vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
Boston Tea Party
This article is part of a series about the American Revolution 1765 -- 1783 Origins ( show ) Sugar Act Currency Act Quartering Acts Stamp Act 1765 Declaratory Act No taxation without representation Townshend Acts Tea Act Boston Massacre Boston Tea Party Intolerable Acts Revolutionary War ( show ) Continental Army Continental Navy Minutemen Battles Intelligence Treaty of Paris Costs Declaration of Independence ( show ) Continental Congress Committee of Five Lee Resolution Articles of Confederation United States Constitution ( show ) Philadelphia Convention Annapolis Convention The Federalist Papers Bill of Rights A New Republic ( show ) Republicanism American Enlightenment Liberalism First Great Awakening Role of Women Legacy ( show ) Atlantic Revolutions Bicentennial
American Revolutionary War
In 1651 , the Parliament of England sought to regulate trade in America by passing the Navigation Acts , ensuring that trade only enriched Britain . The economic effects were minimal , but they triggered serious political friction . The American colonists had fought King Philip 's War without significant assistance from the Crown , and this contributed to a growing sense of American identity separate from that of Britain . Britain continued to assert control into the 1680s , culminating in the abrogation of colonial charters and the establishment of the Dominion of New England in 1686 . Colonists , however , felt that the Dominion was undermining their democratic liberty and they overthrew it in 1689 ; the Crown made no attempt to restore it .
American Revolution
By contrast , Patriots by number tended to be yeomen farmers , especially in the frontier areas of New York and the backcountry of Pennsylvania , Virginia and down the Appalachian mountains . They were craftsmen and small merchants . Leaders of both the Patriots and the Loyalists were men of educated , propertied classes . The Patriots included many prominent men of the planter class from Virginia and South Carolina , for instance , who became leaders during the Revolution , and formed the new government at the national and state levels .
American Revolution
The consensus of scholars is that about 15 -- 20 % of the white population remained loyal to the British Crown . Those who actively supported the king were known at the time as `` Loyalists '' , `` Tories '' , or `` King 's men '' . The Loyalists never controlled territory unless the British Army occupied it . Loyalists were typically older , less willing to break with old loyalties , often connected to the Church of England , and included many established merchants with strong business connections across the Empire , as well as royal officials such as Thomas Hutchinson of Boston . There were 500 to 1000 black loyalists who were held as slaves by patriots , escaped to British lines and joined the British army . Most died of disease but Britain took the survivors to Canada as free men .
American Revolution
In terms of class , Loyalists tended to have longstanding social and economic connections to British merchants and government ; for instance , prominent merchants in major port cities such as New York , Boston and Charleston tended to be Loyalists , as did men involved with the fur trade along the northern frontier . In addition , officials of colonial government and their staffs , those who had established positions and status to maintain , favored maintaining relations with Great Britain . They often were linked to British families in England by marriage as well .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
The great majority of Loyalists never left the United States ; they stayed on and were allowed to be citizens of the new country . Some became nationally prominent leaders , including Samuel Seabury and Tench Coxe . Alexander Hamilton enlisted the help of the ex-Loyalists in New York in 1782 -- 85 to forge an alliance with moderate Whigs to wrest the state from the power of the Clinton faction . Several thousand of those who had left for Florida returned to Georgia . There was a small , but significant trickle of returnees who found life in Nova Scotia too difficult . Some Massachusetts Tories settled in the Maine District . Nevertheless , the vast majority who did leave never returned .
American Revolutionary War
After fighting began , Congress launched a final attempt to avert war , which Parliament rejected as insincere . King George then issued a Proclamation of Rebellion on August 23 , 1775 , which only served to embolden the colonists in their determination to become independent . After a speech by the King , Parliament rejected coercive measures on the colonies by 170 votes . British Tories refused to compromise , while Whigs argued that current policy would drive the colonists towards independence . Despite opposition , the King himself began micromanaging the war effort . The Irish Parliament pledged to send troops to America , and Irish Catholics were allowed to enlist in the army for the first time . Irish Protestants favored the Americans , while Catholics favored the King .
American Revolutionary War
African Americans -- slave and free -- served on both sides during the war . The British recruited slaves belonging to Patriot masters and promised freedom to those who served by act of Lord Dunmore 's Proclamation . Because of manpower shortages , George Washington lifted the ban on black enlistment in the Continental Army in January 1776 . Small all - black units were formed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ; many slaves were promised freedom for serving . Some of the men promised freedom were sent back to their masters , after the war was over , out of political convenience . Another all - black unit came from Saint - Domingue with French colonial forces . At least 5,000 black soldiers fought for the Revolutionary cause .
