Thinking Like a Historian -Perspectives- It seemed to me that the beginning of the war was always the most important, yet I didn't truly know who started it. Was it the British's fault for their "excessive taxes" placed on the colonies matched without giving them "representation" in Parliament? No. The taxes weren't harsh and we didn't want representation. Clearly the Americans wanted their liberty, most of them for their own reasons, and once we wanted it there was no going back until we had it. There is way I can really understand why at this time we wanted to or even thought we could defeat the greatest army and navy in the world at the time. There is no way but this quote by George Washington, "Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." As the colonies grow increasingly rebellious, with the creation of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and The Boston Tea Party, the crown becomes aware that the colonies are preparing (poorly by way)for war. When the British reach Lexington Green it is the Americans who take the first shot and therefore it is the Americans who are on the offensive and the British the defense of the war. This would mean to be completely differing perspective on the war, the Americans have a wondrous cause with heart and the will to die for liberty while the British are only trying to protect their assets. -Turning Point- There are a few things that Washington cannot change about his army, like how he has a shortage of men, ammunition, support, food, and everything else an army needs. One thing that will either keep the effort going and growing or fall apart is morale. The only way to get it is to win. After successfully defending Boston Washington predicted that the British would move to take New York City. He was right. After a few tries at general for the defense of Long Island Washington decides poorly to put Putnam in charge. General Lord William Howe easily defeats Putnam's defenses and then decides to regroup as night falls and attack Washington the next day because Howe thought that he had Washington trapped. Under heavy fog and rain early the next morning Washington and his men narrowly escape. Only an hour later when the weather clears the British navy moved in. If General Howe had just decided to attack the war would have ended right there in 1776, but with bad decisions and a little luck it didn't end. It was a huge morale blow, but at least for the rebels the war was not yet over.
Reading Thoughts -Importance- Whether it was the teacher to blame or my ignorance to fact there were a few, and only a few, things that before reading this book I knew about the American Revolution. I know that there were slightly more items on this list that I was taught, but this is what I remembered because it seemed important. I knew about Paul Revere's ride, the Boston Tea Party, and the fact that the American's won the Revolution. Sad, I know, but the more I learned as I read this book the more I realized how much I didn't know about the war. It troubles me to know that so little is known by so many about the most important war in American history. Of course there has to be a line drawn that indicates what is important to teach what is not, but to me everything about this war is entirely relevant and important. Here is a list of things that shocked me because I didn't know them: In addition to France and Spain, the Netherlands were an American ally; there were 25,000 loyal Americans, 10,000 Indians, and 29,867 Hessians fighting for Britain; John Paul Jones, an American Naval Captain, had two trips around Great Britain where he led the only attack on British soil; the final battle fought in the American Revolution took place off the coast of India when a fleet of British warships attacked a fleet of French warships. -Connections- While reading about the Boston Tea Party I remembered what I had heard while watching every last minute of Olympic coverage, the average British citizen consumes approximately five cups of tea a day. I know, and then I realized that there is certainly not that kind of obsession over tea in America. We enjoy a cup of coffee far more than tea and yet our consumption rate is nowhere near five cups a day per person. So I did a little bit more research and found out that after the Boston Tea party and the war it was considered unpatriotic to drink tea. Soon colonist discovered they could import coffee from central and South America. By the early 1900's Americans were consuming half of all the coffee produced around the world. How interesting?
Brennah Fulton Post 1 Part 1 Reading Thoughts Questioning: This book never really explained anything about the events that lead to the Revolution, why the colonies were so unhappy, or how they had a chance at defeating England who had the best and strongest military at the time, so I decided to do some more research on these topics to get a better understanding on why there was a Revolution. I discovered that the opposition from the colonies started after the French and Indian war. England won the war but the result of that was major debt. In order to get back money Parliament decided to heavily tax the colonies, which the colonies did not respond well to. The colonies also thought that since England won they would be able to expand into the new western frontier, but then the Proclamation of 1763 was established which prohibited them from creating any settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains and made existing establishments in that territory move out. This angered them because they had been so excited to expand and England easily took that away from them; they started to resent England because of how much they controlled what the colonists could and couldn’t do. The biggest result from the war and the proclamation was how quickly the colonies and England started to despise and distrust one another.
Another major cause leading to the American Revolution was the Stamp Act. The stamp act was the first direct British tax on the colonists and it stated that every newspaper, pamphlet, legal document, and advertisement had to have a British stamp on it, which cost money. This infuriated all of the colonies who staged protests like no taxation without representation and they even formed the Stamp Act Congress. Things became violent when people started to harass and injure the revenue officials. Things got so out of hand that the British Government decided to repeal the Stamp Act. England made things worse again when immediately after repealing the stamp act they passed the Declaratory Act which stated that England was in charge of the colonies “in all cases whatsoever” and could create laws and taxes for the colonies as they pleased. All this did was provide the colonists with more rage and made them want to be free even more.
One last major event leading to the revolt was the Townshend Acts. These put taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Charles Townshend knew that people in England needed tax relief, but he also wanted to reduce England’s national debt, and decided to instead tax the colonies in order to do that. This once again gave the colonies a reason to hate England and in defiance the colonists didn’t accept the imports from England and instead went without these items or made their own. Eventually England repealed all of the taxes except the one on tea, but these acts had already angered the colonies and caused the Boston Massacre, which proved that to them that England was untrustworthy. These are just a few of the many things that lead to the actual American Revolution and as you can see the colonist’s idea to revolt was not spontaneous or unprompted; they had been dealing with years of unfairness from England and could no longer trust England, which is why they needed to rebel. All of the wrongdoings from England that angered them gave them the spark they needed to decide to revolt even though England had the most powerful army and the colonists barely knew how to fight. They were able to win because of their courage and passion as well as from the help they got from Spain and France for providing them with soldiers, leaders, and weapons.
Rachel Feit Comment 1: I strongly agree with you, Brennah. The book could have had greater impact if it had stated the key events that led up to the main events that the story talks about. By mentioning the Boston Masacre, The Stamp Act, The French and Indian War, or the Boston Tea Party I believe that the readers could have gotten a better grasp on the American Revolutions importance.
Brennah Fulton Part 1 Post 1 Reading Thoughts Importance (summarizing):This book puts a lot of significance on the Battle of Lexington and Concord since it’s where the Revolution first started, and as my second reading thought I’m going to summarize this important battle.
On April 18, 1775 General Thomas Gage quietly sent British troops into Boston to take the military materials in Concord. Three spies Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott heard about the attack and were able to give warning that the British were coming. Captain John Parker assembled his minutemen in Lexington and waited for the British; they soon realized they were outnumbered and retreated, but shots were taken and lives were lost. This didn’t stop the British who continued to march to Concord. At Concord Maj. John Buttrick and his 400 farmers/merchants were assembled and fought the arriving British army. The British retreated after more minutemen kept arriving and withdrew back to Lexington. They didn’t know that waiting for them in Lexington was Captain John Parker and his remaining men where they ambushed the British and killed many of their men; this ambush is known as “Parker’s Revenge.”
This battle showed the British that the colonies were going to fight back and proved that they could fight back and be successful even though they didn’t have a powerful army like England. This battle boosted the confidence of the colonies while discouraging the British who were embarrassed they were defeated.
Marissa LaVigne Post 3 I completely agree with your thoughts about why you believe the Battle of Lexington and Concord were important. It was a great starting point for the Americans to prove themselves to the British basically. When you are fighting against the greatest military, it may nerve-racking and unsure feelings about the outcome, however the Americans took this battle to show who they are and that they really care about what they are fighting for. The confidence gained in this important battle may also be the reason for their victory in the Siege of Yorktown.
I also agree with Lexington and Concord being the starting point for the Americans to prove themselves to the Britsh. This was basicly a confidence booster for the Americans and that confidence carried through to the other battles during the war. I would almost say that the Americans thought by winning the Battle of Lexington and Concord they thought that they would win the war.
Brennah Fulton Part 2 Post 1 Reading like a Historian Through their eyes: The colonists viewed their lives as unsatisfactory, unfair, and unjust. They felt hatred and anger towards their mother country that was supposed to watch over them and help them. They felt betrayed by England and wanted nothing more than to be free from England. They were being taxed unreasonably and were constantly being told what they could and couldn’t do by the Declaratory Act.
England felt as though the colonists were untrustworthy and ungrateful. The British felt that they were above the colonists who were farmers. They never saw the colonists as a threat since England had the best military at the time and realized too late how much the colonies wanted to be free and underestimated them greatly.
Differing Perspectives: This book isn’t really told through the colonist’s or England’s perspective. It is more about specific facts told about both sides. The book talks a lot about battles and who won them, how other countries were involved, and important people. Most of the other articles and information I’ve read is all through the colonist’s eyes and how they were the victims who turned into courageous heroes after defeating England’s powerful military. I use to truly believe that the colonists were these poor victims trying to fight for the freedom that they deserved, but I realized that this was because I had never read anything through England’s eyes and never got to hear about their side of the story. I realized this after I read Miranda Hogan’s post on how she believed that the colonists were to blame for starting the Revolution because of their violent and childish actions and not England with all of its unfair taxations. By reading her post I am starting to understand why England had to have such a tight grip on what the colonists did, but I also believe that while the colonists may have taken some things too far, they had to act drastically to get England’s attention and to get what they wanted accomplished. England wasn’t going to just let them be free, the colonists had to take action and become violent otherwise nothing was going to change.
This book did not explain or go into detail about the events leading up to the war, so I decided to look up what angered the colonists and lead them to declare war on Great Brittan. Through my research I found that it was the spike in taxes that drove the colonies to war. The Sugar act increased taxes on non-British goods shipped to the colonies. The Currency act prohibited American colonies from issuing their own currency and this angered many American colonists. The British made the American colonists angered with the Quartering Act, which forced the colonies to provide an area to sleep and supplies to British troops. Then I found what many call the "final straw" for the American colonists. It taxed newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, broadsides, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. Issued by Britain, the stamps were placed on the items to show that the tax had been paid. This research cleared up the confusion for me in the events leading to the American Revolution. Although this book was vague in the events leading to the American Revolution it was great at portraying the other countries that had a hand in the Revolutionary War. Before reading this book I thought that only the American Colonies and Great Brittan had fought the war, but now I know that the colonists had the Spanish, the French, and the Dutch fighting for them and helping them out as much as possible. The British had the Tories or the Loyalists (the colonists who supported Brittan) and the Germans also supported the British. When I reached the maps section of this book I was very impressed with the detail and the explanations it gave of the battles. It really helped me understand the timeline of the Revolutionary War.
Brennah Fulton Reading Thoughts Post 2 Big Idea/Generalizations: One major reason the colonists were successful was because of the strong leaders they had. The colonists didn’t have any fighting experience; they were mostly farmers and merchants. They didn’t know how to attack the most powerful army at the time and wouldn’t have been able to if it hadn’t been for leaders like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson. All of these people stepped up and played important roles in the American Revolution. George Washington alone was a major contributor to the success of the patriots. He was appointed to be the commander in chief of the new continental army by the second continental congress and had to train 14,000 men with no military experience. Washington never gave up even when things seemed impossible. An example of this is the winter at Valley Forge. Washington and his men had been waiting helplessly at Valley Forge for a long time; they were freezing, starving, cramped, and sick. Even in these horrible conditions Washington was able to encourage his men and lead them across the Delaware River and into Trenton, New Jersey where he lead the very successful surprise attack and defeated the 1500 Hessians there. The victory at the Battle of Trenton proved to people how powerful, effective, and persistent Washington was which later on contributed to his being elected the first President. Another great leader the patriots had was Benjamin Franklin. He played the important role of encouraging the colonies to fight and inspiring the colonies to be united against England with his “join or die” cartoon of the cut up snake. This cartoon showed the colonies that England was the reason that this snake was not a whole and that by joining the fight the snake could become powerful once again; it was also used as a symbol of American unity and independence. He also was able to convince France to help the colonies, which the colonies so desperately needed because France gave them soldiers and weapons that they didn’t have enough of. Without the help of France the patriots could not have won the war. Lastly, Benjamin Franklin wrote and helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris which ended the war. Another persuasive leader, Patrick Henry, was able to get the colonists fired up with anger and hope at his “if this be treason” speech where he ended it with “give me liberty, or give me death.” He showed the colonists that they had had enough, now was the time to take action and get what they wanted. He showed them that if he couldn’t have freedom he would rather die than always have England control what they do and a lot of colonists agreed with him and his speech encouraged them to get started. Next, Thomas Paine is the famous author of his pamphlet called Common Sense where he was able to very simply explain to colonists why they should have the right to be free. He inspired many to want to be free and helped the fight by instilling the idea of American Independence into their hearts. One last leader who was significant is Thomas Jefferson and he is important for writing the Declaration of Independence. This document showed the colonists that fighting against England had been the right choice and they got to rejoice over all of the new rights they had, and Thomas Jefferson went on to become the third President. Without all of these leaders and everything they did I don’t think that the colonists could have won the war. They would have been disorganized and would have given up hope if it hadn’t been for these key people. All of these leaders played crucial roles in organizing the colonists, giving them hope, and encouraging them to fight on. I believe that with anything in life leaders are needed, otherwise things cannot get accomplished, or more struggles occur without strong leadership and people taking action and charge.
Brennah Fulton Reading like a Historian post 2 Change and continuity: After the war was over a lot of things changed. The colonies faced many problems even after they got their independence from England. Things were so disorganized, crazy, and chaotic. They had no central government, no postal system, and no monetary or currency system. All of the states were doing separate things, so money in one colony was worth nothing in a different one. In order to get some organization The Articles of Confederation were created and they gained President George Washington. The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution and it gave the power to the states instead of one person; it was meant to unite the colonies in a friendship and make the national government weak. Even with all of the problems the colonies faced, they ultimately gained their independence and gained pride from defeating England even with the odds stacked against them. England on the other hand lost their pride and they lost the respect from other countries that use to view England as all powerful. They lost control and strength when the colonies defeated them, so the patriots gained more and benefited more than England did in the end.
Turning Points: The victory at the battle of Yorktown was the major turning point in the war. Washington and another French commander were able to get British General Cornwallis to surrender Yorktown and his British soldiers and sailors were forced to go to colonial war camps. England had needed reinforcements that never made it and the ending of this battle brought an end to the war and lead to the signing of the Treaty of Paris and the colonies’ freedom. If the British’s reinforcements and extra troops had made it and if the French didn’t assist Washington and his troops, the British would have won this battle and the war would have continued on. If the war continued on the British would have become stronger and the outcome of the Revolutionary war could have been very different.
Josh Merchant Post 1 Reading Thoughts Questions: I am wondering why this is the first book that I have read that puts so much emphasis on other countries during the American Revolution. The authors say time and time again that if the Americans did not have help from France, Spain, and the Netherlands that the Americans may not have won the war. While I was aware of France's involvement, I did not know the extent of their involvement. They claim that without France’s navy, the British would have completely dominated the seas. Also; the authors say that the involvement of France, Spain, and the Netherlands forced the British to spread their forces thin and take focus away from the Americans. The authors claim that this allowed the American’s young and undertrained army to defeat the most powerful army in the world. I am wondering why this is the first book that has shown the importance of American allies in the revolutionary war. If American Allies are the reason we won, why don’t other authors of text books and history books show the significance of the American Allies in the war? Importance: Like others have said I am wondering why this book never explained the beginning of the war. I feel that too truly understand the war you must understand why it started. I feel that the authors missed this and therefor the book isn’t as strong as it could be. I only found one place where it talks about the beginning of the war. It says that almost everything was heavily taxed and regulated, and that those were two reasons that may have started the war. I am wondering why the author didn’t dive into this very important topic and wonder how they missed this. While the authors missed the beginning of the war, they go into great detail about the individual battles and that really helped me understand both parties reasoning to fight. I always thought that they just fought wherever they met, but now I understand the reasoning of each battle and understand the war more complexly. Reading like a historian Cause and Effect: The most important illustration of cause and effect happens during the battle of Long Island. Howe and the British had almost perfectly executed their war plan and had the Americans trapped. But throughout the fighting a heavy wind had been blowing. That same wind stopped Howe’s warships from moving behind the American army. This allowed Washington to gather boats and move his army across the river. This escaped prevented the British from ending the war and allowed the Americans to fight another day. Without that heavy wind, the world may be a very different place. Differing perspectives: The Americans felt that they were being taxed very heavily without representation. This angered them, a lot. Personally I agree with the early Americans. If a government is going to decide what is best for its people, shouldn’t the people get a say. That is exactly what the Americans were fighting for, an idea, freedom and democracy. I believe that a chance at a better life for not only you, but for a nation is just reason for a war and therefor I agree with the American’s perspective on unfair representation.
