Do 3 of this Discussion 4,5 and 6 reflect on what you learned in this modulewrite your reaction and thoughts, your observations, and conclusions. What was the most important take away and why?follow t

Mod 6 Intro and Outcomes

HIST 1301 Module 6

Topic: The American Revolution

Readings: -Introductory Essay by Downs

-Zinn, "A Kind of Revolution" (Links to an external site.)

(Links to an external site.)Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

Describe the general course of the war, particularly the military leadership of George Washington.

Introductory Essay by Downs

As we begin our investigation into the American Revolution, I will keep coming back to one question: How revolutionary was the American Revolution? Many questions need to be answered along the way to come to some kind of understanding and interpretation of the American Revolution. Was it a revolution at all? Was it a war of independence? Was it both? Historians have debated these questions for a long time. To fully see the revolutionary aspects of the American Revolution, we must distinguish between the American Revolution as a political process and the revolutionary war. Winning the war was just the beginning. What kind of nation and government would emerge from the war is the more important question.

British Legislation

To pay for the war, the British parliament began passing legislation to deal with the burdens of administering an empire. Having an empire projects power and influence, allows one to extract and exploit wealth and resources, but they are also expensive and have to be defended. In the very year after the French and Indian War came to a conclusion, Parliament passed the Sugar Act, then the Stamp Act, the Quartering Act and many pieces of legislation to raise revenue, increase trade and defend the Empire. And they did so without asking the Americans. This led to all kinds of resentment and protest about American liberties being violated by a tyrannical and ruthless parliament. The Sons of Liberty was created to protest the Stamp Act and engaged in what can only be described, particularly from a British perspective, as acts of terrorism in order to prevent the enforcement of the laws of the land. What was at stake for the Americans was not the amount of tax, but who had the right to tax. For over a century, Americans had taxed Americans and now the British were imposing taxes without their consent. This is where the phrase “No taxation without representation” came into being. Read carefully about the various pieces of legislation from Parliament and the colonial response. It was very much a cause and effect relationship that grew more tense leading up to 1776 and the Declaration of Independence.

Washington and the War

The first battles of the American Revolution were Lexington and Concord. Although more accurately skirmishes, the first shots were fired in these conflicts. The war began in earnest in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence, which declared that King George III was guilty of violating the liberties of his American subjects and therefore had to be overthrown. Thus the war began. George Washington would lead the Continental army for the duration of the war. Washington, while no military genius, did understand and deserves much credit for realizing that he did not have to defeat the British to win the war. He had to maintain an army in the field. England, on the other hand, had to destroy that army to win. Washington, therefore, engaged in guerilla-style warfare, avoiding pitched battles with an enemy better-equipped and better-trained. Ultimately, the Battle of Yorktown saw the British Commander, Lord Cornwallis trapped and forced to surrender. In 1783, the Peace of Paris was signed and the war came to a formal conclusion. Now what?

Chapter Outline

6.1 Britain’s Law-and-Order Strategy and Its Consequences

6.2 The Early Years of the Revolution

6.3 War in the South

6.4 Identity during the American Revolution

By the 1770s, Great Britain ruled a vast empire, with its American colonies producing useful raw materials and profitably consuming British goods. From Britain’s perspective, it was inconceivable that the colonies would wage a successful war for independence; in 1776, they appeared weak and disorganized, no match for the Empire. Yet, although the Revolutionary War did indeed drag on for eight years, in 1783, the thirteen colonies, now the United States, ultimately prevailed against the British.

The Revolution succeeded because colonists from diverse economic and social backgrounds united in their opposition to Great Britain. Although thousands of colonists remained loyal to the crown and many others preferred to remain neutral, a sense of community against a common enemy prevailed among Patriots. The signing of the Declaration of Independence (Figure 6.1) exemplifies the spirit of that common cause. Representatives asserted: “That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, . . . And for the support of this Declaration, . . . we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

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1. Introduction: The American Revolution

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2. The Causes of the Revolution

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3. The Road to Revolution

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4. The Revolution Begins

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5. Depicting the Past

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6. Declaring Independence

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7. The Revolutionary War: The British Strategy

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8. How Were the Colonies Able to Win Their Independence?

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9. How Revolutionary Was the Revolution?

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10. America's Symbols & Icons