vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
Loyalist (American Revolution)
The Loyalists rarely attempted any political organization . They were often passive unless regular British army units were in the area . The British , however , assumed a highly activist Loyalist community was ready to mobilize and planned much of their strategy around raising Loyalist regiments . The British provincial line , consisting of Americans enlisted on a regular army status , enrolled 19,000 Loyalists ( 50 units and 312 companies ) . The maximum strength of the Loyalist provincial line was 9,700 in December 1780 . In all about 19,000 at one time or another were soldiers or militia in British forces . Loyalists from South Carolina fought for the British in the Battle of Camden . The British forces at the Battle of Monck 's Corner and the Battle of Lenud 's Ferry consisted entirely of Loyalists with the exception of the commanding officer ( Banastre Tarleton ) . Both white and black Loyalists fought for the British at the Battle of Kemp 's Landing in Virginia .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Americans who gained their freedom by fighting for the British became known as Black Loyalists . The British honored the pledge of freedom in New York City through the efforts of General Guy Carleton who recorded the names of African Americans who had supported the British in a document called the Book of Negroes which granted freedom to slaves who had escaped and assisted the British . About 4,000 Black Loyalists went to the British colonies of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick , where the British promised them land . They founded communities across the two provinces , many of which still exist today . Over 2,500 settled in Birchtown , Nova Scotia , instantly making it the largest free black community in North America . However , the inferior grants of land they were given and the prejudices of white Loyalists in nearby Shelburne who regularly harassed the settlement in events such as the Shelburne Riots in 1784 , made life very difficult for the community . In 1791 Britain 's Sierra Leone Company offered to transport dissatisfied black Loyalists to the British colony of Sierra Leone in Africa , with the promise of better land and more equality . About 1,200 left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone , where they named the capital Freetown . After 1787 they became Sierra Leone 's ruling elite . About 400 to 1,000 free blacks who joined the British side in the Revolution went to London and joined the free black community of about 10,000 there .
American Revolution
Most American Indians rejected pleas that they remain neutral and supported the British Crown , both because of trading relationships and Britain 's effort to establish an Indian reserve and prohibit Colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains . The great majority of the 200,000 Indians east of the Mississippi distrusted the Colonists and supported the British cause , hoping to forestall continued colonial encroachment on their territories . Those tribes that were more closely involved in Colonial trade tended to side with the Colonists , although political factors were important , as well .
American Revolutionary War
Henry Clinton withdrew from Philadelphia , consolidating his forces in New York following the British defeat at Saratoga and the entry of France into the war . French admiral the Comte d'Estaing had been dispatched to North America in April 1778 to assist Washington , and he arrived shortly after Clinton withdrew into New York . The Franco - American forces felt that New York 's defenses were too formidable for the French fleet , and they opted to attack Newport . This effort was launched on August 29 , but it failed when the French opted to withdraw , and this displeased the Americans . The war then ground down to a stalemate , with the majority of actions fought as large skirmishes , such as those at Chestnut Neck and Little Egg Harbor . In the summer of 1779 , the Americans captured British posts at Stony Point and Paulus Hook .
Join, or Die
Also known as the French and Indian War , the seven years war was a war ( and choice ) for the colonies against Britain , France , and their native allies . They wanted to fight for the land west of the Appalachian Mountains . At that time , the colonists were divided on whether to fight the French and their Native - American allies for control of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains . It became a symbol for the need of organized action against an outside threat posed by the French and Native - Americans in the mid 18th century . Writer Philip Davidson states that Franklin was a propagandist influential in seeing the potential in political cartoons . Franklin had proposed the Albany Plan and his cartoon suggested that such a union was necessary to avoid destruction . As Franklin wrote :
American Revolution
In Pennsylvania , New Jersey , and New Hampshire , the resulting constitutions embodied :
Republic
The American Revolution began as a rejection only of the authority of the British Parliament over the colonies , not of the monarchy . The failure of the British monarch to protect the colonies from what they considered the infringement of their rights to representative government , the monarch 's branding of those requesting redress as traitors , and his support for sending combat troops to demonstrate authority resulted in widespread perception of the British monarchy as tyrannical .
Thirteen Colonies
The French and Indian War ( 1754 -- 63 ) against France and its Indian allies led to greater tensions between Britain and the Thirteen Colonies . In the 1750s , the colonies began collaborating with one another instead of dealing directly with Britain . These inter-colonial activities cultivated a sense of shared American identity and led to calls for protection of the colonists ' `` Rights as Englishmen '' , especially the principle of `` no taxation without representation '' . Grievances with the British government led to the American Revolution , in which the colonies collaborated in forming a Continental Congress which declared independence in 1776 and fought the American Revolutionary War ( 1775 -- 83 ) with the aid of France , the Dutch Republic , and Spain .