Marissa LaVigne Post 1 Reading Thoughts Connections: Throughout the reading of the battles from Lexington and Concord to the siege of Charleston I discovered a major connection between the fighting between the Americans and the British. The fighting has a trend between the two which is that each country has at least one battle or more that defeats the other and gain confidence within themselves and progress even further with a greater defeat. However, the trend always ends by the opposing side with some brilliant idea that completely turns around the war with the greatest defeat. I believe that the two sides learn off of each other and follow the others successes. The trend is an important connection showing how the war progressed and the new strategies and understanding that was gained on both of the sides. The trend is shown for example is the Battle of the British Isles, the attack may not have had an impact on the war at all, but in a whole helped to boost American morale. When one side gains that needed confidence, the trend shows an enormous defeat. The British also show the trend turning sides in the siege of Charleston. Importance: I believe that the Siege of Charleston was a very important battle that was fought in the war. The Siege of Charleston took place through April 18- May 12, 1780 in the southern colonies. This battle was an important turning point for the British as it "was one of the most disastrous American defeats of the entire Revolution." The victory for the British may have been a positive aspect, however it led to greater ideas for the British. A new theory approached the British to capture all of the colonies. The British's' plan at first succeeded as they controlled a majority of Georgia, and moving into South Carolina. Their greatest mistake was freeing the American militiamen who had sworn allegiance to the King, which returned to the field after their release and continued fighting. This battle showed both the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing sides and was a major event in the Revolution. Reading Like a Historian Change and Continuity: Throughout the Revolution many things remained the same such as the approaches of every battle and the majority of the fighting styles. The reason for the battles to remain the same are because of the successes that occurred and the desire to repeat them. Many things changed however dealing with the Revolution. The sides not only improved their fighting techniques, but also evolved to capturing opposing sides men and weaponry. The war evolved greatly with the new techniques and understandings of how to earn success and sides were greatly benefited from the changes. The changes created the war to expand to a global conflict bringing in other countries. The change leading into countries joining sides also adds more ideas and ways for victory. Without change, the war would have never had progressed and would have been a constant replay of every battle. Cause and Effect: The Battle of the British Isles shows a good example of cause and effect. Although the expedition into British home waters had no impact on the overall outcome of the war it still has positive effects for the Americans. The raid interfered with British shipping and caused considerable consternation. They inflicted several million dollars of damage to British shipping, and the embarrassment he caused his enemy most importantly helped to boost American morale. This may have created a distraction for the British, but if the Americans confidence wouldn't have been motivated, they may have fought many different battles after that. This attack created a positive effect for the Americans in the next Battles of the Caribbean. Specifically the 2nd raid on Nassau, the Americans fought a very successful battle, and it may not have been achieved if it weren't for attacking British home waters.
Josh Merchant Post 3 Marissa, i agree with your cause and effect section. While the battle of the British Isles may not have directly affected the war, it was a great victory for the americans. Not only did this battle mess up britian's shipping, it also allowed other countries to join the americans due to the french's involvement. Also, the fighting by Britain took the British focus momentarily away from the colonies. The fighting mad them focus on their homeland give the colonists a better shot at defeating the British army. LIke you said, this battle was not directly important to the war, but it had many side effects which helped the americans a great deal.
Josh Merchant Post 2 Reading Thoughts Big Idea/Generalizations: The American Revolution was a great time of change in our country. Not only were we gaining our independence from the British, but the ground work for equality was also laid. During the years leading up to the war, the northerners were changing their views towards blacks. Since they did not need farm laborers, they were used for servants and general laborers. This created more relationships between whites and blacks. Also, many whites thought it was wrong to enslave people and released their slaves as free blacks. While slavery stuck around for many years after, this was a big step in giving African Americans equality. Also during this time, Women started the path towards equality. They gained more independence then they ever had before. They participated in the revolution by rejecting imported goods (the Homespun Movement); doing duties for the army such as cooking, sowing, washing, and helping during battles; and being battlefield nurses. George Washington realized the importance of women, and assigned 1 nurse to every ten men receiving care; he paid the nurses and gave them a daily ration. Not only did the American Revolution win our independence, it also laid important ground work for equality of women and African Americans. Questions: The British had superior technology when comparing to the Colonists with the Ferguson Rifle. The rifle could rapidly engage targets at 250 yards. The musket most soldiers used had a rage of about 50 to 100 yards. The Ferguson Rifle could fire six to ten rounds a minute while the musket could be fired three times a minute. Also the Ferguson Rifle could be loaded while lying down while the musket required you to stand. British commanders refused to use the rifle because it would “require changes in their field formations and tactics.” My question is whether the superior rifle could have changed the outcome of the war. If the British would have taken advantage of this new rifle, would they have defeated the American army? Reading like a historian Change and continuity: During the Revolutionary was around 11,500 Americans died a prisoner. The British would intentionally make American prisoners suffer. The British hoped that this would stop the Americans from revolting. During this time, the country of the prisoner was expected to clothe and feed the prisoner, not the jailers. This created horrible conditions for American prisoners because America could barely support the standing army. The British even had prison boats where hundreds of prisoners were chained below the deck, and then they were left there to starve, or die of disease. Since then regulations have been set up governing how a country must treat a prisoner. This has benefitted everybody. The prison systems were inhumane and cruel. Now prisoners are at least fed and clothed. Through their eyes: The Indians were known to attack the colonist before, during, and after the American Revolution. The Americans looked at them as uncivilized savages, and continued to move the Indians away from their native lands. I believe that this was a hypocritical thing to do. The colonists were fighting for a better life and to have a say in their government, while at the same time totally controlling a group of people and not listening to anything they had to say. I personally can see why the Indians attacked the Colonists time and time again. This oppression they felt from the colonists was the root of their fighting, and rightfully so. The Indians saw the colonists as people who were trying to take all the land that they had lived on. They were moving the Indians to foreign land. This angered the Indians like it would anger anybody.
Brennah Fulton Post 3 I agree with your through their eyes part, the colonists were being unfair and hypocritical. The colonists shouldn't have kept trying to take over the indian's lands and moving them without talking it over with them first or letting them have a say in anything. The colonists were treating the Indians the same way that England had been treating the colonists. You would think that after everything the colonists had been through with England that they would have been more understanding with the Indians and treated them better.
Marissa LaVigne Post 2 Reading Thoughts Importance: Just as today, technology played an important role in the American Revolution. Technology may not have been as advanced and meaningful during the Revolution but it did make and impact on the war slightly, and if it weren't for a man named David Bushnell technology may not be as it is today. David Bushnell was a student at Yale just before the start of the Revolution and he had been experimenting with underwater explosives. From this idea, it led him to further his imagination and he created the first successful fused time bombs. The fused time bombs led him to develop the concepts for a submarine. He did create the first submarine, but in attempt to place a bomb on a ships hull, the submarine was spotted and drowned. In another attempt to destroy British ships through the water, Bushnell changed his perspective to floating mines, which were immediately spotted and British ships cut the rope. This led to his idea of floating keg mines, which failed to destroy targets, however the British were extremely apprehensive about the new danger and employed sentries to watch for torpedoes. Although most of Bushnell's idea failed and were unsuccessful, it created a very good start in the advancing technology, and if he were to have given up and not tried his ideas, the world of technology may not have laid out the same way. Preview/Predict: From the beginning of Part 2 with the Battle of Cowpens, I was able to make the prediction that all the following battles would be greatly won by the Americans until the end. I made this prediction based on the great American successes that took place during that battle. Not only did they win the battle, but in the process captured 100 horses, 70 slaves, two sets of the King's colors, 800 muskets, two light field pieces, 35 wagons, and a large quantity of badly needed supplies. This great success also raised the morale of American soldiers. With a battle won, many important items captured and more confidence than ever, I believe the Americans felt invincible at that time which would lead them to fight their hardest. Also, if the Americans felt very good about that battle and all the battles that were to come, that also means the British would have felt uneasy and unsure to continue fighting in fear of defeat. My prediction was right when the next Siege of Pensacola came, and the Americans came out with the final victory. Reading Like a Historian Turning Points: One of the major events that made a huge difference in the war is the Battle of Cowpens. The immediate battle had no preparation or planning, which really shows the power they achieved by not planning the victory that was achieved against one of the most notorious British officers, and capturing all of the items from the British. The Battle of Cowpens was a big turning point because of their past defeats, it was a reassuring battle that told the Americans they have a change to win to, and helped them to fight through to the end. If the war didn't have this turning point, the Americans would not have been as confident to fight and it may have had the opposite outcome. Cause and Effect: The major event that had the greatest effect and impact is the French allies in the American Revolution. In the Siege of Pensacola, the British attempted traditional small-scale assault tactics, however the French still had the win. After the victory, Galves provided his French reinforcements with 100,000 pesos and urged them to Virginia where they would join the French fleet and participate in the naval blockade and the Siege of Yorktown. The French did help the Americans achieve their victory in the Siege of Yorktown. If it weren't for the French to help the Americans in the Siege of Pensacola and the Siege of Yorktown, the American Revolution may have had an extremely different outcome. The campaign in Yorktown would not have been possible if it were not for the French allies.
Ashton Rucinski Post 3 I completely agree with you in how the Battle of Cowpens was a major turning point. It did give them more confidence to keep fighting for their independence. I also wrote about a battle that was a huge win for them that allowed the French to see their success and help them win more battles. By changing things through out the war and continuing to win battles created turning points that lead them to victory.
Unlike the first half of the book, the second half actually contained useful information of the battles and leaders. I really enjoyed the detail the book went into with the select battles of the war. If the book went into detail with the battles they must have been important to understand/comprehend, so I decided to do some more research on the Battle of Charleston. This battle took place in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina, also known as Fort Sumter. The Battle of Charleston took place towards the end of the war, between the British and the Americans. The British ended up taking the Americans by surprise. As a result of the surprise attack the Americans casualties were much higher than the British casualties. The Battle of Charleston is considered one of the biggest losses of the Americans in the Revolutionary War. When the Americans were captured by the British they surrendered, making this a huge win for the British. Also I was impressed with the detail the second half of the book went into with the leaders of the war. I liked how it showed background on the person and their importance in the war including what side they were for, who they led, and what battles they had an impact on. When I read I find it useful to visualize what I am reading about, but with the illustrations in this book there was no need to stop and interpret what I was reading when I could just see what the Revolutionary War was like. I also found it interesting that the African Americans were allowed to fight along with the British and the Americans because this was still a time where the blacks were still not equal with everyone else.
Chris, I completely agree that the Battle of Charleston was one of the most important battles in the Revolutionary War. It was a huge win for the British. If the war continued to go this way the British would have no doubt won the war. Luckily General George Washington struck back with the win at Yorktown that basically won us the war.
Initially this book caught my attention with the famous quotes in the beginning. My personal favorite was when John Hancock, after signing his name very large on the Declaration of independence, "There I guess King George will be able to read that." Before I read the book, I didn't know that the Dutch were even involved in the war. Another thing I didn't know was how expensive the tea was from the Boston tea party. 1.8 million dollars in 342 chests. I suppose through the eyes of the Bostonians it wasn't worth anything. I also didn’t know that only one third of the people in the colonies actually wanted to be separated from Britain. The others were either neutral, or on Britain's side. The changes within the first half of the book were mainly the chaos erupting, and the war starting. People were also choosing sides, like France and Germany helping America. I had always known that the revolutions catalyst was from the increase in taxes on imported and other goods. Another few important things I learned were about 10,000 Indians joined the forces of the Britain, and fought the patriots. It amazed me at how many people General Cornwallis surrendered in the Siege of Charleston, the biggest loss that America had.
Paige Hantz post 1 In the first part of the book it didn't go into very good detail on why. They just started naming what the wars were and who was on each side. But, from previous classes with the revolution I knew that it was because of the tax risings and all of the acts that the British were putting on. This made the colonists mad. When I first went through the book I thought that the pictures, tables and charts were going to be helpful for me and mapping out what would be happening. In reality that didn't happen. It was just using up space. Connections: Reading this book made me realize that in order to understand the book you need a lot of background knowledge or you have to go and research it. I made many connections from videos that we watched in other classes and reading books based in history. Going into this class I was excited because I thought I knew a lot on the subject but, it didn't turn out like that. I learned that the French sided with the colonists so then the French could get back at Britain. Not to just help out. Reading like a historian The past helps us remember what happened and figure out what not to do if that were to happen again.
Mackenzie Erbrecht Part 3 Comment I agree about the facts and stuff like that in the front of the book. It was pretty useless, especially the quotes. Also yes to understand this book you need a lot of background knowledge. I had to look up a bunch of information to understand what was going on.
Nick Smitala Post 1 Reading Thoughts Connection: In the Revolutionary War, the two sides were the Americans allied with the French, Spanish, and Dutch; opposing the British allied with the Germans. As I was reading The New American Revolution Handbook, I noticed how after the war started, many countries seemed to join in on the fight against Great Britain. This rippling effect reminded me of The World Wars with Great Britain being Germany. Although the reasons for joining the war was mostly to gain more territory, the connection still occurred in my mind. These countries had a common enemy and the only way they were going to defeat it was together. I realized it was kind of ironic that Great Britain was allied with Germany.
Questions: As I was reading about the Loyalists I wondered why they didn't want to separate from Great Britain. I did some research and learned that they basically weren't as dissatisfied with Great Britain as the Patriots were. The taxes were, for the most part, what sparked the American Revolution. The Loyalists were most likely the more wealthy people and the taxes the British were placing didn't upset them. They had enough money that the taxes hardly phased them. If you put yourself back in this time as a wealthy person you can see why they weren't as upset as the people who weren't as fortunate.
Nick, I fully agree with your comments about the connections with the Revolution and the World Wars. Funny how it's always the Germans. Unfortunately Germany wasn't even a unified country at the time, but we'll count it. The American Rev like the World Wars was a global fight. There were Americans, British. French, Spanish, Dutch, Indians, Hessians, and Canadians fighting in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and other British assets like India. More than likely the only way the Americans won the war was with the help of their allies.
Thinking like a Historian -Cause and Effect- Tensions between Indian tribes and the Colonists were high because the Indians believed that they were taking their land. This is why the Indians would rather fight for the British, that and if the British were to win the Colonist would still be unprotected and not allowed to venture further than the colonies lines. Once the Indians started raids on towns during the Revolution Thomas Jefferson swore war to be givin back to the Indians. He thought that the Rev was too important for the Indians to interfere. Gen. Charles Lee answered Jefferson in the southern division by taking out 170 Indian villages. At the same time Gen. Bernardo de Galvez raids outposts in the Mississippi river valley. In effect of the Indians popstion and actions in the war the Americans thought that after winning the war that they were to be rewarded all lands east of the Mississippi. The Indians had other plans, but the Americans would not stop until they had their prize. -Through Their Eyes- In 1775 American colonists were very different from everyone else on the planet and very different from Americans today. At this time in history it was difficult for colonists to know and understand the world and cultures of other countries because of a lack of technology. A simple message from England would take months to reach the colonies. This made the Crown very distant. The colonists experienced something that Americans today can not even imagine, opression from a Monarch. And then another thing that we today do not know, hope for freedom and liberty. It must be the most powerful feeling in the world though, it drove the colonists to revolt against the most powerful nation in the world...and win.
Reading Thoughts -Vocabulary- There were a few words that came up often that I have heard of before, but I don't quite know the meaning of them. Munitions: simply materials ussed in war, normally weapons or ammunition. I still try to say mutaion when I'm reading. Nascent: dictionary.com describes it as, "beginning to exist or develop." Redoubts: This is an isolated fortification built to defend a prominent point. -Questions- One thing this book did not do a good job on is post war follow up so my question is, "What did the French and Spanish get out of the war?" The Treaty of Paris awarded Spain with Florida and Minorca and France with territories in America, Africa, India, Tobago, and St. Lucia. Britain importantly retained much of the Caribbean, Canada, and Gibraltar.
