The American Revolution

1775-1783

 When: 1775 to 1783 What: an armed

conflict broke out between Britain and her 13 colonies Why: the 13 Colonies did not want to pay increased taxes to American Revolution Britain.

Patriots
If

you fought against the British and wanted to become an independent nation, you were called a patriot.

 The

patriots started off as a small group of radicals, such as Sam Adams, John Hancock, members of the Sons of Liberty & George Washington, and came from all Patriots walks of life

Loyalists
If

you joined the British side of the war and wanted to retain ties to Britain you were known as a loyalist

 Loyalists

tended to be recent immigrants to North America, most of them British. Some were German and Dutch. These groups feared that the revolution would threaten their language, religion and customs. The Patriots wanted a Democratic Government that would be ruled by the majority vote; however, the Germans and Dutch were minorities. Loyalists

 The

Loyalists were divided into two groups:

The active Loyalists were those who were not scared by the tarring and feathering that was going on in many communities throughout the colonies. They were the targets of persecution since they openly supported the king. The inactive Loyalists were those who continued to support the king, but did not get Loyalists involved in the violence that followed.

Brant was a Mohawk, who became a leader of her people and one of the most important Loyalists. She was head of The Society of Six Nations Matrons. Women had high status and their advice was listened to in all matters, including peace and war. Aboriginal Peoples Her advice was to remain loyal to Britain.

Molly

By 1774, Iroquois chiefs were ready for war against the Patriots, who were paying no attention to the terms of the Royal Proclamation. Her brother, Joseph Brant, began recruiting warriors for the Loyalist forces It was said that one word from Molly Brant is more taken notice Aboriginal Peoples of by the Six Nations than a thousand words from a white man.

 In

the Thirteen Colonies, Quakers and Mennonites did not believe in fighting and were excused from military duty, though they had to pay special taxes for this privilege. In Canada, citizens living in Qubec and Nova Scotia did not want to fight for Neutral their own reasons

 In

1776, the Patriots had an army of 18,000 of poorly armed and trained men. The British had a force of 30,000. Yet, the Patriots were victors. How did this happen?

Patriot Victory

British could easily conqueror cities, but they had trouble in the countryside. The Patriots shot at them from behind trees and used other hit-and-run tactics. This guerilla warfare wore down the British army. The Patriots gained experience and started winning battles. In 1781, the British surrendered to George Washingtons army Patriot Victory

The

 In

the treaty, Britain agreed to do the following:

Recognize American independence Turn over to the USA all the land from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic coast between the Great Lakes and Florida Give the Americans fishing rights off the coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia

In return, Britain wanted the The Treaty of Paris

Loyalists repaid for the losses they suffered during the war.

 The

Law of Forfeiture in NY allowed rebel agents to evict the wives and children of British regiments. They then sold the property to Patriots at a fraction of the value. As a result, thousands of Loyalists ended up in refugee camps in New York City Sir Guy Carleton had trouble evacuating the Loyalists to the British colonies due to the numbers; convoys made several trips Evacuation of the Loyalists

 The

arrival of the Loyalists had a profound effect on the colonies. Many of the Loyalists who arrived in the St. John River Valley were well-educated and they had their own ideas about how the colony should be run. Halifax was far away and unconcerned about the Loyalists. In 1784, the British government created the new colony of New Brunswick. Creation of New Brunswick

 Thousands

of Loyalists fled to presentday Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. By 1784, 40,000 Loyalists had arrived in British North America. The Loyalists who came to these British colonies cleared and settled new land. They helped to open up and develop the land that would one day become Canada. Impact on Canada