Is war necessary?

I think war is a necessary part of of history and is responsible for a lot of the progress we have made. If we did not go to war with anybody we would not be respected as a country and other countries would walk all over us. When we went to war and won it made a name for our country and it helped us get what we wanted. We have won many wars over land, freedom, and just disagreements.

When we wanted land from other countries or the indians, if we just would have asked then there is now way we would get it. Everybody would just refuse everything we asked for because they would know we wouldnt do anything about it. Other countries are now more apt to give us more because they might not want to go to war with us, but they know if it comes down to it we will fight. After we won a war we get what we are fighting over, and it is always good for the country.

The downfalls with war are a lot of ur countrymen getting killed. A lot of men are either killed or wounded in battle. Another bad thing is war is very expensive. You have to pay for soldiers, equipment, and a lot ofother really expensive things.

We are currently at war in Iraq. We are there for many reasons and i feel it is necessary for our country. One of the reasons we are there is to help Iraq form a government. They had a dictator and we are trying to turn them into a democracy. Another reason we are over there is for oil. Right now gas prices are over $4.00 per gallon and nobody wants to pay that. The last reason i will talk about is because of terrorists. We are trying to cut down on the terrorists so Iraq is a safer place, and so is America. I think these are all very good reasons to go to war, and this is another example of war being necissary.

What if?

Thomas Jefferson was the man who wrote basically all of the declaration of independance. The declaration is a document that tells us the rights we have as an american. It declares our independance from Brittan. After he wrote it, the declaration had to be signed by many people to show that it was aproved. This moment is significant because now we are our own country and we are not still a part of Brittan. It gives us rights as an american, and makes us an independant country.

What if Thomas Jefferson was killed before he got a chance to write the declaration? This is plausible because back then many more people died. He could have been shot or got a disease. This would make a huge change to our history. We may not have certain rights that we are gauranteed and take for granted every day. We also might still be part of Brittan, i dont think they would completly controll us but they might have some say in what we do. This would be significant in history because our we may not have all of our rights. We might not be as powerful of a country either. Some of the things we are very lucky and fortunate to have, might not be here if he died.

The event is important today because it is the document that makes us an idependant country. The significance of the change if Jefferson got killed would be huge. We would have a lot more Brittish influence in our country. Today would be a lot different if the document had not been wrote. We may not rights as a citizen, and we might not be independant. This would be significant because americans are proud to be an independant country, and everyone likes to have their own rights as an individual.

Revolution and War

1763-1789

Revolution Notes

1763—Proclamation Act

It prohibited north american colonists from settling on the Natives Americans land.

1764—Grenville Acts (direct tax)

Britian taxes Cononies because they were in debt from the seven years war.

• Sugar (molasses, wine)

• Stamp

• Quartering made soldiers stay with families made families provide for them.

• Currency

Virtual/ Direct Representation

1765—Stamp Act Congress

• Sons of Liberty
• Samuel Adams
• Paul Revere
• 
• John Hancock
• Propaganda
• Boycotts
• Lobsters (Lobster-backs, Thomas Lobster)

It was a meeting that took place where 9 out of 13 delegates discussed the recently passed stamp act. The stamp act is a law that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents.

1766—Declaratory Act

Act of the Parliament of Great Britain during America's colonial period.

One of a series of resolutions passed attempting to regulate the behaviour of the colonies. It stated Parliament's position that it had the right to make laws for the colonies in all matters.

1767—Townsend Acts (indirect tax)

• Charles Townsend
• Writs of Assistance (search warrants)
• Revenue used to pay Royal officials in the colonies
• Tea Act (glass, paper, paint) support British East India Company

Placed a tax on common products imported into america such as lead, paper, paint, glass, and tea.

1770—Boston Massacre

• March 5, 1770
• Local reaction (primarily)
• 5 dead colonists
• John Adams defends British soldiers/5 exonerated-2 convicted
• Convicted men discharged and thumbs branded

Brittish soldiers shot and killed five civillions after a misunderstanding. Civillions were throwing things and hitting soldiers, the soldiers then shot and killed five people in self defense.

1773—Boston Tea Party

Bunch of drunkies dressed up as Savages and through a bunch of tea over board costing Britian a bunch of money.

• November 30, 1773--Dartmouth sails into Boston Harbor
• December 16, 1773--Tea dumped into harbor
• 340 chests of tea dumped (value of 10,000 British pounds)

1774— Coercive Act (Coercive Acts in Britain)

• Close the port of Boston
• Shut down Provincial and Town Governments
• All offices appointed
• Named General Thomas Gage as Governor
• Gave all western lands north of the Ohio R. to Quebec, allowed Catholic Church to practice

1774—1^st Continental Congress

• September to October (7 weeks)
• Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia
• 
  
• New England—John Adams, Paul Revere, Silas Deane
• Virginia—Washington, Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph, Richard Henry Lee
• Pennsylvania—John Dickenson, Joseph Galloway (Plan for American council under Parliament, to avoid war)
• New York—John Jay, James Duane
• Maryland—Samuel Chase (future Supreme Court Justice), Charles Carroll (richest man in Maryland, Catholic)
• 
  
• Declaration of Rights—rejects Parliamentary authority over internal colonial affairs, colonies manage own defense, united aid to Boston if Intolerable Acts continue, absolute boycott of British goods to be enforced rigidly

They got together and organized a boycott of british goods, and discussed their options.