American Revolution
Later , Spain ( in 1779 ) and the Dutch ( 1780 ) became allies of the French , leaving the British Empire to fight a global war alone without major allies , and requiring it to slip through a combined blockade of the Atlantic . The American theater thus became only one front in Britain 's war . The British were forced to withdraw troops from continental America to reinforce the valuable sugar - producing Caribbean colonies , which were more lucrative to British investors .
Sugar Act
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 Revolution
Joseph Brant of the powerful Mohawk nation , part of the Iroquois Confederacy based in New York , was the most prominent Indian leader against the Colonial forces . In 1778 and 1780 , he led 300 Iroquois warriors and 100 white Loyalists in multiple attacks on small frontier settlements in New York and Pennsylvania , killing many settlers and destroying villages , crops , and stores . The Seneca , Onondaga , and Cayuga of the Iroquois Confederacy also allied with the British against the Americans .
American Revolutionary War
The Continental Army was put through a new training program , supervised by Baron von Steuben , introducing the most modern Prussian methods of drilling . Meanwhile , Howe resigned and was replaced by Henry Clinton on May 24 , 1778 . Clinton received orders to abandon Philadelphia and fortify New York following France 's entry into the war . On June 18 , the British departed Philadelphia , with the reinvigorated Americans in pursuit . The two armies fought at Monmouth Court House on June 28 , with the Americans holding the field , greatly boosting morale and confidence . By July , both armies were back in the same positions they had been two years prior .
American Revolution
The Revolution sparked a discussion on the rights of woman and an environment favorable to women 's participation in politics . Briefly the possibilities for women 's rights were highly favorable , but a backlash led to a greater rigidity that excluded women from politics .
American Revolutionary War
On December 25 , 1776 , Washington stealthily crossed the Delaware River , and his army overwhelmed the Hessian garrison at Trenton , New Jersey the following morning , taking 900 prisoners . The decisive victory rescued the army 's flagging morale and gave a new hope to the cause for independence . Cornwallis marched to retake Trenton , but his efforts were repulsed on January 2 . Washington outmanoeuvred Cornwallis that night , and defeated his rearguard the following day . The victories proved instrumental in convincing the French and Spanish that the Americans were worthwhile allies , as well as recovering morale in the army . Washington entered winter quarters at Morristown , New Jersey on January 6 , though a protracted guerrilla conflict continued . While encamped , Howe made no attempt to attack , much to Washington 's amazement .
American Revolutionary War
In Virginia , Royal governor Lord Dunmore had attempted to disarm the militia as tensions increased , although no fighting broke out . He issued a proclamation on November 7 , 1775 promising freedom for slaves who fled their Patriot masters to fight for the Crown . Dunmore 's troops were overwhelmed by Patriots at Great Bridge , and Dunmore fled to naval ships anchored off Norfolk . Subsequent negotiations broke down , so Dunmore ordered the ships to destroy the town .
Thirteen Colonies
Colonial discontentment grew with the passage of the 1773 Tea Act , which reduced taxes on tea sold by the East India Company in an effort to undercut competition , and Prime Minister North 's ministry hoped that this would establish a precedent of colonists accepting British taxation policies . Trouble escalated over the tea tax , as Americans in each colony boycotted the tea , and those in Boston dumped the tea in the harbor during the Boston Tea Party in 1773 when the Sons of Liberty dumped thousands of pounds of tea into the water . Tensions escalated in 1774 as Parliament passed the laws known as the Intolerable Acts , which greatly restricted self - government in the colony of Massachusetts . These laws also allowed British military commanders to claim colonial homes for the quartering of soldiers , regardless whether the American civilians were willing or not to have soldiers in their homes . The laws further revoked colonial rights to hold trials in cases involving soldiers or crown officials , forcing such trials to be held in England rather than in America . Parliament also sent Thomas Gage to serve as Governor of Massachusetts and as the commander of British forces in North America .
Stamp Act 1765
The episode played a major role in defining the grievances that were clearly stated within the text of the Indictment of George III section of the Declaration of Independence , and enabling the organized colonial resistance that led to the American Revolution in 1775 .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
In 1777 , 1,500 Loyalist militia took part in the Saratoga campaign in New York , and surrendered with General Burgoyne after the Battles of Saratoga in October . For the rest of the war , Quebec acted as a base for raiding expeditions , conducted primarily by Loyalists and Indians , against frontier communities .