Evaluation: Through this book and further research it was wasn’t hard to realize how unhappy the American colonist’s were because of the British. Everywhere I read, I found that major reasons for the mistreatment against the American colonists were the acts passed by the British creating harsh taxes for them. Three major ones include the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts. The Sugar Act was passed in 1764. It put a three-cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. It banned importation of rum and French wines. These taxes affected only certain people but people like the merchants who were, decided to be very vocal about it. Even so, the taxes were raised without the consent of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. A year after the Sugar Act resulted in the American colonist’s first direct British tax. Every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public and legal document had to have a Stamp that cost money, or British seal on it. The colonists thought it was unfair that they should have to pay for something they had been doing for free for many years. They acted on this with the Stamp Act Congress. Seeing this reaction in the colonies, the British government repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766. Just when the American colonists thought they took a step forward the British quickly passed the Declaratory Act. Great Britain had control over the American colonies. The Americans couldn’t catch a break which leads to their unhappiness. Another reason for more rage to set among these colonists was a year after the Declaratory Act. In 1767 the Townshend Act was passed by the English Parliament. It collected revenue from the colonists by putting customs duties on imports of glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Protests against the taxes occurred to stop these acts and with merchants boycotting, it decreased British trade and in 1770 most of the Acts were repealed. Importance: The Boston Tea Party was an important event that happened leading up to the American Revolution because it showed the British that the American colonists were not going to be pushed around and the things they really enjoy weren’t going to be taken away from them without a fight. The colonies refused to pay the taxes required by the Townsend Acts. They felt they had no obligation to pay taxes by a Parliament that had no representation. In response, Parliament retracted the taxes except the ones on tea. After the Parliament imported tea to America, the colonies had to pay a tax on the imported tea. Additionally, Parliament reduced the duty the colonies would have to pay for the imported tea. This set forth a raid on three British ships in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773 in which Boston colonists disguised as Indians and threw several hundred chests of tea into the harbor as a protest against British taxes on tea. The tea act upset the colonists and not being about to speak out or have any control over the government; the colonists believed the Tea act frustrated so many people something had to be done. The Boston port was closed and the Boston Tea Party turned out to be a good message to the British Government that things were going to change.
Cause and Effect: The Battle of Lexington and Concord showed a good amount of cause and effect. This battle caused the beginning of the American Revolution. While British troops started taking military materials into Concord, Paul Revere and other men warned the Americans the British were coming. Soon the British force of 700 met 77 local minutemen at Lexington. Which side fired the first shot is unclear, but since the Americans were greatly out-numbered they retreated. The British moved on to nearby Concord, where they were met by more than 300 American patriots and the British were now forced to withdraw. On their march back to Boston, they were continually hit by colonists firing from behind barns, trees, and roadside walls. The fact that the British thought they could easily win this battle and the result ended differently makes The Battle of Lexington and Concord have some predictable causes but a surprising effect. Through their eyes: The American colonists believed that they were mistreated and had no say in the government that affected them. The Taxes and acts that were passed by the British were harsh and unfair. The debt from the French and Indian war was all put on the American colonists and was pulling all the money out of their pockets. They British seemed to think they were in control and the higher power over the Americans. The Americans were independent and they decided they needed to fight for a voice and respect.
Big Idea: The American Revolution helped the Americans gain independence from Great Britain. Britain's military was the best in the world. Their soldiers were well equipped, well trained, paid, and fed. The British navy dominated the seas and raised funds much faster than the Americans. Even though The British seemed unbeatable, during the previous 100 years, the British had enjoyed having a great amount of power over nations as powerful as France and Spain. At first, the odds were clearly against the Americans. As the war went on things turned around for them. The Americans declared independence in 1776 and immediately got the support of the French, who provided them with weapons, ammunition and supplies. In 1778 the French entered the war evening the strength between the Americans and the British. Within the next two years, Spain and the Dutch Republic also declared war on Britain. The more help the Americans got the easier it was to defeat the British. The Big idea of the war was how unfair things were and even so, the Americans fought for their freedom and it ended successfully for them. Questioning: I got the impression through reading the book and also from other sources that the French were almost exact opposites of the American colonists and with having so many different views on things why they would enter themselves into the war helping the Americans. The nation was ruled by an absolutist monarch who didn’t care about no taxation without representation. The French were also Catholic, and the colonies were Protestant. But the French were a colonial rival of Britain and had suffered humiliating defeats to the British in the Seven Years War. France actually sent agents to observe the war and began preparing for the war. France was looking for any way to boost its own reputation and by helping the colonists to independence; it was a perfect way of helping themselves.
Change and Continuity: One of the earliest changes that started to occur in the society after the war was the belief in the equality of all people. During the Revolutionary War, wealthy military men had joined forces with poor men who were also fighting with the American Colonists. It remained the same that the north looked down upon slavery while the South continued to want it. Slavery was too important to the South to begin limiting it but the North kept trying to stop slavery. The North had begun to free slaves by the thousands well after the war. About 20,000 slaves were freed. Women also gained the power to be able to divorce their husbands. It was only available in certain colonies and the woman would lose most of her property to the man, but it was still a start. During the war, some women were actually fighting alongside the men and others helped treat soldiers back to good health. Turing point: The Battle of Saratoga Freeman’s Farm on October 7, 1777 was a major turning point of the Revolutionary War. It was a major American victory. General Gates and his army surrounded the British troops and gained a great military victory. The importance of this battle was the that other countries saw that the colonists were able to have some success. This battle was convincing France to join the colonial side. And once they saw they had great chances, the French came in and helped the American troops, who probably would have been unable to win without their assistance. This battle and more all helped things turn around for the Americans leading them to their overall victory.
Mackenzie Erbrecht Part One 1-84 In the front of the book and throughout the chapters there are many pictures and charts/graphs showing different departments, commanders of the departments and time frame of command. I predict that these bits of information will be helpful throughout the book to put words to the times, places and people. My book goes into detail about the chain of command works and I visualize a pyramid with the headquarters made up of 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant Colonel, and 1 major. The pyramid expands as the ranking is lower and there is more people. The colonists thought that their lives were unfair. They felt hatred towards their country and betrayed by England and wanted nothing more than to be free from them. They were being bossed around and taxed unfairly and they didn't want to take it anymore.
Mackenzie Erbrecht Part Two 85-160 One change that started to occur in society after the war was the belief in the equality of all people. During the War, wealthy men had joined forces with poor men who were fighting with the American Colonists. Slavery was important to the South. The North was freeing slaves by the thousands! Women are starting to get more rights such as divorcing their husbands. The Battle of Saratoga Freeman’s Farm on October 7, 1777 was a huge turning point in the War. General Gates and his army surrounded the British troops and gained a great military victory. This battle was important so that other countries saw that the colonists were able to have some success. This battle helped lead the Americans to victory. While reading part two I had started to gain some more background knowledge on the topic and was able to make connections to other information that I learned in other classes.
Paige hantz That change that you mentioned Kenzie also is most of the reason for the civil war. So in the long run it was notva very good change because it almost tore our whole "united" thing apart. If there was belief of all me created equal then why were there still slaves around if they started to believe in equality?
Aaron Mourey Part One 1-84 Reading Thoughts One important part of the war that I took special notice of is the French involvment. Though their assistance started on a smaller scale, it grew into something that was of great help to the Americans. Though America's liberty was not as important to the French, the chance to cause touble for the British was enough for France to decide to help America. The alliance became formal once the tipping point of the war occured. France jumped on that opportunity. But the real reason why France was getting involved was because they wanted to enlarge their empire at England's expense. If the French had not been involved in the Revolution, there is doubt that the Americans would've came out on top. From this, I can Preview/Predict that the American-French alliance that came from this war will lead to a strong friendship between the countries in the future. A connection I can make to that is that after the war the French built the Statue of Liberty for America. I think the most important part of the French involvment came with their strength on water. Their Navy helped America better control the seas and claim more territory. All of this help from other countries goes to show how strong Great Britains army had gotten to be and how necessary all of that help was.
Nick Smitala Post 2 Reading Thoughts Importance: The New American Revolution Handbook seemed to put the most emphasis on the Battle of Yorktown. It was one of the longer passages and also the last battle described. Lieutenant General Cornwallis had moved into Yorktown, an important inland port, but French Admiral de Grasse had sent his warships to block the Chesapeake bay. By doing this, Cornwallis could not retreat or receive supplies. General George Washington sent a large force of over 16,000 at Cornwallis and his army. They created a siege line 2 miles below Yorktown and captured two British forts, Redoubts 9 and 10, that were near Yorktown. The Franco-American forces outnumbered the British forces 2:1. Cornwallis was forced to open surrender negotiations.
Evaluation: The Americans captured 7,157 British Soldiers in the Battle of Yorktown. There was no longer a threat of the British rolling up from the south. The Americans could now focus almost all of their troops on General Clinton who was in New York. There were several small conflicts in New York before Great Britain had to start negotiating with America. The Battle of Yorktown was the most important battle looking at it from an American perspective. If that battle would have been lost we most likely would not have won the war and may not have gotten independence.
Nick, I agree that the Americans, if not won the Battle of Yorktown, would not have gained independence because that was the most important battle because it was basically the end of the war. There were no more British troops to the south, and no more to the north so all the Americans had to do after that was gain official independence after the last battle.
Andrew Stroik Part One 1-84 Reading Thoughts Question: While I was reading the chapter about how the Spanish entered the war, I wondered why the Spanish had a few settlements in North America, but a majority in South America. Couldn't the Spanish just be happy with the land and settlements and resources that they had in South America? Was it to gain more resources in the North that they weren't able to get in South America?
Big Idea/Generalizations: When I was reading about the battle of Lexington and Concord, it said that people were revolting because of the strict and harsh laws that the British put on American colonists. For example, the reason for the battle was because of the high tariffs that the British had put on the exporting and importing of goods. This seems to be a continuing trend. People aren't happy with what the government does so they revolt and try to change the laws and regulations.
Andy - I had the same question. It seems to me that the Spanish didnt really need to get involved. Why risk your country's men when you already have enough settlements in South America where there is little fighting?
I also agree with your generalization. The American Revolution was essentially a rebellion, and you see this happen often with different countries and situations throughout history. Any time a group of people feel that they are being burdened by government, they revolt and implement rules that are less oppressive.
Andrew Stroik Part One 1-84 Thinking like a historian Differing Perspectives This book is very helpful with the perspectives. The British during the battle of Freeman's Farm were beaten and broken from previous battles. Even worse they had no information about where the next battle was and the terrain that they were going to be fighting in. The Americans however, were coming off of previous victories, they knew the terrain, and had placed their troops in strategic places. Even though the British were up against the wall they forced the Americans to retreat and the British won.
Using the past: In the battle of Freeman's Farm, there are many things that have been learned as far as battle strategies go. When the British were fighting in g narrow line and the Americans were in a big group, the British were able to bend around the Americans and fight them on three sides. This is the main reason that the Americans lost that battle. In later battles, Generals never would put their army in a big group he would always have his men spread out in smaller armies or regiments.
Andrew, I agree with the fact that this book shows the perspectives of each side. I enjoy a book that shows every perspective. One thing that I know from a British perspective is that the colonies militia was very gruesome. They would ambush British troops, butchering them like a stuck pig, leaving the bloody disgusting corpses scattered where they died. Sometimes they would even do the same to British civilians, showing them no less mercy.
Andrew Stroik Part Two 85-160 Thinking like a Historian Through their eyes: Using the pictures of the Generals, they thought of them selves as rich, high ranked men in the war. They are wearing fancy clothes and hats and they have wigs on. They had a lot of money and they used it to.
Change and Continuity: From background information, the Generals of that time never really fought in the war. They stayed back behind their men and very few were killed because of battle. Most of them retreated with what was left of their me. Still today, the Commanding officers of today, don't fight on the front lines with their men. I think this is cowardly and immoral.
Andrew Stroik Part Two 85-160 Reading thoughts Evaluation: From reading about the Indians, they have helped and hurt the Americans in the American Revolution. They hurt us be helping the British find their was around the wilderness and help them scout and survive. The Indians also hurt us by fighting against us. There were a few battles over land during that time that the Indians felt they were being cheated out of. Even though they hurt us, they were a big help to us in the same way that they helped the British. We needed them because the Indians knew the land and how to live off of it successfully.
Visualize: From all the pictures that were in the second half of this book, I was able to get an idea of what times were like during the war. The camps were full of wounded that were just waiting to die. This is a picture that is in many movies, with a bunch of white tents and camp fires.
Jeffery Mead Post 3 Andrew i agree with you. The Indians did help and hurt us in the ways that you stated, but think if you had been an Indian at that same time and some "White Folk" walked up to you and said, get out of here this is my land wouldn't you react the same way. By helping the British i mean. Also think we killed thousands of Indians both before and during the Revolution. Their race is a minority mainly because of that time period.
Aaron Mourey Post 2 85-160 Reading Like a Historian
Cause and Effect: When war erupted in America, there had not been much improvement in technology. America was an underdog without the help of its allies and was looking for something to give them an edge. Therefore new technology started developing, a main example of that being the submarine. David Bushnell, the creator of the submarine, gave the Americans more power throughout the war. With the support of Benjamin Franklin, Bushnell got everyone to like his idea. Today, submarines play a huge part in warfare on the seas, an everlasting effect of Bushnell's work.
Change and Continuity: There are ideas that emerged from the Revolution that are still used today. Some of these changes forced were upon them. When the invention of the submarine came about, it was effective, but it wasn't totally affective. As the use of submarines continued, changes were made to submarine apparatus and today they are very beneficial to our Navy. During the revolution, biological warfare also was discovered and used. Biological Warfare is something still used to this day. There haven't been many changes to it besides the actual disease used. This shows that the Revolutionary War helped create change - both good and bad - that still are important today.
Aaron, I completely agree with the cause and effect of the submarine during the war and how all new technology played a huge role. I also think that technology has changed alot sense the American Revolution. Another big invention outside of the submarine was the first breech-loading rifle adopted for military use which played a huge role in the war and has had a lasting impact for new loading mechanisms today. I believe that we will continue to see change in the weapons industry for a while and will continue to improvement in all of technology. Overall, I couldn't agree more with your concepts and ideas.
The colonies victory in Saratoga caused countries like France, and spain to show faith in them. With this huge turning point in the Revolt, the colonies gained the alliance of France. The colonies, most likely wouldn't have won the war without foreign assistance from France. With countries like France and Spain in the rebellion, Britain was spread dangerously thin. This helped the colonists to victory immensely. Washington even put French people like Marie Jean Paul Roch Yves Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette in command of troops. Marie and his men participated in the capture of redoubt. Even back then, black people were allowed to fight in the revolution, but they were mostly allowed by Spain and France. When Spain joined the revolution, the British had to improve their fortifications against Spanish aggression. Spain dominated the battles in Florida Causing the British Mobile to surrender in May.
Overall the act of war has remained the same. The only thing different is the methods used for the fighting. There is always a reason for each side to fight, whether it's religion, survival, for peace, or anything else. War is war. This war brought upon technology like the submarine. This added a new dimension to warfare. through the revolution we became America, so all our loss, and bloodshed was worth it in the end, and we are one of the best countries, with one of the most interesting beginnings.
Paige Hantz post 2 I know this might be a stupid question but if by the time the war ended they started to believe in equality then if they so believe that then why were there still slaves in the south? One of the major turning points that I think there was the seige of charleston. Eventhough both sides lost alot of their weapons and people, tue Americans lost more than the British. Which leads me to think that with about 2,000 men not in commission anymore and with it being towards the end of the war, the Americans would have thought that they were going to loose. Not only because of that but by this point they had less men than what they started with. I think what the people were thinking at this point of the book was that the Americans had to win and can not back down. If they were to loose then Britian would come down even harder than they did before the war with all of the taxes the king put in everything.
Rachel Feit Post 1 Reading Thoughts: Importance The American Revolutionary Handbook, puts much emphisis on key battles such as the Battle of Yorktown and The Battle of Saratoga. The book also mentions key Generals, however I like how the book also devotes a chapter to the Women of the American Revolution. Women's important roles in wars are often forgot about and I think it is good that the book mentions women. For example on page 134 it states that women eld fuding drives to support the war. The Ladies Association in Philadelphia collected donations that were crutial for the soldiers. Additionally, women even spied on the enemies in the war. Overall, I think it's great that a womans importance wasn't forgotten in this influencial story.
Through their eyes: The people living in the United States at the time were very unsatisfied with their lives. They thought by coming to a new country it would be full of opportunity, however that was just the opposite. They felt betrayed and powerless. The colonists had good reason for their feelings. With reoccuring events such as the Boston Masacre where British soldiers fired into a mob which killed 5 Americans. All in all, the colonists felt betrayed by England and all they wanted was their freedom.
Rachel Feit Post 2: Big Idea: Correlating with many other people's thoughts, The Battle of York Town was very significant and I'm glad the Handbook put so much emphasis on it. To begin the battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolution. About 5,500 French soldiers reached America in 1780. They were lead by General Rochambeau, the people wished to surround the British in New York, however, a large fleet was headed toward Virginia. Soon the Americans approached and in late September 1781, The English knew that they were in trouble. A combined French and American force surrounded them at Yorktown. Their later defeat at Yorktown brought a new group of British ministers to power early in 1782. They began peace talks with the Americans. This is why the Battle was so influencial.