1775— January

• William Pitt urges Parliament to withdraw troops from America because the idea of managing the colonies through force was “too ridiculous to take up a moment of your lordships’ time”

1775—April 19 Lexington and Concord

• Gen. Gage sends 700 men to Concord to seize the powder supplies
• Paul Revere and William Dawes raise alarm the night before
• Town of Lexington is on the way to Concord
• Minutemen are assembled on the town common
• “Shot heard round the world”
• 18 colonials killed and the rest run away
• British march on to Concord and find the munitions were moved overnight
• Minutemen ambush the British the whole way back to Boston
• 430 Redcoats make it back to Boston
• 30,000 Colonists surround Boston

The battle at lexington and concord was the first battle of the revolution. British tries to steal wepons and we are one step ahead of them.

1775—May

• Gen. Howe, Gen. Clinton, Gen. Burgoyne
• 5,000 British troops
• Ethan Allen, “Green Mountain Boys” seize Fort Ticonderoga
• Henry Knox uses canon to lay siege on Boston
• Benedict Arnold (Connecticut) takes Fort Crown Point to impede an invasion from Canada

1775—May 10, 2^nd Continental Congress

• Sam Adams pushes for Independence
• John Dickenson (Penn.) urges restraint
• Agree to form Colonial Army
• Delegates unanimously agree to Washington as Commander of Continental Army (John Adams suggestion)

They adopted the declaration of independance and the articles of confederation. They make Washington the comander of the army.

1775—June 17, “Battle of Bunker Hill”

• Actually fought on Breed’s Hill
• Gen. Howe leads assault without canon support (his canon had been matched with wrong-sized cannonballs [Amherst at Ticonderoga])
• Militia waited to within 30 yards (some say 15 yards)
• Militia target British officers
• Militia ran extremely low on ammunition
• On the third assault, led by Gen. Howe, British troops overtake the colonial position
• Britain losses almost 1000 men (about half the attacking force)
• Colonials lose about 500 men

1776—January, Common Sense

• Written by Thomas Paine
• 120,000 copies sold in three months

1776—March

• Gen. William Howe evacuates Boston
• July 2, lands in Staten Island, New York (Loyalist base)

1776—Declaration of Independence

• June 7, Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) introduces legislation to declare independence from Britain
• Before voting on Lee’s proposal Congress appoints five-man committee to draft a formal Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson, 33, does most of the writing)
• June 28, Declaration presented to Congress
• July 2, Congress approves Lee’s legislation to declare the United States of America independent of Great Britain
• July 4, Congress officially adopts the Declaration of Independence
• The Declaration intended to:

1. Undermine loyalty to King George III
2. Outline basic principles of representative government
3. Establish the “right” of rebellion

War

1776—August, Brooklyn Heights, New York

• Largest Naval group Britain will launch until the 20^th century
• British victory, city falls to England
• As winter came “sunshine patriots” left the American Army
• Initial colonial enlistments due to expire

1776—December, Battle of Trenton

• Howe believes war almost won
• 1,400 Hessians stationed at Trenton
• Colonel Rall (Hessian) builds no fortifications
• Washington “Crosses the Delaware” Christmas night
• 2,500 men; 18 artillery guns
• Surprise attack at dawn
• 106 Hessians killed, 918 captured
• No colonial casualties
• Washington retreats in secret to avoid Gen. Cornwallis counter-attack

1777—January, Princeton

• Washington ambushes British troops
• Colonial victory establishes this will not be a quick war for Britain

1777—September-October, Saratoga

• Gen. Burgoyne plans a three-prong attack on colonials at Albany
• Plan does not consider the terrain, forcing British troops to march through swamps, lakes, hills and forests full of rebels
• Two of the three “prongs” never arrive (Howe goes to Philadelphia instead, St. Leger retreats to New York afraid of Benedict Arnold)
• Sept. Burgoyne crosses Hudson River
• Oct. 17, Burgoyne surrenders
• Establishes American Army as real threat
• Helps secure open French Alliance
• Turning Point of the War

1777-1778—Winter at Valley Forge

• Under-funded troops
• Low morale
• 10,000+ troops
• 4,000 troops listed as “unfit for duty” due to poor supplies (boots, blankets, coats, etc.)
• 2,500 troops die of disease (typhus, typhoid fever, dysentery, pneumonia)
• George Washington mentioned a lack of shoes so severe that the men's "marches might be tracked by the blood from their feet”
• Local farmers would sell produce to Brits who could pay cash

1779—February, Vincennes

1780—August, Camden

1780—October, Kings Mountain

1781—October, Yorktown

• British Gen. Cornwallis
• American Gen. Washington (also “Mad” Anthony Wayne, Baron von Steuben)
• French Gen. Rochambeau (also Marquis de Lafayette)
• Essentially a French Naval victory
• Last significant battle of the war

1783—Sept. 3, Treaty of Paris

• Britain recognizes American independence
• America gets all land from Atlantic coast to Miss. River, Great Lakes to Florida
• Fishing rights to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and off the coast of Newfoundland
• America must pay debts to Britain
• American congress would “earnestly recommend” all Loyalist property returned (States ignore this request)