American Revolution
Free blacks in the North and South fought on both sides of the Revolution , but most fought for the Patriots . Gary Nash reports that there were about 9,000 black Patriots , counting the Continental Army and Navy , state militia units , privateers , wagoneers in the Army , servants to officers , and spies . Ray Raphael notes that thousands did join the Loyalist cause , but `` a far larger number , free as well as slave , tried to further their interests by siding with the patriots . '' Crispus Attucks was shot dead by British soldiers in the Boston Massacre in 1770 and is an iconic martyr to Patriots . Both sides offered freedom and re-settlement to slaves who were willing to fight for them , recruiting slaves whose owners supported the opposing cause .
France in the American Revolutionary War
France allied with the United States during the American Revolutionary War ( American War of Independence 1775 -- 1783 ) in 1778 , declared war on Great Britain , and sent its armies and navy to fight Britain while providing money and matériel to arm the new republic . French intervention made a decisive contribution to the U.S. victory in the war . Motivated by a long - term rivalry with Britain and by revenge for its territorial losses during the French and Indian War , France began secretly sending supplies in 1775 . Spain and the Netherlands joined France , making it a global war in which the British had no major allies . France incurred a debt of over 1 billion livres .
History of Maryland
In 1778 , during the American Revolutionary War , Maryland became the seventh state admitted to the United States by ratification of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union . After the war , numerous planters freed their slaves as the economy changed . Baltimore grew to become one of the largest cities on the eastern seaboard , and a major economic force in the country . Although Maryland was still a slave state in 1860 , by that time nearly half of the African American population was already free , due mostly to manumissions after the American Revolution . Maryland was among the four divided border states that officially remained in the Union during the American Civil War ( 1861 -- 1865 ) , although large numbers of Marylanders `` went south '' to fight for the seceded Confederacy .
United States Declaration of Independence
Some colonists still held out hope for reconciliation , but developments in early 1776 further strengthened public support for independence . In February 1776 , colonists learned of Parliament 's passage of the Prohibitory Act , which established a blockade of American ports and declared American ships to be enemy vessels . John Adams , a strong supporter of independence , believed that Parliament had effectively declared American independence before Congress had been able to . Adams labeled the Prohibitory Act the `` Act of Independency '' , calling it `` a compleat Dismemberment of the British Empire '' . Support for declaring independence grew even more when it was confirmed that King George had hired German mercenaries to use against his American subjects .
Thirteen Colonies
In response , the colonies formed bodies of elected representatives known as Provincial Congresses , and Colonists began to boycott imported British merchandise . Later in 1774 , 12 colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia . During the Second Continental Congress , the remaining colony of Georgia sent delegates , as well .
United States Declaration of Independence
Support for a Congressional declaration of independence was consolidated in the final weeks of June 1776 . On June 14 , the Connecticut Assembly instructed its delegates to propose independence and , the following day , the legislatures of New Hampshire and Delaware authorized their delegates to declare independence . In Pennsylvania , political struggles ended with the dissolution of the colonial assembly , and a new Conference of Committees under Thomas McKean authorized Pennsylvania 's delegates to declare independence on June 18 . The Provincial Congress of New Jersey had been governing the province since January 1776 ; they resolved on June 15 that Royal Governor William Franklin was `` an enemy to the liberties of this country '' and had him arrested . On June 21 , they chose new delegates to Congress and empowered them to join in a declaration of independence .
Articles of Confederation
The political push to increase cooperation among the then - loyal colonies began with the Albany Congress in 1754 and Benjamin Franklin 's proposed Albany Plan , an inter-colonial collaboration to help solve mutual local problems . The Articles of Confederation would bear some resemblance to it . Over the next two decades , some of the basic concepts it addressed would strengthen and others would weaken , particularly the degree of deserved loyalty to the crown . With civil disobedience resulting in coercive , and what the colonials perceived as intolerable acts of Parliament , and armed conflict resulting in dissidents being proclaimed rebels and outside the King 's protection , any loyalty remaining shifted toward independence and how to achieve it . In 1775 , with events outpacing communications , the Second Continental Congress began acting as the provisional government that would run the American Revolutionary War and gain the colonies their collective independence .
