Anglais cours du premier semestre1

Chapter 1: the American Revolution

1) The road to revolution
Early in 1763, there was the seven years’ war. The treaty of Paris ended it. France loosed all his territory in the new world, except New Orleans and some islands. The colonies were very happy b/c they felt safer in the colonies. This victory triggered trouble between England and his colonies in America. The war gave to the colonist the first perceptions of their own capacities. It was the cement of the personalities of the colonies.

a) Britain dries France from North America.
The land of the French went all the way from Quebec to Mexico. They won the war mainly because the colonist were much more numerous. It modified the rapport de force. British won all the French territories at the west from Mississippi also Spain gained Florida. But colonist had gain experience in fighting. The war fueled a filling of independence. They thought that they had another way to their nation, different from England.
b) The English taught their grip over the colonies
After the treaty the size of the British Empire was much bigger. Also the British needed more money to pay the cost of gardening a growing empire, the war had been costly. It had been paid by British. The colonist has given very little to the cost of the war. Yet the colonist gain very much from the victory, they gained self-confidence, and also that they had a different destiny than the one of England. In order to find money, the English started to think of a number of taxes that would cause much ink to flow within the next years. There was a sugar act; it provided means for the colonies to pay the war, added new taxes to wine, sugar, and coffee. Then the Stamp Act that could cost from a penny to 10 pounds, they had to be bought and stick on every legal paper. Even on playing card. It will allow to pay the garrisoning of the British troops in the US. The people who did not pay the taxes, they were trial in vice-admiralty court. It’ was a court without a jury. This created a great deal of agronomy about the colonist. They had been stamp in England for years, and English public men didn’t think people would react in that way. Merchants, lawyers, newspaper were at the heart of the Stamp Act. England was very unilateral in the way they react with the colonies. The Partnering Act means that colonist should allow British soldier to come in their home. It was the manifestation of the British army that treated them as no equal. In 1775, at the Stamp Act congress where night colonies were represented provided that “no taxes ever have been or can be constitutionally on the colonies except by their respective legislatures”. It deploys the trial of violators of the Stamp Act in the no jury vice-admiralty course. B/c they felt it was a threat to individual liberties. In 1776, the act was lifted on the pressing of the British merchants, b/c their commerce was threatened by an embargo from the colonist not to buy the British exportation. Actually, the Stamp Act was really applied in the colony of Georgia. It was not implemented in all the colonies. The reaction of the colonist had been very energetic. The parliament knew that they were damaging their own trade. But the colonist figured that they could in fact impose on the crown a decision that the crown would not have taken.
It is important b/c it showed the colonist that they had power. A man, Townsend who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, imposed the next year a new tax. It was a series of Act to place taxes on goods. It was supposed to be money to pay the royal officials in the colonist, so they were paid directly by the British. The colonist assemble was weakened by the act. It raised again the wraith of the colonist. They reacted again by boycotting British goods. The parliament backs down on his decision. In 1777, all taxes were removed except the on tea. The colonist had shown their resistance. It increased the self-confidence of the colonist. They were a sort of a loll between England and his colonies. But the colonist grew aware that their interests were at variance from England.

