The die was cast.  The American Revolution had begun.  Washington was made commander-in-chief.  Armies were raised, money was borrowed, a huge volume of paper currency was issued, and foreign aid was summoned.  Franklin plied his diplomatic arts at Paris until in 1778 he induced France to throw her sword into the balance.  Three years later, Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown.  In 1783, by the formal treaty of peace, George III acknowledged the independence of the United States.  The new nation, endowed with an imperial domain stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, began its career among the sovereign powers of the earth.

In the sphere of civil government, the results of the Revolution were equally remarkable.  Royal officers and royal authorities were driven from the former dominions.  All power was declared to be in the people.  All the colonies became states, each with its own constitution or plan of government.  The thirteen states were united in common bonds under the Articles of Confederation.  A republic on a large scale was instituted.  Thus there was begun an adventure in popular government such as the world had never seen.  Could it succeed or was it destined to break down and be supplanted by a monarchy?  The fate of whole continents hung upon the answer.

=References=

J. Fiske, The American Revolution (2 vols.).

H. Lodge, Life of Washington (2 vols.).

W. Sumner, The Financier and the Finances of the American Revolution.

O. Trevelyan, The American Revolution (4 vols.).  A sympathetic account by an English historian.

M.C.  Tyler, Literary History of the American Revolution (2 vols.).

C.H.  Van Tyne, The American Revolution (American Nation Series) and The Loyalists in the American Revolution.

=Questions=

1.  What was the non-importation agreement?  By what body was it adopted?  Why was it revolutionary in character?

2.  Contrast the work of the first and second Continental Congresses.

3.  Why did efforts at conciliation fail?

4.  Trace the growth of American independence from opinion to the sphere of action.

5.  Why is the Declaration of Independence an “immortal” document?

6.  What was the effect of the Revolution on colonial governments?  On national union?

7.  Describe the contest between “Patriots” and “Tories.”

8.  What topics are considered under “military affairs”?  Discuss each in detail.

9.  Contrast the American forces with the British forces and show how the war was won.

10.  Compare the work of women in the Revolutionary War with their labors in the World War (1917-18).

11.  How was the Revolution financed?

12.  Why is diplomacy important in war?  Describe the diplomatic triumph of the Revolution.