The Revolution's impact to Slavery

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness simply did not seem consistent with the practice of chattel slavery. How could a group of people feel so passionate about these unalienable rights, yet maintain the brutal practice of human bondage? Somehow slavery would manage to survive the revolutionary era, but great changes were brought to this peculiar institution nevertheless.

The world's first antislavery society was founded in 1775 by Quakers in Philadelphia, the year the Revolution began. By 1788, at least thirteen of these clubs were known to exist in the American colonies. Some Northern states banned slavery outright, and some provided for the gradual end of slavery. At any rate, the climate of the Revolution made the institution unacceptable in the minds of many Northerners, who did not rely on forced labor as part of the economic system. Northerners did not, however, go as far as to grant equal rights to freed blacks.

Many slaves achieved their freedom during the Revolution without formal emancipation.  Many slaves in the North were granted their freedom if they agreed to fight for the American cause. After the emancipation the north had just 5% of slaves while on the south 1/3 of the population where slaves. Slavery did not end overnight in America. Before any meaningful reform could happen, people needed to recognize that the economic benefit was vastly overshadowed by the overwhelming repugnance, immorality, and inhumanity of slavery.

Treaty of Paris(1783)

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on one side and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements. Peace negotiations began in April of 1782, involving American representatives Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Henry Laurens, and John Adams. The British representatives present were David Hartley and Richard Oswald.

The treaty document was signed in Paris at the Hotel d'York  John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay representing the United States, and David Hartley a member of the British Parliament representing the British monarch, King George III. Benjamin Franklin was a strong proponent of Britain ceding the Province of Quebec (today's eastern Canada) to the United States because he believed that having British territory physically bordering American territory would cause conflict in the future. Britain, however, refused.

On September 3, 1783, Great Britain also signed separate agreements with France and Spain. In the treaty with Spain, the territories of East and West Florida were ceded to Spain as was the island of Minorca, while the Bahama Islands, Grenada and Montserrat, captured by the French and Spanish, were returned to Britain. The treaty with France was mostly about exchanges of captured territory (France's only net gains were the island of Tobago, and Senegal in Africa), but also reinforced earlier treaties, guaranteeing fishing rights off Newfoundland.

                           Battle of Yorktown


     British General Cornwallis had chose Yorktown as refuge for his army just as a french fleet headed for the Chesapeake Bay. Yorktown was just at the mouth of Chesapeake. George Washington knew this was the key moment, and ordered Marquis de Lafayette and his army of 5000 troops of soldiers to block Cornwallis escape from Yorktown by land. The french blocked his escape by sea. By September 28 1781 Cornwallis was completely surrounded with the forces of the Continental and French army. Cornwallis was once a confident man, who thought he could take on the American army if he took the southern colonies and win the war. His situation was tight, his only choice was to fight back. The question is, did he?
     After three weeks of constant bombarding, both day and night, Cornwallis couldn't take it anymore. On October 17 1781 Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington, ending the War for Independence. This is clearly the most important battle of the Revolutionary War. Contrary to what his character showed earlier in the war, Cornwallis cowardly pleaded sick to the formal surrender ceremony held on October 19, and did not attend it. Instead, General Charles O'Hara carried Cornwallis' sword to the French and American commanders. 

     War kept going on other states and in the high seas, but the fight for revolution was effectively over. The Patriot Victory at Yorktown had effectively decided it all. The patriots couldn't have done it without the french's aid. The Continental Army had done it, the underdogs, proved mind is better that brute force. Their passionate drive and keen minds had led them to independence. Peace negotiations began in 1782 and concluded on September 3, 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially recognizing the United States as an independent and free nation after some harsh 8 hears of war. 

Charles Cornwallis

                                                                Charles Cornwallis

He was one of the leading generals of the Revolutionary War. Charles Cornwallis was born at Grosvenor Square, London, January 1st in 1738. He was eager to start a military career. He became a Member of Parliament, entering the House of Commons for the village of Eye in Kent in January 1760.

