Effects of the Revolution

The 8 year long American Revolution is a key event in history because of the long time effects it had on our world, even today. This post is specially dedicated to exposing this effects.

One of the effects was of course the complete independence of the British colonies from the British Empire/Crown. The colonists achieved their long time dream (I use the word long a lot okay) of constructing their own government and government rules. After the revolution, there was no King who would levy taxes on them or appoint governors for them. These freedom of government completed the formation of what today is one of the most influential countries in the whole wide world: United States of America.

Another effect was that since the American Revolution was the first independence movement of colonies towards the Empire owing them, it inspired other colonies to seek and fight for independence. It kind of made them think they could also have the freedom they felt the need to have, but just didnt know how to explain or express. Latin American independences are inspired in the American Revolution. In fact, the American Revolution also inspired other countries to revolt against their own authorities. The biggest and most famous of these revolutions was the French Revolution, which happened about 8 years after the American Revolution in 1789. If you think about it, it seems incredible that the colonies won when the British had the greatest Empire of that time.

A bit of French Revolution humor
 

The last effect I´ll mention, is more an intellectual effect of the Revolution. You must have heard the famous phrase, "all men are created equal" from the Declaration of Independence. These single fragment that the Patriots intensly marked was taken from other groups such as slaves and women (check out our post on Revolution effects on slaves, women, and loyalists. By the way) to fight for their rights and position in society. Of course the men who were involved in the writing and signing of the Declaration only referred to men-white men. This didnt keep other from interpreting and extending the meaning of the phrase. Nowadays, in most Constitutions in the continent of America all citizens are considered equal and granted equal rights. This includes women and slaves that so fiercly fought to gain this rights after the outburst of the Revolution.

To wrap it all up, the American Revolution wasn't just a war that colonists fought to gain freedom and they won and that's all. It had all the ever-lasting effects that we explained in this post.

The Treaty of Paris

Historically there was more than oneTreaty of Paris. One of them was in 1783. Other was in 1878. We are talking about these two because they were both relevant part of the American Revolution effects.

The first Treaty of Paris the one in 1783, was what sealed the peace between the British and the colonists. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris the Revolutionary War was officially over. Bejamin Franklin and John Adams were two of the main American negotiators. He was a really good negotiator and obtained vast land for the colonists. The other nations involved in the war, like the French had separate agreements. On the Treaty of Paris, the colonists agreed not to attack loyalists who still lived in America. They also agreed to pay any existing debt to Great Britain. The British agreed to remove all its troops from the colonist's territory.

The second treaty of Paris we are talking about was an agreement made in 1898 Guat. Resulted in end of the Spain control of Cuba and Puerto Rico and part of the Western Indies. The treaty was signed on December 10,1898 and ended by the Spanish-American war. It Came into Effect in April 11,1899.The treaty signaled the end of the Spanish empíre in America and the Pacific Ocean and marked the beginning of an age of the United States colonial power. United States was far more advanced in terms of independence and self government by the time. Remember that it had been more than a century after the signing of Treaty of Paris of 1783.

The controversial treaty was approved on February 6, 1899 by a vote 57 to 27, only one vote more than the two-thirds majority required Only two Republicans voted against ratification.
The treaty of Paris also provided Cuba as an independent country from Spain. The U.S congress madre sur Cuba would still be under it's control. The treaty also assured that that Spain would cede to the United States the States of Puerto Rico. 

How did the Revolution affect the natives americans, slaves, women?

The American Revolution had ever-lasting effects in the world, but it affected some groups in a different way than it affected other groups. In the following paragraphs, we wrote the effects the revolution had on women, slaves, and native americans.

Women:
It affected the women because even after their loyal service to the Patriots during the Revolutionary war, they didn't gain any legal and political rights. The revolution inspired women to be free and independent. The ideals of the revolution inspired women for equality, freedom and independence that would contribute in the future. The American Revolution affected the status of women. Also it inspired women for equality. It affected the position of white women. Revolution took vivid changes in the aspects of women. It gave a new light to the women who had been looked down and to fight the cause.

Slaves:
Although the slave trade itself was banned and in the northern states, slavery wasnt abolished, it did not completely remove slavery and make them considered as a "real person". Just like in women, the Revolution inspired slaves for equality, freedom and independence that would help them in the future. It affected them because they thought that they were going to have a new path but really they continued with slavery. Slavery continued after the war despite the efforts of African-American soldiers. It affected them because they did more critics on slavery.

Native Americans:
The American Revolution didn't affect directly the native americans. It affected them because when the colonists won, it was official they had lost vast territories and would have to share land extensions with colonists. The Procclamation of 1763 wasnt so forceful after the war, because the colonists were independent from the King and he couldnt give them orders anymore. The Procclamation of 1763 kept colonists east of the Appalachian Mts, just so you remember. France owed a large piece of land that was west of the Appalachian, and the colonists eventually bought it. Further on, they also took hold of the area around California and Florida. So as you see, the Natives were being taken away from lands and this led them to live in reservations. Nowadays, natives can live anywhere they want but many choose to live in reservations.

