Hudson

Most African American Soldiers who fought in the war took the British side, but hundreds also fought for the Patriots. Some were free blacks who believed strongly in the cause of liberty. Others were slaves who were promised their freedom for taking part in the war. Some slaves were placed in the army as substitutes for their owners, who did not wish to serve themselves. In 1778, there were nearly a thousand black men spread across every regiment in the Continental army. Black regiments with white officers existed in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Most African American soldiers who fought in the revolution fought for the Brits. Even so some fought for the Continentals, they would have done this for one of three reasons, one, they were under false belief that they would have emancipation, they were free and wanted to, or their owners sent them in their stead. Three years into the war almost a thousand black men had joined. Some regiments in Rhode Island and Massachusetts had black soldiers with white officers.

Didn’t the slave owners who sent their slaves to war not want their slaves to die. I think people did want their slaves to live but if losing their slaves meant not dying than it was worth it. People also didn’t treat slaves like people so what did it matter if slaves died. If slaves weren’t treated like people why everyone just force all the slaves to fight. I think it was because they thought there was no honor in that, and also that they thought that the slaves were weak.

Harvey Van Blerkom, 2016

Battle Tactics, Natives, British, American French, and African

Source:

Williamsburg, VA, Historical Interpreter Gunsmith. Interview. By Charlie Thackway and Aidhan Astrachan. 2015.

Quote:

“After many years of fighting with the native Americans and finally getting them out of the land that the English were colonizing the English were able to pick up some tricks on the way. Later the English and the French start to incorporate guerrilla tactics into their fighting, they are started to send in small groups of soldiers in camouflage into the woods. Back on the note of warfare on the battlefield the English had a way of defending against there own tactic of running at the enemy with something called the grape shot. When using the grape shot you would stuff a cylinder shaped can filled to the brim with musket balls, they would stuff the calendar in a cannon and shoot hundreds of musket balls all over the enemy. The big idea of linear tactics were to control the other side, if you can do that you can pretty much win the war.”

Paraphrase:

-The Europeans had different strategies than the Natives didn’t have

-The Natives used guerrilla tactics

-The English would use linear tactics

-The English also used the grape shot

-The idea of linear tactics was to control the other side

-The English and French started to incorporate gorilla tactics, modeling after the Natives

-They would send small groups of camouflaged soldiers into the woods and sneak up

-On the battlefield, the grape shot was key

My Ideas:

This quote is important because it shows tactics used on and off the battlefield. I think that it is really surprising that one tactic that is used a lot today came from a group of people that weren’t looked at as equals. I wonder if there is anything else that the Natives influenced or used. I know that they were the first to use insect repellent, and they also created bunk beds, but I think that there are more things that were originated from the Native Americans. The English and French stole the guerrilla tactics from the Natives, so I wonder if the Natives stole any tactics from the English or French. I think that they would because they got guns and other traded things that the English and French used. Getting those things would make them adapt the different tactics. I wonder if at some point of the war, the English, French, or British used guerrilla tactics on the battlefield. I don’t think that they did because it was the complete opposite of the linear tactics. It would be very confusing to both sides if you had fighters in camouflage, and also fighters in lines. It could be effective, but it would be very risky. I wonder if sometimes they would camouflage a cannon, and then send a grape shot at the enemy. I also wonder how often the grape shot was used. From this quote, it seems like it was used a lot, but in Williamsburg, they said that the grape shot was used as a last resort because it could inflict a lot of damage. I think that it was a combination of the two. I think it was used most as a last resort shot, but was used at other times depending on how the enemy was grouped. I also wonder if the grape shot was meant to inflict damage to the enemies because I know that a regular cannonball was to scare them. I don’t really know because it seems like the sort of thing that would be used to hurt people because it is scattering. At Yorktown, the weapons person told me that out of 100 musket balls from 100 different muskets or from a grape shot a lucky round would consist of 12-20 hits. I found this surprising because I thought that they would be able to figure out how to use a weapon that is more accurate. I wonder if the grape shot is used today. If it isn’t, I wonder if there is a weapon that’s original form was the grape shot. I wonder if the slaves had a role in the evolution of battle tactics because they probably had their own specialties. I sadly think that they didn’t get to use their specialties to their advantage because they didn’t mean anything. I think that if the Africans used the things that made them special, or if they channeled in their anger from being enslaved, they could definitely have had an impact on battle tactics.

