• No one was left untouched by the war
• How does this alter experience of war?
• How do average, non-military Americans experience
  war?
• Compare Revolution to current war in Iraq

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Loyalists, Patriots, Neutrals

• Who are you?
• Role play activity
• Think about your assigned role
• Are you patriot, loyalist or neutral?
• Why?
• Keep in mind the reason is just as important as
  your view toward the war

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Divided Country

• Patriots, Loyalists, Neutrals
• Conflict did not end with England
• Conflict within America
• Impact of this conflict?

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Choices during Revolution

• What dilemma did slaves face?
• What were their choices? What were the
  consequences of their choices?
• What factors impacted choices and choosing sides
  during Revolution?

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War was fought at home

• On our soil
• British troops, American troops both living,
  hiding and fighting in communities
• Devastating effect
• Many homes and property destroyed

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British Barracks in Trenton

• The British government expected its mainland
  provinces to defend themselves, and garrisoned
  few troops in the thirteen colonies until after
  the Seven Years' War commenced. This 1936 photo
  shows the barracks that were built at Trenton,
  New Jersey, as quarters for a regiment (about 600
  troops) in 1759. Officers occupied the two-story
  house on the right, while enlisted personnel were
  housed in the less-commodious bays forming a
  square horseshoe to the left.

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Delaware Countryside

• The landscape along the Atlantic seaboard was
  dramatically changed. Tree cover disappeared in
  much of the terrain by the 1780s, such as in this
  countryside scene sketched near Wilmington,
  Delaware.

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Life in the military

• Diversity of soldiers
• Primarily young, single and/or propertyless men
  who signed up for monetary bonuses and promises
  of land
• The citizen soldier tended to hire replacements
  after initial experience in war
• Towns had to meet quota - Signed up slaves and
  indentured servants
• Foreign-born troops 45 of PA soldiers were
  Irish and 13 German
• Northern colonies turned to African Americans,
  both slave and free, for recruitment
• Southern states resisted African American
  soldiers at first, but soon enlisted them
• 5,000 African American soldiers enlisted in
  Continental Army
• Women in Army as well mostly poor, wives and
  widows of soldiers cooks, nurses and launderers
• Low pay, many times no wages, poor quality of
  clothing and little food supplied

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Life in Military

• Joseph Plumb Martins account (handed out in
  class on Monday to read for today)
• How was his life as a soldier?
• What were his concerns?
• Is this comparable to life in military at other
  times? (what are similarities and differences
  between his experience and that of soldiers in
  other wars in our history and today?)

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Life in the Military

• Officers
• Developed strong sense of pride and commitment to
  cause
• Endured hardships
• Image of themselves as professionals
• Officers wives
• Prided themselves on service to nation
• Came for extended visits and officers wives
  developed friendships that lasted throughout
  lives many of their husbands became early
  leaders of the country
• Disease
• Endemic disease in camps
• Dysentery, fever, smallpox
• Smallpox Colonists did not have immunity to
  disease, but British soldiers did

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Military

• Textbook discusses life in the army and the
  creation of the Continental Army by the Second
  Continental Congress on May 10, 1775
• Army was not the only division of the military
• Marine Corps
• Navy
• All must be studied and examined to get an
  accurate idea of who was involved in revolution

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Marines

• November 10, 1775 - Continental Congress meeting
  in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating that
  "two Battalions of Marines be raised"
• This resolution established the Continental
  Marines and marked the birth date of the United
  States Marine Corps.
• Serving on land and at sea, these first Marines
  distinguished themselves in a number of important
  operations, including their first amphibious raid
  into the Bahamas in March 1776.
• Under command of Captain Samuel Nicholas -
  Nicholas, the first commissioned officer in the
  Continental Marines, remained the senior Marine
  officer throughout the American Revolution
• After Treaty of Paris in 1783, war ended and the
  Continental Navy and Marines went out of
  existence for a brief time.
• Formerly re-established on July 11, 1798

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Homefront

• Men away from home for long periods of time
• Previously, women were handling only the indoor
  affairs of the household
• Women now responsible for outdoor affairs as well
  - start taking on new roles
• Abigail Adams
• Considered herself a farmeress
• Stopped calling the farm yours in letters to
  husband started calling the farm ours
• Profound change in pronoun

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Homefront

• Disruption of life
• Shortages of necessities
• Shortage of soap, salt, and flour
• Luxuries unavailable (no new clothing, ribbons or
  gloves)
• Severe inflation
• Soldiers on both sides plundered farms and houses
• Stole horses and oxen and burned down fences
• Smallpox and disease

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Revolution in Society and Culture?

• How did British political authority come to an
  end and how was it replaced by American political
  authority? Did social structures consequently
  change?

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Revolution in Society?

• Race/Ethnicity
• What threat did Native Americans pose to the
  revolutionary cause? Why did the potential
  threat never materialize?
• What threat did African Americans pose to the
  revolutionary cause? How did patriot leaders
  turn that to their advantage?

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Revolution in Society

• What impact did the Revolutionary War have on the
  lives of Americans?
• How did the Treaty of Paris affect everyday
  lives?

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Real Revolution

• John Adams asserted that the real revolution took
  place between 1760 and 1775. Adams believed that
  the revolution ended before the fighting started
  because the Revolution was in the minds of the
  people, switching allegiance from Britain to
  America.
• What and when was the revolution?

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Revolution and Society

• It has been said that the American Revolution was
  as much a battle over ideas as it was a military
  battle.
• What do you think?
• Battle of ideologies and/or Military Battles
• What was the relative importance of each type of
  battle?

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What was revolution?

• Who was affected?
• Positively
• Negatively
• What impact did revolution have on the diversity
  within American society?
• What were values of Revolution?

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Values of the Revolution

• Portrait of Paul Revere page 115 of text
• What values are portrayed?
• What does this portrait tell us about the
  revolutionary cause?

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Values

• Humility
• Humble origins
• Hard-work and make life for self and family
• Self-made man
• Intellectualism
• No aristocracy
• Fraternity
• Equality???

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Values, Ideas, Politics, Diversity, Independence

• What challenges faced former colonists as they
  sought to establish the country?
• Social
• Political
• Cultural
• Economic
• Military