Revolutionary War Ends: Cornwallis surrenders

Up to this date, we have talked about a long chain of events that led to the revolutionary war. In this entry, we are talking about the last of this events that led to the revolutionary war to end.

Cornwallis was a British general who had previously driven George Washington's forces out of New Jersey in 1776, and led the British in victory over General Horatio Gates at South Carolina in 1780. By 1781, he raided plantations and towns in Virgnia and settled in Yorktown. The British began fortifying the town. Washington found out and instructed French general Marquis se Lafayette, who was in Virginia with an army of about 5,000 men to keep Cornwallis from escaping Yorktown by land. Meanwhile, Washington was in New York with 2,500 troops. He saw a chance and began plotting a plan to attack Cornwallis. He designed this plan with Rochambeau, a French allie that provided him with 4,000 French troops.

The plan Washington and Rochambeau had was to attack Cornwallis, and defeat him. They were expecting a French fleet under the Count de Grasse, which was coming directly from France. Washington was really risky in making this decision. There were no electronic devices at the time that he could use to communicate with Count de Grasse to be 100% sure he would arrive in time. This fleet was a key component of the attack, because they were supposed to prevent Cornwallis from escaping to New York by sea and from receiving British aid by sea. Luckily for Washington, the French fleet arrived on time providing with 7,000 more troops and blocking British fleet under Thomas Graves which was a reinforcement Cornwallis really needed.

Intense fighting occurred during the first 2 weeks of October. There were 14,000 troops of French and Patriots, which gradually overcame the British troops. On October 19, it was all set. Cornwallis surrendered 7,087 officers and men, 900 seamen, 144 cannons, 15 galleys, abd 30 transport ships. He knew that if they kept on fighting, he would lose anyway and have greater losses. He didn't attend the surrender ceremony because he was ill, but sent his sword to the American and French commanders, through General Charles O'Hara as a sign. With the surrendering of Cornwallis in the Battle of Yorktown, fighting in th colonies ended.

After Cornwallis surrendered though, a formal peace negotiation wasn't official. This happened months later in 1782 and on 1783 it became completely official with the "Treaty of Paris". This document formally recognized the colonies as: United States, a free and independent nation.

Winter at Valley Forge

The Continental Army, under command of George Washington, haven't had much success during the Fall of 1777. His army had confronted the British under the command of General Howe two times-one in Brandywine (Sept.11) and other Germantown(Oct.4)-and had been defeated. Cold weather was approaching so Washington decided to move his men to winte head quarters. He chose Valley Forge, at Schulkill River, 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It was a stragetic place, since it was easily defensible but close enough to the city to maintain pressure on the British. The 12,000 members of the Continental Amry went to this place on December 19, 1777.

The winter at Valley Forge is popularly depicted with images of starving and freezing soldiers, but the situation at the winter quarters was, though not that adecuate, bearable in comparison to what the soldiers had passed through before. As soon as they got there, they built 2,000 log huts, defensive trenches, five redoubts, and a bridge over the Schuylkill. The soldiers suffered from hunger and cold because of scarce food, boots, and coats. Sometimes their food consisted on a mix of flour with water, which was not enough, especially during the winter. Washington wrote a letter to Congress reporting that nearly 10,000 of his soldiers didnt have boots nor coats. He saw that if things didnt change  for good, there were only going to be three options: starve, dissolve the army, or disperse in search of food and clothes. All options were terrible.

On February 23, 1778 Baron Friedrich Von Stueben arrived at Valley Forge. He was a German that had previously been a member of the Prussian General Staff. He had met Benjamin Franklin at Paris and had been moved to the American cause since then. He was accepted by General George Washington and soon began designing  training program for the soldiers of the Continental Army. He didnt speak English, but he worked with the help of interpreters. He selected 100 men from the army and began developing a "model company", in which he instructed this 100 men in drill, maneuver, and a simplified manual of arms. The 100 men Baron Stueben instructed were then sent to instruct other units on what they had learned. Baron Stueben also contributed in the improvement of sanitation of the winter quarters by repositioning kitchens and latrines. Overall, his teaching of discipline and organization changed the soldier´s way of behaving in and out of the field forever.

The Winter at Valley Forge was really hard to pass for the members of the Continental Army, but both their determination and the aid they received helped them pass through it. They had really taken advantage of the winter, because they emerged as a stronger fighting force. George Washington, their strong military and individual leader never gave up and von Steuben had done an excellent job strengthening the soldiers. On the 27 of June the Continental Army faced another battle, the Battle of Monmouth (remember Molly Pitcher from our last post?) after which they could celebrate their first victory in nmonths!

