The Unfinished Nation - Chapter 5 Lecture + Notes (O'Connell)

Summary

The American Revolution, starting in 1775, was a dual conflict involving military struggle against Britain and internal political strife. Initially seeking redress of grievances, the war escalated to a fight for total independence, catalyzed by British tactics and Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense'. The Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776, leading to state constitutions and the Articles of Confederation. The war's three phases saw shifting strategies and alliances, culminating in British surrender in 1781. Post-war, the new nation faced challenges with loyalists, Native Americans, and the institution of slavery, while also laying the groundwork for democratic governance and the eventual U.S. Constitution.

Takeaways

• 🏰 The American Revolution began in 1775 with military conflict against Great Britain and internal political conflict within the colonies.
• 🌎 The colonists initially sought reconciliation with Britain but shifted to fighting for total independence after British tactics escalated the conflict.
• 📜 Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' pamphlet was influential in advocating for complete separation from British rule.
• 🗽 July 4th, 1776, marked the approval of the Declaration of Independence, symbolizing the colonies' intent to form their own states separate from Britain.
• 📜 The Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, creating a loose union of states with limited federal powers and no tax collection authority.
• 💂‍♂️ General George Washington led the Continental Army, which had the advantage of fighting on home soil and had the support of those wishing to see the British Empire weakened.
• 🔄 The war had three phases: the New England phase, the mid-Atlantic phase where the British attempted to divide and conquer, and the Southern phase which ended with the British surrender at Yorktown.
• 🤝 France's support was crucial for the American victory, providing both diplomatic and military assistance.
• 🏛️ The post-war period saw the creation of new state governments, with many states adopting constitutions and moving towards a more democratic form of governance.
• 🔍 The new nation faced significant challenges, including Shay's Rebellion, which highlighted the need for a stronger national government to address economic and social issues.
• 🌐 The United States emerged as a model for other nations seeking to establish democratic self-government and escape the control of empires.

Q & A

What were the two conflicts that consumed the American colonies in the 18th century?

The two conflicts were the military conflict with Great Britain, which began in April 1775, and the political conflict happening inside the colonies themselves.

What was the main purpose of the war according to the colonists during the first year?

During the first year of the war, most Americans believed they were simply fighting for a redress of grievances and hoped for reconciliation with Great Britain.

How did the British recruitment of various groups impact the colonists' view of the war?

The British recruitment of Indians, African slaves, and German mercenaries, along with the blockade of colonial ports, led the colonists to see total colonial independence as the only option.

What was the significance of Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' pamphlet in the context of the American Revolution?

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' pamphlet advocated for a complete break from the British political system, influencing the colonists' shift towards seeking total independence.

What was the role of the Continental Army and General George Washington in the American Revolution?

The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, was created by Congress to fight the British. Despite being less equipped and trained, they had the advantage of fighting on their home ground and received support from those who wanted to see the British Empire fall.

How did the war's different phases impact the colonists' fight for independence?

The war had three distinct phases: the New England phase where radical revolutionaries fought the British and loyalists; the mid-Atlantic phase where the British tried to divide and conquer; and the southern phase where the British attempted to rally loyalist support, which ultimately failed.

What was the political fallout in England after the American Revolution?

The political fallout in England included the resignation of the Prime Minister and the signing of a preliminary peace treaty by American diplomats Ben Franklin and John Adams with the British in France.

How did the American Revolution affect the loyalists and their relationship with the new United States?

Loyalists, who supported the British cause, faced harassment after the war. Many fled to Canada or returned to England, contributing to the creation of English-speaking Quebec and a British diaspora.

What were the key issues that the new American states had to address in their constitutions?

The new American states had to address issues such as slavery, the rights of native peoples, the role of women, and the limits of religious tolerance in their constitutions.

How did the Articles of Confederation limit the powers of the new United States government?

The Articles of Confederation gave the new nation very limited powers, did not authorize the collection of taxes, and failed to provide the authority to regulate trade, draft troops, or levy taxes directly.

What was the impact of Shay's Rebellion on the movement for a new National Constitution?

Shay's Rebellion, led by a former Revolutionary Army captain, highlighted the need for a stronger central government. It added urgency to the movement to produce a new National Constitution capable of handling internal ideological and military challenges.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 The Struggle for Independence

The American colonies faced two significant conflicts: a military struggle against the British Empire and internal political strife. The military conflict was brutal and pitted the civilian population against the powerful British forces. The colonists had to quickly negotiate on issues like demanding independence, structuring their new nation, and addressing contentious issues such as slavery, native rights, women's roles, and religious tolerance. Initially, many colonists hoped for reconciliation, but British tactics like recruiting foreign forces and blocking ports solidified the push for total independence. Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' pamphlet was influential in advocating for a complete break from Britain. The Declaration of Independence marked the colonies' official separation, and by 1781, most states had their constitutions, leading to the Articles of Confederation, which provided a limited framework for the new nation. The war had three phases: the New England phase, the mid-Atlantic phase where the British tried to divide and conquer, and the southern phase, which ended with the surrender of Cornwallis. The war's outcome had significant political repercussions in England and led to the displacement of many loyalists to Canada or back to England.

