The American Revolution

Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams

In January 1776, a short but powerful book swung popular opinion towards independence, called "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, who was a recent immigrant from Britain, used to be a tax collector and artisan.
Similar ideas would soon be in the Declaration of Independence. He came straight to the point with his ideas. In simple language he proposed a radical course of action:
-They should declare independence in Britain
-Have a Republican State Government
-A union of the new states


Thomas Paine's Radical Proposal
Paine denounced the King and Aristocrats of Britain as frauds and parasites. He wanted all the common people to vote. He depicted Kings as the enemies of the Colonists and American Liberty. Paine hated the region class structure to smothering the hopes of the people without title.
A republic would provide opportunities to reward merit. With this freedom they could trade with anyone they wanted. They could create a model that would inspire common people from other countries to reject Kings and Aristocrats.
Paine concluded, "The cause of America is in a great measure, the cause of all man kind". They will decide to gamble their life liberty.


The Colonies Declare Independence
Many neutrals wanted this after they saw this new ideas. Congress selected committees to prepare a document that will declare independence.
Opinion Swings Towards Independence
On July 2, 1776, the Congress voted that America was free and two days later (July 4) it was approved.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the declaration, he became the 3rd President of USA. It denounced the King as a Tirane and Independence was necessary.
All man were born equal, with the same rights. These were the "unalientable rights" because no one could take it away, but many of the people who signed that had slaves, caused a civil war. The colonies had faced many obstacles to actually win Independence, they still had to fight with the best army to get it.

*The ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence were liberty, equality, unalientable rights, etc.

Most colonists supported the Continental Congress but many preferred British rules. These were called Loyalists; they favored law and order. Many dreaded the crowds and committee, they viewed them as illegal British and vermin (animals).


Loyalists Feared Disaster
Although many loyalists opposed British taxes, they thought the Parliaments must be the legitimate power and ruler.
In 1774, Jonathan Sewell also Loyalist, warned John Adams who was Patriot that the British will not allow the Patriots to rule. He said that he will never surrender against them and the more they fight, the more they will resist.


Loyalists Oppose the Patriot's Demands
About 1/5 of the Colonists remained loyal and more were neutral. According to the Stereotype which was an over simplified image, Loyalists were wealthy people with a good position in the government and many were normal people. These people didn't like the taxes, the military drafts and all that was made by the Colonists, this was the Oath of Allegiance.
Loyalists concluded that the Patriots demanded more taxes and allowed less freedom of speech than the British. Slave’s owners were revolutionaries. The enslaved people were against the Colonists.

*The Loyalists opposed the Patriot's causes because they felt more taxes, freedom of speech was none, they didn't like the Oath of Allegiance, the drafts, the oppression, etc.

The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met beginning on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774, also in Philadelphia. The second Congress managed the colonial war effort, and moved towards independence, adopting the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. With the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, the Congress became known as the Congress of the Confederation.

Membership :O
When the Second Continental Congress came together on May 10, 1775, it was, in effect, a reconvening of the First Continental Congress. Many of the same 56 delegates who attended the first meeting were in attendance at the second, and the delegates chose the same president Peyton Randolph and Secretary Charles Thomson. New arrivals included Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Hancock of Massachusetts. Within two weeks, Randolph was summoned back to Virginia to preside over the House of Burgesses; he was replaced in the Virginia delegation by Thomas Jefferson, who arrived several weeks later. Henry Middleton was elected as president to replace Randolph, but he declined, and Hancock was elected president.
Georgia didn´t participate in the first continental congress and initially didn't send delegates at the second. Later Lyman Hall was admitted as a delegate from the Parish of St. John's in the Colony of Georgia, not as a delegate from the colony itself.

On this date in 1775, the first shots in the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington and Concord.

