The Proclamtion Of 1763

The end of the French and Indian War in 1763 was a cause for great celebration in the colonies, for it removed several ominous barriers and opened up a host of new opportunities for the colonists. The French had effectively hemmed in the British settlers and had, from the perspective of the settlers, played the "Indians" against them. The first thing on the minds of colonists was the great western frontier that had opened to them when the French ceded that contested territory to the British. The royal proclamation of 1763 did much to dampen that celebration. The proclamation, in effect, closed off the frontier to colonial expansion. The King and his council presented the proclamation as a measure to calm the fears of the Indians, who felt that the colonists would drive them from their lands as they expanded westward. Many in the colonies felt that the object was to pen them in along the Atlantic seaboard where they would be easier to regulate. No doubt there was a large measure of truth in both of these positions. However the colonists could not help but feel a strong resentment when what they perceived to be their prize was snatched away from them. The proclamation provided that all lands west of the heads of all rivers which flowed into the Atlantic Ocean from the west or northwest were off-limits to the colonists. This excluded the rich Ohio Valley and all territory from the Ohio to the Mississippi rivers from settlement.

The proclamation also established or defined four new colonies, three of them on the continent proper. Quebec, which was of course already well settled, two colonies to be called East Florida and West Florida — and off the continent, Grenada. These facts were established immediately, but most of the proclamation is devoted to the subject of Indians and Indian lands. It asserted that all of the Indian peoples were thereafter under the protection of the King. It required that all lands within the "Indian territory" occupied by Englishmen were to be abandoned. It included a list of prohibited activities, provided for enforcement of the new laws, and indicted unnamed persons for fraudulent practices in acquiring lands from the Indians in times past. Resolution of the hostilities of the French and Indian War was a difficult problem for the crown. Most of the Indian tribes had been allied with the French during the war, because they found the French less hostile and generally more trustworthy that the English settlers. Now the French would depart, and the Indians were left behind to defend themselves and their grounds as best they could. Relations between the Indians and the English colonials were so poor that few settlers would argue in public that the Indians had rights to any lands. In this proclamation the King sided with the Indians, against the perceived interests of the settlers. Moreover, it provided, and Parliament soon after executed, British royal posts along the proclamation boundary. Parliament was under no illusions about relations between the Indians and the colonists. They understood that the colonists would not respect the boundary without some enforcement mechanism. Finally, the English were interested in improving the fur trade, which involved the Indians and independent trappers who lived out on the frontier.

The Proclamation line extended from the Atlantic coast at Quebec to the newly established border of West Florida. Establishing and manning posts along the length of this boundary was a very costly undertaking. The British ministry would argue that these outposts were for colonial defense, and as such should be paid for by the colonies. From the American perspective this amounted to a tax on the colonies to pay for a matter of Imperial regulation that was opposed to the interests of the colonies. A bitter pill indeed.

George Washington

George Washington was born February 22 1732, Westmoreland county, Virginia died December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S. the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander in chief of the Continentl Army in 1775–1783, and he presided over the writing of the Constitution in 1787. As the unanimous choice to serve as the first President of the United States, he developed the forms and rituals of government that have been used ever since, such as using a cabinet system and delivering an inaugural address. As President, he built a strong, well-financed national government that stayed neutral in the wars raging in Europe, suppressed rebellion and won acceptance among Americans of all types, but also saw the advent of contentious political parties. Washington was universally regarded as the "Father of his country".

Little is known of George Washington's early childhood, spent largely on the Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River, opposite Fredericksburg, Virginia. Mason L. Weems's stories of the cherry tree and of young Washington's dislike to fighting are fake efforts to fill a manifest gap. He attended school irregularly from his 7th to his 15th year, first with the local church sexton and later with a schoolmaster named Williams. Some of his schoolboy papers survive. He was fairly well trained in practical mathematics, several types of mensuration, and trigonometry. He studied geography, possibly had a little Latin, and certainly read some of The Spectator and other English classics.

The Continental Congress named Washington the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, after which Washington drove the British out of Boston in 1776. Washington was then driven out of New York City, Long Island and into New Jersey. On Christmas Day, 1776, Washington lead a surprise attack on Trenton New Jersey, swinging the war back in the favor of the revolutionaries. This was followed up by another major victory at Princeton on January 3rd. Despite the moral boost of the victories, the particularly harsh winter lead to a large contraction in the size of Washington's army to number as low as a thousand, through both lack of reenlistment and desertion. American victory was despite the brilliance of the victories not guaranteed at this stage. Washington set about a reorganisation of the army in responce with both a carrot and stick method - a carrot of promise of monetary reward for three-year enlistment or land for enlisting for the duration of the war, a stick of increasing punishment from 39 to 100 lashes in order to discourage desertion. This was effective and numbers quickly rose again to ten thousand under Washington's direct command.

