In what sense did the Seven Years War pave the way to the Revolution?

Dates

1756-1763 — The Seven Years’ War (France v. Britain; France lost the war and gave up Canada and all of North America east of the Mississippi River to Britain, and west of it — to Spain (the whole territory was called Louisiana for King Louis #14 of France)).

1763 — King George 3 issued a proclamation that prohibited settlement of the newly acquired lands of Louisiana, bc that meant spending more money on up-keeping it and governing + could provoke conflict with Amerindians; the colonists were not impressed, bc land was becoming sparse, and thus less cheap.

1764-1767 — To get the money spent during the war back, England introduced several Regulatory Acts between 1764-67. Taxes were raised on tea, sugar, stamps, newspaper, all European goods + they were also to provide food and housing for British soldiers at request. The biggest slap on the face was the Declaratory Act of 1766 which asserted British rule over rights of legislation; «No taxation without representation» => tensions grew until in

1770 — the Boston Massacre happened (MA was then the center of opposition). 4 ppl died (the most important figure of them was Crispus Attucks, who was of mixed American Indian and African origin), and all taxes were removed except those on tea =>

1773 — Tea was a very expensive product that was popular. In 1773 Britain passed the rights to selling tea to the West Indian Company, who kept the prices low and competed w/ New England merchants. In Dec 1773 they brought tea to Boston, where, at night, the Sons of Liberty dressed as Iroquois indians (the Mohawks) threw over 300 boxes of tea overboard. #get_rekt

1774 — The WI Company accused the King and asked for a reimbursement. He issued the Intolerable Acts (aka the Coercive Acts) in 1774 to punish MA for misconduct. They restricted the power of the colonial assembly. But what made Americans furious was the Quebec Act which allowed catholic practice in Canada. Ofc, the damn puritans got worked up bc they thought the whole north had to be puritan (a country built by and for puritans).

1775-1783 — In response to the Intolerable Acts, the MA legislature called the First Continental Congress in 1774 on Sept. 5. All colonies (except Georgia, who were busy at the time sucking up to Britain to get military support for putting down the Creek & Cherokee uprising) sent reps to Philly. The Congress issued a Declaration of Rights, affirming its loyalty to the British Crown but disputing the British Parliament’s right to tax it. The Congress also passed the Articles of Association, which called on the colonies to stop importing goods from the British Isles beginning on December 1, 1774, if the Coercive Acts were not repealed. Should Britain fail to redress the colonists’ grievances in a timely manner, the Congress declared, then it would reconvene on May 10, 1775, and the colonies would cease to export goods to Britain on September 10, 1775. Basically, the Congress tried to negotiate peacefully w/ Britain for a return to the situation that had existed in the colonies before 1763.

Meanwhile, the British army in Boston had met with armed resistance on the morning of April 19, 1775, when it marched out to the towns of Lexington and Concord to seize a cache of weapons held by colonial Patriots who had ceased to recognize the authority of the royal government of MA. The Patriots (a band of minutemen warned by Paul Revere and William Dawes) drove the British expedition back to Boston and laid siege to the town. The Revolutionary War had begun.

As promised, Congress reconvened in Philadelphia as the Second Continental Congress on May 10, 1775 (now w/ all 13 colonies having sent reps). Although the Congress professed its abiding loyalty to the British Crown, it also took steps to preserve its rights by dint of arms. On June 14, 1775, a month after it reconvened, it created a united colonial fighting force, the Continental Army. The next day, it named George Washington as the new army’s commander in chief. The following month, it issued its Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, penned by John Dickinson. In an effort to avoid a full-scale war, Congress coupled this declaration with the Olive Branch Petition, a personal appeal to Britain’s King George III (1738-1820) asking him to help the colonists resolve their differences with Britain. The king dismissed the petition out of hand.

In the spring of 1776, the provisional colonial governments began to send new instructions to their congressional delegates, obliquely or directly allowing them to vote for independence. Congress postponed a final vote on the proposal until July 1, but appointed a committee to draft a provisional declaration of independence for use should the proposal pass. The committee consisted of five men: Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. But the declaration was primarily the work of one man, Thomas Jefferson, who penned an eloquent defense of the natural rights of all people, of which, he charged, Parliament and the king had tried to deprive the American nation. The Continental Congress made several revisions to Jefferson’s draft, removing, among other things, an attack on the institution of slavery; but on July 4, 1776, Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence. It claimed that all men had a natural right to «Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.» It also said that governments can only justly claim the right to rule if they have the agreement of those they govern— «the consent of the governed».

Thomas Paine publishes first «Common Sense» and then «Crisis» where he supports and encourages America’s split from Britain and urges the American soldiers not to lose faith (1776 was not a great year for the Americans in terms of actually fighting).

