HST 116- The American Revolution

Dr. Joanne B. Freeman

The American Revolution and the Revolutionary War are difficult events to teach. First of all, most treatments fail to establish sufficient context for Europeans in the Americas, the various cultures of the different British colonies and how they related to each other, as well as their mother country. 

The French and Indian War (1754-1763), a part of the 7 Years War between Britain and France that set off conflicts between several European powers throughout the continent and numerous colonial sites around the globe, is too often glossed over. 

Finally, as with many historical subjects, there is so much myth and political rhetoric heaped upon the actual history of these events that it can be arduous to find information that has not been sensationalized and oversimplified.

Joanne B. Freeman’s course on the topic, available as a podcast by Open Yale Courses, begins by clarifying that the Revolutionary War and the American Revolution were related, but distinct things. The lectures that make up the course are detailed, but listenable. They do an excellent job of presenting the subject to a modern audience by delving into the contexts of place, people, and events. Freeman presents at a brisk pace, but repeats and emphasizes points that provide greater clarity. 

Figures of the Revolutionary Era that often suffer from dull, overly-reverent descriptions are examined with diligence, humor, and a critical eye. Historians often rely too heavily on dates, figures, and theoretical analysis without doing the historical-imaginative work of painting a portrait of the past that gives their audience a rich sense of time and place, allowing them to see historical figures as flesh and blood people, and events as chaotic contingencies, rather than rigid inevitabilities. 

Rather than teaching the American Revolution as a propaganda exercise meant to instill national pride, or countercultural antipathy, Freeman presents it as a phenomenon to be investigated culturally and politically, and related to earlier and later eras, including our own.

Sources:

The American Revolution- Open Yale Courses

Joanne B. Freeman

May 10, 1775- The Green Mountain Boys take Fort Ticonderoga

The Flag of the Green Mountain Boys, predating the Vermont Republic.

The Republic of Vermont was born out of land disputes between the colonies of New York and New Hampshire. Both claimed the territory but New Hampshire’s governor started making land grants for colonists in 1749. New York started issuing land grants in 1765. Many of the grants were for the same land, leading to violence between rival claimants. The New Hampshire colonists organized a militia known as the Green Mountain Boys in 1770 to defend beneficiaries of the New Hampshire grants and run off colonists from New York. Sporadic conflicts continued until Vermont was established as an independent republic in 1777. It was not until 1791 that Vermont joined the United States as the 14th state. 

The Green Mountain Boys also played a role in some of the early battles of the American War of Independence. Underground organizations like the Sons of Liberty had long been agitating, often through mob violence, against British soldiers and other authorities and arguing for American Independence. These conflicts led to the appointment of General Thomas Gage as the Royal governor of Massachusetts. When he ordered British forces to seize the military stores of Lexington and Concord, they were repelled by a number of local militia. This marked a turning point in the agitation for American independence as more colonists in New England and beyond began to rally around the besieged colony of Massachusetts.

On May 10, 1775, the Green Mountain Boys, along with some other colonial militiamen led by Benedict Arnold, conducted a surprise attack and successfully seized Fort Ticonderoga. They went on to assist with the seizures of Crown Point and Fort George, all British forts located in New York. 

Sources:

Green Mountain Boys- Wikipedia 

The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga- Fort Ticonderoga

The Vermont Republic- The History Guy 

GMNF- The Original Vermonters- US Forest Service

March 8, 1782- Gnadenhutten Massacre

Current borders of Ohio State

The town of Gnadenhutten was established by Moravian missionaries in 1772 when Ohio was still considered “Indian Country.” The British had wrested control of the Midwest from France at the end of the 7 Years War (French and Indian War) in 1763. Since then they had lightly garrisoned a string of forts throughout the region and forbidden English colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Missionaries were historically granted exceptions to such policies as they were tasked with converting indigenous peoples to Christianity and European labor and customs. Such was the case with the Moravians who lived among the Lenni Lenape people (Delawares) and worked to convert them to their faith.

However, in the midst of the War for Independence, the British relocated the townspeople of Gnadenhutten to a place called “Captive Town” further north. Unsure of their loyalties, the British kept the population under guard while the leadership were interrogated for treason. In February of 1782 a group of 100-150 Lenni Lenape townspeople were granted permission to return to Gnadenhutten to gather much needed food and supplies.

On March 8, 1782 a detachment of the Pennsylvania Militia arrived in Gnadenhutten, accused the Delawares of committing attacks in their state, and detained everyone in the town. The next day, they summarily executed them by bludgeoning- men, women, and children.

There were only 2 survivors.

Sources:

“The Poor Defenseless Ones…”- Ohio Memory

Over 240 Years Later, an Ohio Community Remembers its Founding Massacre- Midstory

The Dark Dawn in Ohio- Crazy Dog Audio