Rhode Island
Rhode Island was heavily involved in the slave trade during the post-revolution era . In 1774 , the slave population of Rhode Island was 6.3 % , nearly twice as high as any other New England colony . Providence
Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies Part of British America ( 1607 -- 1776 ) as Colonies of England ( 1607 -- 1707 ) Colonies of Great Britain ( 1707 -- 1776 ) 1607 -- 1776 Flag of Great Britain ( 1707 -- 1776 ) The thirteen colonies ( shown in red ) in 1775 . Capital Administered from London , England Languages English German Dutch French and other minor languages Indigenous languages Religion Protestantism Roman Catholicism Judaism American Indian religion Government Colonial constitutional monarchy Monarch 1607 -- 1625 James I & VI ( first ) 1760 -- 1776 George III of the United Kingdom ( last ) History Roanoke Colony 1585 Virginia Colony 1607 New England 1620 King Charles II charter for Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 1663 New Netherland falls to the English 1664 Treaty of Utrecht ( 1713 ) 1713 Province of Georgia formed as 13th colony 1732 United States Declaration of Independence 1776 Treaty of Paris 1783 Population 1625 est . 1,980 1775 est . 2,400,000 Currency Pound sterling Colonial money Bills of credit Commodity money Preceded by Succeeded by Pre-colonial North America New Netherland United States Today part of United States
Colonial history of the United States
Over time , non-British colonies East of the Mississippi River were taken over and most of the inhabitants were assimilated . In Nova Scotia , however , the British expelled French Acadian inhabitants ; many relocated to Louisiana . No major civil wars occurred in the thirteen colonies . The two chief armed rebellions were short - lived failures in Virginia in 1676 and in New York in 1689 -- 91 . Some of the colonies developed legalized systems of slavery , centered largely around the Atlantic slave trade . Wars were recurrent between the French and the British during the French and Indian Wars . By 1760 , France was defeated and its colonies were seized by Britain .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Although some Canadians took up arms in support of the rebellion , the majority remained loyal to the King . French Canadians had been satisfied by the British government 's Quebec Act of 1774 , which offered religious and linguistic toleration ; in general , they did not sympathize with a rebellion that they saw as being led by Protestants from New England , who were their commercial rivals and hereditary enemies . Most of the English - speaking settlers had arrived following the British conquest of Canada in 1759 -- 1760 , and were unlikely to support separation from Britain . The older British colonies , Newfoundland and Nova Scotia ( including what is now New Brunswick ) also remained loyal and contributed military forces in support of the Crown .
American Revolutionary War
Patriots followed independence with the Test Laws , requiring residents to swear allegiance to the state in which they lived , intending to root out neutrals or opponents to independence . Failure to do so meant possible imprisonment , exile , or even death . American Tories were barred from public office , forbidden from practising medicine and law , forced to pay increased taxes , or even barred from executing wills or becoming guardians to orphans . Congress enabled states to confiscate Loyalist property to fund the war . Some Quakers who remained neutral had their property confiscated . States later prevented Loyalists from collecting any debts that they were owed .
Secession in the United States
Federalist party members convened the Hartford Convention on December 15 , 1814 ; they addressed their opposition to the continuing war with England and the domination of the federal government by the ' Virginia dynasty ' . Twenty six delegates attended -- Massachusetts sent 12 , Connecticut seven , and Rhode Island four ; New Hampshire and Vermont declined but two counties each from those states sent delegates . Historian Donald R. Hickey noted :
Loyalist (American Revolution)
David Mathews , Princeton University graduate and Mayor of New York City ; subsequent administrator of Cape Breton , Nova Scotia William McCormick ( 1742 -- 1815 ) , North Carolina merchant Colonel Alexander McKee ( ca . 1735 -- 1799 ) , liaison between the British and the Shawnees Benjamin Milliken , founder of Ellsworth Maine , mill and ship owner James Moody , Lieutenant , First New Jersey Volunteers , March 1781 Benjamin Moore ( 1748 -- 1816 ) , Assistant Rector of Trinity Church , New York City ; his son Clement composed `` A Visit from St. Nicholas '' , which later became famous as `` ' Twas the Night Before Christmas '' John Murray , Representative to the Great and General Court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay
Loyalist (American Revolution)
When their cause was defeated , about 15 percent of the Loyalists ( 65,000 -- 70,000 people ) fled to other parts of the British Empire , to Britain itself , or to British North America ( now Canada ) . The southern Loyalists moved mostly to Florida , which had remained loyal to the Crown , and to British Caribbean possessions , often bringing along their slaves . Northern Loyalists largely migrated to Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia . They called themselves United Empire Loyalists . Most were compensated with Canadian land or British cash distributed through formal claims procedures . Loyalists who left the US received £ 3 million or about 37 percent of their losses from the British government . Loyalists who stayed in the US were generally able to retain their property and become American citizens . Historians have estimated that between 15 and 20 percent of the two million whites in the colonies in 1775 were Loyalists ( 300,000 - 400,000 ) .
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston , Massachusetts , on December 16 , 1773 . In defiance of the Tea Act of May 10 , 1773 , the demonstrators , some disguised as Native Americans , destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company . They boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into Boston Harbor . The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution . The Tea Party became an iconic event of American history , and since then other political protests such as the Tea Party movement have referred to themselves as historical successors to the Boston protest of 1773 .