Harvey Van Blerkom, 2016

-Slaves Fought in the war

-They would do what was needed

-They would fight even though they weren’t allowed to arm themselves

-They would fight because they were promised freedom for their services

-The British sent a recruiting notice to the best behaved slaves to join the army

-Two years later, George Washington matched the offer, but he did so reluctantly

-The slaves were disposable, so they would do the worst jobs

-One job was to move smallpox victims

-2/3 of the fighters in Yorktown were Africans

–Great Hopes Plantation Interpreter, Oct. 20, 2016

Tilda Sutter:

Tilda Sutter                                                                                                                                                                  

November 15th, 2016

GSS7B

A Day in the Life of A Burgess’s Wife

I wake up to the cold air flowing into my dark room and the bright light blinding my eyes. I look around and see my empty bedroom, looking like a ghost-town. Besides where I have slept, my room sits still, untouched, motionless. Even the lavish, bright, colorful decorations can’t hide it. I slowly stand up and call for my servants, because today isn’t a day for me to sit alone at home. My maid frantically runs into my room and helps me chose my day gown. I scan my eyes over the vivid gowns staring me down, but none of those grab my attention. Sitting in the corner of the room is another grey, boring gown lays on my couch. Even with the disapproval of my servants, I run to that gown. It might be the plainest, it holds enough memories for a library. I remember when I made it, for the Homespun Ball of 1769. I’ll remember that day forever. With my husband a Burgess, and the same for all of my friends, they have political power. Still, they do not use it well. With English constantly taxing us, just one dress can cost so much because of the taxes of shipping in materials. So instead of spending money, all of the wives wore old dresses, homespun dresses or day gowns. The look on the men’s faces when we walked into the room was priceless. Most of them agreed with taxation, so we were rebelling against them. So now I run up to the plain dress and put it on, grab my bag and leave.

As I walk to meet my friends, I look around. The town is busier today, and it has been recently. The air is crisp, cold, so goosebumps run up and down my back. Soon I see my friends, and I quickly hurry to meet them. I’m not the only one to wear my Homespun Ball Gown, so that is how I tell they are my group. There are about five women waiting for me in their grey, old dresses. Other women walk by, wearing bright pinks and blues and they look down at us. Even with my class higher than theirs, what I am about to do will push me down.

“Do you have it?” My friend asks me.

I motion to my bag and open the clasp and pull out a jar of tea.

This tea is from England, so when I bought it I paid tax.  She smiles and motions to her bag so I know she brought her part.

“Should I do it?” I ask.

“People are starting to gather, so now is the best time,” she responds.

I dump the tea on the floor and smell the aroma of Earl Grey fill the air. Men and Women gather around, and some gasp as the leaves hit the floor. They understand how expensive this was, but what they can’t predict is what happens next. One of my friends lights it on fire. The group that has gathers quickly steps back, and I watch their expressions as the red lights reach for the sky.

“Oh my!” One of the colorful women cries out.

Some men look disappointed, angry and storm off. I see other men wearing blue and white, signs of a Patriot, jump back at the sight ahead. Even Patriots don’t believe that women can really protest. I see the women I saw before, with the bright clothes, shake their heads in disgrace. I see another girl’s mouth open, and I see a spark of curiosity in her eyes. Soon the fire goes out, but I know the fire we started wasn’t just measured by that light.

Walking home, I try to imagine what the next few months are going to be like. We might split from England, but even now our country is divided. Everyone is either a Patriot or Loyalist, and yes there are some moderates, but they can’t stay like that forever. Our country is split. Even my family is split. I’m a Patriot, but my husband is a Loyalist. In an average gentry class family like mine, that would make me Loyalist, and my family would be considered Loyalist. Still, I can’t imagine agreeing with something like that. I’m of the only families I know that both parents don’t agree with everything. As I walk home, I ponder all of that and try to think of how I will explain it to my husband. There is no way an act like this won’t be brought up in a Burgess Meeting. I arrive to my house, slowly open up my door and pray that fire I lit won’t be the last.

