History Big Picture

By Bookclub

  • Boston Tea Party

    Protesting tax on tea
    Taxation without representation
  • Period: to

    First Continental Congress

    56 delegates from 12 colonies (GA did not participate)
    Met in Philly
    issue was primarily Intolerable Acts (4) imposed by the British
    Shuns Tory sentiment in NY

  • Lexington and Concord

    First shots of revolution
    Paul Revere's ride
    British marching from Boston to seize Concord armory on the way skirmish occurred in Lexington
  • Period: to

    Second Continental Congress

    This is the colonies government
    The Revolution has already started
    GW named head of the Continental Army

  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    called Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill
    the first formal battle
    debunked the myth of British invincibility
    British unhinged by colonists unorthodoxed fighting style

  • 2nd Continental Congress makes "Olive Branch Petition"

    one last attempt to ward off further hostilities
    British don't even respond

  • Eventually King George declines the "Olive Branch Petition"

    and King George instead pledges to break the resistance of the colonists

  • Continental Army wins battle in Boston

  • Declaration of Independence

    written during the 2nd Continental Congress
    final edited form was read out loud
    500 quick copies were made

  • NYers told to evacuate

  • NY falls to British

    NYC is the last stong hold of the British in the war...

  • GW retreats after losing NJ

  • Ft Ticonderoga fall to British control - command of Philip Schuyler

    Philip Schuyler got the heat on this and lost his command
    the reason he lost was the defection rate was high

  • Bloody clash in Brandywine (Philly)

    terrible slaughter with 1300 Americans killed, wounded, captured
    twice that of the British

  • H's supplies aid in GW engaging British in Germantown

    severing Howe from reinforcing Burgoyne

  • Burgoyne surrenders in Saratoga - pivotal moment in the war

    Gates whips Burgoyne who surrenders his whole army

  • Articles of Confederation

    Defined Congress' powers
  • Period: to

    Valley Forge

    horrible winter
    the states kept the talented military people for their own militias
    an impotent Congress (continental Congress) reduced to begging for men and supplies
    apparent the dependence on British for textiles meant no clothes, and munitions meant no weapons

  • French recognize American independence and sign treaties

    military and commercial treaties are signed

  • French sail for America to aid Continental Army

    General Clinton (British) decides to avoid being trapped in Philly and takes his troops to NYC

  • GW orders attack on British camped at Monmouth Court, Freehold, NJ -

    Battle was considered a "draw"
    Idolatry of GW began at Monmouth

  • Lee's (American) troops in full retreat

    H sees the retreat and told Lee not to retreat to die fighting
    GW rode up and cursed Lee
    H awed by GW courage, coolness, and firmness
    H leads Lees battalion of artillery
    H's horse is shot out from under him
    Lee arrested for disobeying orders
    H gives damaging testimony during court martial
    Lee found guilty

  • French "Baptist" shows up with a fleet

  • Spain enters war on America's side

    Spain and France BOTH enter the war on the American side
    Support the colonists NOT because of ideology, but because they both had their own issues with the British

  • British capture both SAV and Augusta

  • General Clinton (British) promises freedom to runaway slaves defecting to British side

    And the British honored that promise
    much to the southern planters constant complaining

  • GW takes troops to winter at HQ in Morristown, NJ

    the winter was worse weather than Valley Forge

  • British take Charleston, SC

    John Laurens captured

  • French arrive with troops in R. I.