June 14: Flag Resolution

July 5: St. Clair surrenders Fort Ticonderoga to the British

July 27: Lafayette arrives in Philadelphia

Fought eighteen days apart in the fall of 1777, the two Battles of Saratoga were a turning point in the American Revolution. After capturing Fort Ticonderoga with almost laughable ease, the British army, led by overconfident General John Burgoyne, crawled south at a tortoise pace, giving the rattled Americans time to regroup under Horatio Gates. Equally important was Colonel Thaddeus Kosciusko, the Polish engineer, who built excellent field fortifications on Bemis Heights overlooking the Hudson River.

On September 19th, British General John Burgoyne achieved a small, but costly victory over American forces led by Horatio Gates (wuss) and Benedict Arnold (hothead). Though his troop strength had been weakened, Burgoyne again attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on October 7th, but this time was defeated and forced to retreat. He surrendered ten days later, and the American victory convinced the French government to formally recognize the colonist’s cause and enter the war as their ally. The French alliance was critical for the Americans during the American Revolution, providing monetary and military support to outlast the British.

Feb. 6: The United States and France sign the French Alliance (Ben Franklin and King Louis #16)

From 1778 onwards most of the fighting took place in the southern colonies. Dec. 29: The redcoats occupy Savannah, GA.

Oct. 7: King's Mountain, SC: battle lasts 65 minutes. American troops led by Isaac Shelby and John Sevier defeat Maj. Patrick Ferguson and one-third of General Cornwallis's army

Oct. 14: Washington names Nathanael Greene commander of the Southern Army

March 2: Articles of Confederation adopted. During the war the states had agreed to work together in a national Congress to which each state sent representatives to cooperate with one another. However, each state had its own government and was much like an independent country, which didn't bode well for the US, as it had no strong centralized executive power and other countries didn't respect them much.

Sept. 15: French fleet drives British naval force from Chesapeake Bay

28 Sept. On this day in 1781, General George Washington, commanding a force of 17, 000 French and Continental troops, begins the siege known as the Battle of Yorktown against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and a contingent of 9, 000 British troops at Yorktown, Virginia, in the most important battle of the Revolutionary War.

Earlier, in a stroke of luck for the Patriots, the French fleet commanded by Francois, Count de Grasse, departed St. Domingue (the then-French colony that is now Haiti) for the Chesapeake Bay, just as Cornwallis chose Yorktown, at the mouth of the Chesapeake, as his base. Washington realized that it was time to act. He ordered Marquis de Lafayette and an American army of 5, 000 troops to block Cornwallis’ escape from Yorktown by land while the French naval fleet blocked the British escape by sea. By September 28, Washington had completely encircled Cornwallis and Yorktown with the combined forces of Continental and French troops. After three weeks of non-stop bombardment, both day and night, from cannon and artillery, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field at Yorktown on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War for Independence.

Although the war persisted on the high seas and in other theaters, the Patriot victory at Yorktown ended fighting in the American colonies. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war.

Oct. 19: Cornwallis surrounded on land and sea by Americans and French and surrenders at Yorktown, VA

Nov. 30: British and Americans sign preliminary Articles of Peace

April 19: Congress ratifies preliminary peace treaty

Sept. 3: The United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris; Britain officially recognized her former colonies as an independent nation. The treaty granted the US all of North America from Canada in the north to Florida in the south, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River. The United States agreed to allow British troops still in America to leave. America agreed to pay all existing debts owed to Britain. They also agreed not to persecute loyalists still in America, and allow those that left America to return.

Dec. 23: Washington resigns as Commander

 

January 14 – The Treaty of Paris is ratified by the Congress.

April 9 – The Treaty of Paris is ratified by the British

May 12 – Ratified treaties are exchanged in Paris between the two nations.

Northwest Ordinancedescribed the mechanism using which new territories would become part of the US. Split into 5 smaller plots - townships - that would later grow into states. The Us Gov appointed a gov, a secr, and 3 judges to rule the territory until population reached 5, 000 ppl. Then they would elect their own gov, and send a non-voting delegate to congress, until, in turn, population reached 60, 000 ppl. Then they could apply for admission to the union: a) constitution of their state b) letter of application c) congress had to vote on inclusion. This mechanism was later applied to all other territories acquired.

This served as a constitution for these lands, while they were beyond the power of the states. The ordinance included the Bill of Rights. A pleasant addition was the ban on slavery in the NwOrdinance territories.

=> conflict between N& S when moving westwards: north was against slavery, the South only knew how to exist with it.

February, Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The Articles of Confederation no longer sufficed, bc the bonds between states were too weak. Congress asked each state to send delegates to a meeting or ‘convention’ to talk about changes to the Articles. 55 state reps were present, and they chose Washington to lead the discussions. In the end, the convention worked out a completely new system of government for the United States. They set out the plan for this government in a document called the Constitution of the United States. It gave the US a federal system of government, in which the power to rule is shared. A central, or federal, authority has some of it and the rest is in the hands of local authorities in the separate regions that make up the country. This gave the government the power to collect taxes, to organize armed forces, to make treaties with foreign countries and to control trade of all kinds. The Constitution made arrangements for the election of a national leader—the President to take charge of the government. He would head the executive branch. The legislative powers were given to a Congress made up of reps elected by the people. Congress consisted of 2 parts: the Senate (2 reps) and the House of Reps (number of reps proportionate to state pop). The third branch was the judicial, the charge with which was given to the Supreme Court. The SC was to make decisions in any disagreements about the meaning of the laws and the Constitution. It had the power of judicial review; if the Chief Justice decided that a law was unconstitutional, that law could no longer be induced. The Constitution said exactly what powers should be reserved for the states. It said that the states would be allowed to run their internal affairs as they wished, provided that they kept to the rules of the Constitution. To be passed as law, the Constitution had to be ratified by 9 states.

Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey ratify the constitution

Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia and New York ratify the constitution
George Washington is elected president

United States presidential election, 1789

Constitution goes into effect

George Washington is inaugurated as President in New York City

The First United States Congress passes the Judiciary Act of 1789 and Hamilton tariff

Jay–Gardoqui Treaty

November 21 – North Carolina becomes the 12th state to ratify the Constitution, with a vote of 194–77

1790 -– Rhode Island and Providence Plantations becomes the 13th state to ratify the Constitution, with a vote of 34–32 (May 29)

1791 — Ratification of the United States Bill of Rights. The original Constitution had said nothing about the rights and freedoms of individual citizens. The Bill of Rights altered this. It promised all Americans freedom of religion, a free press, free speech, the right to carry arms, the right to a fair trial by jury, and protection against cruel and unusual punishments.

- The National Bank is established

1792 — The First Party System (existed between roughly 1792 and 1824). It featured two national parties competing for control of the presidency, Congress, and the states: the Federalist Party, created largely by Alexander Hamilton, and the rival Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party, formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and usually called at the time the " Republican Party." The Federalists were dominant until 1800, while the Republicans were dominant after 1800. The Federalists promoted the financial system of Treasury Secretary Hamilton, which emphasized federal assumption of state debts, a tariff to pay off those debts, a national bank to facilitate financing, and encouragement of banking and manufacturing. The Republicans, based in the plantation South, opposed a strong executive power, were hostile to a standing army and navy, demanded a strict reading of the Constitutional powers of the federal government, and strongly opposed the Hamilton financial program. Perhaps even more important was foreign policy, where the Federalists favored Britain because of its political stability and its close ties to American trade, while the Republicans admired the French and the French Revolution. Jefferson was especially fearful that British aristocratic influences would undermine republicanism.

1803 — TheLouisiana Purchase (Thomas Jefferson). Several problems arose after independence was won:

1. Native Americans

2. Land was claimed by Spain and France => had to buy or fight to get it for themselves.

American farmers needed land to grow crops. It would’ve been a win to sell them down the Mississippi so not to cross forests and unsettled land of the Appalachians. But: the French held that land and the port of New Orleans. James Monroe goes to strike a deal w/ France to get the port of New Orleans for 7 mil. Napoleon needed crops for war and used slaves in the Caribbean. Slaves rebelled, so no use anymore. They instead offered to sell everything for 15. A vast territory (the remainder of Louisiana) was bought from France for $15 mil. Jefferson only had the Congress' approval for New Orleans, but he went ahead and took the deal anyway bc it was such a steal. The new land almost doubled the size of the US. On the one hand - good, bc goal achieved; BUT: how to govern? How to pay (revolution debt)?

After the deal was settled, Jefferson sent Lewis and William Clarke on a military expedition in 1804, following the Missouri River, to find an all water route to the Pacific. Did not find one, but explored the land and opened it up for settlement.

1819 — Spain cedes Florida. An indian uprising was brewing in GA, and the gov sent troops to calm things down. However, they went much further south, into Spanish Florida, which pissed off both the Spanish and the Florida indians. The Indian War began. The US was as bold as to offer angry and bristling Spain to get the indians off their backs, but only if Spain allowed American presence in Florida, or to buy it. The Spanish weren't thrilled, but they were also worn out and unable to hold indians off for much longer, and hey were also short on money. They agreed. So, US bought Florida for just $5 mil.

— The Missouri Compromise. Balance between slave and non slave states: 11-11. But then in 1819, Missouri wanted to enter as a slave state, thus breaking the balance. A compromise was reached in 1820, when Missouri was admitted as a slave state, but Maine was admitted as a slave-free state. This set up a precedent for states being admitted in slave/non-slave state duos (so waiting was involved). A line was established to the north of Missouri's southern border. When Tx was admitted as a slave state, northerners got gold-bountiful Cali.

1830 — The Indian Removal Act. This Act forced the eastern Indian tribes to move beyond the Mississippi. In 1834 a special Indian territory was set up in what is now Oklahoma. Between 1830 and 1850 the tribes were forced to sign 94 treaties, ceding vast territories to the federal government. In return, the gov promised food and protection to the Indians. The gov did not make good on this promise. Cherokees were removed from their lands and had to move to reservations in winter, 4 000 Indians out of 15 000 died along the way. This event was called the Trail of Tears.

