Declaration of Independence: Structure and Influence

• Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" influenced opinions on the colonies' relationship with England.
• A pamphlet is a short booklet containing information or arguments.
• The Virginia Assembly let its delegates support independence in May 1776.
• Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution to Congress stating that the colonies "ought to be, free and independent states."
• A committee, led by Thomas Jefferson, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
• On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.
• The Declaration focused on creating a new nation rather than fair treatment from King George III.

Declaration of Independence Structure

• Preamble (introduction) states that all men are created equal and have unalienable rights, including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
• Governments are instituted to secure these rights, deriving power from the governed.
• People have natural rights, and governments must protect them; based on John Locke's ideas.
• It contains a list of grievances against the British government.
• Colonists have the right to abolish an unjust government and create their own country.

War for Independence

• Sir William Howe: British Commander, led well-trained troops.
• George Washington: Colonist Commander, led poorly trained troops.
• The Battle of Long Island resulted in a British victory.
• Nathan Hale, a spy, was hanged, famously stating, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
• British troops pursued Washington's retreating Continental Army to Philadelphia.
• Thomas Paine wrote "The Crisis" to boost morale in the colonist army.
• George Washington used "The Crisis" to motivate his troops.
• December 23, 1776, "These are the times that try men's souls".

Battles Toward Victory

• On Christmas night 1776, Washington led 2,400 men across the Delaware.
• On the morning of December 26, the troops attacked and surprised the Hessian troops in Trenton
• About one thousand mercenaries were made prisoners escaped during the night
• Attacked British forces near Princeton
• British General John Burgoyne planned to bring troops in the Hudson River valley, but the plan to cut off New England was unsuccessful.
• The Battle of Saratoga occurred on October 17, 1777, resulting in colonists' victory
• The colonists surrounded the village, and General Burgoyne surrendered.
• This victory proved that the Continental army could win, leading France to support the Americans.
• France and the colonies signed a Treaty (Alliance) in February 1777. Other countries became involved.
• Marquis de Lafayette brought French troops and became an officer in Washington's army.

Continental Army Improvement

• Volunteers from Poland, like Casimir Pulaski, trained cavalry in the Continental Army.
• Friedrich von Steuben, a German baron, trained troops the Prussian way.
• Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, winter of 1777-1778
• 11,000 soldiers suffered from cold, inadequate clothing, or housing, and many were sick.
• Civilians organized help when news spread about their condition. The Continental Army improved, and fighting resumed by spring.

The War at Sea

• Britain dominated the seas, blocking most ships from entering or leaving American harbors.
• One naval battle occurred off the coast of England.
• The American ship "Bonhomme Richard," commanded by John Paul Jones, defeated the larger British ship "Serapis."
• Approximately 800 "privateers" (armed civilian ships allowed to attack British ships and keep the cargo) forced the British navy to divert warships for merchant ship protection.

Fighting in the South

• British troops under Lord Cornwallis moved north from the Florida/Georgia line into Georgia and the Carolinas.
• Americans used guerilla tactics to slow British troops, who were more powerful.
• The Battle of Cowpen, January 1781, resulted in a Colonial victory.
• Benedict Arnold: formerly a colonial general, was now a British commander.
• Yorktown, October 1781, resulted in a Colonial victory.
• British General Cornwallis moved his troops to Yorktown, a peninsula. The French navy controlled the sea, preventing British reinforcements and escape.
• The Colonial army and French troops kept the British under siege. Cornwallis surrendered after three weeks.
• King Charles III wanted to continue the war, but the British Parliament decided that peace was preferable.

Treaty of Paris

• Treaty of Paris: End of the Revolutionary War, April 1783
• The treaty decided that American land would be from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, from Canada to the border of Florida, and that the war was over.