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, are sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heros dare
To die and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

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 British Army's infantry, nicknamed "redcoats" and sometimes "devils" by the colonists, had occupied Boston and had been augmented by naval forces and marines to enforce the Intolerable Acts, which had been passed by the British Parliament to punish the Province of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party and other acts of protest. Thomas Gage had no control over Massachusetts outside of Boston, where implementation of the Acts had increased tensions between the Patriot Whig majority and the Tory minority. Gage's plan was to avoid conflict by removing military supplies from the Whig militias using small, secret and rapid strikes. This struggle for supplies led to one British success and then to several Patriot successes in a series of nearly bloodless conflicts known as the Powder Alarms.

On April 14, 1775, Gage received instructions from Secretary of State William Legge, to disarm the rebels, who were known to have hidden weapons in Concord, among other locations, and to imprison the rebellion's leaders, especially Samuel Adams and John Hancock. William gave Gage considerable discretion in his commands.

The Lexington militia in particular began to muster early that evening, hours before receiving any word from Boston. A well known story alleges that after nightfall one farmer, Josiah Nelson, mistook the British patrol for the colonists and asked them, "Have you heard anything about when the regulars are coming out?", upon which he was slashed on his scalp with a sword.

The rebellion's ringleaders with exception of Paul Revere and Joseph Warren had all left Boston April. They had received word of William's secret instructions to General Gage from sources in London before they reached Gage himself. Adams and Hancock had fled Boston to the home of one of Hancock's relatives in Lexington where they thought they would be safe from the immediate threat of arrest.

Between 9 and 10 pm on the night of April 18, 1775, Joseph Warren told William Dawes and Paul Revere that the King's troops were about to embark in boats from Boston bound for Cambridge and the road to Lexington and Concord. Warren's intelligence suggested that the most likely objectives of the regulars' movements later that night would be the capture of Adams and Hancock. They did not worry about the possibility of regulars marching to Concord, since the supplies at Concord were safe, but they did think their leaders in Lexington were unaware of the potential danger that night. Revere and Dawes were sent out to warn them and to alert colonial militias in nearby towns.


doctor reviews

Click the image to enlarge.

Patrick Henry: "I am not Virginian, but an American!"

This are some facts about some of the independence leaders that are silly but they are true! enjoy :)


Jonh Hancock
He was born rich, and was an orphan. He was adopted by his uncle, and inherited his uncle's business of importing tea, wine and other things from England. Soon he figured out how to bribe the tax collector so he dind't have to pay taxes, he was called "King of the Smugglers", he was proud as a peacock and dressed like one too, his favorite color was purple, and ended up spending most of his fortune supporting the American Revolution.


Patrick Henry

When he was a child he was very lazy, he didn't like to study, neither work on his father's farm. His interests were to wander through the woods, gun in hand, hunting for game, or to sit on the bank of some stream fishing by the hour. When not enjoying himself outdoors he might be heard playing his violin.
His parents did not know what to do with him, so they decided to put him, when fifteen years old, as clerk into a little country store. Here he remained for a year, and then opened a store of his own. But he was still too lazy to attend to business, and soon his store failed.
When he was only eighteen years old, he married. The parents of the young couple gave them a small farm and a few slaves. But it was the same story. The young farmer would not take the trouble to look after his affairs, and let things drift. So before long the farm had to be sold to pay debts. Once more Patrick turned to storekeeping, but after a few years he failed again.
When he was twenty-three years old, he was unemployee, and had a wife and family to support. So at this time he decided to become a lawyer. He borrowed some law-books, and after studying for six months, he applied for permission to practice law. Although he passed but a poor examination, he at last was started on the right road.
He succeeded well in his law practice, and in a few years had so much business that people in his part of Virginia began to take notice of him. In 1765, soon after the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament, he was elected a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.


Samuel Adams
He did more than any one else to arouse the love of liberty in his colony, was born in Boston in 1722. His childhood was quite different from Patrick Henry's. He liked to go to school and to learn from books, and he cared little for outdoor life or sport of any kind.
As he grew up, his father wished him to become a clergyman, but Samuel preferred to study law. His mother opposing this, he entered upon business life. This perhaps was a mistake, for he did not take to business, and, like Patrick Henry, he soon failed, even losing most of the property his father had left him.


