In The Time Of The Revolution: Living The War Of American Independence by Alan Axelrod is a history book published in 2020.
The United States was the first country founded on a set of ideas, agreed upon by the people in Congress, and brought to life through the sacrifices of early Americans. Before, nations were formed around tribes, race, territory, conquest, or the hereditary right of monarchs.
As Axelrod writes:
The United States … was based on a philosophy of human rights, natural rights, and the defense thereof. It was formed, essentially, on a set of social contracts, the three most important of which we call the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
In describing the origins of our country, Axelrod not only covers military encounters (the traditional focus), but also looks into the daily life, emotions, and mindsets of our people during the revolutionary period.
This post (Part 1) will focus on the events leading up to the revolution, culminating with the “shot heard around the world,” while a second post (Part 2) will delve into the Revolutionary War and the official creation of America.
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Enjoy!
Table Of Contents
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Why Our Founding Fathers Fought Our Mother Country
- Most Americans thought themselves English – no ideas of a revolution & King George III was not a tyrant
- Geography makes things difficult
- 6-18 week trip, slow & expensive
- Governing real-time is impossible; seems unresponsive & representation nonexistent
- Over time, especially as the majority were born in America rather than England, separate identities developed
- “Salutary Neglect” worked well for decades — colonists were left to govern themselves
- Military protection in 18th century wars (culminating in 7 Years War & French and Indian War) & subsequent debt made Britain more possessive of the colonies – now began to govern
- Intervening in colonial affairs
- Strictly regulating trade – only trade with England, economy hit hard
- Levying new taxes
- 1765 Quartering Act – required to furnish barracks & provisions for royal troops
- Independence still wasn’t an idea until colonists realized they were being denied the rights of English citizens
- Governed by a entity that gave the people no voice in the matter – which was abolished by the Magna Carta in 1215
- Tried without a jury – denying right to be tried by a jury of one’s peers
- No Englishman should be expected to tolerate it – whether that subject is in London or Boston
- Only solution was independence
- Representation would be impossible → geography + population
The War Young Washington Started
- 1748-1752 → British aggressively expanded west & tensions rose w/ France
- 21-year-old Virginian officer George Washington was sent to order the French out of Ohio
- They denied & Washington led a surprise assault, starting the French and Indian War (the first “world war” – North America, Europe, & other British/French colonies like India)
- Britain handled the first 4 years of the war badly
- Alienated native tribes (who left to support France) & “provincials” (American colonists)
- British soldiers / leaders were not competent – colonials fared way better (especially in the face of guerilla attacks)
- Didn’t inform colonial governors of plans
- Colonies had great trade w/ France in Canada – refused cooperation in the war
- By June 1756, English settlers had withdrawn 150 miles from their pre-war frontier
- William Pitt took charge of American colonial affairs
- Ordered thousands more troops
- Handpicked the best officers
- Worked closely with colonies & native allies — colonies started supporting
- Turning point → Recaptured Ohio, northern border, & Quebec
- Treaty of Paris 1763 → France gave territory west of Mississippi to Spain + all other North American territory to Britain
- Natives fought until the Proclamation of 1763 ensured English settlement would stop at the Appalachian Mountains
- Drawn without consulting colonies – felt unjust
- Added to the incompetent military help, left little respect for mother country
The Rich, the Poor, and the “Middling Sort”
- Colonies were surprisingly diverse — economic status, race, ideology, theology
- 7 Social Categories
- Enslaved Field Hands
- Enslaved House Servants
- Slaves = 25% of population (4/5 in the south)
- Indentured Servants
- 500,000 immigrants before 1775 – 50% indentured (¾ under 25)
- Worked 3-7 years in exchange for passage to the colonies
- Only temporary poverty – most went on to own property
- Free Blacks
- Not numerous but not rare either
- Not equal rights but could own property & work range of occupations
- Farmers
- Largest class