American Revolution
Ideological demands always came first : the Patriots viewed independence as a means to gain freedom from British oppression and taxation and , above all , to reassert what they considered to be their rights as English subjects . Most yeomen farmers , craftsmen , and small merchants joined the Patriot cause to demand more political equality . They were especially successful in Pennsylvania but less so in New England , where John Adams attacked Thomas Paine 's Common Sense for the `` absurd democratical notions '' it proposed .
Modern history
The American Revolution began with fighting at Lexington and Concord . On July 4 , 1776 , they issued the Declaration of Independence , which proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and their formation of a cooperative union . In June 1776 , Benjamin Franklin was appointed a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence . Although he was temporarily disabled by gout and unable to attend most meetings of the Committee , Franklin made several small changes to the draft sent to him by Thomas Jefferson .
Battles of Lexington and Concord
In late 1774 , Colonial leaders adopted the Suffolk Resolves in resistance to the alterations made to the Massachusetts colonial government by the British parliament following the Boston Tea Party . The colonial assembly responded by forming a Patriot provisional government known as the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and calling for local militias to train for possible hostilities . The Colonial government exercised effective control of the colony outside of British - controlled Boston . In response , the British government in February 1775 declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion .
American Revolution
The revolution could divide families . The most dramatic example was when William Franklin , son of Benjamin Franklin and royal governor of the Province of New Jersey , remained loyal to the Crown throughout the war ; they never spoke again . Recent immigrants who had not been fully Americanized were also inclined to support the King , such as recent Scottish settlers in the back country ; among the more striking examples of this , see Flora MacDonald .
North Carolina
On May 20 , 1861 , North Carolina was the last of the Confederate states to declare secession from the Union , 13 days after the Tennessee legislature voted for secession . Some 125,000 North Carolinians served in the military ; 20,000 were killed in battle , the most of any state in the Confederacy , and 21,000 died of disease . The state government was reluctant to support the demands of the national government in Richmond , and the state was the scene of only small battles .
American Revolution
A delegation including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin met Howe on Staten Island in New York Harbor on September 11 , in what became known as the Staten Island Peace Conference . Howe demanded a retraction of the Declaration of Independence , which was refused , and negotiations ended . The British then quickly seized New York City and nearly captured Washington 's army . They made New York their main political and military base of operations in North America , holding it until November 1783 . The city became the destination for Loyalist refugees and a focal point of Washington 's intelligence network .
Articles of Confederation
After the first signing , some delegates signed at the next meeting they attended . For example , John Wentworth of New Hampshire added his name on August 8 . John Penn was the first of North Carolina 's delegates to arrive ( on July 10 ) , and the delegation signed the Articles on July 21 , 1778 .
American Revolutionary War
Since the outbreak of the conflict , Britain had appealed to her ally , the neutral Dutch Republic , to loan her the use of the Scots Brigade for service in America , but pro-American sentiment among the Dutch public forced them to deny the request . Consequently , the British attempted to invoke several treaties for outright Dutch military support , but the Republic still refused . Moreover , American troops were being supplied with ordnance by Dutch merchants via their West Indies colonies . French supplies bound for America had also passed through Dutch ports . The Republic maintained free trade with France following France 's declaration of war on Britain , citing a prior concession by Britain on this issue . Britain responded by confiscating Dutch shipping , and even firing upon it . Consequently , the Republic joined the First League of Armed Neutrality to enforce their neutral status . The Republic had also given sanctuary to American privateers and had drafted a treaty of commerce with the Americans . Britain argued that these actions contravened the Republic 's neutral stance and declared war in December 1780 .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
The British were forced out of Boston by March 17 , 1776 . They regrouped at Halifax and attacked New York in August , defeating George Washington 's army at Long Island and capturing New York City and its vicinity , and they occupied the mouth of the Hudson River until 1783 . British forces seized control of other cities , including Philadelphia ( 1777 ) , Savannah , Georgia ( 1778 -- 83 ) , and Charleston , South Carolina ( 1780 -- 82 ) . But 90 percent of the colonial population lived outside the cities , with the effective result that Congress represented 80 to 90 percent of the population . The British removed their governors from colonies where the Patriots were in control , but Loyalist civilian government was re-established in coastal Georgia from 1779 to 1782 , despite presence of Patriot forces in the northern part of Georgia . Essentially , the British were only able to maintain power in areas where they had a strong military presence .