By: Kellyn & Andrea

The Bostonians actions agreed the Parliament and the crown. Coercive Acts by form. No ships could get in Boston until the colonists paid for the tea thrown to the ocean. The Governor dissolved the elected assemblies and house meetings. The king sent warships and troops to the colonies. The Intolerable Act, colonists were out ranged with the British.

Intolerable Acts
Colonists were asked to give shelter to the soldiers. If they committed a crime, they were sent back to British. The Quebec Act lowered the Southern borders and then wanted land that was already taken. Rejected the idea that British could shut down trade. Rural Massachusetts people rejected the violence, armed themselves and forced the British to shut down the courts. Also assaulted anybody that accepted the act.

The Colonies Take Action
Fortunately for Massachusetts, the other colonies rejected the acts. In the fall of 1774, delegates from all colonies, except Georgia, met in Philadelphia and made the "First Continental Congress". Virginia delegate included Patrick Henry. He declared "The distinction between Virginians, Philadelphians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not Virginian, but American".
By spring of 1775 - a newly arrived immigrant said that all colonies were liberty mad. In 1774, John Adams had decided that he already lived in the new country. He also believed Americans could unite and defeat Britain.
John Adams was ahead of most colonists. British would use red coast. If the Parliament stop taxing, the colonists would stay calm. It took two years for the people realize that they needed to go in independization.


Patrick Henry

Officers abused of power. There were fewer colonies. This protest were bigger in Boston. The elected assembly were closed down. The consume officers seized liberty by boat.
In June 1768, the ship was smuggling. The boat belong to John Hancock. He was a wealthy merchant and a prominent politician. The capturing of the boat created revolves to begin a gang. To suppress the riot, England send 4,000 troops, 16,000 colonists in Boston. For over a year, the presence of troops for the colonists infuriated anger.
One night in March 1770, a group of colonists threw snowballs and stones to the soldiers in guard of the costumes house, this soldiers opened fire and killed five people. Between this five people, was Crispus Attucks, he was half African and half Indian.
They called the killing "The Boston Massacre". Adams did the Committees of correspondence throughout Massachusetts. In 1773, several of the colonies created committees. This build colonial unity because colonies could unite against British, boycott them. They took down all the taxes except for the tea. They decided to buy Dutch Tea instead of British Tea.


Boston Tea Party
British East India Company were struggling. The Parliament allowed to help and save their company. They decided that they would sell the tea cheaper, but still didn't buy the tea. The colonists knew that the British wanted to trick them by putting taxes.
In December 16, 1773 - Boston Patriots disguised as Indians with taxes. Indians got into a British boat and dumped all the tea into the ocean, this was called "The Boston Tea Party". This act would be followed by a set of rules placed on the colonists called Intolerable Acts.
Now people say, "lets party like 1773".

Some colonial leaders opposes taxes to control and coordinate their protests. Nine colonies sent delegates and held "The Stamp Act" in New York City in October 1765. This Congress encouraged a consuming boycott -to not buy anything from England-, which was a non important agreement.
Women played an important role in boycott. They needed "homespun" cloth to make clothes. This women that help down were called "The Daughters of Liberty". They wanted their respect from the clothes.
By 1776 they already repealed the Act.













New Taxes Lead to New Protests
Samuel Adams showed that the colonists were not going to pay direct acts to the British but the British government needed money. Charles Townshend was the crowns' chief financial officer. He thought that if you placed indirect taxes to the colonies, they wouldn't notice.
In 1767, the Parliament permitted the Townshed Act Glass to issue a new set of taxes on in demand products such as paint, lead, paper, tea, everyday product. But colonists didn't like it. The Governor and Judges will be on hands of the Parliaments, colonists went against it. They didn't want to loose control over the Governors.