Questions: While I was reading I really didn't understand why the Loyalists didn't want to separate from the British. I understand that they thought that England was the number one power in the world and some even feared the power of England, but they were being treated so poorly it confused me why they wouldn't just go along with almost all of the other colonists.
Haley Nordlund, Post 2 I understand where your confusion is coming from. The book didn't really explain this well and I am also wondering the same question. I feel as though the Loyalists didn't want to separate because they were so scared.They were too frightened to sparate from them.
Mitchell Depke: Post 1, pg. 1-84 Reading Thoughts Importance: This book emphasizes two important parts of the American Revolution in part one of the book; the soldiers and battles/ campaigns. The book does a great job of showing the roles that other nations played in the American Revolution and showed how nations contributed to either side of the war. The book shows the development of the several nations’ armies; including the American, British, French, Spanish, Hessian, and the Dutch. The book also put a lot of work into covering important battles that took place during the American Revolution. These included battles like the Battle of Long Island, The Siege of Yorktown, and the battle of Lexington and Concord. In the first part of the book Savas and Dameron were showing the importance of other countries help throughout the war and how countries like the Spanish and French not only provided assistance to the colonies but also fought against the British. They also provided a great deal of detail on the major battles of the war and tried to send a clear message of the outcome and impact those battles had. Evaluation: The information provided in the first part of the book goes along with what I already know and gave me a better understanding about the American Revolution. The book gave lots of information on other nations role in the war, which I haven’t seen in most books but the information given supported and strengthened what others said and what I already know. Many of the battles shown in the first part of the book have had a huge impact on the outcome of the war and have had a huge impact of society today.
TLH Differing Perspectives: The book was definitely writer from American perspective but the authors did a great job of showing different perspectives from many of the nations. When the authors discussed the soldiers in the war they did a good job of showing the nations armies from their perspective. They also did a good job of showing the American and British perspectives during the battles. The book showed what the American view and the British view on every battle. The book is mainly from an American perspective but also was able to show the British side of things and also brought in perspectives from the French and Spanish side. I would have to agree with the American perspective because I obviously believe in what they were fighting for but I also took the British perspective into account. Turning Points: There were many turning points in part one of this book which was mainly the battles of the war. The first battle that was a turning point in the book was the battles of Lexington and Concord which afterwards provided popular support for an armed revolution for the colonies. There were also battles like the fight on Long Island that were bad for the Americans and drove confidence away when being defeated. One huge battle was the siege of Yorktown that assured the end of the war and a victory for the Americans.
Mitchell Depke: Post 2, pg. 85-160 Reading Thoughts Importance: In part two of the book, the book went into detail about the importance of the British and American leaders during the war by stressing leaders like Sir Henry Clinton, Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, and General Sir William Howe of the British. Then the book also highlighted leaders on the American side like George Washington, General Nathanael Greene, and General Horatio Gates. The book showed the importance of the Natives Americans, African Americans, and Women and their roles in the war. The last important thing shown in part two of the book was the prisoners of the war and how they were treated on opposing sides, and the technology that came out of the war. The authors were trying to send a clear message on how impactful the natives, blacks, and women were during the war and how it was just between American and British men. Evaluation: The information from part two of the book was very useful and helped me in understanding all aspects of the war. The book provided a better understanding on how African Americans and Women played a role in the war. The books information was way more detailed than any other resource on this topic and strengthened my knowledge on that part of the war. The book also showed the impact that the different leaders had on history and how they each played their own role in the outcome of the war. THL Differing Perspectives: The perspective of part two of the book was definitely American again but the authors also included what the British believed again and added what the Native American, African American, women, and prisoners thought of the war. The book showed what the Native Americans thought about their land getting taken and how they joined forces with the British, while also showing what the African Americans thought about being able to fight in the war and how equality between blacks and whites was slowly coming together. I would again have to agree with the Americans perspective on the American Revolution and their ideas and concepts. Change and Continuity: Once the war had ended some things stayed but other things were a complete change. One big change was the colonies. The colonies faced many problems between each other and were much unorganized. The colonies also had different forms of currency, but things did change over time with documents like the Articles of Confederation and such. Another change was the prisons during the time. Prisoners were given very little and tortured during the American Revolution. Although now there are regulations for prisons to follow and the prison system has become better and prisoners receive clothes and food along with visitation and free hour times.
Haley Nordlund, Post 1 Reading Thoughts The New American Revolution Handbook does an excellent job of explaining the importances of each key battle that occured during this war. Another sole importance to the war was the chapter devoted to the "Women of the American Revolution". This chapter was my personal favorite because the womens role in the war is so often forgotten and the book did a nice job of including them. The book also highlights key Generals and other individuals that were important to the success of the war. The many pictures and maps that were included throughout the novel helped broaden the spectrum of imformation that I took away from the story. The one question that I did have was why the Loyalists didn't want to separate from the British. They were treated so badly that I didn't quite understand why they had stayed "with" the British.
Hannah Hart Post 3 I completely agree with all of your points. Especially the one about the loyalists not wanting to separate. I never took that perspective and realize that them staying with the British doesn't make sense at all. They didn't really have any benefit of staying with them especially after the war. They probably moved back to England after the war anyway because people didn't want to be around loyalists and people against now the United States' own government.
Haley Nordlund, Post 3 Thinking Like a Historian The different perspectives that were shown on the key battles throughout the story were helpful in a way that wouldn't have been without them. The perspectives that were shown in the Lexington and Concard, Battles of Boston Campaign were that the Britsih authorities were closely focused on the export businesses. Protestors were shot down due to protests and rebellions. In February of 1775 Parliament declared the colony of Massachusetts open rebellion and authorized British troops to kill violent rebels. The American perspective was that they dispised the British authorities for their heavy handed tactics. These double perspectives helped see both sides of all the key battles that were highlighted in the story.
Hannah Hart Post 1 Questions: If the Netherlands didn’t have a strong army then why did they enter the war? Yes they were enemies with Great Britain and wanted nothing but to add more “power” to the fight but why waste the effort, money, and supplies if you know they’ll win. The Netherlands lost every battle they went into or thought they won one but lost many men and supplies so the only thing left to contribute was money. To me it seemed like a pointless fight for them. Another thing is the fact that they wouldn’t sign the Treaty of Paris until many months later is another mystery. It may be that the book just doesn’t go into depth with their part in the war but the way the author describes it the Netherlands just wanted to be in it because they didn’t like Great Britain. Imagine if Great Britain was to win, what would have happened to the Netherlands then? War is very expensive and can come at a high price. The small gain for a large loss at the end of the Revolution. --Another question I have is how are people to understand parts of this book if they don’t know about war? The vocabulary is very particular. Platoons and regiments, it could be better explained so the comprehension could be greater. It’s a lot of information to soak in. Evaluation: Overall I think this book did an amazing job summarizing the events, people, and techniques of war. Most of this information was very knew to me but the basic facts were the same as I already knew just elaborated. The part that was the best was when they gave both Great Britain and the Colonists point of views of the battles or time periods. Also the visuals were fantastic it made understanding and visualizing ten times clearer. Seeing the things makes you remember it more. With the amount of information held in such a little book visuals helped a ton. Using the past: We can use the past as example to stick up for what we believe is wrong, like the Boston Tea Party. It was the Tea Act that threw Colonists over the edge but if they wouldn’t have revolted the way they did nothing would have happened. If no Colonists protested our country would be a different place now. So we can look at our past as a country and be inspired. Protest, stand up against even the ultimate of power because the benefits can be historic and change lives for the United States citizens in ways unimaginable before. The courage of the first settlers of our nation is a learning experience that many people mirror today. We take pride in our history. Cause and Effect: If Great Britain didn’t have such a powerful status, people wouldn’t have hated them. No one would have become alliances with the United States when we went to war. Through the pure facts and statements of my book colonists wouldn’t have survived the brutal attack of the elite, strict being of the Great Britain’s army. The colonies couldn’t have ever lived up to the naval force of the French. Without defense at sea tons of British ships could have moved in and released millions of soldiers on our land. Then all of our focus would be on the coast and we wouldn’t last on the inland battles. Each ally played a significant role tot eh success of the colonists and without them there would be no United States today.
Hannah Hart Post 2 Preview/Predict: Looking through this book I could tell that it is like a paper. It has the intro, which gives you a background on whose involved, how things are set up, and where things take place. Then it gets to the “Body’ of the book. Included in this section is all of the battles, the commander, and the visual maps of everything that took place. The real story is behind each battle who won what they won, why it was fought there and the significance of each fight. Finally comes the closing which puts the whole Revolution into perspective. This organization of the book makes the battles mean more and easier to understand. The title of each chapter fit completely and made each section easy to pick apart and look back. Previewing the book overall helped readers realize that it would be a book with many visuals and easy to understand Connections: I’ve noticed that through our struggle for independence so early in history we’ve been a role model for other countries or groups. For a recent example the Iraqi people wanted to break away from its dictatorship. We were like France, Spain, and the Netherlands was to us. Without us they would have never been free from execution and a government they didn’t agree with. So in a lot of ways we helped a country that used to be like us. Different Perspectives: Other perspectives would be the British version. The British version would contain the complete opposite position. The colonists would be viewed as the enemy, as if everything they did was to hurt the crown. The readers might even side with the British on what they did to the Colonists to make sure the government was running smoothly. After all the people still living in Great Britain didn’t seem to have such a big problem with it. Another perspective could be of a third party country. One who is observing and hearing about all the events going on in the world but not getting involved. What they hear or think of the event would be a totally new and an interesting outlook. Through Their Eyes: The colonists viewed their world as a prison. They moved to this new world where they thought they would be free to live their life the way they wanted to but found that to be the opposite. Life was very hard for Colonists and on top of trying to survive in this new world they had to pay taxes upon taxes for the goods that kept them alive. In the mind of a Colonist they had no choice but to stand up for themselves and to be their own identity. It was either fight or live the rest of their lives in misery. As groups began to just voice their discomfort with the new taxes they were to be said rebels and given “babysitters.” This enraged the colonists even more and that rage just built up inside which led to the ultimatum of war. So all in all it was the thinking that they were being bossed around and couldn’t live and do things on their own that led to the freedomz of the United States people today.
Robert Kuske Part 3 I totally agree about that the book was very well written. What I don't agree with though is that you say that its about who won the battles and what they won. I believe that its not just about who won its about who lost and what they lost too and how that affected them.
Jeffery Mead Post 1 pg 1-84 Preview/Predict: At the beginning of the book I was surprised to find a whole bunch of famous quotes from people like Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, George Washington, Samuel and John Adams, John Hancock and many more. Some of which made me smile like John Hancock’s famous quote “There, I guess King George will be able to read that.” He said this after writing his name large on the Declaration of Independence. Also while flipping through the book I noticed many pictures and maps, I believe that those maps and pictures will give me a better understanding of the information in the book. Questions: Personally I don’t understand why the authors of this book did not go into more detail on the events leading up to the American Revolution. Such as: the French and Indian War, the Boston Massacre and all the taxes on imported and exported goods. These events were big reasons as to why the Colonists wanted their freedom. Also while reading the chapter on the Spanish involvement in the Revolution I couldn’t quiet understand why they would want to get involved, to me it seemed like there was little to gain and much to lose. Connections: When I started to read this book I realized that I would need to use some past knowledge and some research to fully understand what the book was stating. I made some connections with past classes I took and past videos I had watched.
Jeffery Mead Post 2 pg 84-160 Cause and Effect: Tensions between the Indian tribes and the Colonists were at breaking points. The Indians did not want the Colonists taking their land and forcing them to move west. The Indians ended up siding with the British and helping them navigate through the wilderness and teaching them how to survive. The Colonists made change happen, by standing up for what they believed in and fighting for it no matter the price. About only one-third of the Colonists wanted the separation from Britain they still had family and other ties to Britain. For example some had been born there and had moved to the New World looking for a new beginning not a war. The separation from Britain was intentional. The loss of multiple lives in the search of freedom was accidental. Change and Continuity: Before the American Revolution women, African Americans, and Indians were all looked at as second-class citizens. After the American Revolution with the involvement of all three lead to laws and rights for all of them; such as, the ability for women to divorce there husbands and the start of the end of slavery. Still today we have discrimination against other races and women. True discrimination is not overwhelming anymore like it was in the past but it still exists today. Women are not treated the same as men in the sense that they can both have the same job but the male will normally have the higher salary. Turning Points: The Battles of Lexington and Concord were major turning points for the Colonists. These battles brought popular support for an armed revolution. Two-Thirds of the Colonists did not agree with the Revolutionary thoughts of their times. They didn’t agree with the reasons for the separation to occur. Using The Past: The past gives us a view of what life has been like, it gives us experience in certain areas and that experience comes from failures and successes. It helps us make sense of the present because the present has already been repeated many times before. We can learn form the past by looking into history through reading books, journals, and diaries from the time period in which we want to learn. Through Their Eyes: In the eyes of the Colonists the world was torturous and the British were controlling them. The British were taxing everything from tea to ink, exports to imports. This is why the Colonists rebelled they wanted freedom. Patrick Henry once said in 1775, “Give me liberty or give me Death.” That is what some Colonists wanted. The British saw the Revolution as a threat against the crown. They would do anything to keep their beliefs and government intact. Both views became mad at the opposing side, which made both sides reckless; the British wanted to keep control and the Colonists wanted freedom so both sides were going to do everything to get what they wanted. Differing Perspectives: During the revolutionary war there were many children that were affected by the multiple issues that were brought through the decision to got to war with Britain, they were affected by the loss of their parents. I personally agree with all perspectives, meaning that I see why the colonists revolted and I can see the reasoning why the British acted the way they did. They wanted to maintain in charge and in control.
Reading Thoughts: I enjoyed that this book told both sides of the revolutionary war instead of just the Patriots side. I thought it was very interesting to know about how France felt about England at the time. Turning Points: I think that because France decided to help the Patriots it was a turning point in the war because they now had trained soldiers and a little bit more equipment. I also agree with Ryan that the British screwed themselves over by putting up rules that Catholics couldn't fight in the war. Using The Past: I believe that this book can help us make sense of the present because its just like the revolutionary wars that go on in like Africa or the Middle East except most of them are fighting about religion.
Reading Thoughts: As I kept reading into the last half of the book I began to realize that the British only thought that the war was just another war to them. They didn't realize that the Patriots were fighting because they got tired of taxes and being controlled by the government. I think that if King George III was smart he would have let the colonies free reign but still have some control over them kind of like a dog on a long leash, the dog has a lot of free roaming space but when it strays too far it gets yanked back to its owner. He obviously wasn't too smart though because he taxed the colonies a lot and even more when they got even more mad. When the colonists became angry they boycotted resources going and coming from England. That caused England to run out of most resources which helped the Patriots. Although while the Patriots were busy boycotting and fighting in the war, all the money was going towards the militia to fight and so as a result the economy wasn't very good. Change And Continuity: There has been a lot that has changed since the Revolutionary War and now and the major thing is that electronics was introduced which I believe has not only a good side but a bad side to it. The good side is that we can now innovate and make new weapons and means of communication. The bad side is that when we are communicating to each other the enemy can sometimes listen in on what we are saying and they couldn't do that before unless there was a spy. Through Their Eyes: The people in the past viewed their world as advanced and they were worried a lot about finding more resources and gaining more power.
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I'm thinking about doing an English Literature with Creative Writing undergraduate degree course, beginning in 2010. Initially, I just wanted to study English, but recently I've decided I might be better suitable for English Literature with Creative Writing. Are there any universities which are especially good for English and creative writing? Many of the universities I had formed previously been taking a look at don't provide the course, and also the Times University Guide only offers an English league table. All answers appreciated! (-:.
Dylan Resch: Post 1, p.1-p.84
ReplyDeleteThinking Like a Historian
-Perspectives-
It seemed to me that the beginning of the war was always the most important, yet I didn't truly know who started it. Was it the British's fault for their "excessive taxes" placed on the colonies matched without giving them "representation" in Parliament? No. The taxes weren't harsh and we didn't want representation. Clearly the Americans wanted their liberty, most of them for their own reasons, and once we wanted it there was no going back until we had it. There is way I can really understand why at this time we wanted to or even thought we could defeat the greatest army and navy in the world at the time. There is no way but this quote by George Washington, "Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." As the colonies grow increasingly rebellious, with the creation of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and The Boston Tea Party, the crown becomes aware that the colonies are preparing (poorly by way)for war. When the British reach Lexington Green it is the Americans who take the first shot and therefore it is the Americans who are on the offensive and the British the defense of the war. This would mean to be completely differing perspective on the war, the Americans have a wondrous cause with heart and the will to die for liberty while the British are only trying to protect their assets.
