Who Are You Stupid Loyalists?

In the year 1775, British troops under the British General Gage launched attacks on the towns of Lexington and Concord. These attacks, coupled with the colonists already seething rage over the many taxes and laws that had been placed on them, caused a chain of events that led to the Revolutionary War. During the beginning of the war, soldiers went around recruiting more men to fight for them. A man by the name of Joseph Martin was ecstatic to join the fights against the British, his problem was that he was a year to young to join the army. However, a year later he was old enough, so when soldiers came around looking for new recruits, Joseph was one of the first to volunteer. (Hart, pg.119) Even though the Americans were outmatched in

Most people did not expect the colonists with their under trained militia to last long against the British superpower. The colonists did just that. In the night of June 16, 1775, a detail of 1200 troops under orders from Artemas Ward, and led by William Prescott was supposed to entrench themselves on the rise on Bunker Hill, but instead misunderstood the instructions and went to Breed’s Hill by mistake. The next morning, the British were shocked to see Americans threatening them. In the 18th century, British military custom urged that the British soldiers attack the American soldiers, even though the Americans were in a superior position. Major General William Howe, leader of the British forces could easily have surrounded the Americans with his ships, but chose to march his troops up the hill; to the Americans. Howe might have believed that the Americans would retreat in the face of a smashing, head-on attack. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how a person looks at it, William Howe was wrong. The Americans stood their ground, dug in their heels, and stood firm. In the first wave, the Americans waited until they were within forty meters, then opened fire. The British force retreated with their wounded for a second wave. The British rushed up yet again. Again they retreated, suffering a great number of casualties. By the time the

On the cold and snowy night of March 5, 1770, rioters marched down King Street in Boston, breaking the usual silence. In front of the customs office, the violent rioters were met by five British soldiers and their commanding officer. They immediately began haranguing the soldiers. During the ensuing chaos, the soldiers, who had been bombarded by stones and balls of ice, were becoming anxious as they waited for commands from their superiors. However, the soldiers panicked when they heard, through the yells of the rioters, the word “Fire!”. Upon hearing that word, the soldiers opened fire on the crowd with their muskets. “Shouts and curses filled the air.” (pg. 206). Five rioters were swiftly killed.This was the infamous Boston Massacre- An event that shaped U.S. history and fed the growing flames of revolution among the British colonists in America. After the massacre, the outraged people of Boston called for a trial. Defending the soldiers was renowned lawyer and future president John Adams, who believed that everyone should be granted a fair trial. With the help of Mr. Adams, the soldiers were determined to achieve victory. Through months of thought and many struggles, they succeeded. As punishment, the soldiers were branded and sent back to England, but

James Thatcher, an American militia soldier for the Continental Army, kept a journal of his thoughts and feelings. His journal shows that he was also disgusted by the Brittanian claim to rule the colonies “as the only supreme and uncontrollable legislative power,” (John Thatcher January) when he said that “the people of these colonies consider themselves as British subjects, entitled to all the rights and privileges of Freemen. It is inseparably essential to the freedom of a people, and the undoubted right of Englishmen, that no taxes be imposed on them but with their own consent, given personally or by their representatives,” (John Thatcher January). This crime against the American's natural rights was Thatcher's reason for joining the Continental Army. John Thatcher’s personal accounts, which many Continental Army man and militia would agree upon as their motives too, supports the movie and also shows the impact the first Age of Enlightenment had on the people in the American colonies.

America’s triumph in the Revolutionary War against the British brought pure joy and glory. The Americans won! However, it was not without its struggles. It was essential to invoke passion and feeling from the people, otherwise the war would be lost in fear and doubt. One of those who urged people to join the movement, successfully strengthening their Patriotism, was Thomas Paine, an English-American political activist. In Thomas Paine’s “The Crisis,” he utilizes specific elements of style to persuade the Americans to unite and fight against Britain for liberty.

According to Patrick Henry, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 7). Patrick Henry was able to give an outstanding speech at the Virginia Convention, regarding the actions needing to be taken by the colonists. This speech included the criticizing and denouncing of Great Britain, along with the urging of the colonists to fight for independence. This including that the colonists need to become prepared because the unjust actions of the British were not simply going to go away. Henry urges the colonists to fight for the freedom that they rightfully deserve, and he does it extremely well. In Patrick Henry’s ‘Speech to the Virginia Congress’, he demonstrates passionate pathos appeals and rhetorical questioning to persuade the colonists to stand up for themselves and join the fight for their freedom.

He also protested that he too was born an Englishman, and yet he was not offered the same “Englishman’s liberty”( Document 3). This control by the British soon led to riots and colonial resistance; the consequences of it quickly overwhelming any benefits it once may have offered. Another , ideological aspect of the interaction between Britain and its colonies was that colonial unity emerged. The colonists organized themselves into voluntary units of men fighting with relative equality. Meanwhile, the British, were organized into hierarchical divisions in which a rigid order was maintained. The Massachusetts soldier who protested political oppression also noted that he observed that the British troops “are but little better than slaves to their officers” (Document 3). The idea of an invincible army quickly diminished as the Americans felt like they were gaining more confidence in their army and that the British were starting to crumple and that they were starting to lack professionalism.