Tilda Sutter:

Without protest and resistance the world we know and love wouldn’t exist. Outdated and biased laws would still control our lives today. Even though uprisings and revolts might seem uncivilized, they were the foundation of America. Tea burnings, the Homespun Ball Act, vandalizations, and the first worker’s strike were pushes for an America where everyone was represented and cared for.  Americans protested and whether they were black, white or Native American. The people who revolted changed how we think of representation today. No matter the size, from smuggling items to dumping tea into the water, every resistance mattered. Through oppression and wars, all of America relied on protests as a way to speak their mind. Without people speaking their minds we still might live in a world with an insane amount of gender inequality. But to this day Americans still protest for everyone to have an equal opportunity to have higher job positions and representation in government. Revolts make a large impact on how we think of society today even though they may seem dangerous. Protest and resistance shaped America, our government, our thoughts and opinions about society. Because no matter the circumstances, anyone and everyone can protest against unfair treatments because history can prove it does make a difference.

Tilda Sutter

Notecards

Natives Americans in The Revolutionary War

Source:

“The Native American’s Role in the Revolution: Choosing Sides.” EDSITEment , edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/native-americans-role-american-revolution-choosing-sides. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.

Quote:

“‘We desire you will hear and receive what we have now told you, and that you will open a good ear and listen to what we are now going to say. This is a family quarrel between us and Old England. You Indians are not concerned in it. We don’t wish you to take up the hatchet against the king’s troops. We desire you to remain at home, and not join on either side, but keep the hatchet buried deep.’  —The Second Continental Congress,  Speech to the Six Nations, July 13, 1775 “

Paraphrase:

– The Congress spoke to Natives about the war

– They didn’t want the Natives to be involved in the war

– They thought the Natives weren’t part of the war

– They wanted the Natives to stay neutral

My Ideas:

America tried to convince the Natives to not fight in the war. That was a very smart move, because if they sided with the English the Patriots would have had a major disadvantage. The Native-Americans had been fighting with the Americans for hundreds of years, so they knew their battle tactics and how to defeat them. And unlike the English, the Natives knew their way around America, which would mean they could run sneak attacks. The Natives might have been the most powerful group the English needed to win the war. 

Throughout the rest of the article, the author mentions that some Natives actually did take sides. England did it’s best to recruit as many Natives as they could, and I can infer that is why the Congress made that speech. I think Natives sided with the English because they didn’t want America to take all of their lands like they were doing at the time. They were also always fighting with the Americans, so siding with them would be a lot harder. I also think that some might of sided with America because England originally was the ones to start of taking their land. Maybe they thought with a new country, they could have a new start and get the land back. 

I wonder how they people in power persuaded Native-Americans to join their team? I can infer like how they were doing with the slaves, America promised them something. They probably promised them land. But I can also infer they spent more of their time trying to convince them not to fight, because if they sided with English they would have an advantage. I think England must have used the common hate for Americans the Natives and they shared to convince them to fight with them. 

I wonder how the Natives that fought in the war interacted with the slaves and white colonists? I think that slaves and Native-Americans never really encountered each other because the slaves were mostly kept to the work on where they lived. Because America was always fighting with the Natives, I can infer fights might of broke out between the two groups.

I think the Natives at the time were kind of like the Swing States in our current election. If the colonists and England were both running to see who could run America, they needed the Natives to win. But instead of votes the runners needed, they needed fighters. While England was trying to convince all of the natives to fight or vote, America was trying to convince all of the natives to not fight or vote. Like in this current election, the Natives or swing states were crucial for one of the two sides to win. The Natives knew how to fight because they had been doing it in America for hundreds of years which made them so important. 

All of the above must have been a way the Natives protested. From my research, I am aware that most Native tribes never really resisted against what the leader said. By choosing sides, they areihj protesting against the Americans telling them not too. If they chose loyalist, they are protesting against the people that live on their and. If they chose patriot, they are protesting against not only England, but other parts of America that are telling them not to fight. 

History:

Created: 11/01/2016 10:23 AM

Tilda Sutter.

“There was also a ball that was held, called the Homespun Ball. That was a mark of um…, it was supporting the Non-Importation Act the colonists passes to say that was in protest of taxes on imported goods. So they basically said this  ball instead of wearing this new silk that they got from England, either we wear old dresses or day gowns. Or we’re going to make our own homespun with rough cotton, for the gown. So all of their husbands are on the court working for the government, it was at that point, the British Government, they are protesting acts that their husbands are supporting.”–Historical Interpreter, Wig Maker