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Chapter 7
The American People and the American Revolution
1775–1783
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Describe the circumstances that led to the decision to declare independence.
• Outline the course of fighting in the North between 1775 and 1777.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
British attempts after the Seven Years’ War to consolidate political and economic control over
their American empire pushed colonials toward independence. After driving France from North
America in 1763, the darkest fears of British policymakers were realized in the decade of crisis
that followed. Many Americans, deeply disillusioned by Parliament’s attempt to raise colonial
THEMES
The Decision for Independence
When the Second Continental Congress convened at Philadelphia in the spring of 1775, many
moderate and conservative delegates clung to the hope of a settlement with Britain. Radicals who
favored independence moved cautiously, hoping that time would create consensus. Even as
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The Fighting in the North
British troops under General William Howe prepared to wage a conventional war in America
by capturing cities and luring the main American force into a decisive battle. As George
The Turning Point
France had been waiting for an opportunity to humble Britain since its defeat in the Seven Years’
War. The French patiently worked to turn the drama unfolding in America to its advantage. The
victory at Saratoga marked a turning point in the fighting. In 1778, France openly allied with
American rebels, and shortly thereafter, Spain joined France. What had been a colonial rebellion
had now widened into a global war, forcing the British to disperse their army to fend off
The Struggle in the South
While the war in the North stalemated, the British pursued a southern strategy. They easily
captured Savannah, Georgia, and after a long siege Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780. But
British hopes that southern resistance would quickly collapse were snuffed out by the rebel
militia. Although loyalists were numerous in the Georgia and Carolina backcountry, they met
determined resistance from rebels led by men like Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox.” As a
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The World Turned Upside Down
Cornwallis made one final bid for victory at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. But he found himself
outflanked by Continentals under Washington, French troops under the comte de Rochambeau,
LECTURE STRATEGIES
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence deserves fuller coverage in a lecture. Both the events that
prodded the Second Continental Congress into approving the radicals’ aim of independence and
the contents of the Declaration itself should be drawn to students’ attention. While the persistent
Approaches to a Military History of the War
While a few students have a keen interest in military history, many dismiss it as a dull exercise
in troop movements and battle maneuvers. The way to arouse more general interest on this
important topic is with a lecture based on Charles Royster’s A Revolutionary People at War.
Royster provides a vivid and detailed picture of the Continental Army—the different reasons that
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men enlisted, what motivated them to fight rather than to run, relations between officers and the
rank-and-file, the life in the camps, the winter at Valley Forge. There is also useful material here
on the experience of civilians during the fighting, and relations between civilians and the
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
A Civil War?
One effective way to start discussion of this chapter is by asking whether the War for
Independence was, in fact, the first American civil war. Many students are under the impression
that the Revolution commanded support from all Americans, or that loyalists comprised only a
tiny fraction of the colonial population. Unfortunately, it is impossible to prove or disprove John
The War as a Politicizing Process
Once students appreciate the extent to which Americans were divided over the Revolution—or
indifferent to its outcome—discussion can focus on the ways in which the experience of the war
itself was a politicizing process. The arrival of one of the armies or partisan militias in a
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The War’s Effect on Different Americans
One way of making the experience of the war more direct and immediate for students is by
asking them to think about how the Revolution affected different Americans—enslaved African
Americans, white southerners in the backcountry, poor men and women, women in areas
POWER OF PROCESS FOR PRIMARY SOURCES
Power of Process for Primary Sources is a critical thinking tool for reading and writing about
primary sources. As part of Connect History, McGraw-Hill Education’s learning platform, Power
of Process contains a database of over 400 searchable primary sources in addition to the
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