-Turning Point-
There are a few things that Washington cannot change about his army, like how he has a shortage of men, ammunition, support, food, and everything else an army needs. One thing that will either keep the effort going and growing or fall apart is morale. The only way to get it is to win. After successfully defending Boston Washington predicted that the British would move to take New York City. He was right. After a few tries at general for the defense of Long Island Washington decides poorly to put Putnam in charge. General Lord William Howe easily defeats Putnam's defenses and then decides to regroup as night falls and attack Washington the next day because Howe thought that he had Washington trapped. Under heavy fog and rain early the next morning Washington and his men narrowly escape. Only an hour later when the weather clears the British navy moved in. If General Howe had just decided to attack the war would have ended right there in 1776, but with bad decisions and a little luck it didn't end. It was a huge morale blow, but at least for the rebels the war was not yet over.
Dylan Resch: Post 1, p.1-p.84
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
-Importance-
Whether it was the teacher to blame or my ignorance to fact there were a few, and only a few, things that before reading this book I knew about the American Revolution. I know that there were slightly more items on this list that I was taught, but this is what I remembered because it seemed important. I knew about Paul Revere's ride, the Boston Tea Party, and the fact that the American's won the Revolution. Sad, I know, but the more I learned as I read this book the more I realized how much I didn't know about the war. It troubles me to know that so little is known by so many about the most important war in American history. Of course there has to be a line drawn that indicates what is important to teach what is not, but to me everything about this war is entirely relevant and important. Here is a list of things that shocked me because I didn't know them: In addition to France and Spain, the Netherlands were an American ally; there were 25,000 loyal Americans, 10,000 Indians, and 29,867 Hessians fighting for Britain; John Paul Jones, an American Naval Captain, had two trips around Great Britain where he led the only attack on British soil; the final battle fought in the American Revolution took place off the coast of India when a fleet of British warships attacked a fleet of French warships.
-Connections-
While reading about the Boston Tea Party I remembered what I had heard while watching every last minute of Olympic coverage, the average British citizen consumes approximately five cups of tea a day. I know, and then I realized that there is certainly not that kind of obsession over tea in America. We enjoy a cup of coffee far more than tea and yet our consumption rate is nowhere near five cups a day per person. So I did a little bit more research and found out that after the Boston Tea party and the war it was considered unpatriotic to drink tea. Soon colonist discovered they could import coffee from central and South America. By the early 1900's Americans were consuming half of all the coffee produced around the world. How interesting?
Brennah Fulton Post 1 Part 1
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Questioning: This book never really explained anything about the events that lead to the Revolution, why the colonies were so unhappy, or how they had a chance at defeating England who had the best and strongest military at the time, so I decided to do some more research on these topics to get a better understanding on why there was a Revolution. I discovered that the opposition from the colonies started after the French and Indian war. England won the war but the result of that was major debt. In order to get back money Parliament decided to heavily tax the colonies, which the colonies did not respond well to. The colonies also thought that since England won they would be able to expand into the new western frontier, but then the Proclamation of 1763 was established which prohibited them from creating any settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains and made existing establishments in that territory move out. This angered them because they had been so excited to expand and England easily took that away from them; they started to resent England because of how much they controlled what the colonists could and couldn’t do. The biggest result from the war and the proclamation was how quickly the colonies and England started to despise and distrust one another.
Another major cause leading to the American Revolution was the Stamp Act. The stamp act was the first direct British tax on the colonists and it stated that every newspaper, pamphlet, legal document, and advertisement had to have a British stamp on it, which cost money. This infuriated all of the colonies who staged protests like no taxation without representation and they even formed the Stamp Act Congress. Things became violent when people started to harass and injure the revenue officials. Things got so out of hand that the British Government decided to repeal the Stamp Act. England made things worse again when immediately after repealing the stamp act they passed the Declaratory Act which stated that England was in charge of the colonies “in all cases whatsoever” and could create laws and taxes for the colonies as they pleased. All this did was provide the colonists with more rage and made them want to be free even more.
One last major event leading to the revolt was the Townshend Acts. These put taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Charles Townshend knew that people in England needed tax relief, but he also wanted to reduce England’s national debt, and decided to instead tax the colonies in order to do that. This once again gave the colonies a reason to hate England and in defiance the colonists didn’t accept the imports from England and instead went without these items or made their own. Eventually England repealed all of the taxes except the one on tea, but these acts had already angered the colonies and caused the Boston Massacre, which proved that to them that England was untrustworthy.
These are just a few of the many things that lead to the actual American Revolution and as you can see the colonist’s idea to revolt was not spontaneous or unprompted; they had been dealing with years of unfairness from England and could no longer trust England, which is why they needed to rebel. All of the wrongdoings from England that angered them gave them the spark they needed to decide to revolt even though England had the most powerful army and the colonists barely knew how to fight. They were able to win because of their courage and passion as well as from the help they got from Spain and France for providing them with soldiers, leaders, and weapons.
Rachel Feit
DeleteComment 1:
I strongly agree with you, Brennah. The book could have had greater impact if it had stated the key events that led up to the main events that the story talks about. By mentioning the Boston Masacre, The Stamp Act, The French and Indian War, or the Boston Tea Party I believe that the readers could have gotten a better grasp on the American Revolutions importance.
Brennah Fulton Part 1 Post 1
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Importance (summarizing):This book puts a lot of significance on the Battle of Lexington and Concord since it’s where the Revolution first started, and as my second reading thought I’m going to summarize this important battle.
On April 18, 1775 General Thomas Gage quietly sent British troops into Boston to take the military materials in Concord. Three spies Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott heard about the attack and were able to give warning that the British were coming. Captain John Parker assembled his minutemen in Lexington and waited for the British; they soon realized they were outnumbered and retreated, but shots were taken and lives were lost. This didn’t stop the British who continued to march to Concord. At Concord Maj. John Buttrick and his 400 farmers/merchants were assembled and fought the arriving British army. The British retreated after more minutemen kept arriving and withdrew back to Lexington. They didn’t know that waiting for them in Lexington was Captain John Parker and his remaining men where they ambushed the British and killed many of their men; this ambush is known as “Parker’s Revenge.”
This battle showed the British that the colonies were going to fight back and proved that they could fight back and be successful even though they didn’t have a powerful army like England. This battle boosted the confidence of the colonies while discouraging the British who were embarrassed they were defeated.
Marissa LaVigne
DeletePost 3
I completely agree with your thoughts about why you believe the Battle of Lexington and Concord were important. It was a great starting point for the Americans to prove themselves to the British basically. When you are fighting against the greatest military, it may nerve-racking and unsure feelings about the outcome, however the Americans took this battle to show who they are and that they really care about what they are fighting for. The confidence gained in this important battle may also be the reason for their victory in the Siege of Yorktown.
Chris Thompson Post 3. Comment.
DeleteI also agree with Lexington and Concord being the starting point for the Americans to prove themselves to the Britsh. This was basicly a confidence booster for the Americans and that confidence carried through to the other battles during the war. I would almost say that the Americans thought by winning the Battle of Lexington and Concord they thought that they would win the war.
Brennah Fulton Part 2 Post 1
ReplyDeleteReading like a Historian
Through their eyes: The colonists viewed their lives as unsatisfactory, unfair, and unjust. They felt hatred and anger towards their mother country that was supposed to watch over them and help them. They felt betrayed by England and wanted nothing more than to be free from England. They were being taxed unreasonably and were constantly being told what they could and couldn’t do by the Declaratory Act.
England felt as though the colonists were untrustworthy and ungrateful. The British felt that they were above the colonists who were farmers. They never saw the colonists as a threat since England had the best military at the time and realized too late how much the colonies wanted to be free and underestimated them greatly.
Differing Perspectives: This book isn’t really told through the colonist’s or England’s perspective. It is more about specific facts told about both sides. The book talks a lot about battles and who won them, how other countries were involved, and important people. Most of the other articles and information I’ve read is all through the colonist’s eyes and how they were the victims who turned into courageous heroes after defeating England’s powerful military. I use to truly believe that the colonists were these poor victims trying to fight for the freedom that they deserved, but I realized that this was because I had never read anything through England’s eyes and never got to hear about their side of the story. I realized this after I read Miranda Hogan’s post on how she believed that the colonists were to blame for starting the Revolution because of their violent and childish actions and not England with all of its unfair taxations. By reading her post I am starting to understand why England had to have such a tight grip on what the colonists did, but I also believe that while the colonists may have taken some things too far, they had to act drastically to get England’s attention and to get what they wanted accomplished. England wasn’t going to just let them be free, the colonists had to take action and become violent otherwise nothing was going to change.
Chris Thompson Post one. Pages 1-84.
ReplyDeleteThis book did not explain or go into detail about the events leading up to the war, so I decided to look up what angered the colonists and lead them to declare war on Great Brittan. Through my research I found that it was the spike in taxes that drove the colonies to war. The Sugar act increased taxes on non-British goods shipped to the colonies. The Currency act prohibited American colonies from issuing their own currency and this angered many American colonists. The British made the American colonists angered with the Quartering Act, which forced the colonies to provide an area to sleep and supplies to British troops. Then I found what many call the "final straw" for the American colonists. It taxed newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, broadsides, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. Issued by Britain, the stamps were placed on the items to show that the tax had been paid. This research cleared up the confusion for me in the events leading to the American Revolution.
Although this book was vague in the events leading to the American Revolution it was great at portraying the other countries that had a hand in the Revolutionary War. Before reading this book I thought that only the American Colonies and Great Brittan had fought the war, but now I know that the colonists had the Spanish, the French, and the Dutch fighting for them and helping them out as much as possible. The British had the Tories or the Loyalists (the colonists who supported Brittan) and the Germans also supported the British. When I reached the maps section of this book I was very impressed with the detail and the explanations it gave of the battles. It really helped me understand the timeline of the Revolutionary War.
Brennah Fulton
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts Post 2
Big Idea/Generalizations: One major reason the colonists were successful was because of the strong leaders they had. The colonists didn’t have any fighting experience; they were mostly farmers and merchants. They didn’t know how to attack the most powerful army at the time and wouldn’t have been able to if it hadn’t been for leaders like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson. All of these people stepped up and played important roles in the American Revolution. George Washington alone was a major contributor to the success of the patriots. He was appointed to be the commander in chief of the new continental army by the second continental congress and had to train 14,000 men with no military experience. Washington never gave up even when things seemed impossible. An example of this is the winter at Valley Forge. Washington and his men had been waiting helplessly at Valley Forge for a long time; they were freezing, starving, cramped, and sick. Even in these horrible conditions Washington was able to encourage his men and lead them across the Delaware River and into Trenton, New Jersey where he lead the very successful surprise attack and defeated the 1500 Hessians there. The victory at the Battle of Trenton proved to people how powerful, effective, and persistent Washington was which later on contributed to his being elected the first President. Another great leader the patriots had was Benjamin Franklin. He played the important role of encouraging the colonies to fight and inspiring the colonies to be united against England with his “join or die” cartoon of the cut up snake. This cartoon showed the colonies that England was the reason that this snake was not a whole and that by joining the fight the snake could become powerful once again; it was also used as a symbol of American unity and independence. He also was able to convince France to help the colonies, which the colonies so desperately needed because France gave them soldiers and weapons that they didn’t have enough of. Without the help of France the patriots could not have won the war. Lastly, Benjamin Franklin wrote and helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris which ended the war. Another persuasive leader, Patrick Henry, was able to get the colonists fired up with anger and hope at his “if this be treason” speech where he ended it with “give me liberty, or give me death.” He showed the colonists that they had had enough, now was the time to take action and get what they wanted. He showed them that if he couldn’t have freedom he would rather die than always have England control what they do and a lot of colonists agreed with him and his speech encouraged them to get started. Next, Thomas Paine is the famous author of his pamphlet called Common Sense where he was able to very simply explain to colonists why they should have the right to be free. He inspired many to want to be free and helped the fight by instilling the idea of American Independence into their hearts. One last leader who was significant is Thomas Jefferson and he is important for writing the Declaration of Independence. This document showed the colonists that fighting against England had been the right choice and they got to rejoice over all of the new rights they had, and Thomas Jefferson went on to become the third President. Without all of these leaders and everything they did I don’t think that the colonists could have won the war. They would have been disorganized and would have given up hope if it hadn’t been for these key people. All of these leaders played crucial roles in organizing the colonists, giving them hope, and encouraging them to fight on. I believe that with anything in life leaders are needed, otherwise things cannot get accomplished, or more struggles occur without strong leadership and people taking action and charge.
Brennah Fulton
ReplyDeleteReading like a Historian post 2
Change and continuity: After the war was over a lot of things changed. The colonies faced many problems even after they got their independence from England. Things were so disorganized, crazy, and chaotic. They had no central government, no postal system, and no monetary or currency system. All of the states were doing separate things, so money in one colony was worth nothing in a different one. In order to get some organization The Articles of Confederation were created and they gained President George Washington. The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution and it gave the power to the states instead of one person; it was meant to unite the colonies in a friendship and make the national government weak. Even with all of the problems the colonies faced, they ultimately gained their independence and gained pride from defeating England even with the odds stacked against them. England on the other hand lost their pride and they lost the respect from other countries that use to view England as all powerful. They lost control and strength when the colonies defeated them, so the patriots gained more and benefited more than England did in the end.
Turning Points: The victory at the battle of Yorktown was the major turning point in the war. Washington and another French commander were able to get British General Cornwallis to surrender Yorktown and his British soldiers and sailors were forced to go to colonial war camps. England had needed reinforcements that never made it and the ending of this battle brought an end to the war and lead to the signing of the Treaty of Paris and the colonies’ freedom. If the British’s reinforcements and extra troops had made it and if the French didn’t assist Washington and his troops, the British would have won this battle and the war would have continued on. If the war continued on the British would have become stronger and the outcome of the Revolutionary war could have been very different.
Josh Merchant Post 1
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Questions: I am wondering why this is the first book that I have read that puts so much emphasis on other countries during the American Revolution. The authors say time and time again that if the Americans did not have help from France, Spain, and the Netherlands that the Americans may not have won the war. While I was aware of France's involvement, I did not know the extent of their involvement. They claim that without France’s navy, the British would have completely dominated the seas. Also; the authors say that the involvement of France, Spain, and the Netherlands forced the British to spread their forces thin and take focus away from the Americans. The authors claim that this allowed the American’s young and undertrained army to defeat the most powerful army in the world. I am wondering why this is the first book that has shown the importance of American allies in the revolutionary war. If American Allies are the reason we won, why don’t other authors of text books and history books show the significance of the American Allies in the war?
Importance: Like others have said I am wondering why this book never explained the beginning of the war. I feel that too truly understand the war you must understand why it started. I feel that the authors missed this and therefor the book isn’t as strong as it could be. I only found one place where it talks about the beginning of the war. It says that almost everything was heavily taxed and regulated, and that those were two reasons that may have started the war. I am wondering why the author didn’t dive into this very important topic and wonder how they missed this. While the authors missed the beginning of the war, they go into great detail about the individual battles and that really helped me understand both parties reasoning to fight. I always thought that they just fought wherever they met, but now I understand the reasoning of each battle and understand the war more complexly.
Reading like a historian
Cause and Effect: The most important illustration of cause and effect happens during the battle of Long Island. Howe and the British had almost perfectly executed their war plan and had the Americans trapped. But throughout the fighting a heavy wind had been blowing. That same wind stopped Howe’s warships from moving behind the American army. This allowed Washington to gather boats and move his army across the river. This escaped prevented the British from ending the war and allowed the Americans to fight another day. Without that heavy wind, the world may be a very different place.
Differing perspectives: The Americans felt that they were being taxed very heavily without representation. This angered them, a lot. Personally I agree with the early Americans. If a government is going to decide what is best for its people, shouldn’t the people get a say. That is exactly what the Americans were fighting for, an idea, freedom and democracy. I believe that a chance at a better life for not only you, but for a nation is just reason for a war and therefor I agree with the American’s perspective on unfair representation.