05:02

🏛️ Post-War Realignments and Challenges

Post-independence, loyalists, also known as Tories, faced harassment, and many fled to Canada or England. The war's outcome had varying impacts on religious groups, with some gaining and others losing influence. Native Americans, who largely supported the British, were weakened, and the new nation faced ongoing conflicts over their lands. The Catholic Church recognized the United States, providing a bishop. Slavery was exposed to revolutionary ideas during the war, but it persisted in the south due to economic investment, racial attitudes, and lack of integration vision. In the north, anti-slavery sentiment grew, leading to abolitionist movements. Women, despite contributing to the revolutionary cause, had no voting or property rights and faced significant limitations. The new nation adopted a Republican form of government with aspirations for equality of opportunity, though not condition. The Articles of Confederation, which united the colonies, faced challenges due to lack of authority to regulate trade, draft troops, or levy taxes directly. The need for a stronger national government was evident to address both ideological and military challenges.

10:04

📜 The Evolution of Governance

The Articles of Confederation, which formally united the colonies, faced significant shortcomings, including the inability to regulate trade, draft troops, or levy taxes directly. The system required unanimous agreement among states for laws and amendments, which highlighted the need for a more effective and centralized government. The Confederation's only major success was the establishment of the Western territories and a clear path for them to achieve statehood, despite slow progress due to land disputes with Native Americans. The diplomatic failures with Britain and Spain, along with the inability to pay off post-war debts, underscored the need for a stronger federal system. The movement to create a new National Constitution was driven by the urgency to address these challenges and to ensure the survival of the new United States. The shift from religious and business colonies to individual states within a confederated nation focused on common governance rather than specific religious or business interests. Despite the challenges, the new state governments relied on increased taxation to pay war debts, leading to unrest among farmers, as exemplified by Daniel Shay's rebellion, which, although unsuccessful, highlighted the need for a more robust national constitution.

Keywords

💡Revolution

Revolution refers to a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system. In the context of the video, it highlights the American colonies' struggle against British rule, aiming for independence. The script mentions 'a revolution for liberation,' illustrating the colonies' desire to break free from the British Empire.

💡Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met to discuss their response to British imperial policies. The video script refers to this body as the place where 'delegates agreed to support the war but they disagreed about its purpose,' showcasing the early stages of the American Revolution.

💡Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is a document that announced the thirteen American colonies' separation from Great Britain. The script mentions the approval of this document on July 4th, 1776, marking the official start of the United States as a separate nation.

💡Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States and established a weak national government. The script explains that it 'gave the new nation very limited powers' and was eventually replaced due to its inadequacies in governing the newly formed United States.

💡General George Washington

General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The video script highlights his role as the 'single commander in charge' of the Continental Army, emphasizing his leadership in the fight for American independence.

💡Saratoga

The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War, leading to French support for the American cause. The script mentions this victory as securing 'French of an impending American victory,' which was crucial for the eventual success of the revolution.

💡Loyalists

Loyalists, also known as Tories, were American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War. The script discusses the British strategy to 'ally loyalist settlement in the old southern colonies,' indicating their attempts to use loyalist support to their advantage.

💡Shay's Rebellion

Shay's Rebellion was an uprising of farmers against state governments after the Revolutionary War. The script refers to it as a set of 'demands that included paper money tax relief and the abolition of debtors' prison,' reflecting the economic hardships faced by many Americans post-independence.

💡Republican Form of Government

A Republican Form of Government is a system where the country is considered a public matter and the public elects representatives. The video script mentions that Americans agreed to 'Institute a Republican form of government' in their new country, indicating their commitment to democratic principles.

💡Slavery

Slavery was a system where individuals were treated as property and forced to work against their will. The script discusses the 'ideology of revolution' exposing American slaves to the concept of liberty, yet it also notes that 'the cause of freedom in the aftermath of the war for liberty and independence did not extend to the enslaved,' highlighting the ongoing struggle for civil rights.

💡Constitution

A Constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. The script refers to the drafting of original constitutions by the American states, signifying the creation of a new legal framework to support their democratic aspirations.

Highlights

The American colonies experienced two conflicts: military conflict with Great Britain and internal political conflict.

The military conflict was a revolution for liberation against the British Empire.

Colonists had to quickly fashion agreements on demanding independence and structuring their new nation.

The war raised questions about slavery, native peoples' rights, women's roles, and religious tolerance.

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' pamphlet advocated for a complete break from the British political system.

