The American Revolution

Benjamin Franklin

jueves, 7 de abril de 2011

America had hard times in their way to be independent from the British. They were fighting for their freedom and happiness. They wanted to have freedom so badly that they were giving their lives for it. The sense of unity and never wanting to give up are some of the factors that help them achieve their goals. America had very capable men that help with the process. Some of the men that help were George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. All of these men have something in common they all had a crucial job in the United States independence process. Benjamin Franklin was a special key to open the door of their freedom.

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. His family lived in Boston, Massachusetts. His father's name was Josiah and his mother's name was Abiah. Ben was their eighth child. Ben knew a lot about growing up in a big family, he had nine brothers and seven sisters. Ben's father, Josiah, worked as a candle and soap. Josiah had plans for Ben to enter the clergy, so he sent him to the Grammar School. Soon, Josiah changed his mind about Ben and took him out of school. Ben began to work in Josiah's candle and soap business. Josiah then decided that Ben could learn the printing business. At age twelve, Ben became an apprentice in his brother James' printing office. Even as a boy, Ben Franklin loved to read and write.

He was too poor to attend formal school. We can say he educated himself. He liked to read and use science and the scientific method to improve people’s lives. He became a scholar, fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish, and also studied Latin. Ben had a common-law marriage with Deborah Read. Franklin and Read had two children. Franklin also had an illegitimate son, William, whom Deborah raised in the family home. Ben received recognition from colleges and universities late in life. He was awarded an honorary M.A. from Harvard and Yale. Franklin was also elected as a fellow to the Royal Society. During his life, Franklin spent time in Philadelphia, England, and France. Benjamin Franklin also helped the colonists. He helped stopping the Stamp Act by telling the British that the Americans would never pay the taxes. Later he joined the Continental Congress to decide what to do about war with England. In 1776, he helped write the Declaration of Independence During the American Revolution, he convinced the French to help the Americans. Franklin helped write the Constitution of the United States which were the laws for the new country, and he signed four of the most important documents in the new country's history. These documents were the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Treaty of Alliance with France, and the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Ben made important discoveries and advancements in science. Everyone knows the story of Ben's famous kite flight; he discovered electricity with it. He invented the lightning rod which protects buildings and ships from lightning damage. He invented the bifocals because he was tired of taking off his lenses every time after he read. Ben invented the odometer which he used in his carriage to measure the routes of mailing. He invented of an iron furnace stove that allowed people to warm their homes less dangerously and with less wood. The furnace stove that he invented is called a Franklin stove. He inspired other famous inventors, like Thomas A. Edison and Alexander Graham Bell that follow his footsteps by trying to find ways to help people live better.

In conclusion, the name of Benjamin Franklin will live on forever in the United States history. Ben helped the Americans with the revolution process in very hard parts of it. He improved the world anyway he could. Ben was a very intelligent man that was willing to help his country in every way he could. He had a very illustrated perception of the people needed to make their lives easier. Ben’s ability to invent new and useful things was amazing. He used his self-taught mental intelligence to explore the world and to develop possible answers for problems that had long caused intrigue in mankind.

The Revolution Impacts Society

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The Native Americans were stunned when the British abandoned them. The Treaty of Paris left apart the Indians.The Americans made two treaties with the the indians called Fort Stanwix in 1784 and Hopewell in 1785.The purpose of the conference was to adjust the boundary line between Indian lands and British colonial settlements set forth in the Royal Proclamation of 1763.

Another impact in society was that women gain few rights. They found new respect and were called the Republican Mothers. Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams wrote a letter to her husband reminding him the rights of women. He ignored her.African-American soldiers did enjoy the few things white people took for granted but other than that they only continued to serve as a slave. Some slaves managed to escape the during the confusion and chaos of the war and act as a freed slave without being caught and some went out to help others. Slavery continued after the war despite the efforts of African-American soldiers.

Some slaves sued their owners on court.Slavery continued after the war despite the efforts of African-American soldiers. Although slavery didn't undergo any major changes the war inspired many African Americans . A group called the "Quakers" formed to help free a small percentage of slaves.
Inspired by the natural rights philosophy of the Revolution, free blacks agitated against slavery. They petitioned Congress to end the slave trade and state legislatures to abolish slavery. They repeatedly pointed out the contradiction between American ideals of liberty and equality and the base reality of slavery.
The Revolution had contradictory consequences for slavery. In the South, slavery became more entrenched. In the North, every state freed slaves as a result of court decisions or the enactment of gradual emancipation schemes. Yet even in the North, there was strong resistance to emancipation and freeing of slaves was accompanied by the emergence of a virulent form of racial prejudice.