1845 — Texas becomes part of the USA. TX was Mexican, bc they got their independence from Spain. When americans started to settle Louisiana, they trespassed on Mexican territory (north of today's Texas). They approached the Mexican gov to get permission to settle. Mexicans agreed, if the americans respected Mexican laws and traditions. In 1836, americans revolted against Mexico, and proclaimed their land independent of it. Mexico refused to recognize this. The Congress started to worry, and sent troops to TX bc 1. 'protect democracy' 2. When they purchased Louisiana, TX was apparently somehow part of it, so the objective was to restore historical justice. TX voted to become part of the US. Mexico started a war in 1845 after being provoked by this show of force.

Because this was not reproached by Europe in any way, americans became sure they were untouchable, that it was their destiny to bring democracy to every part of the continent => Manifest Destiny (obvious fate).

They took appropriate steps to complete their quest.

1846 — The USA starts to settle Oregon. Oregon lay beyond Louisiana, and was explored by Lewis& Clark. It stretched from Alaska in the north, along the pacific coast to California and in the east ended w/ the Rocky's. Alaska was Russian and California Spanish. The rest was owned by the Brits and Americans, but less so. In the 1830s, Brit settlements outnumbered American ones, and the US feared Britain would claim all that land for themselves and Americans would have nowhere to settle. So, Oregon fever began to 'americanize' Oregon and since 1832, more settlers started arriving by land. In 1844, James Polk, who took Manifest Destiny seriously, stated that Oregon rightly belongs to the States. However, in 1846 he decided to split the territory w/ Britain into 2: north (Canadian Oregon) to Britain and bigger south to the US. The British weren’t sure they'd win a war if they started it, so kept quiet.

1848 — Mexico cedes a vast territory in the west according to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The war with Mexico ended in a treaty according to which USA acquired lands west of the Rocky Mountains, beyond Texas. These territories are now the states of CA, AZ, NV, UT, NM, CO. Mexico was granted 15$ mil for these lands, which was too low a price for these vast territories. Another bummer was that a year later, americans discovered gold in California, so Mexicans were basically left with nothing.

The compromise of 1850. A line was established to the north of Missouri's southern border. When TX was admitted as a slave state, northerners got gold-bountiful Cali. According to the North West Ordinance, they would have had to split Cali into 2, but compensation was due for admitting TX as a slave state. 1. Cali was no-slave, Tx-all-slave. 2. The rest of the territory, Utah and New Mexico, would have to vote whether to enter as slave or non-slave states. 3. Southern states wanted to balance it out by making the North search for runaway slaves and return them to their masters according to the Fugitive Slave Law.

Things started heating up at a great rate => the Civil War

1853 — Additional purchase of land from Mexico. Having found gold in Cali, the gov had to deal w/ hoards of settlers coming that way, and also needed to come up with a way to transport the gold to the east coast. In Europe, railroads have begun being built, and US decided to build one also. However, they needed one last piece of land to get from Mexico to build a direct line. Hence, the Gadsden purchase of 1853. That tiny plot of land cost the US $10 mil.

1862 — The Homestead Act. At the same time as Lewis& Clark set out west, Zebulon M. Pike was exploring the Great Plains. All he thought he found was mountains and land that could not be cultivated, and so called it the «Great American Desert». To build a link between the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast, the gov introduced the Homestead act, according to which settlers would get the land for free under the condition that they would stay there long enough for it to finally prosper (make it or break it mentality). That was a good enough proposal, and many moved there. By the 1870s it has become a major bread-growing area.
The Homestead Act, however, was based on breaking the treaties w/ American Indians who were promised that this land would not be disturbed and would remain theirs => white ppl were invited to live on once again stolen Native land.

 

Questions:

The War of Independence (When and where did it start? What was the turning point of the war? Why were the battles at Saratoga and Yorktown important? When did the war finish? What were the results of the war? )

While the First Continental Congress decided to temporarily keep the peace, the first shots starting the revolution were fired at Lexington, Massachusetts. On April 18, 1775, British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy guns and ammunition the colonists had stored in the town of Concord, just outside of Boston. They also planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two of the key leaders of the patriot movement. The Patriots (a band of minutemen warned by Paul Revere and William Dawes) drove the British expedition back to Boston and laid siege to the town. The Revolutionary War had begun.

During the first year of the War, the British were more successful than the Americans, even though the latter did manage to snatch a handful of victories early into the fighting. By 1777, the winds started to change, however: to the north, British generals Burgoyne and St. Leger suffered significant defeats at Oriskany, New York; Bennington, Vermont; and finally at Saratoga, New York. These American victories were critical for they helped convince France to recognize American independence and brought the French directly into the war as military allies. The French Treaty was also a result of a new British peace proposal, announced by Lord North in late 1777. The French were concerned that the Americans would agree to North's proposal since it offered them virtual autonomy within the British Empire. The French Alliance changed the face of the war for the British; the American war for independence was now in essence a world war.