At the beginning of the Seven Year War Cornwallis moved to Germany to gain a place. At first he served as an staff officer but ascended quickly to become a captain. Having proved himself a brave soldier and commander, Cornwallis returned home in 1762, he was elevated to the House of Lords.

After the Treaty of Paris ended the war in 1763. He helped a lot debating laws about the Colonial American and in 1775 he was promoted to major general by King George III as Britain braced for war with the American colonies. He went to America and he had a very important role in the capture of New York. General Clinton blamed Cornwallis for the defeat at Princeton, and tensions existed between the two generals. He had many battle and some he won and lost. After the victory in Charleston, General Clinton returned to New York and Cornwallis was in chief of the South. He was left with a limited number of troops.

He wanted to gain loyalists to his side but the weren't convinced. He lost the battle at King's Mountain and the battle of Cowpens. This didn't made any good result and many neutral loyalists change to the Patriots side. He won a Battle at Guilford Courthouse but his men were exhausted. With his troops exhausted and few ammunition, Cornwallis decided to move to Virginia to regroup and await reinforcements promised by Clinton. He went into Yorktown and was surrounded by the French and the Patriots. The Battle of Yorktown was the last significant battle of the Revolutionary War, and Cornwallis became known as the general who lost the American colonies. He was forced to surrender on October 19, 1781

Baron Von Steuben

Baron Von Steuben

       On Febraury 23, 1778 George Washington went over to Valley forge to meet Baron Von Steuben. Baron Von Steuben was a lieutenant General from a noble Prussian family, who faithfully fought in his army and was living on income from numerous of his estates. Washington like Steuben's  sincerity. The soldiers loved his style and broken English. Steuben wanted to be recognized as an American citizen by helping Washington with his army. Steuben seemed gave a good impression to Washington, he was accompanied only by his secretary, a servant, and a dog he loved to death, Azor. What was Steuben's role in the war? Well, without him, the war could have ended much sooner that it actually did, with the soldiers freezing to death in Valley Forge, or waste all their ammo taking potshots at the British.
   Born a commoner in 1730, Captain Steuben served on the staff of Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War. After the war ended, Steuben was dismissed from the army when Frederick the Great cut military spending drastically. By the mid 1770 he had become baron, but was broke, and needed a better position. He stroke luck when he met Benjamin Franklin in Paris, who recognized him as a talented and experienced soldier who could bring the much needed order to the Continental Army. Congress appointed Steuben as a Major General and the Inspector General of the Continental Army. Steuben put great effort into the soldiers and trained them to march, use the bayonet, and execute orders quickly on the battlefield.
     The time came and when the Continental Army finally went out of Valley Forge in June 1778, the trained and hardened  Americans gave a much stronger fight to the British at Monmouth. After the battle, Washington sent Steuben to help Nathanael Greene in the South and later the Baron a battalion to command at Yorktown. Washington's  final letter to Steuben thanked him or all his faithful help and effort. Steuben became an American citizen and died in 1794. Without doubt, Steuben was a key factor in the patriots side, and they probably couldn't ave done it without him.

Continental Army Strengths and Weaknesses

   Continental Army Strengths and Weaknesses

   Americans needed an army. The British appeared to be almost unstoppable, and a simple militia wouldn't stop them.  The Continental Army was something quite unique, even with all odds against them, they won the war. It's funny to think the whole context of the story, the incredible difficulties they faced, and just how silly patriots seem now a days. Their incredible passion, intelligent and keen minds, brave hearts, and sheer luck made America the free country it is today. While it might seem obvious, their strentghs and weaknesses go deeper than what the eye might see. What were they?   

       It seemed like everything was against the patriots. Their weaknesses shined and darkened what made them so great. The British underestimated them through the whole war, but you can't really blame them.There were never enough men in the Continental army. Like the British, Americans had a hard time making people join the army, considering most people wanted to join the militia where they served for shorter time periods. One thing is undeniable, most of the soldiers who joined the continental army were going to go through anything to win the war. A key factor the patriots had to their favor was the British never learned from their mistakes, using the same old fashioned tactics over and over. While the British announced they were coming from kilometers away,marching like turtles, the patriots took cover and picked them off in the open, pretty clever.     