There is no question that Washington suffered a sore throat. It started Dec. 13, 1799, the day after he had made a tour of his Mount Vernon, estate in a freezing rain. But it took nothing for it, since, according to his secretary Tobias Lear, the general was always averse to nursing himself for minor complaints.Early the following day Washington's throat worsened. Breathing became difficult and swallowing was painful. At daybreak, the estate overseer was summoned to bleed Washington. Bleeding was a common medical practice of the day, performed by lay persons as well as physicians.Despite his loss of blood, Washington insisted on sitting up. Blisters were applied to his legs, a bran to his throat. He almost choked to death leaning his head back to swallow medicine.

The Battle of Saratoga

During the summer of 1776, a powerful army under British General Sir William Howe invaded the New York City area. His professional troops defeated General George Washington’s less trained forces. Royal army advanced upon the American camp in three separate columns within the present day towns of Stillwater and Saratoga. Royal army advanced upon the American camp in three separate columns within the present day towns of Stillwater and Saratoga. urgoyne had been stopped about a mile north of the American line with his army roughly treated. Shaken by his "victory," the British commander ordered his troops to entrench in the vicinity of the Freeman Farm and await support from Clinton, who was supposedly preparing to move north toward Albany from New York City. Faced by a growing American army without hope of help from the south, and with supplies rapidly diminishing, the British army became weaker with each passing day.

Burgoyne had to choose between advancing or retreating. He decided to risk a second engagement, and on October 7 ordered a reconnaissance-in-force to test the American left flank. Ably led and supported by eight cannon, a force of 1,500 men moved out of the British camp. Before the enemy's flanks could be rallied, Gen. Benedict Arnold -who had been relieved of command after a quarrel with Gates- rode onto the field and led Learned's brigade against the German troops holding the British center. Under tremendous pressure from all sides, the Germans joined a general withdrawal into the fortifications on the Freeman Farm. Within an hour after the opening clash, Burgoyne lost eight cannon and more than 400 officers and men. Flushed with success, the Americans believed that victory was near.

Arnold led one column in a series of savage attacks on the Balcarres Redoubt, a powerful British fieldwork on the Freeman Farm. After failing repeatedly to carry this position, Arnold wheeled his horse and, dashing through the crossfire of both armies, spurred northwest to the Breymann Redoubt. An ill advised American invasion of Canada had come to an alarming end, its once confident regiments reduced to a barely disciplined mob by smallpox and pursuing British troops through the Lake Champlain Valley. The second battle, the Battle of Bemis Heights, occurred on October 7th, when Burgoyne determined to break free from the encircling colonial forces and drive them from the field. The British troops and their German allies were devastated, and nearly lost their entrenched positions. Fighting on horseback, Benedict Arnold, received a wound in his leg during this battle; his contribution to the battle is commemorated by a statue of his boot, with no other reference to the hero turned traitor.

Overall the Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the Revolutionary War. There were around 6,000 soldiers, including militia and sharp shooters. Nearly 1,000 of those soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or missing at the end of the battle. American militiamen turned back an attack on British soldiers in September. The militiamen defeated the British once more three weeks later.

The Battle of Banker Hill

Following the beginning of the war at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 the citizens of Boston found themselves between two armies. General Artemas Ward's New England volunteers surrounded Boston and blockaded the land approaches; General Thomas Gage and 4,600 British soldiers held the city itself. One Bostonian wrote, "We are besieged this moment with 10 or 15,000 men, from Roxbury to Cambridge... We are every hour expecting an attack by land or water."

Critical to the British occupation of Boston was control of the hills on the Charlestown peninsula. An army holding this position overlooked both Boston and her harbor. On June 15 the Americans learned that the British planned to occupy Charlestown. To frustrate them the Americans decided to act first.

Major General William Howe, Gage's senior officer, was given field command. A shortage of boats, poor navigational maps, and ill-timed tides affected Howe's strategy and delayed the operation. In the end, Howe decided to land his troops at Moulton's (or Charlestown) Point near the mouth of the Mystic River. From her he could press westward across the peninsula, outflank the American redoubt and seize Bunker's Hill and Charlestown neck. While the British waited for the tide to rise, the Americans used the time wisely.

The Americans held off two British charges, but were finally forced to retreat on the third charge. The British suffered heavy losses with 226 men killed and 828 more. This is how Americans won the war.