In 1781, General George Washington, commanding a force of 17, 000 French and Continental troops, begins the siege known as the Battle of Yorktown against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and a contingent of 9, 000 British troops at Yorktown, Virginia, in the most important battle of the Revolutionary War. By September 28, Washington had completely encircled Cornwallis and Yorktown with the combined forces of Continental and French troops. After three weeks of non-stop bombardment, both day and night, from cannon and artillery, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field at Yorktown on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War for Independence.

Although the war persisted on the high seas and in other theaters, the Patriot victory at Yorktown ended fighting in the American colonies. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war & granting it new lands of Louisiana.

What is the Bill of Rights?

1791 - Ratification of the United States Bill of Rights. The original Constitution had said nothing about the rights and freedoms of individual citizens. The Bill of Rights altered this with the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. It promised all Americans freedom of religion, a free press, free speech, the right to carry arms, the right to a fair trial by jury, and protection against cruel and unusual punishments.

Dates

1756-1763 — The Seven Years’ War (France v. Britain; France lost the war and gave up Canada and all of North America east of the Mississippi River to Britain, and west of it — to Spain (the whole territory was called Louisiana for King Louis #14 of France)).

1763 — King George 3 issued a proclamation that prohibited settlement of the newly acquired lands of Louisiana, bc that meant spending more money on up-keeping it and governing + could provoke conflict with Amerindians; the colonists were not impressed, bc land was becoming sparse, and thus less cheap.

1764-1767 — To get the money spent during the war back, England introduced several Regulatory Acts between 1764-67. Taxes were raised on tea, sugar, stamps, newspaper, all European goods + they were also to provide food and housing for British soldiers at request. The biggest slap on the face was the Declaratory Act of 1766 which asserted British rule over rights of legislation; «No taxation without representation» => tensions grew until in

1770 — the Boston Massacre happened (MA was then the center of opposition). 4 ppl died (the most important figure of them was Crispus Attucks, who was of mixed American Indian and African origin), and all taxes were removed except those on tea =>

1773 — Tea was a very expensive product that was popular. In 1773 Britain passed the rights to selling tea to the West Indian Company, who kept the prices low and competed w/ New England merchants. In Dec 1773 they brought tea to Boston, where, at night, the Sons of Liberty dressed as Iroquois indians (the Mohawks) threw over 300 boxes of tea overboard. #get_rekt

1774 — The WI Company accused the King and asked for a reimbursement. He issued the Intolerable Acts (aka the Coercive Acts) in 1774 to punish MA for misconduct. They restricted the power of the colonial assembly. But what made Americans furious was the Quebec Act which allowed catholic practice in Canada. Ofc, the damn puritans got worked up bc they thought the whole north had to be puritan (a country built by and for puritans).

1775-1783 — In response to the Intolerable Acts, the MA legislature called the First Continental Congress in 1774 on Sept. 5. All colonies (except Georgia, who were busy at the time sucking up to Britain to get military support for putting down the Creek & Cherokee uprising) sent reps to Philly. The Congress issued a Declaration of Rights, affirming its loyalty to the British Crown but disputing the British Parliament’s right to tax it. The Congress also passed the Articles of Association, which called on the colonies to stop importing goods from the British Isles beginning on December 1, 1774, if the Coercive Acts were not repealed. Should Britain fail to redress the colonists’ grievances in a timely manner, the Congress declared, then it would reconvene on May 10, 1775, and the colonies would cease to export goods to Britain on September 10, 1775. Basically, the Congress tried to negotiate peacefully w/ Britain for a return to the situation that had existed in the colonies before 1763.

Meanwhile, the British army in Boston had met with armed resistance on the morning of April 19, 1775, when it marched out to the towns of Lexington and Concord to seize a cache of weapons held by colonial Patriots who had ceased to recognize the authority of the royal government of MA. The Patriots (a band of minutemen warned by Paul Revere and William Dawes) drove the British expedition back to Boston and laid siege to the town. The Revolutionary War had begun.

As promised, Congress reconvened in Philadelphia as the Second Continental Congress on May 10, 1775 (now w/ all 13 colonies having sent reps). Although the Congress professed its abiding loyalty to the British Crown, it also took steps to preserve its rights by dint of arms. On June 14, 1775, a month after it reconvened, it created a united colonial fighting force, the Continental Army. The next day, it named George Washington as the new army’s commander in chief. The following month, it issued its Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, penned by John Dickinson. In an effort to avoid a full-scale war, Congress coupled this declaration with the Olive Branch Petition, a personal appeal to Britain’s King George III (1738-1820) asking him to help the colonists resolve their differences with Britain. The king dismissed the petition out of hand.

In the spring of 1776, the provisional colonial governments began to send new instructions to their congressional delegates, obliquely or directly allowing them to vote for independence. Congress postponed a final vote on the proposal until July 1, but appointed a committee to draft a provisional declaration of independence for use should the proposal pass. The committee consisted of five men: Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. But the declaration was primarily the work of one man, Thomas Jefferson, who penned an eloquent defense of the natural rights of all people, of which, he charged, Parliament and the king had tried to deprive the American nation. The Continental Congress made several revisions to Jefferson’s draft, removing, among other things, an attack on the institution of slavery; but on July 4, 1776, Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence. It claimed that all men had a natural right to «Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.» It also said that governments can only justly claim the right to rule if they have the agreement of those they govern— «the consent of the governed».