American Revolution
According to British historian Jeremy Black , the British had significant advantages , including a highly trained army , the world 's largest navy , and a highly efficient system of public finance that could easily fund the war . However , the British were seriously handicapped by their misunderstanding of the depth of support for the Patriot position . Ignoring the advice of General Gage , they misinterpreted the situation as merely a large - scale riot . London decided that they could overawe the Americans by sending a large military and naval force , forcing them to be loyal again :
Canada–United States relations
At the outset of the American Revolutionary War , the American revolutionaries hoped the French Canadians in Quebec and the Colonists in Nova Scotia would join their rebellion and they were pre-approved for joining the United States in the Articles of Confederation . When Canada was invaded , thousands joined the American cause and formed regiments that fought during the war ; however most remained neutral and some joined the British effort . Britain advised the French Canadians that the British Empire already enshrined their rights in the Quebec Act , which the American colonies had viewed as one of the Intolerable Acts . The American invasion was a fiasco and Britain tightened its grip on its northern possessions ; in 1777 , a major British invasion into New York led to the surrender of the entire British army at Saratoga , and led France to enter the war as an ally of the U.S. The French Canadians largely ignored France 's appeals for solidarity . After the war Canada became a refuge for about 75,000 Loyalists who either wanted to leave the U.S. , or were compelled by Patriot reprisals to do so .
American Revolutionary War
Parliament refused to yield . In 1775 , it declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion and enforced a blockade of the colony . It then passed legislation to limit colonial trade to the British West Indies and the British Isles . Colonial ships were barred from the Newfoundland cod fisheries , a measure which pleased Canadiens but damaged New England 's economy . These increasing tensions led to a mutual scramble for ordnance and pushed the colonies toward open war . Thomas Gage was the British Commander - in - Chief and military governor of Massachusetts , and he received orders on April 14 , 1775 to disarm the local militias .
American Revolution
A central motivating force behind the overthrow of monarchy and aristocracy was the American embrace of a political ideology called `` republicanism '' , which was dominant in the colonies by 1775 but of minor importance back in Great Britain . The republicanism was inspired by the `` country party '' in Great Britain , whose critique of British government emphasized that corruption was a terrible reality in Great Britain . Americans feared that the corruption was crossing the Atlantic ; the commitment of most Americans to republican values and to their rights energized the revolution , as Britain was increasingly seen as hopelessly corrupt and hostile to American interests . Britain seemed to threaten the established liberties that Americans enjoyed . The greatest threat to liberty was depicted as corruption -- not just in London but at home , as well . The colonists associated it with luxury , and especially with inherited aristocracy , which they condemned .
American Revolution
A total of about 7000 to 8000 Patriots served on `` Committees of Correspondence '' at the colonial and local levels , comprising most of the leadership in their communities . Loyalists were excluded . The committees became the leaders of the American resistance to British actions , and largely determined the war effort at the state and local level . When the First Continental Congress decided to boycott British products , the colonial and local Committees took charge , examining merchant records and publishing the names of merchants who attempted to defy the boycott by importing British goods .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Rebel agents were active in Quebec ( which was then frequently called `` Canada '' , the name of the earlier French province ) in the months leading to the outbreak of active hostilities . John Brown , an agent of the Boston Committee of Correspondence , worked with Canadian merchant Thomas Walker and other rebel sympathisers during the winter of 1774 -- 1775 to convince inhabitants to support the actions of the First Continental Congress . However , many of Quebec 's inhabitants remained neutral , resisting service to either the British or the Americans .
American Revolutionary War
In October , a combined Franco - American effort failed to recapture Savannah . In 1780 , Henry Clinton moved against Charleston , capturing it on May 12 . With few losses of their own , the British took 5,266 prisoners , effectively destroying the Continental Army in the south . Organized American resistance in the region collapsed when Banastre Tarleton defeated the withdrawing Americans at Waxhaws on May 29 . American
American Revolutionary War
In 1775 , Britain unsuccessfully attempted to secure 20,000 mercenaries from Russia , and the use of the Scots Brigade from the Dutch Republic , such was the shortage of manpower . Parliament managed to negotiate treaties with the princes of German states for large sums of money , in exchange for mercenary troops . In total , 29,875 troops were hired for British service from six German states ; Brunswick ( 5,723 ) , Hesse - Kassel ( 16,992 ) , Hesse - Hannau ( 2,422 ) , Ansbach - Bayreuth ( 2,353 ) , Waldeck - Pyrmont ( 1,225 ) and Anhalt - Zerbst ( 1,160 ) . King George III , who also ruled Hanover as a Prince - elector of the Holy Roman Empire , was approached by Parliament to loan the government Hanoverian soldiers for service in the war . Hanover supplied 2,365 men in five battalions , however , the lease agreement permitted them to only be used in Europe .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
South Carolina had seen a bitter bloody internal civil war in 1780 - 82 . Nevertheless , it adopted a policy of reconciliation that prove more moderate than any other state . About 4500 white Loyalists left when the war ended , but the majority remained behind . The state government successfully and quickly reincorporated the vast majority . During the war , pardons were offered to Loyalists who switched sides and joined the Patriot forces . Others were required to pay a 10 % fine of the value of the property . The legislature named 232 Loyalists liable for confiscation of their property , but most appealed and were forgiven . And in Connecticut much to the disgust of the Radical Whigs the Moderates were advertising in New York newspapers in 1782 - 83 that Tories who would make no trouble would be welcome on the grounds that their skills and money would help the State 's economy . The Moderates prevailed and by 1787 the last of the anti-Tory laws were rescinded .