Marissa LaVigne
ReplyDeletePost 1
Reading Thoughts
Connections: Throughout the reading of the battles from Lexington and Concord to the siege of Charleston I discovered a major connection between the fighting between the Americans and the British. The fighting has a trend between the two which is that each country has at least one battle or more that defeats the other and gain confidence within themselves and progress even further with a greater defeat. However, the trend always ends by the opposing side with some brilliant idea that completely turns around the war with the greatest defeat. I believe that the two sides learn off of each other and follow the others successes. The trend is an important connection showing how the war progressed and the new strategies and understanding that was gained on both of the sides. The trend is shown for example is the Battle of the British Isles, the attack may not have had an impact on the war at all, but in a whole helped to boost American morale. When one side gains that needed confidence, the trend shows an enormous defeat. The British also show the trend turning sides in the siege of Charleston.
Importance: I believe that the Siege of Charleston was a very important battle that was fought in the war.
The Siege of Charleston took place through April 18- May 12, 1780 in the southern colonies. This battle was an important turning point for the British as it "was one of the most disastrous American defeats of the entire Revolution." The victory for the British may have been a positive aspect, however it led to greater ideas for the British. A new theory approached the British to capture all of the colonies. The British's' plan at first succeeded as they controlled a majority of Georgia, and moving into South Carolina. Their greatest mistake was freeing the American militiamen who had sworn allegiance to the King, which returned to the field after their release and continued fighting. This battle showed both the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing sides and was a major event in the Revolution.
Reading Like a Historian
Change and Continuity: Throughout the Revolution many things remained the same such as the approaches of every battle and the majority of the fighting styles. The reason for the battles to remain the same are because of the successes that occurred and the desire to repeat them. Many things changed however dealing with the Revolution. The sides not only improved their fighting techniques, but also evolved to capturing opposing sides men and weaponry. The war evolved greatly with the new techniques and understandings of how to earn success and sides were greatly benefited from the changes. The changes created the war to expand to a global conflict bringing in other countries. The change leading into countries joining sides also adds more ideas and ways for victory. Without change, the war would have never had progressed and would have been a constant replay of every battle.
Cause and Effect: The Battle of the British Isles shows a good example of cause and effect. Although the expedition into British home waters had no impact on the overall outcome of the war it still has positive effects for the Americans. The raid interfered with British shipping and caused considerable consternation. They inflicted several million dollars of damage to British shipping, and the embarrassment he caused his enemy most importantly helped to boost American morale. This may have created a distraction for the British, but if the Americans confidence wouldn't have been motivated, they may have fought many different battles after that. This attack created a positive effect for the Americans in the next Battles of the Caribbean. Specifically the 2nd raid on Nassau, the Americans fought a very successful battle, and it may not have been achieved if it weren't for attacking British home waters.
Josh Merchant Post 3
DeleteMarissa, i agree with your cause and effect section. While the battle of the British Isles may not have directly affected the war, it was a great victory for the americans. Not only did this battle mess up britian's shipping, it also allowed other countries to join the americans due to the french's involvement. Also, the fighting by Britain took the British focus momentarily away from the colonies. The fighting mad them focus on their homeland give the colonists a better shot at defeating the British army. LIke you said, this battle was not directly important to the war, but it had many side effects which helped the americans a great deal.
Josh Merchant Post 2
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Big Idea/Generalizations: The American Revolution was a great time of change in our country. Not only were we gaining our independence from the British, but the ground work for equality was also laid. During the years leading up to the war, the northerners were changing their views towards blacks. Since they did not need farm laborers, they were used for servants and general laborers. This created more relationships between whites and blacks. Also, many whites thought it was wrong to enslave people and released their slaves as free blacks. While slavery stuck around for many years after, this was a big step in giving African Americans equality. Also during this time, Women started the path towards equality. They gained more independence then they ever had before. They participated in the revolution by rejecting imported goods (the Homespun Movement); doing duties for the army such as cooking, sowing, washing, and helping during battles; and being battlefield nurses. George Washington realized the importance of women, and assigned 1 nurse to every ten men receiving care; he paid the nurses and gave them a daily ration. Not only did the American Revolution win our independence, it also laid important ground work for equality of women and African Americans.
Questions: The British had superior technology when comparing to the Colonists with the Ferguson Rifle. The rifle could rapidly engage targets at 250 yards. The musket most soldiers used had a rage of about 50 to 100 yards. The Ferguson Rifle could fire six to ten rounds a minute while the musket could be fired three times a minute. Also the Ferguson Rifle could be loaded while lying down while the musket required you to stand. British commanders refused to use the rifle because it would “require changes in their field formations and tactics.” My question is whether the superior rifle could have changed the outcome of the war. If the British would have taken advantage of this new rifle, would they have defeated the American army?
Reading like a historian
Change and continuity: During the Revolutionary was around 11,500 Americans died a prisoner. The British would intentionally make American prisoners suffer. The British hoped that this would stop the Americans from revolting. During this time, the country of the prisoner was expected to clothe and feed the prisoner, not the jailers. This created horrible conditions for American prisoners because America could barely support the standing army. The British even had prison boats where hundreds of prisoners were chained below the deck, and then they were left there to starve, or die of disease. Since then regulations have been set up governing how a country must treat a prisoner. This has benefitted everybody. The prison systems were inhumane and cruel. Now prisoners are at least fed and clothed.
Through their eyes: The Indians were known to attack the colonist before, during, and after the American Revolution. The Americans looked at them as uncivilized savages, and continued to move the Indians away from their native lands. I believe that this was a hypocritical thing to do. The colonists were fighting for a better life and to have a say in their government, while at the same time totally controlling a group of people and not listening to anything they had to say. I personally can see why the Indians attacked the Colonists time and time again. This oppression they felt from the colonists was the root of their fighting, and rightfully so. The Indians saw the colonists as people who were trying to take all the land that they had lived on. They were moving the Indians to foreign land. This angered the Indians like it would anger anybody.
Brennah Fulton Post 3
DeleteI agree with your through their eyes part, the colonists were being unfair and hypocritical. The colonists shouldn't have kept trying to take over the indian's lands and moving them without talking it over with them first or letting them have a say in anything. The colonists were treating the Indians the same way that England had been treating the colonists. You would think that after everything the colonists had been through with England that they would have been more understanding with the Indians and treated them better.
Marissa LaVigne
ReplyDeletePost 2
Reading Thoughts
Importance: Just as today, technology played an important role in the American Revolution. Technology may not have been as advanced and meaningful during the Revolution but it did make and impact on the war slightly, and if it weren't for a man named David Bushnell technology may not be as it is today. David Bushnell was a student at Yale just before the start of the Revolution and he had been experimenting with underwater explosives. From this idea, it led him to further his imagination and he created the first successful fused time bombs. The fused time bombs led him to develop the concepts for a submarine. He did create the first submarine, but in attempt to place a bomb on a ships hull, the submarine was spotted and drowned. In another attempt to destroy British ships through the water, Bushnell changed his perspective to floating mines, which were immediately spotted and British ships cut the rope. This led to his idea of floating keg mines, which failed to destroy targets, however the British were extremely apprehensive about the new danger and employed sentries to watch for torpedoes. Although most of Bushnell's idea failed and were unsuccessful, it created a very good start in the advancing technology, and if he were to have given up and not tried his ideas, the world of technology may not have laid out the same way.
Preview/Predict: From the beginning of Part 2 with the Battle of Cowpens, I was able to make the prediction that all the following battles would be greatly won by the Americans until the end. I made this prediction based on the great American successes that took place during that battle. Not only did they win the battle, but in the process captured 100 horses, 70 slaves, two sets of the King's colors, 800 muskets, two light field pieces, 35 wagons, and a large quantity of badly needed supplies. This great success also raised the morale of American soldiers. With a battle won, many important items captured and more confidence than ever, I believe the Americans felt invincible at that time which would lead them to fight their hardest. Also, if the Americans felt very good about that battle and all the battles that were to come, that also means the British would have felt uneasy and unsure to continue fighting in fear of defeat. My prediction was right when the next Siege of Pensacola came, and the Americans came out with the final victory.
Reading Like a Historian
Turning Points: One of the major events that made a huge difference in the war is the Battle of Cowpens. The immediate battle had no preparation or planning, which really shows the power they achieved by not planning the victory that was achieved against one of the most notorious British officers, and capturing all of the items from the British. The Battle of Cowpens was a big turning point because of their past defeats, it was a reassuring battle that told the Americans they have a change to win to, and helped them to fight through to the end. If the war didn't have this turning point, the Americans would not have been as confident to fight and it may have had the opposite outcome.
Cause and Effect: The major event that had the greatest effect and impact is the French allies in the American Revolution. In the Siege of Pensacola, the British attempted traditional small-scale assault tactics, however the French still had the win. After the victory, Galves provided his French reinforcements with 100,000 pesos and urged them to Virginia where they would join the French fleet and participate in the naval blockade and the Siege of Yorktown. The French did help the Americans achieve their victory in the Siege of Yorktown. If it weren't for the French to help the Americans in the Siege of Pensacola and the Siege of Yorktown, the American Revolution may have had an extremely different outcome. The campaign in Yorktown would not have been possible if it were not for the French allies.
Ashton Rucinski
DeletePost 3
I completely agree with you in how the Battle of Cowpens was a major turning point. It did give them more confidence to keep fighting for their independence. I also wrote about a battle that was a huge win for them that allowed the French to see their success and help them win more battles. By changing things through out the war and continuing to win battles created turning points that lead them to victory.
Chris Thompson. Post 2. Pages 84-160.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the first half of the book, the second half actually contained useful information of the battles and leaders. I really enjoyed the detail the book went into with the select battles of the war. If the book went into detail with the battles they must have been important to understand/comprehend, so I decided to do some more research on the Battle of Charleston. This battle took place in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina, also known as Fort Sumter. The Battle of Charleston took place towards the end of the war, between the British and the Americans. The British ended up taking the Americans by surprise. As a result of the surprise attack the Americans casualties were much higher than the British casualties. The Battle of Charleston is considered one of the biggest losses of the Americans in the Revolutionary War. When the Americans were captured by the British they surrendered, making this a huge win for the British. Also I was impressed with the detail the second half of the book went into with the leaders of the war. I liked how it showed background on the person and their importance in the war including what side they were for, who they led, and what battles they had an impact on. When I read I find it useful to visualize what I am reading about, but with the illustrations in this book there was no need to stop and interpret what I was reading when I could just see what the Revolutionary War was like. I also found it interesting that the African Americans were allowed to fight along with the British and the Americans because this was still a time where the blacks were still not equal with everyone else.
Nick Smitala
DeleteChris, I completely agree that the Battle of Charleston was one of the most important battles in the Revolutionary War. It was a huge win for the British. If the war continued to go this way the British would have no doubt won the war. Luckily General George Washington struck back with the win at Yorktown that basically won us the war.
Brogan Aarrestad Post 1
ReplyDeleteThoughts on the reading-
Initially this book caught my attention with the famous quotes in the beginning. My personal favorite was when John Hancock, after signing his name very large on the Declaration of independence, "There I guess King George will be able to read that." Before I read the book, I didn't know that the Dutch were even involved in the war. Another thing I didn't know was how expensive the tea was from the Boston tea party. 1.8 million dollars in 342 chests. I suppose through the eyes of the Bostonians it wasn't worth anything. I also didn’t know that only one third of the people in the colonies actually wanted to be separated from Britain. The others were either neutral, or on Britain's side. The changes within the first half of the book were mainly the chaos erupting, and the war starting. People were also choosing sides, like France and Germany helping America. I had always known that the revolutions catalyst was from the increase in taxes on imported and other goods. Another few important things I learned were about 10,000 Indians joined the forces of the Britain, and fought the patriots. It amazed me at how many people General Cornwallis surrendered in the Siege of Charleston, the biggest loss that America had.
Paige Hantz post 1
ReplyDeleteIn the first part of the book it didn't go into very good detail on why. They just started naming what the wars were and who was on each side. But, from previous classes with the revolution I knew that it was because of the tax risings and all of the acts that the British were putting on. This made the colonists mad.
When I first went through the book I thought that the pictures, tables and charts were going to be helpful for me and mapping out what would be happening. In reality that didn't happen. It was just using up space.
Connections:
Reading this book made me realize that in order to understand the book you need a lot of background knowledge or you have to go and research it. I made many connections from videos that we watched in other classes and reading books based in history. Going into this class I was excited because I thought I knew a lot on the subject but, it didn't turn out like that. I learned that the French sided with the colonists so then the French could get back at Britain. Not to just help out.
Reading like a historian
The past helps us remember what happened and figure out what not to do if that were to happen again.
Mackenzie Erbrecht Part 3 Comment
DeleteI agree about the facts and stuff like that in the front of the book. It was pretty useless, especially the quotes. Also yes to understand this book you need a lot of background knowledge. I had to look up a bunch of information to understand what was going on.
Nick Smitala
ReplyDeletePost 1
Reading Thoughts
Connection: In the Revolutionary War, the two sides were the Americans allied with the French, Spanish, and Dutch; opposing the British allied with the Germans. As I was reading The New American Revolution Handbook, I noticed how after the war started, many countries seemed to join in on the fight against Great Britain. This rippling effect reminded me of The World Wars with Great Britain being Germany. Although the reasons for joining the war was mostly to gain more territory, the connection still occurred in my mind. These countries had a common enemy and the only way they were going to defeat it was together. I realized it was kind of ironic that Great Britain was allied with Germany.
Questions: As I was reading about the Loyalists I wondered why they didn't want to separate from Great Britain. I did some research and learned that they basically weren't as dissatisfied with Great Britain as the Patriots were. The taxes were, for the most part, what sparked the American Revolution. The Loyalists were most likely the more wealthy people and the taxes the British were placing didn't upset them. They had enough money that the taxes hardly phased them. If you put yourself back in this time as a wealthy person you can see why they weren't as upset as the people who weren't as fortunate.
Dylan Resch, Reply
DeleteNick, I fully agree with your comments about the connections with the Revolution and the World Wars. Funny how it's always the Germans. Unfortunately Germany wasn't even a unified country at the time, but we'll count it. The American Rev like the World Wars was a global fight. There were Americans, British. French, Spanish, Dutch, Indians, Hessians, and Canadians fighting in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and other British assets like India. More than likely the only way the Americans won the war was with the help of their allies.
Dylan Resch: Post 2, p.85-p.160
ReplyDeleteThinking like a Historian
-Cause and Effect-
Tensions between Indian tribes and the Colonists were high because the Indians believed that they were taking their land. This is why the Indians would rather fight for the British, that and if the British were to win the Colonist would still be unprotected and not allowed to venture further than the colonies lines. Once the Indians started raids on towns during the Revolution Thomas Jefferson swore war to be givin back to the Indians. He thought that the Rev was too important for the Indians to interfere. Gen. Charles Lee answered Jefferson in the southern division by taking out 170 Indian villages. At the same time Gen. Bernardo de Galvez raids outposts in the Mississippi river valley. In effect of the Indians popstion and actions in the war the Americans thought that after winning the war that they were to be rewarded all lands east of the Mississippi. The Indians had other plans, but the Americans would not stop until they had their prize.
-Through Their Eyes-
In 1775 American colonists were very different from everyone else on the planet and very different from Americans today. At this time in history it was difficult for colonists to know and understand the world and cultures of other countries because of a lack of technology. A simple message from England would take months to reach the colonies. This made the Crown very distant. The colonists experienced something that Americans today can not even imagine, opression from a Monarch. And then another thing that we today do not know, hope for freedom and liberty. It must be the most powerful feeling in the world though, it drove the colonists to revolt against the most powerful nation in the world...and win.
Reading Thoughts
-Vocabulary-
There were a few words that came up often that I have heard of before, but I don't quite know the meaning of them. Munitions: simply materials ussed in war, normally weapons or ammunition. I still try to say mutaion when I'm reading. Nascent: dictionary.com describes it as, "beginning to exist or develop." Redoubts: This is an isolated fortification built to defend a prominent point.
-Questions-
One thing this book did not do a good job on is post war follow up so my question is, "What did the French and Spanish get out of the war?" The Treaty of Paris awarded Spain with Florida and Minorca and France with territories in America, Africa, India, Tobago, and St. Lucia. Britain importantly retained much of the Caribbean, Canada, and Gibraltar.
