The day is almost here. America will mark her 250th birthday this Saturday, July 4.
For the final episode of WSHU’s The Making of U.S., let's go back in time to the start of the American Revolution.
A revolution rumbles
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, an estimated 2.5 million people lived in the 13 colonies, the U.S. census estimates. Around half of them are thought to have been enslaved people.
It’s hard to know exactly how many people there were, because the first census count wasn't taken until the 1790s.
However, the vision you may have of those colonists — displeased with their life under Britain’s rule and desperate to break free — isn’t necessarily true.
Matthew Skic is the Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.
“Many of these Americans, whether they're in Massachusetts or Virginia or New Jersey, are very proud to be part of the British Empire,” Skic said. “They're particularly happy to be part of what is known as the British Constitution, the system of government that is governing the British Empire.”
They’re especially happy with the fact that each colony has its own legislature, made up of mostly property-owning men.
However, that contentment changes — and fast.
In 1665, Great Britain began looking for ways to raise money to defend the territory it had just acquired in the French and Indian War.
“These are Native American lands that are being administered now by the British Empire, and there are conflicts between Native nations and the British that break out, particularly in response to colonial settlers moving into those lands,” Skic said.
Parliament came up with the Stamp Act, a tax on all paper goods. It was the first direct tax levied on the colonies, and they weren't happy. The saying “no taxation without representation” dates back to the Stamp Act.
It’s a major turning point.
“This is not taxation that was decided upon by the colonial legislatures in each of those colonies, and so that creates a moment of tension, deep tension, that is questioning: what is the relationship between the American colonies and the British government?” Skic said.
Next comes taxes on tea, paint, and more. By the end of 1768, British troops were stationed in Boston to enforce the taxes. One clash between the soldiers and colonists left five people dead. It’s called the Boston Massacre.
But still, despite their frustration, colonists weren’t immediately ready to fight for independence.
“In 1775, when the war broke out, many Americans were joining this fight against the British army, not yet to separate from Britain, but to restore their rights and liberties within the British Empire,” Skic said.
Again, that changes fast. Shortly after the war breaks out, King George III declares the colonies in open and avowed rebellion, and colonists take that as him turning his back on them. Then, British leaders stationed in the colonies offered enslaved colonists freedom in exchange for fighting on behalf of Britain.
In January 1776, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet called “Common Sense.”
“That puts in plain language the idea that the United Colonies should break away from Britain, create republics using republican forms of government, and create a new nation to wage war and fight for its independence from Great Britain,” Skic said.
And on July 4, 1776, 250 years ago this summer, the Second Continental Congress adopted the final text of the Declaration of Independence. It was signed in August.
It’s a celebratory day for many of the colonists. However, there’s still a long way to go.
All-out war
A misconception about the Revolutionary War is that the Continental Army, which represented the colonies, was a ragtag volunteer army.
One of those things was true; they were ragtag. However, they were also professionally drilled.
“The army was often ill-equipped and ill-supplied. They sometimes struggled to provide enough food for their soldiers, enough pay for their soldiers, and pay using money that actually had value was a struggle,” Skic said. “Uniforming the soldiers was often difficult.”
The Continental Army lost a series of battles in New York and then in Philadelphia. Brutally cold winters further hurt morale.
Throughout the war, women, Black, and Native Americans played a major role on both sides.
“There are thousands of Black soldiers who serve in George Washington's army, as it's very much an integrated army,” Skic said. “Women are actively involved in the army as well, for the majority as camp followers.”
For many Native Americans, an independent United States that was likely to expand further West was more dangerous than British-controlled colonies, so they sided with the crown.
The war's tide changed when France joined the fight in support of the colonies after a major win at Saratoga. At the same time, the British were also up against the Netherlands and Spain.
“Now the British are having to fight not only in North America but in the Caribbean, the Atlantic, off the coast of Africa, the Mediterranean, trying to defend Britain and Ireland itself, but also battles waging with the French and the Dutch off the coast of India and Southeast Asia,” Skic said. “This is a war that is increasingly difficult for the British to maintain.”
Washington’s tactic was to keep troops on the field at all times, in as many places as possible.
In the fall of 1781, the British troops surrendered after the battle of Yorktown. Still, New York and North Carolina remained in British hands until the Treaty of Paris was signed, two years later, to officially end the war.
The treaty was signed without any input from Native Americans.
“Its lasting effect is dramatic population shifts of tens of thousands of people who are forced to leave the United States and resettle elsewhere,” Skic said. “That's Native Americans, that's men and women of European descent, that's formerly enslaved people of African descent. This war has dramatic effects on the population of North America.”
The pain of that forced relocation and its ongoing impact are still felt across the country today.
250 years later
For many Americans, the 250th anniversary is complicated. We as a country are at a crossroads. Deep political, economic and social divides can make the country feel like it’s still a battleground.
What’s clear, though, is the impact the American Revolution had on the world. More than 100 nations have issued a declaration of independence since 1776.
“The American Revolution is this ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government that continues to this day,” Skic said. “But only if we see that it continues into the future, as we continue to advocate for the creation of a better future for all people, not just here in the United States, but around the world.”