Thomas Paine publishes first «Common Sense» and then «Crisis» where he supports and encourages America’s split from Britain and urges the American soldiers not to lose faith (1776 was not a great year for the Americans in terms of actually fighting).

June 14: Flag Resolution

July 5: St. Clair surrenders Fort Ticonderoga to the British

July 27: Lafayette arrives in Philadelphia

Fought eighteen days apart in the fall of 1777, the two Battles of Saratoga were a turning point in the American Revolution. After capturing Fort Ticonderoga with almost laughable ease, the British army, led by overconfident General John Burgoyne, crawled south at a tortoise pace, giving the rattled Americans time to regroup under Horatio Gates. Equally important was Colonel Thaddeus Kosciusko, the Polish engineer, who built excellent field fortifications on Bemis Heights overlooking the Hudson River.

On September 19th, British General John Burgoyne achieved a small, but costly victory over American forces led by Horatio Gates (wuss) and Benedict Arnold (hothead). Though his troop strength had been weakened, Burgoyne again attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on October 7th, but this time was defeated and forced to retreat. He surrendered ten days later, and the American victory convinced the French government to formally recognize the colonist’s cause and enter the war as their ally. The French alliance was critical for the Americans during the American Revolution, providing monetary and military support to outlast the British.

Feb. 6: The United States and France sign the French Alliance (Ben Franklin and King Louis #16)

From 1778 onwards most of the fighting took place in the southern colonies. Dec. 29: The redcoats occupy Savannah, GA.

Oct. 7: King's Mountain, SC: battle lasts 65 minutes. American troops led by Isaac Shelby and John Sevier defeat Maj. Patrick Ferguson and one-third of General Cornwallis's army

Oct. 14: Washington names Nathanael Greene commander of the Southern Army

March 2: Articles of Confederation adopted. During the war the states had agreed to work together in a national Congress to which each state sent representatives to cooperate with one another. However, each state had its own government and was much like an independent country, which didn't bode well for the US, as it had no strong centralized executive power and other countries didn't respect them much.

Sept. 15: French fleet drives British naval force from Chesapeake Bay

28 Sept. On this day in 1781, General George Washington, commanding a force of 17, 000 French and Continental troops, begins the siege known as the Battle of Yorktown against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and a contingent of 9, 000 British troops at Yorktown, Virginia, in the most important battle of the Revolutionary War.

Earlier, in a stroke of luck for the Patriots, the French fleet commanded by Francois, Count de Grasse, departed St. Domingue (the then-French colony that is now Haiti) for the Chesapeake Bay, just as Cornwallis chose Yorktown, at the mouth of the Chesapeake, as his base. Washington realized that it was time to act. He ordered Marquis de Lafayette and an American army of 5, 000 troops to block Cornwallis’ escape from Yorktown by land while the French naval fleet blocked the British escape by sea. By September 28, Washington had completely encircled Cornwallis and Yorktown with the combined forces of Continental and French troops. After three weeks of non-stop bombardment, both day and night, from cannon and artillery, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field at Yorktown on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War for Independence.

Although the war persisted on the high seas and in other theaters, the Patriot victory at Yorktown ended fighting in the American colonies. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war.

Oct. 19: Cornwallis surrounded on land and sea by Americans and French and surrenders at Yorktown, VA

Nov. 30: British and Americans sign preliminary Articles of Peace

April 19: Congress ratifies preliminary peace treaty

Sept. 3: The United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris; Britain officially recognized her former colonies as an independent nation. The treaty granted the US all of North America from Canada in the north to Florida in the south, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River. The United States agreed to allow British troops still in America to leave. America agreed to pay all existing debts owed to Britain. They also agreed not to persecute loyalists still in America, and allow those that left America to return.

Dec. 23: Washington resigns as Commander

 

January 14 – The Treaty of Paris is ratified by the Congress.

April 9 – The Treaty of Paris is ratified by the British

May 12 – Ratified treaties are exchanged in Paris between the two nations.

Northwest Ordinancedescribed the mechanism using which new territories would become part of the US. Split into 5 smaller plots - townships - that would later grow into states. The Us Gov appointed a gov, a secr, and 3 judges to rule the territory until population reached 5, 000 ppl. Then they would elect their own gov, and send a non-voting delegate to congress, until, in turn, population reached 60, 000 ppl. Then they could apply for admission to the union: a) constitution of their state b) letter of application c) congress had to vote on inclusion. This mechanism was later applied to all other territories acquired.

This served as a constitution for these lands, while they were beyond the power of the states. The ordinance included the Bill of Rights. A pleasant addition was the ban on slavery in the NwOrdinance territories.

=> conflict between N& S when moving westwards: north was against slavery, the South only knew how to exist with it.

February, Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The Articles of Confederation no longer sufficed, bc the bonds between states were too weak. Congress asked each state to send delegates to a meeting or ‘convention’ to talk about changes to the Articles. 55 state reps were present, and they chose Washington to lead the discussions. In the end, the convention worked out a completely new system of government for the United States. They set out the plan for this government in a document called the Constitution of the United States. It gave the US a federal system of government, in which the power to rule is shared. A central, or federal, authority has some of it and the rest is in the hands of local authorities in the separate regions that make up the country. This gave the government the power to collect taxes, to organize armed forces, to make treaties with foreign countries and to control trade of all kinds. The Constitution made arrangements for the election of a national leader—the President to take charge of the government. He would head the executive branch. The legislative powers were given to a Congress made up of reps elected by the people. Congress consisted of 2 parts: the Senate (2 reps) and the House of Reps (number of reps proportionate to state pop). The third branch was the judicial, the charge with which was given to the Supreme Court. The SC was to make decisions in any disagreements about the meaning of the laws and the Constitution. It had the power of judicial review; if the Chief Justice decided that a law was unconstitutional, that law could no longer be induced. The Constitution said exactly what powers should be reserved for the states. It said that the states would be allowed to run their internal affairs as they wished, provided that they kept to the rules of the Constitution. To be passed as law, the Constitution had to be ratified by 9 states.

Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey ratify the constitution

Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia and New York ratify the constitution
George Washington is elected president

United States presidential election, 1789

Constitution goes into effect

George Washington is inaugurated as President in New York City

The First United States Congress passes the Judiciary Act of 1789 and Hamilton tariff

Jay–Gardoqui Treaty

November 21 – North Carolina becomes the 12th state to ratify the Constitution, with a vote of 194–77

1790 -– Rhode Island and Providence Plantations becomes the 13th state to ratify the Constitution, with a vote of 34–32 (May 29)

1791 — Ratification of the United States Bill of Rights. The original Constitution had said nothing about the rights and freedoms of individual citizens. The Bill of Rights altered this. It promised all Americans freedom of religion, a free press, free speech, the right to carry arms, the right to a fair trial by jury, and protection against cruel and unusual punishments.

- The National Bank is established

1792 — The First Party System (existed between roughly 1792 and 1824). It featured two national parties competing for control of the presidency, Congress, and the states: the Federalist Party, created largely by Alexander Hamilton, and the rival Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party, formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and usually called at the time the " Republican Party." The Federalists were dominant until 1800, while the Republicans were dominant after 1800. The Federalists promoted the financial system of Treasury Secretary Hamilton, which emphasized federal assumption of state debts, a tariff to pay off those debts, a national bank to facilitate financing, and encouragement of banking and manufacturing. The Republicans, based in the plantation South, opposed a strong executive power, were hostile to a standing army and navy, demanded a strict reading of the Constitutional powers of the federal government, and strongly opposed the Hamilton financial program. Perhaps even more important was foreign policy, where the Federalists favored Britain because of its political stability and its close ties to American trade, while the Republicans admired the French and the French Revolution. Jefferson was especially fearful that British aristocratic influences would undermine republicanism.

1803 — TheLouisiana Purchase (Thomas Jefferson). Several problems arose after independence was won:

1. Native Americans

2. Land was claimed by Spain and France => had to buy or fight to get it for themselves.

American farmers needed land to grow crops. It would’ve been a win to sell them down the Mississippi so not to cross forests and unsettled land of the Appalachians. But: the French held that land and the port of New Orleans. James Monroe goes to strike a deal w/ France to get the port of New Orleans for 7 mil. Napoleon needed crops for war and used slaves in the Caribbean. Slaves rebelled, so no use anymore. They instead offered to sell everything for 15. A vast territory (the remainder of Louisiana) was bought from France for $15 mil. Jefferson only had the Congress' approval for New Orleans, but he went ahead and took the deal anyway bc it was such a steal. The new land almost doubled the size of the US. On the one hand - good, bc goal achieved; BUT: how to govern? How to pay (revolution debt)?

After the deal was settled, Jefferson sent Lewis and William Clarke on a military expedition in 1804, following the Missouri River, to find an all water route to the Pacific. Did not find one, but explored the land and opened it up for settlement.

1819 — Spain cedes Florida. An indian uprising was brewing in GA, and the gov sent troops to calm things down. However, they went much further south, into Spanish Florida, which pissed off both the Spanish and the Florida indians. The Indian War began. The US was as bold as to offer angry and bristling Spain to get the indians off their backs, but only if Spain allowed American presence in Florida, or to buy it. The Spanish weren't thrilled, but they were also worn out and unable to hold indians off for much longer, and hey were also short on money. They agreed. So, US bought Florida for just $5 mil.

— The Missouri Compromise. Balance between slave and non slave states: 11-11. But then in 1819, Missouri wanted to enter as a slave state, thus breaking the balance. A compromise was reached in 1820, when Missouri was admitted as a slave state, but Maine was admitted as a slave-free state. This set up a precedent for states being admitted in slave/non-slave state duos (so waiting was involved). A line was established to the north of Missouri's southern border. When Tx was admitted as a slave state, northerners got gold-bountiful Cali.

