Yorktown: The End of the Beginning

The war had many twists and turns and eventually Cornwallis found himself trapped at Yorktown.  A French naval fleet off the coast of Virginia and Washington's men, along with Rochambeau's as well, facing him to the west.  The battle lasted ten days and Cornwallis finally waved the proverbial white flag.  This was not the last battle of the war, as many assume, but it was the last major victory for the Patriots and signaled the eventual defeat of the British.  Remember, the British surrendered in October of 1781 and the Treaty of Paris was not finalized until 1783.

For this week's blog, read this article and watch these videos about the British surrender at Yorktown. (FYI: At the end of Part One on YouTube you'll be prompted to "click here for the next part".  Make sure you do that so you can see the entire episode.) Included in the comments section your general thoughts on Yorktown.  Should Cornwallis have surrendered?  Was it a brilliant tactical move by the Patriots or another blunder by the British?

The Battle of Saratoga: The Turning Point

The Battle of Saratoga, a major victory for the Continental Army in 1777, could have been a massive victory for the British.  Their famous "Three-Pronged Attack" on New York never fully developed, giving the Patriots a fighting chance.  Read through this website carefully and in the comments section explain just exactly why Saratoga stands out as the most important victory for the Patriots.  Was it a Patriot success or a British failure?

Valley Forge: The Worst Of Times OR When Things Got Better

Washington and his men spent a difficult winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania from the end of 1777 to the early months of 1778.  One of the strange customs of war from the 18th Century is that armies would basically call a cease-fire when the weather turned cold.  As winter would approach, each army would find a place to hibernate until the fighting would resume in spring.  Washington's choice was Valley Forge.

It is well documented how miserable his men were during this time.  There was little food, adequate clothing or proper shelter to protect the men from the winter winds.  Washington, in display of one of his best qualities, refused to live in comfort while his men suffered.  He remained in the camp until winter thawed out.

As difficult as this time was, the men in Washington's camp received the best training of their "careers" up to that point.  Prussian military leader Friedrich Von Steuben came to the aid of Washington and drilled his men until they were an actual fighting force.  For this week's blog, I want you to read this story, watch part one and part two of this video series and in the comments write about your impression of Washington, Von Steuben and the soldiers in light of their struggle at Valley Forge.

The Declaration of Independence: Just How Important Is It?

Jefferson's opus. An American treasure. A masterpiece.  All phrases used to describe the DoI...but how important is it really.  As we discussed in class last week, the DoI did not win the war.  It was more a statement of solidarity amongst the colonists.  Sort of a "Let's Do This!" type moment.  It certainly did not win the war nor did it scare the British into submission.

Could you imagine if the Washington was forced to surrender at some important battle and he waved the DoI around yelling "You can't beat me! You can't beat us! We've declared our independence so haha! Look...we even signed our names in cursive at the bottom!" That would have been ridiculous.

Maybe it goes without saying, but what really won the war was victory in battles that caused the conflict to drag on and on for years.  The British grew increasingly weary, frustrated and embarrassed the longer the war took.  After the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, the war was basically over.  The Treaty of Paris 1783 sealed the fate of the British and served as a bookend to this colonial conflict.

So which is more important: the Declaration of Independence or the Treaty of Paris 1783.  Pick a side and give your best argument in the comments section.

The Boston "Massacre": Trouble In Paradise?

Let me catch you up to speed. People from Europe came to America for LOTS of different reasons.  Some came for political asylum, some for religious freedom, some tried to escape their mounting debts back home and some came for the fun of it.  Either way, as time passed and the colonies grew a certain "American Culture" began to develop.  All these different cultures, living thousands of miles from home and across an entire ocean, began to develop a new identity.  It's not that they considered themselves as "Americans".  They did, however, begin to identify with their home colony (i.e. "I'm a Virginian" etc.)  The confusing part is that while this new identity was being developed, the colonists were still fully recognized as British citizens.  That meant the King and Parliament (England's version of Congress) were still in control.  Some colonies had more self-government than others, but all answered ultimately to the Mother Country.