- Small, family labor only – rarely more than 2 slaves, if any
- The Middling Sort
- Prosperous farmers, tradespeople, professionals
- Gentry
- Large landowners (George Washington), very prosperous merchants (John Hancock)
- Ruling class
- Routinely served in military, administrative, legal, and church capacities
- ~1/3 remained poor but many saw incomes rise & opportunities for advancement
- Pursuit of “Happiness” = pursuit of sufficient means to live comfortably … in other words, the American Dream
Patriots, Loyalists, Native Americans, and Slaves
- Society further divided by 5 attitudes toward independence
- Patriots → Favored the revolution
- Loyalists → Loyal to King George III, opposed revolution
- Neutrals / Undecideds → Due to business interests, family ties, etc
- Native Americans → Sided with whoever they thought would win (Britain here)
- Slaves → Sided with whoever promised emancipation
- 9,000 for America, 20,000+ for Britain
- Patriot Mindset
- Younger, less established
- Convinced they were morally justified – they’re being denied rights
- Eager for action
- Confident a free system of government would replace colonial rule
- Party of hope & optimism
- Loyalist Mindset
- Older, more set-up, unwilling to risk change
- Immoral to oppose the crown – no matter what, never justified
- More passive
- Believed destroying the current order invites extremism
- Supported status quo (devil you know is better than unknown)
- January 1776 – Thomas Paine published Common Sense
- First published argument for American independence
- Straightforwardly presented the reasons for independence
- Instant bestseller, 120,000 copies sold in 3 months
- 40% Patriots, 15-20% Loyalists, ~40% undecided
- July 4, 1776 – Patriots declared independence
- Purged royal officials from office
- Loyalty to crown forbidden
America Praying, America Thinking
- The Great Awakening
- Colonial religious energy was incredible – 80%+ regularly worshiped
- New wave → spirituality within the soul of an individual instead of imposed by external authority
- Fed into American belief that the individual is the ultimate arbiter
- Colonies established higher learning institutions remarkably quick
- Harvard established 16 years after the Mayflower landed (1636)
- College of William and Mary, St. John’s, and Yale within 70 years
- Scientific Revolution
- Sir Isaac Newton a century before revolutionized how people think about the universe – the world is governed by natural laws
- If even light (the first thing God created) adheres to natural laws, is it possible morality, behaviors, and government has natural laws?
- Social philosophers like John Locke popularized skeptical inquiry – idea that no one has the right answers so freedom (specifically of thought) was needed for citizens to discover for themselves the best ways of improving civilization
- The revolution began before the war – it began in the mind
- Deeper than political & economic independence, a revolution of thought, society, and civilization
King and Parliament
- At age 22, King George III wanted to prove himself → banned colonies’ trade with other countries, ending “salutary neglect”
- Allowed authorities to search private homes without court order
- French and Indian War ended, and so did the colonies incentive to meekly accept taxes
- King George needed to earn loyalty now… but cracked down harder
- Created Proclamation Line, didn’t help settlers when attacked by natives
- Import / Export Tax, Sugar Act, Currency Act, Wool Act, Naval Stores Act, Hat Act, Molasses Act, Iron Act, among others
- Mutiny Act + Quartering Act → furnish barracks & provisions for royal troops
- Colonies screamed injustice & sent declaration
- Boycott English goods
- Refused to allocate funds for soldiers
- British government failed to see colonies acting in unison – levied the Stamp Act
- Taxed all printed material – the vehicle of legal, commercial, intellectual, and political communication in the colonies
- Samuel Adams & Sons Of Liberty harassed stamp agents
- John Adams wrote a protest document
- Virginia declared legislative independence
- Parliament temporarily repealed it but passed Declaratory Act – future laws are binding, absolute, and beyond dispute
- Townshend Acts
- Revenue taxes on lead, glass, paint, tea and paper
- Created royal customs, raided merchant vessels
- Suspended NY Assembly
- Independence movement started in colonies AND England
- “Massachusetts Circular Letter” → colonies could never be properly represented – only option is independence
- John Dickerson Letter → no right to tax solely for revenue, suspending NY Assembly was tyrannical, taxation without representation is against British law