Although a clear majority of African Americans remained in bondage, the growth of free black communities in America was greatly fostered by the War for American Independence. Revolutionary sentiments led to the banning of the importation of slaves in 1807.
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.

The Treaty of Paris

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The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolution between the British and the Americans. 80,000 British die during the war. The British people were angry because some of their family members died.They had to pay high taxes during the seven year war. In 1782, Benjamin Franklin made an appealing negotiation terms with the Frensh. Britain recognized the independence of the United States with generous boundaries to the Mississippi River but retained Canada. Access to the Newfoundland fisheries was guaranteed to Americans, and navigation of the Mississippi was to be open to both Great Britain and the United States.Dutch possessions in the East Indies, captured in 1781, were returned by Britain to the Netherlands in exchange for trading privileges in the Dutch East Indies.The Treaty of Paris, formally ending the war, was not signed until September 3, 1783. The Continental Congress, which was temporarily situated in Annapolis, Maryland, at the time, ratified the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784.This treaty constrained the relations with the Frensh. The Frensh wanted to controlled the peace made between the British and Americans.Declares the treaty to be in the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.In the treaty is also proclamed United States will prevent future fights of the property of Loyalists.The British and American will have access to the Mississippi River.

The Final Battle -Yorktown

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The fight between the British and the colonists grew fiercer as time pass by. Battles were won in both sides. Many English and Americans lost their lives. Eight years of war were hard on both sides. It was particularly hard on the British. They were not on their own home. This was a strange land for them.

Sir William Howe resigned as commander of the British troops in the colonies. He was tired of the criticism he was receiving for his leadership. General Henry Clinton replaced him. Clinton believed he would be able to inflict a final defeat on the colonists by moving his troops to the South. He thought he would find more colonists loyal to the British. If he were to take control of the southern colonies, he would be able to crush an entire war. He appointed Lord Charles Cornwallis to lead his troops in the southern colonies. He remained in New York with a small force and put the rest of the British soldiers aboard ships sailing to Georgia.

Lord Cornwallis and his troops first took over Savannah, Georgia. He declared all of Georgia to be in British hands. Then they headed to Camden, South Carolina. It was an intense battle, but the British won. Believing that the war was finally going in their favor the British marched to Virginia. They made camp in Yorktown. Yorktown was on the York River near the very important Chesapeake Bay. General Clinton promise to send more troops by ship to meet them there.

While Cornwallis was fighting his way back north, General George Washington was making plans with his French allies. General Rochambeau and Washington discuss the possibility of attacking New York. They decide that that would be a wise move at the time. During their discussion they got word of Lord Lafayette that made their decision easier. Lafayette told them that other French officer, Admiral de Grasse, was sailing from the West Indies to the Chesapeake Bay with a fleet of 28 ships. A plan to attack to stop the British in their tracks was soon created.

Admiral de Grasse was told to take his fleet and position them in Chesapeake Bay mouth of the York River. From this point they would be able to keep new British troops from joining Cornwallis. It would also keep Cornwallis from leaving the area by ship. In the meantime, Washington, Rochambeau, and a combined French and American force of over 14,000 men marched toward Yorktown. When they got there, they formed a semi-circle around Yorktown. On October 14, 1781, the British troops awoke to the sight of revolutionary forces surrounding them. Cornwallis tried everything he could think of to get out of the situation. He even sent soldiers infected with small pox from his camp into the lines of colonial soldiers. He tried to escape by taking his soldiers by boat across the York River, but a storm put a stop to his attempt.

On October 17, Cornwallis sent a drummer boy and a soldier with a white flag to Washington to offer to surrender. On October 19, the official papers of surrender were signed.

George Washington

viernes, 18 de marzo de 2011

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The first president of the United States, George Washington, is often referred to as the Father of Our Country. He was known for his love of the land and farming, and his dislike of war. He was a distinguished general and commander in chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution. He married a widow, Martha Dandridge Custis, and they lived at Mount Vernon, Washington's plantation in Virginia on the Potomac River.When the Second Continental Congress was made in Philadelphia in May 1775, Washington, one of the Virginia delegates, was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his ill-trained troops.