When the French/Indian War started, the colonists needed British troops help to defend their land.  This arrangement worked because England A) hated France and B) wanted to see their colonies survive so they could continue to make a profit off them.  So the war was fought and England won, and then the trouble started.  William Pitt, the British Prime Minister (their version of a president) began taxing the colonies more heavily than they were used to in order to pay off the debt racked up by the French and Indian War.  And who could blame him? England sent her troops across the ocean and paid for much of the war cost up front. You cannot blame them for wanting a return on their investment.  Plus, the colonies belonged to England in the first place, so what's the big deal?

The problem was the colonists had basically been left alone for many decades leading up to the war with France.  They had enjoyed the freedom this "salutary neglect" (fancy phrase :-) )  had brought.  Now they resented England playing a more active role in colonial affairs.  As the reins tightened, many colonists began to advocate more freedom.  It is important to note that the original requests from the colonists were not for independence.  That is a common misconception.  What the colonists wanted, at least in the early years after the F/I War, was their rights as British citizens to be recognized.  To be treated like they would be if they lived in England.  The cries for independence rang out only after their requests for equal rights were ignored.

All of that background leads us to this week's topic: The Boston Massacre.  In March of 1770 an unruly crowd of Bostonians were harassing a group of British soldiers who were guarding a local customs (tax) house.  Heated words were exchanged, the colonists threw sticks, stones and snow balls at the soldiers and shots were fired.  Five colonists were killed and the soldiers were put on trial.  Ironically, John Adams (the cousin of Samuel Adams who was probably the most radical leader of the Sons of Liberty) was hired to defend the British soldiers against their charges of murder.  Amazingly, Adams convinced the jury of the innocence of the soldiers and they were free to go.

First, read this story of the Boston Massacre from the perspective of the Captain of the British soldiers involved in this scuffle.  Then, look at this portrayal of the events by Bostonian silversmith Paul Revere.  Be sure to read the explanation as well as look at the image.  There should be an option at the bottom of the page to view Revere's image in an enlarged view.

Is there any difference in the way the same incident was portrayed by the two sides? If so, why do you think that is?  How could the same story be told two different ways?

Colonial Culture: What Life Used To Be Like

How about some lighter fare this week? We could all use a breather after the Middle Passage blog last week.

Check out the following sites on colonial culture.  In the comments section, write about life now versus then.  Which do you prefer?

Rules Of Being A Gentlemen

Colonial Music-Be sure to click on the links.  Take some time to explore this site.

Colonial Art-Notice not only the style but also the clothes portrayed in the portraits.  Be sure to read the article as well as looking at the pictures.

Colonial Games-After you view the games page, check out at least two of the other links on the left side of the page.

Enjoy!

The Middle Passage: The Anti-Cruise

Africans were enslaved by European nations, and ultimately the country of America, for various reasons.  Perhaps the most obvious was if you could force someone into labor and not pay them, you could keep all the profit to yourself.  Evil as it sounds, and horrific as it was, the system was profitable on many levels which sustained its growth.

One thing to keep in mind is many of the Africans sold into slavery were captured by their own people, locked in cages on the west coast and waited for a slave ship to dock in order to be transported to America, Brazil or some other location.  This journey across the Atlantic is known as the Middle Passage.  Many Africans died, or attempted suicide, during this voyage because they either knew what was coming and wanted to escape their fate, or they had no idea what was coming and never wanted to find out.  Many of them refused to eat in order to induce starvation, but the ship captains would pry their mouths open and force feed the slaves in order to keep them nourished.

Read this account of a young African's journey on the Middle Passage.  What are your reactions?  Is there anyway to excuse the behavior of people involved in trading slaves? (FYI: When the passage mentions "necessary tubs"...it means a bucket used as a toilet)