1. Sasso US I

2.  After TJ’s work, the American colonies begin to refer to themselves as states  Each province treats itself as a sovereign entity  Most states will develop state constitutions by 1781, however a national constitution is hard to develop  Most Americans aren’t entirely sure that they want a national government  This is a pretty big issue, since waging a war requires some element of central direction

3.  Organizing the war effort is a formidable task for the new state govts and the weak Continental Congress  Have to figure out a way to finance the war  Have to raise and equip an army  Very difficult to accomplish these tasks  Taxing seems to be a simple solution, but that’s not the case  The Continental Congress doesn’t have the authority to tax  State govts generally choose not to tax

4.  Hard currency (gold/silver) is extremely scarce in America  Congress will request money from each of the states, but will only receive a small % of what they ask for  Congress will try to borrow funds by issuing bonds, but most people tend to invest their money in other ways  As a last resort, Congress will issue paper money (Continentals)  This isn’t the best choice in the world, but desperate times lead to desperate measures  No value to the money, which leads to extreme inflation  Many American farmers and businessmen would much rather do business with the British, because they would pay in hard currency

5.  Raising the army is only slightly easier  Big initial surge of patriots, but that will eventually tail off  People will become reluctant to volunteer  States will have to pay bounties or draft  Militias will be very important, but they do present some difficulties

6.  1/5-1/3 of the white population stayed loyal to England during the war  Many cultural and ethnic minorities felt they would not be protected in a “new” America  Some people just felt that England would surely win  Loyalists will be mercilessly harassed; up to 100,000 citizens will flee  Many choose to go to England, but that’s not always a great choice  Canada becomes another popular destination

7.  For many slaves the war meant freedom  England will offer emancipation for slaves that serve in the British military  When the fighting shifts to the Southern states, British armies will emancipate thousands  This is probably the worst nightmare for Southern plantation owners  Eventually the America military will provide similar terms of service

8.  Yet again, there is a lot of uncertainty for the Native Americans  Both the Americans and the British want them to stay neutral  Some Natives will perceive the British as the lesser of two evils  Some will launch attacks of their own on both sides  Their position is considerably weakened  Many internal divisions as well

9.  Many women will begin to step to the forefront in their towns/villages/city  Have to step up in place of the men who will be fighting  Begin to take control of farms and businesses  Some will attack British soldiers they were supposed to quarter in their homes  Other women will directly contribute to the war effort  Many will fill auxiliary roles at battle camps  Others will find themselves in combat  Many women will begin to question their position in society

10.  However, little will change for women at this stage  Single women had certain legal rights, but married women had none  Coverature- policy in English common law, that was adopted in Colonial America  Everything a married women may possess or earn would be transferred to her husband  Married women have no property rights, so they would be unable to engage in legal transactions  Can’t vote, can’t divorce, no legal authority over their children, etc.  It will be awhile before all of this changes

11.  England is a precarious position, but still is a far better position to win than the Americans  It has a far superior military  It has far more money  It has a structured and stable government  However- tactical errors doom the English  Overconfidence, dependency on mercenaries, and ineffective leadership all prove to be detrimental to the British war effort