Washington longed to retire to his fields at Mount Vernon. But he soon realized that the Nation under its Articles of Confederation was not functioning well, so he became a prime mover in the steps leading to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected Washington President.

Today, Washington's face and image are often used as national symbols of the United States. He appears on contemporary currency, including the one-dollar bill and the quarter coin, and on U.S. postage stamps. Along with appearing on the first postage stamps issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1847, Washington, together with Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and Lincoln, is depicted in stone at the Mount Rushmore Memorial. The Washington Monument, one of the most well known American landmarks, was built in his honor.

Battle of Saratoga

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The British wanted to take control of the Hudson River Valley to cut off New England from the other colonies. General Burgoyne with 7,700 troops approached Albany, New York, from Canada. On his way, Burgoyne defeated American forces at Fort Ticonderoga. Another group of troops, led by Lieutenant Colonel St. Leger, were to join him from Canada. General Howe also was to join him from New York. Together they were to attack the American troops. Unfortunately for Burgoyne, St. Leger's troops ran into Benedict Arnold and his American militia. St. Leger and his troops were forced to retreat

back to Canada. Even worse, General Howe's forces were fighting with Washington at the Battle of Brandywine and then the Battle of Germantown. This kept him from joining Burgoyne.

General Burgoyne's forces attacked General Gates' American forces at the Battle of Oriskany, but he was driven back. He attacked again at the Battle of Bennington, and was again driven back.

The British wanted to take control the Hudson River Valley and the New England colonies. General Burgoyne with his 7700 men were marching toward New York from Canada.On his way, Burgoyne defeated American forces at Fort Ticonderoga. Another group of troops, led by Lieutenant Colonel St. Leger, were to join him. General Howe also was to join him from New York. Together they were to attack the American troops.

Unfortunately Leger´s army was forced to retreat to Canada. Even worse, General Howe's forces were fighting with Washington at the Battle of Brandywine and then the Battle of Germantown. This kept him from joining Burgoyne.General Burgoyne's forces attacked General Gates' American forces at the Battle of Oriskany, but he was driven back. He attacked again at the Battle of Bennington, and was again driven back. General Burgoyne attacked for the third time at the Battle of Saratoga. This time Burgoyne and his forces were defeated. General Burgoyne was forced to surrender.

This was a major victory for the American forces and a key turning point in the war. This give strenght and happinness to the Patriots. These demonstrated Patriots could have a chance to win the war.

Valley Forge

miércoles, 16 de marzo de 2011

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Valley Forge was the crucial point of the Revolutionary War. It was here that the Continental army fought in Valley Forge desperately against the cold and hunger during a harsh winter in December 1777. The Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge on December 19, 1777, after a tough campaign of battles with the British. The future promised them only more desperation and starvation. Some couldn't take the cold and hunger any longer. To protect from snow storms and low temperatures soldiers began making more than a thousand huts of wood to provide shelter. Disease debilitated them and death came in. Typhus, typhoid, dysentery, and pneumonia killed 2,000 men that had been sent from camp to hospitals established in the surrounding countryside during the winter of 1777-1778. The Marquis de Lafayette wrote: "The unfortunate soldiers were in want of everything; they had neither coats nor hats, nor shirts, nor shoes. Their feet and their legs froze until they were black, and it was often necessary to amputate them." George Washington was the commander of the army. In December 23, 1777, he reported to the Continental Congress that nearly 1/3 of the 10,000 soldiers had neither coats nor shoes and that his army will disperse or dissolve. Women, relatives of enlisted men, alleviated some of the suffering by providing valuable services such as laundry and nursing that the army desperately needed. Long marches had destroyed the men's shoes. Blankets were scarce. General Washington also was having a tough time getting support from Congress. In March, General Nathanael Greene was appointed head of the dismal Commissary Department and food and supplies started to come in. By April, Baron von Steuben, a German voluntary began to transform and improve the troops into a fighting force. This sacrifices and perseverance of the Continental Army is a great example of how adversity during extraordinary times can be imposed with courage. Washington, his men had won a decisive victory; a victory not of weapons but of will. Most important, it was at Valley Forge that a vigorous, strategy training regime transformed amateur troops into a confident 18th century military organization capable of beating the Red Coats in battle.