 

Battles of Saratoga

It started on september 19, 1777. The battle were fought 18 days apart on the same ground, 9 miles south of Saratoga, New York. This battles were the turning points of the Revolutionary War. This battles consisted of two military engagements, which is why The Battle Of Saratoga is divided two parts, which were the Battle Freeman's Farm and the Battle of Bemis Heights. The victory gave new life to the American cause at a critical time, it ended in October 1777 with the American victory. The succes gave France the confidence in the American cause to become their ally. Later American successes owed a great deal to French aid in financial and military assistance.

Starting on September 19, the british general  Burgoyne moved some of his troops in an attempt to flank the American position on Bemis Heights, Benedict Arnold anticipated the strategy, and placed significant forces in the way of Burgoyne. Burgoyne's forces succeeded in gaining control of Freemen's Farm, defeating the Continental Army under Horatio Gates. Disputes continued during the days following the battle, while Burgoyne waited for reinforcements that would arrive from New York City. On the other side, militia forces continued to arrive increasing the size of the American army.

Further on, American troops attacked British troops in the area of Fort Ticonderoga, and bombarded the forts. Another Biritish General called Sir Henry Clinton, began making plans to divert the attention of the Americans from Burgoyne. On October 6, he captured American forts in the Hudson River highlands. Sadly for him, it was already too late to help Burgoyne. On October 7, Burgoyne attacked Bemis Heights. The Continental Army had gained strength and had about 12,000 soldiers while the British had about 4,000 soldiers under Burgoyne's command. The Continental Army and the lobster backs engaged in heavy fighting. After the redoubt held by Colonel Breyman and his regiment was taken, Burgoyne decided to withdraw and takes his army to the camp they had built at Saratoga. Burgoyne began to hope that forces of Clinton of the South, would come to aid him. This clearly demonstrates how communication was a major difficulty between the British forces. Almst all British messengers were caught and hanged by The Americans.



Red=British, Blue=Patriots
 

Burgoyne waited for  news of Clinton’s advance until 17th October 1777, when he was forced to sign the convention by which his troops surrendered to Gates, who had by then between 18,000 and 20,000 men. This was the ending of the war. The British learned that the Americans would give everything to fight, and as mentioned above this motivated the French to ally with the Patriots. Keep in mind that before the battle the French had helped the Patriots with secret ammunitions, but after the Battles of Saratoga the French and Patriots signed the alliance.

Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley

If heard as Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley or the name might sound rare, probably "Molly Pitcher" sounds more familiar.

"Molly Pitcher" was a name given to the woman known for delivering water to the troops of the Patriots during the Battle of Monmouth. They did this during a time the Continental Army and the colonists were facing tough times. The Continental Army needed the most support they could get from the civilians, including the wives or partners of members of the troops. That is why at the time many women freed their sons and husbands for military service by running farms and shops. They also made blankets, socks, and clothes for soldiers. Mary Hays was one of these women, key to aid and help keep going the Continental Army.

Mary Hays was born in 1754, in New Jersey. Her father was a dairy farmer at that same colony. When she turned just 13, she became a servant and that same year she married a barber of the name William Hays. When the Revolutionary War began, William enlisted and became a gunner for the Pennsylvania Artillery. On 1777-1778 she eventually joined her husband as a camp follower on the Philadelphia Campaign in New Jersey, eventually wintering with the Army at Valley Forge. It was later on, during the battle of Monmouth in which she became known with the name "Molly Pitcher" as we described before, because she brought water to the troops. During this war, she operated canons in place of her husband when he, for some reason couldnt. An enemy cannon almost kills her but it passed directly through her legs. There was only one witness in this event.

When the war ended, William and Mary returned to Pennsylvania. Mary worked as a "charwoman" for the State House at Carlisle. When William died, Mary married another Revolutionary War vet named John McCauley. She was awarded a pension in 1822 by Pennsylvania State Legislature. On 1876 on the anniversary of the war, a marker was placed on her grave noting her exemplary service. She died on January 22, 1832.

Please scroll farther down to read about Margaret Corbin.
Just for fun here is a video about Molly Pitcher´s life:

Margaret Corbin
 

There was another women who is acknowledged by the name "Molly Pitcher". Her name was Margaret Corbin. She was born in 1751. She was married with a member of the colonists troops. When her husband got killed on Fort Washington on Manhattan Island, New York on 1776; during the war, she took up a cannon. She gave all she had to contribute to win the war. She got seriously wounded when her arm was almost severed and her breast was lacerated by grapeshot. She lived until about 1800 after receiving charity payments from the Invalid Regiment and later became the first woman to receive a small pension from Congress for military service. She was known throughtout her community as a bad-tempered, hard-drinking eccentric by the nickname of "Captain Molly!"