Ashton Rucinski
ReplyDeletePost 1
Reading Thoughts
Evaluation: Through this book and further research it was wasn’t hard to realize how unhappy the American colonist’s were because of the British. Everywhere I read, I found that major reasons for the mistreatment against the American colonists were the acts passed by the British creating harsh taxes for them. Three major ones include the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts. The Sugar Act was passed in 1764. It put a three-cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. It banned importation of rum and French wines. These taxes affected only certain people but people like the merchants who were, decided to be very vocal about it. Even so, the taxes were raised without the consent of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. A year after the Sugar Act resulted in the American colonist’s first direct British tax. Every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public and legal document had to have a Stamp that cost money, or British seal on it. The colonists thought it was unfair that they should have to pay for something they had been doing for free for many years. They acted on this with the Stamp Act Congress. Seeing this reaction in the colonies, the British government repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766. Just when the American colonists thought they took a step forward the British quickly passed the Declaratory Act. Great Britain had control over the American colonies. The Americans couldn’t catch a break which leads to their unhappiness. Another reason for more rage to set among these colonists was a year after the Declaratory Act. In 1767 the Townshend Act was passed by the English Parliament. It collected revenue from the colonists by putting customs duties on imports of glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Protests against the taxes occurred to stop these acts and with merchants boycotting, it decreased British trade and in 1770 most of the Acts were repealed.
Importance: The Boston Tea Party was an important event that happened leading up to the American Revolution because it showed the British that the American colonists were not going to be pushed around and the things they really enjoy weren’t going to be taken away from them without a fight. The colonies refused to pay the taxes required by the Townsend Acts. They felt they had no obligation to pay taxes by a Parliament that had no representation. In response, Parliament retracted the taxes except the ones on tea. After the Parliament imported tea to America, the colonies had to pay a tax on the imported tea. Additionally, Parliament reduced the duty the colonies would have to pay for the imported tea. This set forth a raid on three British ships in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773 in which Boston colonists disguised as Indians and threw several hundred chests of tea into the harbor as a protest against British taxes on tea. The tea act upset the colonists and not being about to speak out or have any control over the government; the colonists believed the Tea act frustrated so many people something had to be done. The Boston port was closed and the Boston Tea Party turned out to be a good message to the British Government that things were going to change.
Ashton Rucinski
ReplyDeletePost 1
Thinking Like a Historian
Cause and Effect: The Battle of Lexington and Concord showed a good amount of cause and effect. This battle caused the beginning of the American Revolution. While British troops started taking military materials into Concord, Paul Revere and other men warned the Americans the British were coming. Soon the British force of 700 met 77 local minutemen at Lexington. Which side fired the first shot is unclear, but since the Americans were greatly out-numbered they retreated. The British moved on to nearby Concord, where they were met by more than 300 American patriots and the British were now forced to withdraw. On their march back to Boston, they were continually hit by colonists firing from behind barns, trees, and roadside walls. The fact that the British thought they could easily win this battle and the result ended differently makes The Battle of Lexington and Concord have some predictable causes but a surprising effect.
Through their eyes: The American colonists believed that they were mistreated and had no say in the government that affected them. The Taxes and acts that were passed by the British were harsh and unfair. The debt from the French and Indian war was all put on the American colonists and was pulling all the money out of their pockets. They British seemed to think they were in control and the higher power over the Americans. The Americans were independent and they decided they needed to fight for a voice and respect.
Ashton Rucinski
ReplyDeletePost 2
Reading Thoughts
Big Idea: The American Revolution helped the Americans gain independence from Great Britain. Britain's military was the best in the world. Their soldiers were well equipped, well trained, paid, and fed. The British navy dominated the seas and raised funds much faster than the Americans. Even though The British seemed unbeatable, during the previous 100 years, the British had enjoyed having a great amount of power over nations as powerful as France and Spain. At first, the odds were clearly against the Americans. As the war went on things turned around for them. The Americans declared independence in 1776 and immediately got the support of the French, who provided them with weapons, ammunition and supplies. In 1778 the French entered the war evening the strength between the Americans and the British. Within the next two years, Spain and the Dutch Republic also declared war on Britain. The more help the Americans got the easier it was to defeat the British. The Big idea of the war was how unfair things were and even so, the Americans fought for their freedom and it ended successfully for them.
Questioning: I got the impression through reading the book and also from other sources that the French were almost exact opposites of the American colonists and with having so many different views on things why they would enter themselves into the war helping the Americans. The nation was ruled by an absolutist monarch who didn’t care about no taxation without representation. The French were also Catholic, and the colonies were Protestant. But the French were a colonial rival of Britain and had suffered humiliating defeats to the British in the Seven Years War. France actually sent agents to observe the war and began preparing for the war. France was looking for any way to boost its own reputation and by helping the colonists to independence; it was a perfect way of helping themselves.
Ashton Rucinski
ReplyDeletePost 2
Thinking Like a Historian
Change and Continuity: One of the earliest changes that started to occur in the society after the war was the belief in the equality of all people. During the Revolutionary War, wealthy military men had joined forces with poor men who were also fighting with the American Colonists. It remained the same that the north looked down upon slavery while the South continued to want it. Slavery was too important to the South to begin limiting it but the North kept trying to stop slavery. The North had begun to free slaves by the thousands well after the war. About 20,000 slaves were freed. Women also gained the power to be able to divorce their husbands. It was only available in certain colonies and the woman would lose most of her property to the man, but it was still a start. During the war, some women were actually fighting alongside the men and others helped treat soldiers back to good health.
Turing point: The Battle of Saratoga Freeman’s Farm on October 7, 1777 was a major turning point of the Revolutionary War. It was a major American victory. General Gates and his army surrounded the British troops and gained a great military victory. The importance of this battle was the that other countries saw that the colonists were able to have some success. This battle was convincing France to join the colonial side. And once they saw they had great chances, the French came in and helped the American troops, who probably would have been unable to win without their assistance. This battle and more all helped things turn around for the Americans leading them to their overall victory.
Mackenzie Erbrecht Part One 1-84
ReplyDeleteIn the front of the book and throughout the chapters there are many pictures and charts/graphs showing different departments, commanders of the departments and time frame of command. I predict that these bits of information will be helpful throughout the book to put words to the times, places and people.
My book goes into detail about the chain of command works and I visualize a pyramid with the headquarters made up of 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant Colonel, and 1 major. The pyramid expands as the ranking is lower and there is more people.
The colonists thought that their lives were unfair. They felt hatred towards their country and betrayed by England and wanted nothing more than to be free from them. They were being bossed around and taxed unfairly and they didn't want to take it anymore.
Mackenzie Erbrecht Part Two 85-160
ReplyDeleteOne change that started to occur in society after the war was the belief in the equality of all people. During the War, wealthy men had joined forces with poor men who were fighting with the American Colonists. Slavery was important to the South. The North was freeing slaves by the thousands! Women are starting to get more rights such as divorcing their husbands.
The Battle of Saratoga Freeman’s Farm on October 7, 1777 was a huge turning point in the War. General Gates and his army surrounded the British troops and gained a great military victory. This battle was important so that other countries saw that the colonists were able to have some success. This battle helped lead the Americans to victory.
While reading part two I had started to gain some more background knowledge on the topic and was able to make connections to other information that I learned in other classes.
Paige hantz
DeleteThat change that you mentioned Kenzie also is most of the reason for the civil war. So in the long run it was notva very good change because it almost tore our whole "united" thing apart. If there was belief of all me created equal then why were there still slaves around if they started to believe in equality?
Aaron Mourey Part One 1-84
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
One important part of the war that I took special notice of is the French involvment. Though their assistance started on a smaller scale, it grew into something that was of great help to the Americans. Though America's liberty was not as important to the French, the chance to cause touble for the British was enough for France to decide to help America. The alliance became formal once the tipping point of the war occured. France jumped on that opportunity. But the real reason why France was getting involved was because they wanted to enlarge their empire at England's expense. If the French had not been involved in the Revolution, there is doubt that the Americans would've came out on top. From this, I can Preview/Predict that the American-French alliance that came from this war will lead to a strong friendship between the countries in the future. A connection I can make to that is that after the war the French built the Statue of Liberty for America. I think the most important part of the French involvment came with their strength on water. Their Navy helped America better control the seas and claim more territory. All of this help from other countries goes to show how strong Great Britains army had gotten to be and how necessary all of that help was.
Nick Smitala
ReplyDeletePost 2
Reading Thoughts
Importance: The New American Revolution Handbook seemed to put the most emphasis on the Battle of Yorktown. It was one of the longer passages and also the last battle described. Lieutenant General Cornwallis had moved into Yorktown, an important inland port, but French Admiral de Grasse had sent his warships to block the Chesapeake bay. By doing this, Cornwallis could not retreat or receive supplies. General George Washington sent a large force of over 16,000 at Cornwallis and his army. They created a siege line 2 miles below Yorktown and captured two British forts, Redoubts 9 and 10, that were near Yorktown. The Franco-American forces outnumbered the British forces 2:1. Cornwallis was forced to open surrender negotiations.
Evaluation: The Americans captured 7,157 British Soldiers in the Battle of Yorktown. There was no longer a threat of the British rolling up from the south. The Americans could now focus almost all of their troops on General Clinton who was in New York. There were several small conflicts in New York before Great Britain had to start negotiating with America. The Battle of Yorktown was the most important battle looking at it from an American perspective. If that battle would have been lost we most likely would not have won the war and may not have gotten independence.
Andrew Stroik, Reply
DeleteNick, I agree that the Americans, if not won the Battle of Yorktown, would not have gained independence because that was the most important battle because it was basically the end of the war. There were no more British troops to the south, and no more to the north so all the Americans had to do after that was gain official independence after the last battle.
Andrew Stroik Part One 1-84
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Question: While I was reading the chapter about how the Spanish entered the war, I wondered why the Spanish had a few settlements in North America, but a majority in South America. Couldn't the Spanish just be happy with the land and settlements and resources that they had in South America? Was it to gain more resources in the North that they weren't able to get in South America?
Big Idea/Generalizations: When I was reading about the battle of Lexington and Concord, it said that people were revolting because of the strict and harsh laws that the British put on American colonists. For example, the reason for the battle was because of the high tariffs that the British had put on the exporting and importing of goods. This seems to be a continuing trend. People aren't happy with what the government does so they revolt and try to change the laws and regulations.
Aaron Mourey Post 3
DeleteAndy - I had the same question. It seems to me that the Spanish didnt really need to get involved. Why risk your country's men when you already have enough settlements in South America where there is little fighting?
I also agree with your generalization. The American Revolution was essentially a rebellion, and you see this happen often with different countries and situations throughout history. Any time a group of people feel that they are being burdened by government, they revolt and implement rules that are less oppressive.
Andrew Stroik Part One 1-84
ReplyDeleteThinking like a historian
Differing Perspectives
This book is very helpful with the perspectives. The British during the battle of Freeman's Farm were beaten and broken from previous battles. Even worse they had no information about where the next battle was and the terrain that they were going to be fighting in. The Americans however, were coming off of previous victories, they knew the terrain, and had placed their troops in strategic places. Even though the British were up against the wall they forced the Americans to retreat and the British won.
Using the past: In the battle of Freeman's Farm, there are many things that have been learned as far as battle strategies go. When the British were fighting in g narrow line and the Americans were in a big group, the British were able to bend around the Americans and fight them on three sides. This is the main reason that the Americans lost that battle. In later battles, Generals never would put their army in a big group he would always have his men spread out in smaller armies or regiments.
Brogan Aarrestad post 3
DeleteAndrew, I agree with the fact that this book shows the perspectives of each side. I enjoy a book that shows every perspective. One thing that I know from a British perspective is that the colonies militia was very gruesome. They would ambush British troops, butchering them like a stuck pig, leaving the bloody disgusting corpses scattered where they died. Sometimes they would even do the same to British civilians, showing them no less mercy.
Andrew Stroik Part Two 85-160
ReplyDeleteThinking like a Historian
Through their eyes: Using the pictures of the Generals, they thought of them selves as rich, high ranked men in the war. They are wearing fancy clothes and hats and they have wigs on. They had a lot of money and they used it to.
Change and Continuity: From background information, the Generals of that time never really fought in the war. They stayed back behind their men and very few were killed because of battle. Most of them retreated with what was left of their me. Still today, the Commanding officers of today, don't fight on the front lines with their men. I think this is cowardly and immoral.
Andrew Stroik Part Two 85-160
ReplyDeleteReading thoughts
Evaluation: From reading about the Indians, they have helped and hurt the Americans in the American Revolution. They hurt us be helping the British find their was around the wilderness and help them scout and survive. The Indians also hurt us by fighting against us. There were a few battles over land during that time that the Indians felt they were being cheated out of. Even though they hurt us, they were a big help to us in the same way that they helped the British. We needed them because the Indians knew the land and how to live off of it successfully.
Visualize: From all the pictures that were in the second half of this book, I was able to get an idea of what times were like during the war. The camps were full of wounded that were just waiting to die. This is a picture that is in many movies, with a bunch of white tents and camp fires.
Jeffery Mead Post 3
DeleteAndrew i agree with you. The Indians did help and hurt us in the ways that you stated, but think if you had been an Indian at that same time and some "White Folk" walked up to you and said, get out of here this is my land wouldn't you react the same way. By helping the British i mean. Also think we killed thousands of Indians both before and during the Revolution. Their race is a minority mainly because of that time period.
Aaron Mourey
ReplyDeletePost 2 85-160
Reading Like a Historian
Cause and Effect:
When war erupted in America, there had not been much improvement in technology. America was an underdog without the help of its allies and was looking for something to give them an edge. Therefore new technology started developing, a main example of that being the submarine. David Bushnell, the creator of the submarine, gave the Americans more power throughout the war. With the support of Benjamin Franklin, Bushnell got everyone to like his idea. Today, submarines play a huge part in warfare on the seas, an everlasting effect of Bushnell's work.
Change and Continuity: There are ideas that emerged from the Revolution that are still used today. Some of these changes forced were upon them. When the invention of the submarine came about, it was effective, but it wasn't totally affective. As the use of submarines continued, changes were made to submarine apparatus and today they are very beneficial to our Navy. During the revolution, biological warfare also was discovered and used. Biological Warfare is something still used to this day. There haven't been many changes to it besides the actual disease used. This shows that the Revolutionary War helped create change - both good and bad - that still are important today.
Mitchell Depke: Post 3
DeleteAaron, I completely agree with the cause and effect of the submarine during the war and how all new technology played a huge role. I also think that technology has changed alot sense the American Revolution. Another big invention outside of the submarine was the first breech-loading rifle adopted for military use which played a huge role in the war and has had a lasting impact for new loading mechanisms today. I believe that we will continue to see change in the weapons industry for a while and will continue to improvement in all of technology. Overall, I couldn't agree more with your concepts and ideas.
Brogan Aarrestad Post 2
ReplyDeleteReading Like a Historian
The colonies victory in Saratoga caused countries like France, and spain to show faith in them. With this huge turning point in the Revolt, the colonies gained the alliance of France. The colonies, most likely wouldn't have won the war without foreign assistance from France. With countries like France and Spain in the rebellion, Britain was spread dangerously thin. This helped the colonists to victory immensely. Washington even put French people like Marie Jean Paul Roch Yves Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette in command of troops. Marie and his men participated in the capture of redoubt. Even back then, black people were allowed to fight in the revolution, but they were mostly allowed by Spain and France. When Spain joined the revolution, the British had to improve their fortifications against Spanish aggression. Spain dominated the battles in Florida Causing the British Mobile to surrender in May.
Overall the act of war has remained the same. The only thing different is the methods used for the fighting. There is always a reason for each side to fight, whether it's religion, survival, for peace, or anything else. War is war. This war brought upon technology like the submarine. This added a new dimension to warfare. through the revolution we became America, so all our loss, and bloodshed was worth it in the end, and we are one of the best countries, with one of the most interesting beginnings.
Paige Hantz post 2
ReplyDeleteI know this might be a stupid question but if by the time the war ended they started to believe in equality then if they so believe that then why were there still slaves in the south? One of the major turning points that I think there was the seige of charleston. Eventhough both sides lost alot of their weapons and people, tue Americans lost more than the British. Which leads me to think that with about 2,000 men not in commission anymore and with it being towards the end of the war, the Americans would have thought that they were going to loose. Not only because of that but by this point they had less men than what they started with.
I think what the people were thinking at this point of the book was that the Americans had to win and can not back down. If they were to loose then Britian would come down even harder than they did before the war with all of the taxes the king put in everything.
Rachel Feit
ReplyDeletePost 1
Reading Thoughts:
Importance
The American Revolutionary Handbook, puts much emphisis on key battles such as the Battle of Yorktown and The Battle of Saratoga. The book also mentions key Generals, however I like how the book also devotes a chapter to the Women of the American Revolution. Women's important roles in wars are often forgot about and I think it is good that the book mentions women. For example on page 134 it states that women eld fuding drives to support the war. The Ladies Association in Philadelphia collected donations that were crutial for the soldiers. Additionally, women even spied on the enemies in the war. Overall, I think it's great that a womans importance wasn't forgotten in this influencial story.