      The patriots had someone indispensable, who no British general could ever match; George Washington. Washington knew when to retreat so his army could keep fighting another day. Burning the soldiers out was something he would never do. He cared about his soldiers and understood how complicated their situation was. After having a miserable and costly winter in Valley Forge, he gave every soldier who held through another months pay and a bottle of rum. How nice of him.Lucky or incredibly keen? The continetal army was one of a kind, and to this day, their work will never be forgotten.

Thomas Paine 

 Thomas Paine is an extremely important character in the American Revolution. It probably wouldn't have happened without him. He was a wise man, ironically he failed out of school, and then became a seamanMetaphorically, I like to see him as a your best friend who tells you to not be a coward, to just ask the girl out. Thomas Paine is the author of the famous pamphlet "Common Sense". 

He single handedly impulsed and gave the colonists the confidence to declare revolution, but his radical views on religion would destroy his life, and on the final moments of his life, very few people attended his funeral. 


     Thomas Paine was born on January 29,1737 Thomas was born in Thetford, England. He failed put of school by the age of 12 , he was then homeschooled by his father, but didn't succeed. At the age of 19, he went on an adventure to the sea, which didn't last too long and found himself as a tax officer in England a few years later. He failed at the task yet again, getting discharged from his office two times in four years , but later published the essay called "The Case of the Officers of Excise" arguing for a pay raise for the officers. He moved to Philadelphia in 1774. In 1775 he published his first pamphlet "African Slavery in America" criticizing slavery in America, showing how much of an advance thinker he was for his time. 

 Sadly, Paine wasn't always a succesful man. After being imprisoned by Louis XVI for writing against te church system (which was his most famouse work of the time) his life took a turn. By the end of his life he discovered that his contributions to the American Revolution had beed destroyed by religious views. Declined by the public and left by his friends, he died on June 8, 1809 at the age of 72 in New York City.

George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was born in 1732 and died on 1799. He was the first president of the United States of America. He served as President from April 30, 1789, until March 4, 1797 (two terms).

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father died when George was 11 years old. He had limited schooling, but taught himself to be an expert woodsman, surveyor, and mapmaker. Washington grew to be over 6 feet tall which was very strange in Colonists.

As a young man, Washington joined the Virginia militia during the French & Indian War. After many heroic battles, Washington became a colonel and the leader of Virginia's militia. The British eventually won the French and Indian War. He had a home named Mt. Vernon which is very famous. 

In 1775, Washington was chosen as the Commander in Chief of the Colonial Army. In 1776, the Colonists declared their independence from the British. General Washington led Patriot troops who were poorly trained, barely paid, badly equipped, and outnumbered by the British. It seemed like a hard work but Washington managed to get them forward. Washington helped in numerous battles for the independence if the US until 1781 when he won it. He was very smart because he attacked when he was supposed to attack and retreat when they were supposed.




Washington refused a third Presidential term, saying in his farewell speech that a longer rule would give one man too much power. Washington died on December 14, 1799, at his home, Mt. Vernon in Virginia. After his death, the US capital was moved from Philadelphia to a location on the border of Virginia and Maryland near Washington's home, and was named Washington in his honor. Washington keeps being the capital of the United States of America.

President George Washington Biography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-EcyNz9vCE

Thomas Jefferson

 

Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, Virginia and died July 4, 1826 in Monticello. He is well known for being the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. He also became the third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia. He gave voice to the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades. His father Peter Jefferson was a successful planter and surveyor and his mother Jane Randolph a member of one of Virginia's most distinguished families.

Having attended the College of William and Mary, Jefferson practiced law and served in local government as a magistrate, county lieutenant, and member of the House of Burgesses in his early professional life. As a member of the Continental Congress, he was chosen in 1776 to draft the Declaration of Independence, which has been regarded ever since as a charter of American and universal liberties. The document proclaims that all men are equal in rights, regardless of birth, wealth, or status, and that the government is the servant, not the master, of the people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jefferson became the President of the United States from 1801 -1809. He ran against John Adams. Adams leaned toward a government run by the wealthy. Jefferson wanted a government run by all men. Jefferson’s election showed that Americans wanted a leader who believed that all men were equal. On July 4, 1826 Jefferson died at his beloved home. He was eighty-three years old. The day was also the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.