2) Independence declaration
a) Growing disconnect
In 1770, they were fight in Boston, and 5 colonist where killed. 5 is a lot but not a massacre. But with the rumors, this event became known has the Boston Massacre. It stirs up hatred toward British. Nevertheless, after 1770, they was a loll. It had been clear that the colonist though they should control thing a little more in the colonies. It had given the rise to a small group of radicals. They were extremist, they had been among those who had spread the rumors. Some of them organized in a group call “The Sons of liberty”. They forced many stamp sellers to drop their jobs. The most well know of them was Samuel Adams. And with his radical group, called “committees of correspondence”, they helped keep unrest alive. Even through times were really prosperous, they were waiting to jump had every moment to make noise. The right moment finally came.
b) Think goes from back to worst
In 1773, tea law: a law provided that only British East India company could sell to the colonies. So the Americans were cut out of the business. The tea merchant rejoined the extremist, and they encourage boycotting English tea. The tea cargo were turn back, except in Boston where the British soldiers protected the cargo. So a number of colonists dressed up as Indians, and they swam across the haven of Boston, at night, they took the soldiers by surprise. And they threw the cargo overboard. It was called the Boston Tea Party. The British reacted very brutally. The British government took several acts to punished Massachusetts. In 1774, they voted the Coercive Act. The city paid for the lost of the East India ship. Royal official who were committed had to be trial in England. That draws away some power of the colonist. Some self-government features of Massachusetts were taken away, and they were to shelter British troops within 24 hours. This got the radical moving. A court went out from a meeting of all the colonies to oppose the Coercive Act, they all (Except Georgia) sent delegate to Philadelphia.
c) First continental congress
In 1774, at the meeting, there were petitions sent to England to protest again this extremely unfair Act, again the intolerable Act. After the conclusion of the congress, it was decided there would be no trade with England, and there were assemble to make sure everyone boycotted the goods from England. At this point, even if the radical pressured the congress, majority of the colonist did not want to break relation with the British.



d) The Breaking out of War and The second Continental Congress

When the war breaks out no one was aware of it. Nobody knew that these battles would degenerate in a war. Some British soldiers were sent to Concord, they were sent to take ammunition from the radicals under the form of rifles and bullets. The people were warned that the British soldiers were coming by 2 people: Paul Revere and William Dawson. They galloped all night long from Boston to warn the colonist that the soldiers were coming. The Minute Men met the soldiers. They were supposed to be ready to fight in one minute. There was a clashed between the soldiers and the Minute Men. 273 dead and missing for the British, the colonist loosed 93 men. That new spread trough the colonies, it was exaggerated. People heard that they had been a massacre of the colonist by the British. So the British really became the enemy. In May 1775, a second congress met, it took place in a really different atmosphere. They were willing to pass the declaration of independence to create the US. But, in spite of this bellicose atmosphere, they still sent a large petition of plea to the king. But the king didn’t accept to meet the person who brought the petition, and declare the colonist as a large hostility to the crown. At the same time, the Second congress started calling for supplies and men. The declaration of independence took place after the war had been started; it was an attempt to make the brand new US has a coherent and a united group of states. It was call together in Philadelphia. It was going to pass the declaration of Independence. When the second Congress met, the skirmish of Concord already happened. Nevertheless in spit of the aggressive atmosphere, the delegate made a final plea for a peaceful settlement. It was the last attempt to prevent action form the colonist. It happened at the early part of the congress. The atmosphere change, b/c the numbers of fighting was growing. It allowed a setting up of the colonial Army. It was formed and place under the authority of Washington. The Congress called for men and military supplies. The Congress will last until 1799. It remains a sort of assembly of envoys from the colonies. It didn’t function very well.