Thirteen Colonies
By 1774 , colonists still hoped to remain part of the British Empire , but discontentment was widespread concerning British rule throughout the Thirteen Colonies . Colonists elected delegates to the First Continental Congress which convened in Philadelphia in September 1774 . In the aftermath of the Intolerable Acts , the delegates asserted that the colonies owed allegiance only to the king ; they would accept royal governors as agents of the king , but they were no longer willing to recognize Parliament 's right to pass legislation affecting the colonies . Most delegates opposed an attack on the British position in Boston , and the Continental Congress instead agreed to the imposition of a boycott known as the Continental Association . The boycott proved effective and the value of British imports dropped dramatically . The Thirteen Colonies became increasingly divided between Patriots opposed to British rule and Loyalists who supported it .
American Revolutionary War
The colonists responded by establishing the Massachusetts Provincial Congress , effectively removing Crown control of the colony outside Boston . Meanwhile , representatives from twelve colonies convened the First Continental Congress to respond to the crisis . The Congress narrowly rejected a proposal to create an American parliament to act in concert with the British Parliament ; instead , they passed a compact declaring a trade boycott against Britain . The Congress also affirmed that Parliament had no authority over internal American matters , but they were willing to consent to trade regulations for the benefit of the empire , and they authorized committees and conventions to enforce the boycott . The boycott was effective , as imports from Britain dropped by 97 % in 1775 compared to 1774 .
American Revolution
Massachusetts was declared in a state of rebellion in February 1775 and the British garrison received orders to disarm the rebels and arrest their leaders , leading to the Battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775 . The Patriots laid siege to Boston , expelled royal officials from all the colonies , and took control through the establishment of Provincial Congresses . The Battle of Bunker Hill followed on June 17 , 1775 . It was a British victory -- but at a great cost : about 1,000 British casualties from a garrison of about 6,000 , as compared to 500 American casualties from a much larger force . The Second Continental Congress was divided on the best course of action , but eventually produced the Olive Branch Petition , in which they attempted to come to an accord with King George . The king , however , issued a Proclamation of Rebellion which stated that the states were `` in rebellion '' and the members of Congress were traitors .
American Revolution
In February 1768 , the Assembly of Massachusetts Bay issued a circular letter to the other colonies urging them to coordinate resistance . The governor dissolved the assembly when it refused to rescind the letter . Meanwhile , a riot broke out in Boston in June 1768 over the seizure of the sloop Liberty , owned by John Hancock , for alleged smuggling . Customs officials were forced to flee , prompting the British to deploy troops to Boston . A Boston town meeting declared that no obedience was due to parliamentary laws and called for the convening of a convention . A convention assembled but only issued a mild protest before dissolving itself . In January 1769 , Parliament responded to the unrest by reactivating the Treason Act 1543 which called for subjects outside the realm to face trials for treason in England . The governor of Massachusetts was instructed to collect evidence of said treason , and the threat caused widespread outrage , though it was not carried out .
American Revolutionary War
When the war began , the 13 colonies lacked a professional army or navy . Each colony sponsored local militia . Militiamen were lightly armed , had little training , and usually did not have uniforms . Their units served for only a few weeks or months at a time , were reluctant to travel far from home and thus were unavailable for extended operations , and lacked the training and discipline of soldiers with more experience . If properly used , however , their numbers could help the Continental armies overwhelm smaller British forces , as at the battles of Concord , Bennington and Saratoga , and the siege of Boston . Both sides used partisan warfare but the Americans effectively suppressed Loyalist activity when British regulars were not in the area .
France in the American Revolutionary War
After its defeat in the Seven Years ' War in 1763 , France lost its vast holdings in North America . Meanwhile , the American colonists and the British government began to fight over whether Parliament in London , or the colonial assemblies , had primary responsibility for taxation . The ideological conflict escalated into open warfare in 1775 , at which point the American patriots took control of the colonies from the British , who refused to consider independence . France , who had been rebuilding her Navy and other forces , saw this as an opportunity to seriously weaken her perennial enemy .