 





"Common Sense" by Thomas Paine

"Common Sense"

     The book or pamphlet Common Sense was written by a great man and a great revolutionary named Thomas Paine. Thomas argued forcefully for American Revolution. Paine was an artesan and a tax collector. He was tarred and feathered. Everyone in the colonies knew about his book and he could say everything he wanted to say. Many of his ideas appeared in the declaration of Indpendence.

     He begins by arguing the difference between government and society. Society, in his opinion, is everything constructive and good that people join together to accomplish. Government is an institution whose only purpose is to protect us from our own vices. He also said that the goals of government are to protect life, liberty and property. Paine says the people will be much happier if they are responsible for the creation of the laws that rule them. Paine then attacks the British system of government. Paine says the British system is too complex and full with contradictions, and that the monarchy has too much power.

     Paine argues about how everyone was born equal but there were the kings who had a distinctions with the normal people. He tells the story about the first king who was a Jew and how God didn't like it. Paine presents pages of biblical evidence detailing God's wrath at the idea of the Jews having a king. He says that the monarchy comes from a sin and God will condemn it. 

     Paine says that the colonies have little to gain from being attached to Britain. Commerce can be made with the rest of Europe, but only if America becomes independent. He proposed a form of government 

his recommendation is for a representative democracy that gives roughly equal weight to each of the colonies. He thought America can be independent and didn't need the help of British. They could trade with whom they wanted and they could have war with whom they wanted. That little Pamphlet help for the revolution of a whole country.

Thomas Paine - Common Sense http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfkBy4HV0lM

Lexington and Conquere

Lexington and Concord
 

 

Britain's General Gage had a secret plan. In April 19, 1775, he would send out troops of British soldiers quartered in Boston. Their destinations were Lexington, where they would capture Colonial leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock. Then they would go to Concord, where they would seize their weapons. But spies and friends of the Americans spread word of Gage's plan. A series of horseback riders men such as Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott galloped off to warn the countryside. They informed that the British troops were coming.

Word spread from town to town. The militias prepared to confront the British and help their neighbors in Lexington and Concord. The colonial militias had originally been organized to defend settlers from civil unrest and attacks by French or Native Americans. Selected members of the militia were called minutemen. They could be ready to fight in a minute's time. When the advance guard of nearly 240 British soldiers arrived in Lexington, they found about 70 minutemen formed waiting for them. Both sides watched each other warily, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, a bullet buzzed through the air, It was "the shot heard round the world."

The numerically superior British killed seven Americans on Lexington. Then the British marched off to Concord with new regiments who had joined them. But American militias arriving at Concord prevented the British advance. As the British retreated toward Boston, new waves of Colonial militia intercepted them. Shooting from behind fences and trees, the militias inflicted over 125 casualties, including several officers. The ferocity of the encounter was a surprise for both sides. The first bloodshed at Lexington and Concord, marked the crossing of a threshold, and the momentum from these events pushed both sides farther apart. Following the battles, neither the British nor the Americans knew what to expect next.

 

 

 

The Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress

     On May 10, 1775, the members of the Second Continental met at the State House in Philadelphia. They were several new people in this congress were John Hancock from Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia,and Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania.

     The Second Continental Congress decided to create a Continental Army. This congress put as leader George Washington of Virginia to be the supreme commander, who chose to serve without any payment. Also The Congress authorized the printing of money.




     Although the majority of the delegates were not seeking independence from Britain. That same Congress in July they approved the Olive Branch Petition. They pleaded to King George to attempt a peaceful resolution and they declared their loyalty to the king. The King refused to receive this petition. Americans now felt less and less English and were beginning to feel what they were 'Americans'.

     The need of independence grew higher and higher everytime. The men in Philadelphia were wanted for treason. They had a lot of courage and continued fighting and hoping everything ended well. For that reason in the summer of 1776 it brought something it changed many things through out the world and mostly the Americas in that time. They did a formal declaration of independence.