1830 — The Indian Removal Act. This Act forced the eastern Indian tribes to move beyond the Mississippi. In 1834 a special Indian territory was set up in what is now Oklahoma. Between 1830 and 1850 the tribes were forced to sign 94 treaties, ceding vast territories to the federal government. In return, the gov promised food and protection to the Indians. The gov did not make good on this promise. Cherokees were removed from their lands and had to move to reservations in winter, 4 000 Indians out of 15 000 died along the way. This event was called the Trail of Tears.

1845 — Texas becomes part of the USA. TX was Mexican, bc they got their independence from Spain. When americans started to settle Louisiana, they trespassed on Mexican territory (north of today's Texas). They approached the Mexican gov to get permission to settle. Mexicans agreed, if the americans respected Mexican laws and traditions. In 1836, americans revolted against Mexico, and proclaimed their land independent of it. Mexico refused to recognize this. The Congress started to worry, and sent troops to TX bc 1. 'protect democracy' 2. When they purchased Louisiana, TX was apparently somehow part of it, so the objective was to restore historical justice. TX voted to become part of the US. Mexico started a war in 1845 after being provoked by this show of force.

Because this was not reproached by Europe in any way, americans became sure they were untouchable, that it was their destiny to bring democracy to every part of the continent => Manifest Destiny (obvious fate).

They took appropriate steps to complete their quest.

1846 — The USA starts to settle Oregon. Oregon lay beyond Louisiana, and was explored by Lewis& Clark. It stretched from Alaska in the north, along the pacific coast to California and in the east ended w/ the Rocky's. Alaska was Russian and California Spanish. The rest was owned by the Brits and Americans, but less so. In the 1830s, Brit settlements outnumbered American ones, and the US feared Britain would claim all that land for themselves and Americans would have nowhere to settle. So, Oregon fever began to 'americanize' Oregon and since 1832, more settlers started arriving by land. In 1844, James Polk, who took Manifest Destiny seriously, stated that Oregon rightly belongs to the States. However, in 1846 he decided to split the territory w/ Britain into 2: north (Canadian Oregon) to Britain and bigger south to the US. The British weren’t sure they'd win a war if they started it, so kept quiet.

1848 — Mexico cedes a vast territory in the west according to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The war with Mexico ended in a treaty according to which USA acquired lands west of the Rocky Mountains, beyond Texas. These territories are now the states of CA, AZ, NV, UT, NM, CO. Mexico was granted 15$ mil for these lands, which was too low a price for these vast territories. Another bummer was that a year later, americans discovered gold in California, so Mexicans were basically left with nothing.

The compromise of 1850. A line was established to the north of Missouri's southern border. When TX was admitted as a slave state, northerners got gold-bountiful Cali. According to the North West Ordinance, they would have had to split Cali into 2, but compensation was due for admitting TX as a slave state. 1. Cali was no-slave, Tx-all-slave. 2. The rest of the territory, Utah and New Mexico, would have to vote whether to enter as slave or non-slave states. 3. Southern states wanted to balance it out by making the North search for runaway slaves and return them to their masters according to the Fugitive Slave Law.

Things started heating up at a great rate => the Civil War

1853 — Additional purchase of land from Mexico. Having found gold in Cali, the gov had to deal w/ hoards of settlers coming that way, and also needed to come up with a way to transport the gold to the east coast. In Europe, railroads have begun being built, and US decided to build one also. However, they needed one last piece of land to get from Mexico to build a direct line. Hence, the Gadsden purchase of 1853. That tiny plot of land cost the US $10 mil.

1862 — The Homestead Act. At the same time as Lewis& Clark set out west, Zebulon M. Pike was exploring the Great Plains. All he thought he found was mountains and land that could not be cultivated, and so called it the «Great American Desert». To build a link between the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast, the gov introduced the Homestead act, according to which settlers would get the land for free under the condition that they would stay there long enough for it to finally prosper (make it or break it mentality). That was a good enough proposal, and many moved there. By the 1870s it has become a major bread-growing area.
The Homestead Act, however, was based on breaking the treaties w/ American Indians who were promised that this land would not be disturbed and would remain theirs => white ppl were invited to live on once again stolen Native land.

 

Questions:

In what sense did the Seven Years War pave the way to the Revolution?

1756-1763 — The Seven Years’ War (France v. Britain; France lost the war and gave up Canada and all of North America east of the Mississippi River to Britain, and west of it — to Spain (the whole territory was called Louisiana for King Louis #14 of France)).

1763 King George 3 issued a proclamation that prohibited settlement of the newly acquired lands of Louisiana, bc that meant spending more money on up-keeping it and governing + could provoke conflict with Amerindians; the colonists were not impressed, bc land was becoming sparse, and thus less cheap.

1764-1774 To get the money spent during the war back, England introduced several Acts.

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