Taxes took 3 forms:
-Intellectual protests: wrote pamphlets, drafted resolutions, gave speeches, and delivered sermons.
-Economic Boycotts
-Violent intimidation
They were combined to force the British to back down, to defy the British from taxes. There was a surge in politics.
Surge: strong wavelike, forward movement.
John Adams was the 2nd President of the United Stated of America, prominent Massachusetts lawyer.

Enlightenment Ideas
Colonial protest gave the idea of the enlightenment. Baron of Montesquieu was a French enlightenment. John Locke a British enlightenment, argued that people had rights for life, liberty and property. He said good government would protect those rights. He insisted that these rights should be counted on. Patrick Henry was a young Virginian Representative.
John Locke



In May 30th 1765 - Virginia House Burgess's accepted most of the resolves and rejected 2 because they were too radical.
In October 1765 delegates from nine colonies met in New York to petition the King for relief. Almost against their will, the colonists were beginning to see themselves as Americans rather than Virginians or New Yorkers.
A newspaper published that all resolves were accepted, thinking that they were really accepted, but 4 of the colonies didn't adopt the results.

Colonists were paying more taxes, this was making the colonist angrier than before!
The government said that colonist needed to pay more!

The Sugar Quartering and Stamp Acts Law
The colonial merchants became rich from trading, they were smugglers and avoided paying taxes from their imports.
1764- George Grenville protested to collect duties in effect.

The Sugar Act lowered the duty molasses.
Molasses: A thick syrup produced during the refining of sugar.
Grenville created corks that collected duty/taxes and persecuted the smugglers.
In early 1765, they had another law: "The Quartering Act". It was to give a room to people who fought British troops, housing and supplies.


Massachusetts Government Act: they couldn't elect the assembly, They put colonies under an appointed government and could not have meeting.
Later in 1765 appeared the "Stamp Act"

The Stamp Act: Every printed material had a stamp and it was required to pay a tax.
Colonist saw this as a conspiracy against them.


LCD Text Generator at TextSpace.net
Colonists protested the stamp act was a conspiracy.
In November they claimed threatened their liberty, parliament had no rights to tax them. The Parliament was taxing everywhere in the empire, but the Parliament argument didn't convince the colonists. Colonists discovered that the parliament was taking away the right to tax themselves, so only colonists pay the taxes; that's Taxation Without Representation.
The colonist wanted to pay taxes, but to help themselves, they wanted to decide!!

Taxation without Representation
English eagerly protected the "Stamp Act", if threatened their liberty. They argued that they had no representation, so they couldn't put so much taxes. Believed that if they accepted this, there would be even more taxes. They saw it like a threat to their liberty for being a conspiracy. Many large citied didn't elect their representatives also, so the Parliament didn't understan why they complained.

They believed Great Britain was the best government. ' British liberties included the "Do Process of Common Law" which was the law of administration of justice according to established rules. They trailed with jury, freedom press. Imposed taxes were lived to some people. Colonial government followed the British system.


British Government as a Model
It had two branches the executive and the legislative named parliament, its divided into two houses the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Each house was different for example the house of Lords was an inherited seat, and the house of commons were elected.
*All colonies had two house legislature except for Pennsylvania.
*Each governor was appointed, represented and served the king.
*Only Rhode Island elected their own governor.
Pennsylvania entire assembly was elected by colonists, they didn't elect representation in the parliament.
The British system was far from democratic, it seemed foolish and dangerous.
The prime minister of England, Lord North, could not agree with the idea that all people should be treated equal.

Difference in Colonial Government
The colonial government also had differences!
It differ from the British, because colonial government had a collection of law and rules, agreements like the Mayflower Compact and others.
2/3 of colonial property owners could vote in England just 1/4.
In 1760- Political protest in Great Britain and Europe allowed colonial to increase their power.
The assemblies were kind of like this:
-The leaders were wealthy planters or merchants that were related by blood or married
-They wanted tax
-They wanted to increase the payments so they could pay the government