  • British win Camden, SC

    General Gates flees

  • Benedict Arnold - traitor

    Arnold flees during breakfast with H and McHenry and goes downriver to the British warship "Vulture" and escapes
    when GW arrives H hands GW thick packets of dispatches
    GW reads them and says "Arnold has betrayed us"
    H and GW both hood winked by Arnold's wife's acting "crazy" to escape and made fools of H and GW

  • Armies mutiny in PA and NJ

  • Articles of Confederation - ratified

    Articles promised little more than a fragile alliance of 13 states
    -no judiciary or executive branches
    but it was a start and H spent his time addressing flaws and overcoming them in the Constitution

  • Battle of Yorktown

    H and men charged successfully

  • Cornwallis surrenders Yorktown

    shattered British troops march out

  • Provisional Peace treaty signed

    sapped incentives for a unity as a nation == asserted state sovereignty

  • Soldiers present Congress with petition "they have borne all they can bear"

  • Emergency resolution for states to send money for soldiers pay

    Robert Morris' resolution
    GW agreed to lobby Congress on soldiers behalf March 15 after soldiers' petition...H to chair a committee for pension equal to 5 yrs pay

  • Soldiers riot in Philly (state house) -- still demanding to be paid

    soldiers seize control of the arsenal
    400 soldiers encircle the state house
    H writes resolution to relocate Congress if Philly militia can't protect the state house
    Mutiny has a major repercussion...gives rise to the thought the national capital should be housed in a special federal district apart from the mercy of state government/protection

  • Congress moves across stateline to Princeton

  • Congress moves to Annapolis

  • Treaty of Paris

    War over

  • Evacuation Day - NYC

    British leave their last occupied city
    the city is a shanty town with unwholesome smells and cows wandering around

  • GW says a tearful goodbye to his officers - H not present

  • Congress moves to Trenton

  • Period: to

    Road to Continental Convention

    time of peace, but Articles of Confederation were imperfect for this time because:
    -dire financial straits
    -interstate rivalries
    -domestic insurrection
    Need for Constitutional reform...H obsessed with this need

  • Maryland and VA heated dispute over navigation on Potomac

  • Annapolis Convention

    discuss issues over trade...states operating as separate countries
    reverse trade barriers each state had put in place
    -12 delegates
    -5 states (NJ, NY, DE, PA, VA)
    -4 states didn't arrive on time (NH, MA, RI, NC)
    -4 states didn't send anyone (CT, MD, SC, GA)
    outcome: bigger convention needed to discuss flaws in political framework
    urge all states to send delegates to another convention in Philly in May to amend the Articles of Confederation

  • VA enthusiastically endorses reform, NY denied need for reform

    VA taps GW to head the VA delegation
    NY appoints H with 2 Clintonians

  • Shay's rebellion finally put down

    armed uprising in Western Massachusetts in response to a debt crisis among citizens and increase in taxes to cover the state debt
  • Period: to

    Constitutional Convention

    55 delegates and 7 states started/ 70 delegates and 12 attended (RI did not participate)
    objective was to amend the Articles of Confederation for peacetime
    but the outcome was a new government was created and scraped the Articles of Confederation
    determine how America was to be governed
    closed door session for inspired, uninhibited debate
    confidential, nothing spoken could be written or published
    with the US Constitution needing to be ratified by 9 states

  • The Virginia Plan - clean break from the past

    Presented a design for the future government

  • The NJ Plan - just correct what's broken

    Maintain the state's sovereignty

  • H's 6-hour speech - speech praised by all, supported by none

    brilliant, courageous, and daft
    combination of monarchy, aristocracy and republic
    "British gvt best in the world"
    VA plan seemed moderate compared to H's - some believed this was the intent

  • NY delegates (w/ H) leave, never to return

    this leaves NY without a voting block

  • Conn Compromise - breaks the deadlock

    H of R representation will be proportional
    Senate - equal representation

  • Convention adjourns while Committee of Detail produces first draft

  • Convention resumes with draft of Constitution

  • H back in Philly - drives a passionate debate on immigration

    H overruled
    H of R residency - 7 yrs
    Senate - 9 yrs
    President - 14 yrs

  • Committee of Style and Arrangement polishes the prose

    H a member of 5 person committee and perfect for the job...literary gifts and rapid pen
    Takes 4 days to make the document short and flexible
    Language needed to be specific enough and general enough to allow for growth
    23 articles shrank to 7

  • Convention ends - Constitution ready for ratification (9 states needed)

    Constitution and Government defined
    unanimous assent of 11 states and Col H - RI did not participate