On April 19th, 1775, infantrymen of the British Army clashed with colonial Patriots near Boston, MA. British troops, also known as redcoats, had been in Boston for seven years to ensure that the Intolerable Acts were enforced. Colonists had already demonstrated their displeasure for their king with the Boston Tea Party, and now the British were on the offensive attempting to confiscate the arms of the rebels. Militiamen were alerted and a standoff occurred at Lexington and Concord. History has left us in doubt about which side fired first, triggering the Revolutionary War. But various stories give different accounts. American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson called it the "shot heard 'round the world," and described it as coming from the colonials. There is more reason to believe that the first shot did come from the side of the Patriots simply because they had more to gain by initiating a war. This paper will show why it is more reasonable to believe that the Patriots fired first.

(Wyatt, 165) Next, Wyatt describes the crown of colonists gathered as “lads” (Wyatt, 166) Wyatt said, “the lads, etc., had sticks in their hands, laughing, shouting, huzzaing, and crying fire; but could not observe that any of them threw anything at the soldiers, or threatened any of them” (Wyatt, 166). In this quote Wyatt depicts the crowd of colonists as young and peaceful. Wyatt does this to make the actions of the British soldiers seem unjust. Wyatt then goes on to say that the officer in charge tells the soldiers to fire. However, the soldiers did not fire until the officer’s third command to fire. (Wyatt, 166) Wyatt said that instantly after the firing began, he saw three people fall down in the street. (Wyatt, 166) After the firing Wyatt claims that Captain Preston came before the soldiers yelling at them for firing. (Wyatt, 166) Wyatt states that the soldiers seemed “confounded and fired no more” (Wyatt, 166). This implies that the soldiers were confused about Preston ordering them to fine, but then, after they fired he asked them why they did it. In his testimony, William Wyatt implies sympathy for the colonists gathered outside the Boston Custom House. Wyatt portrays the colonists as young, non-violent, and innocent.

…Mother, who has most generously rescued and protected us, be served and honored” . As this shows portion of soldiers and Native Americans beliefs, it wouldn't be long until their viewings changed.. As shown in Document D, a Massachusetts soldier wrote in his diary, "we are debarred Englishmen's liberty. " American hatred that began during this period helped generate colonial rebellion. After the Seven Years War, permanent troops were stationed in America because Britain thought that America need to be protected more securely.

From the British only one soldier is wounded, but the American revolution has just begun. Their is tension between the American colonies and the British government, reaching the breaking point. The British governor of Massachusetts, who is also General Thomas Gage, received instructions

For example, in 1755 George Washington had expressed that he would be honored to serve as a soldier for the British (Document C). This positive feeling, however, was not shared by all of the colonists over the course of the war. One colonial soldier wrote that the colonists and the British soldiers were not treated equally, and that they were denied some of the rights that the British had (Document D). Not only were the colonists not treated as well as the British, they felt that the New England colonists contributed to the fighting the most (Document E). The colonists felt that they worked hard in the war, and yet they felt that they weren’t being treated as well as the British soldiers; this made some of the colonists resentful of the British, which further damaged their

The American troopers and the Patriots needed to persevere through numerous hard battles and snags. They had one objective and that was an oppression and that isn't something given to you (Doc #7). The American officers were exceptionally enthusiastic and remembered their objective and battled from July to December. The Americans needed to battle to attempt to achieve triumph and they contended energetically. The Americans knew the British had an Army that needed to authorize their oppression to have the privilege to charge them as well as ¨to tie us in all cases whatsoever¨. It had just been legitimized by the British to impose the Americans with the assent of gathering.

On a freezing cold day in Boston, 1770, John and Hugh, who were redcoats, were ordered to stand guard on King Street. Silence surrounded the soldiers on the street, nervousness and anxiousness crept towards them. They knew the Boston colonists and the Sons of Liberty, who were showing animosity towards King George for charging them unfair taxes. The colonists were all enraged because of what the king is doing. The Americans totally dislike the King's soldiers on American ground, therefore they have been harassing and infuriating them. The English soldiers had been invading the area and forcing Americans to let them live in their houses. Because America was angry at Britain, the two redcoat partners uneasily watched the avenue.

It is easy to interpret the American Revolution simply as a struggle for freedom. The magnanimous phrases of the Declaration of Independence have embedded in our hearts and minds glorious images of the Founding Fathers fighting for the natural rights of man. The American Revolution, however, also had a darker side to it, the side of self-interest and profit. The signers of the Declaration represented various classes – the working class, the wealthy land owners and merchants, the intellectuals, and the social elite. Each of these strata had its own set of expectations and fears, which lent a new dimension to the cause of the Revolution. The pressure of these internal, and often overlapping groups, combined with the oppressive external