E) Declaration of independence and his driving principles
The early battle weren’t very clear. After the war at began, many US didn’t think of Independence. The mentalities evolved regardless of social-classes. The colonist toys with the idea that a new kind of society could develop in America with more freedom. In January 1776, a pamphlet, written by Thomas Paine, was published. It was very successful (120 000 copies). The author defended democracy and Independence. It was a sort of treatise on the tactical reason for immediate Independence, and also at a more ideological level, it was an enunciation of Americas mission as a beacon for the world. They wanted to show the light of freedom. It didn’t appeal to intellect. The colonist met it with great favour. The idea of Independence made a fire in the colonist mind. It paved the ground for the riding of the declaration of Independence. It was signed on July the 4th 1776. It was written mainly by Thomas Jefferson, but also corrected by Franklin, Adams, and Hancock. Jefferson was really influenced by The Age of the Enlightenment (John Locke by example). The members of the second continental congress signed it. It was made up of several parts; it was first a document of political philosophy. They wanted to make a legitimate act b/c they made an illegitimate act (separating from England). It was mainly a list of grievances against the King. There is an indictment of George the first, who was made responsible for this tragic separation with the motherland. English are called Reverend. At the end of the document, the formal declaration of Independence. It proclaimed that all men were entitled for life, liberty and pursue of Happiness. It was never a rule that violated these rights. The governs had the right to institute new government. Of course, to Jefferson, government was based on the concern of the governs. It was really revolutionary b/c in a monarchy by divine right, the governs didn’t get a saying in government matters. It’s almost poetic. The text had an extraordinary solemnity. The State of New-York abstained to vote. When the Independence was declared, Americans were not free. The war still had to be fought.
3) Winning Independence
a) The opposite sides: patriots and loyalist
A number of the more motivated ones were called Patriots. People who support the King and England were called Tories or Loyalist. At first the colonist didn’t have a good chance to win the war. They lack an effective army, they were short of money and they lack a strong government. The English appeared to have a well organise army. The others joined the army after much thought, probably thinking they would gain more by Independence than supporting the King. Most of them came form middle-class. The great landowners were loyal to the king. Tories were rich merchant, and landowners, members of the Anglican Church and recent immigrants.
Another number stayed to help the British, but they lost their rights and their homes. Some of them flight to Canada. Others were not on a side or another. The British faced a number of military problems, as the revolution got under-way. A number of British didn’t want a war b/c they were already in debt b/c of another war. Some wanted America to get Independence. The Government had a lot trouble to make an army, and find excellent leader, b/c they felt that the real enemy was not colonist but France. In 1776, British were not ready for war. They had really little support from the people. But they had well trained soldiers. The continental army was small (never more than a few thousand men), the soldiers were volunteers, and they usually signed for short time of duty. They were not well fed, neither well equipped. The Black people really took part, at the first time of the war, in the army. First Washington didn’t want the black in the army, but when he saw that the British enlisted black people, he did the same. The patriots had some advantages; they fought on their own land, for their own homes and for their freedom. They knew the wilderness, the leaders were very brave: Nathaniel Greene. They received help from France (supplies).
b) War
The first real battle was the battle of Bunker Hill; it takes place before the declaration of Independence. In July 1776, Britain sent a float of ships (70000 men) to New York. They were lead by Sir William Howe, and they pushed Washington away from Manahan. He was driven all the way to Pennsylvania. He didn’t loose the hope, and he attacked the British on the Christmas Eve of 1776. The British were surprised (Trenton and Kingston). These 2 battles helped to develop the idea that Independence was necessary in the colonies. Also the fact that the British used mercenaries, angered the patriots. It brought to the war people who were not really interested at first. This sentiment grew. The summer of 1777 was a dangerous time for the Americans. The British wanted to take the Hudson River, to isolate the Patriots from the rest of the colonies. The defeat of Saratoga, where General Burgoyne was trapped, and he had to surrender his army in October 1777. At that point congress was struggling with money problem. Saratoga was the turning point of the war, b/c army gain stamina and hopes, but on an international scale, it showed the French that Americans had a chance to defeat United Kingdom. French send an army and a navy, supplies and money. For a year, they were not real fight. In 1778-79, they were important battles west of the Appalachian Mountain. A young Virginian, lead 175 men into the Ohio valley, and they took very important British Fort. It gains Americans a very good claim for the territory. Also France entered the war, and reinforces the Americans navy and they managed to take a famous English vessel out. Then in the late 1778, the British troops launched an attack at the South Colonies; they were lead by Charles Cornwallis who took Charleston and Virginia. A new leader was found for the Americans, and Nathaniel Greene defeated Cornwallis at King Mountain. Cornwallis made a mistake b/c he was weakened. He retreads at York-Town, and he hoped to get help from the English Navy. But the French arrived at the place of the English fleet. Cornwallis was cornered by the Union of the Americans Armies, and the French Fleet. In November 1781, all the British Army lead down their weapon at the feed of the Americans. Negotiation started in Paris, and in September 1783 the peace of Paris was signed, and it was the end of the war.

c) Peace of Paris
Cornwallis surrender b/c the British felt it was a war that cost a lot; also it was very far from England. The colonists get the land from the Mississippi to the Ocean Atlantics. The loyalist promises to pay for the losses. The British recognised the born of a new Nation, the United States of America.