The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.

The Articles of Confederation gave the new nation limited powers and did not authorize tax collection.

The Continental Army was created with General George Washington as its commander.

The war had three distinct phases: the New England phase, the mid-atlantic phase, and the southern phase.

The American victory at Saratoga secured French support, which was crucial for the revolutionaries.

Loyalists, or those favoring the British cause, faced harassment and many fled to Canada or England after the war.

Religions had winners and losers in the war, with Protestants and Baptist Catholics supporting the Patriots.

Native Americans were weakened by the war, as colonists continued to be the main aggressors over their lands.

Slavery survived in the south due to white assumptions of black inferiority, economic investment in slaves, and lack of belief in integration.

Shay's Rebellion highlighted the need for a stronger national constitution to address economic and social unrest.

The Articles of Confederation were unable to regulate trade, draft troops, or levy taxes directly.

The Ordinances of 1784 and 1785 were successful in organizing the Western territories for statehood.

Transcripts

two conflicts consumed the colonies

beginning in April of 1775 the military

conflict with Great Britain and the

political conflict happening inside the

colonies the military conflict was

savaged pitting the civilian population

of the colonies against the powerful

troops of the British Empire and a new

kind of war a revolution for liberation

against an empire simultaneously

colonists said about sewing together an

independent nation from an assembly of

distinct colonies they had to hastily

fashion agreements on whether to demand

independence from Great Britain how to

structure their new nation and how to

deal with questions that the revolution

had raised about slavery the rights of

native peoples the role of women and the

limits of religious tolerance though

some Americans have been agitating for

revolution for years most people were

generally unprepared for war and the

question such a conflict would raise

after the battles of Lexington and

Concord when the Second Continental

Congress met in Philadelphia delegates

agreed to support the war but they

disagreed about its purpose some still

hope for reconciliation with Great

Britain most Americans believe they were

simply fighting for a redress of

grievances during the first year of war

but they changed their minds when the

British recruited Indians African slaves

and German mercenaries and blocked

colonial ports total colonial

independence became the only option for

those fighting the war there's an

argument articulated in Thomas Paine's

Common Sense pamphlet which advocated

for a complete break for the British

political system entirely it didn't

start that way they wanted the British

to admit fault and change their policies

but after the shots after shots were

fired it quickly became the only the

only purpose of the war was total

independence on July 4th of 1776 the

Continental Congress approved the

powerful declaration of independence and

the colony colonies began to

reconstitute themselves as individual

states entirely separate from Great

Britain by 1781 most states had written

their own constitutions and the Congress

adopted a plan for a union of these new

States the Articles of Confederation the

Articles of Confederation gave the new

nation very limited powers and it did

not authorize for the collection of

taxes the new government of the

United States of America borrowed money

from other nations to fund our war

against the British the fledging nation

also had a tough time recruiting

soldiers so Congress created a

Continental Army with a single commander

in charge General George Washington

these new Americans quote-unquote had

military advantages over the better

equipped and better trained British

military they were fighting a home they

were more committed to the conflict and

they received support from those who

wished to see the British Empire fall

still only British miscalculations and

the transformation of the war actually

gave the colonies of fighting chance at

victory the war can be broken into three

distinct phases between 1775 and 1776

and the New England phase radical

revolutionaries fought the British and

they're sympathetic loyalists in and

around Boston and into Nova Scotia

Canada helping establish a unified

colonial front in the mid-atlantic which

takes us through 1778 the British tried

to divide and conquer the colonists and

they chased General Washington and his

army all over the Northeast many tribes

of the Iroquois Confederacy who had

decided to back-to-back the British in

the war fled to Canada after mounting

losses against the American

revolutionaries the American victory at

Saratoga sure the French of an impending

American victory in France provided

formal diplomatic and financial

recognition of the new American nation

shaken the British prime minister

offered complete Home Rule to the

Americans if they would quit the war

effort and again fall under the British

flag in its final southern phase which

ended in 1781 the British attempted to

ally to ally loyalist settlement in the

old southern colonies into an

insurrection against the northern

radicals they even hoped the slaves

would rally to the British cause the

strategy failed the revolutionaries

blended into the civilian population and

loyalist sentiment in the South was

weaker than expected with the British

excuse me with the military support of

the French on land and at sea General

Cornwallis surrendered his 7,000 British

troops on an American band played song

the world turned upside down those

loyalists I mentioned those are

colonists who favor the British cause so

not all American

wanted war with England many many still

felt that England was the place our was

the homeland and we'll see what happens

to them after the war the political

fallout what

in England was significant the Prime

Minister quit and then another one

succeeded him British dignitaries met

American diplomats Ben Franklin John

Adams in France to discuss the terms of

peace Franklin was an adept negotiator

and got a preliminary treaty signed

quickly the final treaty ceded the

colonies from Canada to North Florida