Through their eyes:
The people living in the United States at the time were very unsatisfied with their lives. They thought by coming to a new country it would be full of opportunity, however that was just the opposite. They felt betrayed and powerless. The colonists had good reason for their feelings. With reoccuring events such as the Boston Masacre where British soldiers fired into a mob which killed 5 Americans. All in all, the colonists felt betrayed by England and all they wanted was their freedom.
Rachel Feit
ReplyDeletePost 2:
Big Idea: Correlating with many other people's thoughts, The Battle of York Town was very significant and I'm glad the Handbook put so much emphasis on it. To begin the battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolution. About 5,500 French soldiers reached America in 1780. They were lead by General Rochambeau, the people wished to surround the British in New York, however, a large fleet was headed toward Virginia. Soon the Americans approached and in late September 1781, The English knew that they were in trouble. A combined French and American force surrounded them at Yorktown. Their later defeat at Yorktown brought a new group of British ministers to power early in 1782. They began peace talks with the Americans. This is why the Battle was so influencial.
Questions: While I was reading I really didn't understand why the Loyalists didn't want to separate from the British. I understand that they thought that England was the number one power in the world and some even feared the power of England, but they were being treated so poorly it confused me why they wouldn't just go along with almost all of the other colonists.
Haley Nordlund, Post 2
DeleteI understand where your confusion is coming from. The book didn't really explain this well and I am also wondering the same question. I feel as though the Loyalists didn't want to separate because they were so scared.They were too frightened to sparate from them.
Mitchell Depke: Post 1, pg. 1-84
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Importance: This book emphasizes two important parts of the American Revolution in part one of the book; the soldiers and battles/ campaigns. The book does a great job of showing the roles that other nations played in the American Revolution and showed how nations contributed to either side of the war. The book shows the development of the several nations’ armies; including the American, British, French, Spanish, Hessian, and the Dutch. The book also put a lot of work into covering important battles that took place during the American Revolution. These included battles like the Battle of Long Island, The Siege of Yorktown, and the battle of Lexington and Concord. In the first part of the book Savas and Dameron were showing the importance of other countries help throughout the war and how countries like the Spanish and French not only provided assistance to the colonies but also fought against the British. They also provided a great deal of detail on the major battles of the war and tried to send a clear message of the outcome and impact those battles had.
Evaluation:
The information provided in the first part of the book goes along with what I already know and gave me a better understanding about the American Revolution. The book gave lots of information on other nations role in the war, which I haven’t seen in most books but the information given supported and strengthened what others said and what I already know. Many of the battles shown in the first part of the book have had a huge impact on the outcome of the war and have had a huge impact of society today.
TLH
Differing Perspectives: The book was definitely writer from American perspective but the authors did a great job of showing different perspectives from many of the nations. When the authors discussed the soldiers in the war they did a good job of showing the nations armies from their perspective. They also did a good job of showing the American and British perspectives during the battles. The book showed what the American view and the British view on every battle. The book is mainly from an American perspective but also was able to show the British side of things and also brought in perspectives from the French and Spanish side. I would have to agree with the American perspective because I obviously believe in what they were fighting for but I also took the British perspective into account.
Turning Points: There were many turning points in part one of this book which was mainly the battles of the war. The first battle that was a turning point in the book was the battles of Lexington and Concord which afterwards provided popular support for an armed revolution for the colonies. There were also battles like the fight on Long Island that were bad for the Americans and drove confidence away when being defeated. One huge battle was the siege of Yorktown that assured the end of the war and a victory for the Americans.
Mitchell Depke: Post 2, pg. 85-160
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Importance: In part two of the book, the book went into detail about the importance of the British and American leaders during the war by stressing leaders like Sir Henry Clinton, Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, and General Sir William Howe of the British. Then the book also highlighted leaders on the American side like George Washington, General Nathanael Greene, and General Horatio Gates. The book showed the importance of the Natives Americans, African Americans, and Women and their roles in the war. The last important thing shown in part two of the book was the prisoners of the war and how they were treated on opposing sides, and the technology that came out of the war. The authors were trying to send a clear message on how impactful the natives, blacks, and women were during the war and how it was just between American and British men.
Evaluation: The information from part two of the book was very useful and helped me in understanding all aspects of the war. The book provided a better understanding on how African Americans and Women played a role in the war. The books information was way more detailed than any other resource on this topic and strengthened my knowledge on that part of the war. The book also showed the impact that the different leaders had on history and how they each played their own role in the outcome of the war.
THL
Differing Perspectives: The perspective of part two of the book was definitely American again but the authors also included what the British believed again and added what the Native American, African American, women, and prisoners thought of the war. The book showed what the Native Americans thought about their land getting taken and how they joined forces with the British, while also showing what the African Americans thought about being able to fight in the war and how equality between blacks and whites was slowly coming together. I would again have to agree with the Americans perspective on the American Revolution and their ideas and concepts.
Change and Continuity:
Once the war had ended some things stayed but other things were a complete change. One big change was the colonies. The colonies faced many problems between each other and were much unorganized. The colonies also had different forms of currency, but things did change over time with documents like the Articles of Confederation and such. Another change was the prisons during the time. Prisoners were given very little and tortured during the American Revolution. Although now there are regulations for prisons to follow and the prison system has become better and prisoners receive clothes and food along with visitation and free hour times.
Haley Nordlund, Post 1
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
The New American Revolution Handbook does an excellent job of explaining the importances of each key battle that occured during this war. Another sole importance to the war was the chapter devoted to the "Women of the American Revolution". This chapter was my personal favorite because the womens role in the war is so often forgotten and the book did a nice job of including them. The book also highlights key Generals and other individuals that were important to the success of the war. The many pictures and maps that were included throughout the novel helped broaden the spectrum of imformation that I took away from the story. The one question that I did have was why the Loyalists didn't want to separate from the British. They were treated so badly that I didn't quite understand why they had stayed "with" the British.
Hannah Hart
DeletePost 3
I completely agree with all of your points. Especially the one about the loyalists not wanting to separate. I never took that perspective and realize that them staying with the British doesn't make sense at all. They didn't really have any benefit of staying with them especially after the war. They probably moved back to England after the war anyway because people didn't want to be around loyalists and people against now the United States' own government.
Haley Nordlund, Post 3
ReplyDeleteThinking Like a Historian
The different perspectives that were shown on the key battles throughout the story were helpful in a way that wouldn't have been without them. The perspectives that were shown in the Lexington and Concard, Battles of Boston Campaign were that the Britsih authorities were closely focused on the export businesses. Protestors were shot down due to protests and rebellions. In February of 1775 Parliament declared the colony of Massachusetts open rebellion and authorized British troops to kill violent rebels. The American perspective was that they dispised the British authorities for their heavy handed tactics. These double perspectives helped see both sides of all the key battles that were highlighted in the story.
Hannah Hart
ReplyDeletePost 1
Questions:
If the Netherlands didn’t have a strong army then why did they enter the war? Yes they were enemies with Great Britain and wanted nothing but to add more “power” to the fight but why waste the effort, money, and supplies if you know they’ll win. The Netherlands lost every battle they went into or thought they won one but lost many men and supplies so the only thing left to contribute was money. To me it seemed like a pointless fight for them. Another thing is the fact that they wouldn’t sign the Treaty of Paris until many months later is another mystery. It may be that the book just doesn’t go into depth with their part in the war but the way the author describes it the Netherlands just wanted to be in it because they didn’t like Great Britain. Imagine if Great Britain was to win, what would have happened to the Netherlands then? War is very expensive and can come at a high price. The small gain for a large loss at the end of the Revolution.
--Another question I have is how are people to understand parts of this book if they don’t know about war? The vocabulary is very particular. Platoons and regiments, it could be better explained so the comprehension could be greater. It’s a lot of information to soak in.
Evaluation:
Overall I think this book did an amazing job summarizing the events, people, and techniques of war. Most of this information was very knew to me but the basic facts were the same as I already knew just elaborated. The part that was the best was when they gave both Great Britain and the Colonists point of views of the battles or time periods. Also the visuals were fantastic it made understanding and visualizing ten times clearer. Seeing the things makes you remember it more. With the amount of information held in such a little book visuals helped a ton.
Using the past:
We can use the past as example to stick up for what we believe is wrong, like the Boston Tea Party. It was the Tea Act that threw Colonists over the edge but if they wouldn’t have revolted the way they did nothing would have happened. If no Colonists protested our country would be a different place now. So we can look at our past as a country and be inspired. Protest, stand up against even the ultimate of power because the benefits can be historic and change lives for the United States citizens in ways unimaginable before. The courage of the first settlers of our nation is a learning experience that many people mirror today. We take pride in our history.
Cause and Effect:
If Great Britain didn’t have such a powerful status, people wouldn’t have hated them. No one would have become alliances with the United States when we went to war. Through the pure facts and statements of my book colonists wouldn’t have survived the brutal attack of the elite, strict being of the Great Britain’s army. The colonies couldn’t have ever lived up to the naval force of the French. Without defense at sea tons of British ships could have moved in and released millions of soldiers on our land. Then all of our focus would be on the coast and we wouldn’t last on the inland battles. Each ally played a significant role tot eh success of the colonists and without them there would be no United States today.
Hannah Hart
ReplyDeletePost 2
Preview/Predict:
Looking through this book I could tell that it is like a paper. It has the intro, which gives you a background on whose involved, how things are set up, and where things take place. Then it gets to the “Body’ of the book. Included in this section is all of the battles, the commander, and the visual maps of everything that took place. The real story is behind each battle who won what they won, why it was fought there and the significance of each fight. Finally comes the closing which puts the whole Revolution into perspective. This organization of the book makes the battles mean more and easier to understand. The title of each chapter fit completely and made each section easy to pick apart and look back. Previewing the book overall helped readers realize that it would be a book with many visuals and easy to understand
Connections:
I’ve noticed that through our struggle for independence so early in history we’ve been a role model for other countries or groups. For a recent example the Iraqi people wanted to break away from its dictatorship. We were like France, Spain, and the Netherlands was to us. Without us they would have never been free from execution and a government they didn’t agree with. So in a lot of ways we helped a country that used to be like us.
Different Perspectives:
Other perspectives would be the British version. The British version would contain the complete opposite position. The colonists would be viewed as the enemy, as if everything they did was to hurt the crown. The readers might even side with the British on what they did to the Colonists to make sure the government was running smoothly. After all the people still living in Great Britain didn’t seem to have such a big problem with it. Another perspective could be of a third party country. One who is observing and hearing about all the events going on in the world but not getting involved. What they hear or think of the event would be a totally new and an interesting outlook.
Through Their Eyes:
The colonists viewed their world as a prison. They moved to this new world where they thought they would be free to live their life the way they wanted to but found that to be the opposite. Life was very hard for Colonists and on top of trying to survive in this new world they had to pay taxes upon taxes for the goods that kept them alive. In the mind of a Colonist they had no choice but to stand up for themselves and to be their own identity. It was either fight or live the rest of their lives in misery. As groups began to just voice their discomfort with the new taxes they were to be said rebels and given “babysitters.” This enraged the colonists even more and that rage just built up inside which led to the ultimatum of war. So all in all it was the thinking that they were being bossed around and couldn’t live and do things on their own that led to the freedomz of the United States people today.
Robert Kuske
DeletePart 3
I totally agree about that the book was very well written. What I don't agree with though is that you say that its about who won the battles and what they won. I believe that its not just about who won its about who lost and what they lost too and how that affected them.
Jeffery Mead Post 1 pg 1-84
ReplyDeletePreview/Predict: At the beginning of the book I was surprised to find a whole bunch of famous quotes from people like Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, George Washington, Samuel and John Adams, John Hancock and many more. Some of which made me smile like John Hancock’s famous quote “There, I guess King George will be able to read that.” He said this after writing his name large on the Declaration of Independence. Also while flipping through the book I noticed many pictures and maps, I believe that those maps and pictures will give me a better understanding of the information in the book.
Questions: Personally I don’t understand why the authors of this book did not go into more detail on the events leading up to the American Revolution. Such as: the French and Indian War, the Boston Massacre and all the taxes on imported and exported goods. These events were big reasons as to why the Colonists wanted their freedom. Also while reading the chapter on the Spanish involvement in the Revolution I couldn’t quiet understand why they would want to get involved, to me it seemed like there was little to gain and much to lose.
Connections: When I started to read this book I realized that I would need to use some past knowledge and some research to fully understand what the book was stating. I made some connections with past classes I took and past videos I had watched.
Jeffery Mead Post 2 pg 84-160
ReplyDeleteCause and Effect: Tensions between the Indian tribes and the Colonists were at breaking points. The Indians did not want the Colonists taking their land and forcing them to move west. The Indians ended up siding with the British and helping them navigate through the wilderness and teaching them how to survive. The Colonists made change happen, by standing up for what they believed in and fighting for it no matter the price. About only one-third of the Colonists wanted the separation from Britain they still had family and other ties to Britain. For example some had been born there and had moved to the New World looking for a new beginning not a war. The separation from Britain was intentional. The loss of multiple lives in the search of freedom was accidental.
Change and Continuity: Before the American Revolution women, African Americans, and Indians were all looked at as second-class citizens. After the American Revolution with the involvement of all three lead to laws and rights for all of them; such as, the ability for women to divorce there husbands and the start of the end of slavery. Still today we have discrimination against other races and women. True discrimination is not overwhelming anymore like it was in the past but it still exists today. Women are not treated the same as men in the sense that they can both have the same job but the male will normally have the higher salary.
Turning Points: The Battles of Lexington and Concord were major turning points for the Colonists. These battles brought popular support for an armed revolution. Two-Thirds of the Colonists did not agree with the Revolutionary thoughts of their times. They didn’t agree with the reasons for the separation to occur.
Using The Past: The past gives us a view of what life has been like, it gives us experience in certain areas and that experience comes from failures and successes. It helps us make sense of the present because the present has already been repeated many times before. We can learn form the past by looking into history through reading books, journals, and diaries from the time period in which we want to learn.
Through Their Eyes: In the eyes of the Colonists the world was torturous and the British were controlling them. The British were taxing everything from tea to ink, exports to imports. This is why the Colonists rebelled they wanted freedom. Patrick Henry once said in 1775, “Give me liberty or give me Death.” That is what some Colonists wanted. The British saw the Revolution as a threat against the crown. They would do anything to keep their beliefs and government intact. Both views became mad at the opposing side, which made both sides reckless; the British wanted to keep control and the Colonists wanted freedom so both sides were going to do everything to get what they wanted.
Differing Perspectives: During the revolutionary war there were many children that were affected by the multiple issues that were brought through the decision to got to war with Britain, they were affected by the loss of their parents. I personally agree with all perspectives, meaning that I see why the colonists revolted and I can see the reasoning why the British acted the way they did. They wanted to maintain in charge and in control.
Robert Kuske
ReplyDeletePart 1:
Reading Thoughts: I enjoyed that this book told both sides of the revolutionary war instead of just the Patriots side. I thought it was very interesting to know about how France felt about England at the time.
Turning Points: I think that because France decided to help the Patriots it was a turning point in the war because they now had trained soldiers and a little bit more equipment. I also agree with Ryan that the British screwed themselves over by putting up rules that Catholics couldn't fight in the war.
Using The Past: I believe that this book can help us make sense of the present because its just like the revolutionary wars that go on in like Africa or the Middle East except most of them are fighting about religion.
Robert Kuske
ReplyDeletePart 2:
Reading Thoughts: As I kept reading into the last half of the book I began to realize that the British only thought that the war was just another war to them. They didn't realize that the Patriots were fighting because they got tired of taxes and being controlled by the government. I think that if King George III was smart he would have let the colonies free reign but still have some control over them kind of like a dog on a long leash, the dog has a lot of free roaming space but when it strays too far it gets yanked back to its owner. He obviously wasn't too smart though because he taxed the colonies a lot and even more when they got even more mad. When the colonists became angry they boycotted resources going and coming from England. That caused England to run out of most resources which helped the Patriots. Although while the Patriots were busy boycotting and fighting in the war, all the money was going towards the militia to fight and so as a result the economy wasn't very good.
Change And Continuity: There has been a lot that has changed since the Revolutionary War and now and the major thing is that electronics was introduced which I believe has not only a good side but a bad side to it. The good side is that we can now innovate and make new weapons and means of communication. The bad side is that when we are communicating to each other the enemy can sometimes listen in on what we are saying and they couldn't do that before unless there was a spy.
Through Their Eyes: The people in the past viewed their world as advanced and they were worried a lot about finding more resources and gaining more power.
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