American Revolution

• The Culper Spy Ring

  A colonial spy network that operated during the war and provided George Washington with information on British troop movements
• Areas of Operation:


  • New York City
  • Long Island
  • Connecticut
  • Virginia
• Main Individuals:

  • Benjamin Talmadge(Director of Military Intelligence)
  • Robert Townsend(Samuel Culper Jr.)
  • Abraham Woodhull(Samuel Culper Sr.)
• Techniques:


  • Chemicals
  • Ciphers
  • Mask Letter
  • Quill Letter
• The American colonies had strengths and weaknesses in terms of undertaking a revolution
• The colonial population was well over two million, nearly one third of that in Britain
• The growth in the colonial economy had generated a remarkably high level of per capita wealth and income
• The British military had advantages with virtual control of the Atlantic, a navy that could attack anywhere along the American coast, and logistical support for the army
• The British army had a large core of experienced officers commanding a highly disciplined and well-drilled army in the large-unit tactics of eighteenth-century European warfare
• The American military would have great difficulty in defeating the British by these measures
• The American navy was small
• The Continental Army had relatively few officers proficient in large-unit military tactics
• The American army was unlikely to be able to meet the British army on equal terms on the battlefield due to lacking numbers and discipline
• The British were in a better position than the Americans to finance a war
• England’s army was well paid and well fed, and had enough money to hire German mercenaries known as Hessians
• After declaring independence, Congress set about defining the relationship between it and the former colonies under the Articles of Confederation
• The powers granted to Congress under the Articles of Confederation did not include the power to tax or the power to regulate commerce
• Congress had no tax system to generate revenue, making it difficult to borrow money
• According to the Articles, the states were to make voluntary payments to Congress for its war efforts, hampering funding throughout the war
• Soldiers were often without adequate food, arms, clothing, and shelter due to very little money
• Salaries were very rarely paid on time, leading to low morale, disease, and desertion
• The respect of the soldiers for General Washington kept the Continental Army from falling apart completely
• The colonies gained invaluable help from France, Spain, and the Netherlands in the conflict, crucial for the Revolution's outcome
• The assistance of France, Spain, and the Netherlands was highly improbable that the United States could have won its independence without
• The American Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents ever written
• The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776
• The Declaration of Independence declared the reasoning behind the American Revolution
• Not all individuals at the Congress signed the Declaration of Independence
• Individuals who signed the Declaration of Independence

  • John Adams
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • and 53 others
• Speaker: '“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...”'
• Jefferson meant with the line "all men are created equal"

  That all men should be treated fairly with their natural rights, regardless of their background or social status
• Slaves and women were not represented by the statement "all men are created equal"
• If the United States were still a colonial property of Great Britain, representation in a new Continental Congress would be different than that of the 1775-76 Congress
• If a new Continental Congress were held today, representation would be more varied, including people of color, men, and women
• The line "all men are created equal" might have to be re-imagined if the United States were still a colonial property of Great Britain
• The colonies gained invaluable help from

  France, Spain, and the Netherlands
• The intervention of France, Spain, and the Netherlands in the conflict


  Made a crucial difference in the Revolution's outcome
• The United States could have won its independence without the assistance of France, Spain, and the Netherlands
• War strategies by the British and the Americans

  Developed within military and financial constraints
• British military strategy

  Initially tried to impose a naval blockade and capture major American seaports