- Parliament repealed all acts except 1 — King George wanted to be defiant & show they could still tax if they wanted… the tea tax
From Massacre to Tea Party
- Boston Massacre — March 5, 1770
- Off-duty British soldier was at the wharf looking for a job
- Crowd got angry – felt during severe recession job should go to a Bostonian
- Mob chased soldier off & roamed streets
- Found & threw ice balls at Hugh White – a soldier who had beaten a local apprentice
- Royal officers got 7 soldiers together to rescue White
- Mob cut them off & the troops formed a skirmish line
- Thrown wooden club hit a private and he shot in response
- Merchant swung piece of wood was stabbed with bayonet – battle started
- Another private shot 2 Bostonians in the face
- Sam Adams labeled it “Boston Massacre” & stoked fire of revolution
- The Tea Party
- Britain cut their tea tax and only left American tax – therefore American merchants were cut out of the trade (company only sold to royal people to avoid tariffs)
- Sam Adams & Sons Of Liberty forced tea ships to turn back from Philly, NYC, and Charlseton
- Governor in front of 7,000 Americans refused give permits to let Boston ship turn back
- Sam Adams declared “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country”
- Signal — 150 men with painted faces screamed and rode to the ships, dumping $1.7 million of tea into the harbor
- Response
- King George said “We must master them”
- Closed Boston port, pretty much declared martial law, moved capital to Salem, ordered Congress to dissolve, restarted Quartering Act, and more
- Cities bells tolled for weeks, Bostonians adopted black badges of morning, created Continental Congress – delegates from all 13 colonies, America is now almost united
Tipping Point
- More tyranny
- Quebec Act 1774 → gave French-Canadians US land & made Americans follow French laws in those areas – also against Magna Carta (British subjects always sheltered under rights of English law)
- Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia with 12 colonies (Georgia abstained)
- Declared measures unconstitutional, boycotted all English goods, took up arms until all acts repealed
- Drafted 10 resolutions explicitly stating human rights of Americans (anticipating the Bill of Rights)
- Royal military marched to seize colonial arsenals
- Colonies warned by couriers like Paul Revere, formed militia, and hid everything
- British baffled how organized & efficient colonies were but couldn’t find anyone to blame
- Royal military began organizing, arming, and preparing troops but were met with sabotage
- Supply barges destroyed, wagons vandalized, royal arms stolen
- Obvious – Rebellion was underway
- Patrick Henry 1775 speech → ended with “Give me liberty or give me death!”
- Focused the colonies
Heard Round The World
- 1775 — 800 Boston royal soldiers left on boat at night to surprise arrest Sam Adams & John Hancock in Concord
- Paul Revere (revolution’s first spymaster) set out to alert everyone between Boston & Concord
- Shouted “the regulars were out!”
- From every Patriot home, militia emerged ready
- Revere was captured & ordered at gunpoint to tell everything
- Smiled and was only too happy to do so – every man in Middlesex was armed and ready to fight
- Dawn of April 19, 1775 — expecting surprise, British troops landed to church bells & sniper fire
- Jonas Parker & 70 volunteers gathered in the middle of the path – Lexington Green
- Against 800 coordinated soldiers, they began to melt away
- Someone (no one knows what side) fired a shot & started things
- 8 Americans killed, 10 wounded in the first battle of the revolution
- News traveled fast
- Americans from every nearby village converged on Concord (~3,765 of them)
- British were shocked and after a volley, withdrew to retreat towards Boston
- 1,400 British reinforcements marched out from Boston, not knowing what had happened
- Eerie — streets were silent & unchallenged
- Suddenly, shots were being fired from behind every rock, bush, and house
- Forced to march the whole way through sniper fire, over 20 hours
- Both British forces met @ Lexington
- Couldn’t slow the flood of incoming militia
- Americans had minimal coordination & no leadership
- British fought out 3pm and got back to Boston under the cover of a warship
- Battle of Concord Results
- 73 British dead (26 more MIA, presumed dead), 174 wounded
- 49 Patriots dead (5 MIA), 41 wounded
- Continental Congress authorized new Continental Army – 13,600 troops
- Militia from all over the colonies converged to lay siege on British army in Boston
Check out more History posts!
- In The Time Of The Revolution by Alan Axelrod
- Turn Right At Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
- Under The Black Flag by David Cordingly