and the last of the British forces soon

shipped out of New York up to one-third

of the American colonists were loyal to

the British during the war these

loyalists some sometimes called Tories

faced harassment in the months after the

after the war's end at least 100,000

loyalists fled to Canada creating

english-speaking Quebec and many others

simply went back to England religions

had winners in the war Protestants

Baptist Catholics who supported the

Patriots and losers to pacifist Quakers

and the Anglican Church in America the

revolution weakened Native Americans who

had largely backed the British during

the war as colonists had been and would

continue to be the principle aggressors

in conflict over two traditionally

Indian lands the Catholic Vatican for

their part provided the United States

with a bishop after the war ended

formally recognizing the legitimacy of

the new democratic nation American

slaves were undoubtedly exposed to the

ideology of revolution during the war

the white support for slavery in the

south survived the rebirth of Liberty

and the American continent in much of

the north by contrast the combination of

revolutionary rhetoric and evangelical

Christian fervor helps spread

anti-slavery sentiment throughout New

England abolitionists as they were

called first attack the slave trade then

laws that made freeing slaves illegal

then the legality of African slavery

itself state-by-state across the North

obvious tensions between the nation's

commitment to individual liberty and the

widespread use of forced slave labor in

the nation's economy became increasingly

evident in a half measure every state

but Georgia and South Carolina came to

prohibit the further importation of

slaves from abroad the nation's

commitment to the ideals of Liberty to

struck many

women is antithetical to their own

plight free white women possess no

voting rights no property rights no

ability to initiate a divorce

etc even as they became important

incubators of so-called Republican

values to future Americans Americans

certainly agreed that they would

Institute a Republican form of

government in their new country where

their elected representatives would only

act with the consent of the people they

would aspire toward an equality of

opportunity though no equality of

condition their ideological aspirations

and experiment and statecraft became a

model for other nations who too sought

to throw off the chains of empire and

begin the hard work of instituting

democratic self-government it's worth

mentioning we have one of the oldest

constitutions in the world because we

were one of the first democratic nations

the most basic decision that states made

was to draft original constitutions

Americans believe the vagueness of

England's unwritten Constitution had

been the source of significant

corruption the second decision was that

the power of the executive or the

president had to be severely limited yet

only one house is often popular the

elected and property requirements still

prevented most people from voting even

in new America many state constitutions

however were written by special

conventions so the legislate legislators

couldn't later abuse the powers that

they've granted themselves the governors

became more powerful over time they

remained popularly elected that of

course in stark contrast to British

Kings who are not elected in Virginia

the statute of religious liberty written

by Thomas Jefferson called for a

complete separation of church and state

other states took notice of the move and

the preferential treatment given to

certain Christian faiths and

denominations upon the founding of the

original colonies gradually faded from

state government so we moved from

religious and business colonies formed

with those specific interests in mind to

to individual states of a Confederated

nation focused on common government

rather than religious or business ideals

slavery survived in the deep south and

border states for three reasons most

White's assume need fear in fee or

inferiority of blacks excuse me

southern whites had incredible sums of

money invested in their slaves and even

forward-looking people including General

Washington and Thomas Jefferson failed

to envision a future without slavery few

whites believed that blacks could be

integrated into American society as

equals and so the cause of freedom in

the aftermath of the war for liberty and

independence did not extend to the

explained to the enslaved in the

American continent these new state

governments who relied at increased

taxation to pay their war debts

increasingly faced mobs of distressed

farmers throughout New England Daniel

Shay is a former captain in the

Revolutionary Army issued a set of

demands that included paper money tax

relief and the abolition of debtors

prison his rebellion Shay's rebellion

failed but it added urgency to the

movement to produce a new National

Constitution powerful enough to survive

ideological and military challenge from

within the Articles of Confederation

which only existed for eight years 1781

to 1789 were such an effort they

formally United the colonies as

independent sovereign nations but

differences among the colonies became

evident early early after the Republic's

birth the Articles of Confederation did

not provide the authority to regulate

trade draft troops or levy taxes

directly there's no separate executive

branch nine states each holding one vote

had to authorize a law and all thirteen

state legislatures were required to

amend the Articles themselves the only

major success of the Confederation were

the ordinances of 1784 and 1785 which

divided the Western Continental

territories up unified the way land was

surveyed had sold it gave territories a

clear path toward achieving independent

statehood though the actual progress of

achieving statehood was slow as Native

American claims to land led to a series

of conflicts from White's diplomatic

failures with Great Britain and Spain

after the war and the Confederations

inability to pay off its enormous

post-war debts to her own soldiers to

other nations etc offer an immediate

example of the shortcomings of the loose

confederation system in early America a

stronger form of government would be

needed to match the ideals and the

potential of the new United States