Revolution 1776-1890 Terror During the Country’s First Hundred Years

1. Revolution 1776-1890Terror During the Country’s First Hundred Years Morgan Walker, Sydnee Holliday, Brantley Harbin

2. The War of 1812: The Nation’s Capital Ablaze.

3. For years, Britain violated America’s neutrality and independence by breaking trade agreements and forcing American sailors into Royal Naval service. An exasperated U.S. Congress finally declared war in 1812. However, the decision proved costly; the young nation’s unprepared military could not prevent British forces from terrorizing the inhabitants of the Chesapeake Bay by raiding and burning towns up and down the waterway. As enemy troops crept closer to Washington, DC, in August 1814, residents hastily evacuated the city. But The British were not alone on their march Toward the nation’s capital-they way helped by Americans who provided intelligence and served as scouts and guides.

4. British forces swept through Washington, looting and torching public buildings in retaliation for an American raid on Canada’s capital the previous years. They left the Capitol building, which contained the Library of Congress and Supreme Court, smoldering in their wake. As the soldiers moved on to the White House, the few remaining Washingtonians watched the despair as the city’s newly built landmarks were reduced to ashes. That night -after dining on the remnants of an abandoned state dinner- British Officers set the White House ablaze, causing damage that is still visible today. The British ransacked the nation’s capital for two days before evacuating north to Baltimore, leaving Washington engulfed in flames. White House Burning

5. British Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane ordered his forces on the Chesapeake “to destroy and lay waste such towns and districts upon the coast as you may find assailable.” -August 18, 1814 As British forces plundered and destroyed public buildings, they hoisted the Union Jack High above the Capitol. After the attack, returning Washingtonians discovered that much of their property had been stolen- not by British troops, but by looters.

6. The American Revolution: A Plot to Kidnap Washington? • Despite Britain's harsh treatment, hundreds of thousands of Americans remained loyal to the British crown. • Rumors that these “Loyalists” were secretly helping the British spread throughout the colonies. • In 1776, British Forces closed in on New York City.

7. The American Revolution: A Plot to Kidnap Washington? • Colonists suspected that Loyalists were conspiring to kidnap or assassinate George Washington and his Army officers. • Civilian authorities rounded up almost one hundred Loyalists, including New York’s mayor. • Sergeant Thomas Hickey, one of Washington’s guards, was sentenced to death for his role in this plot. He was hanged in front of 20,000 soldiers and spectators. This was a warning to any other traitors.

8. The American Revolution: A Plot to Kidnap Washington? • It was unclear how serious the plot was. • The evidence against Hickey was not very strong, but that did not stop them from executing him. • It was merely fear of British attack that fueled the frenzy against Hickey.

9. The American Revolution: A Plot to Kidnap Washington? • This plot was a conspiracy to capture General Washington and as many of his personal guards as possible. • To this day, the plan to “kidnap” George Washington remains a conspiracy.

10. SLAVERY *17th century, slave traders brought millions of Africans to the American Colonies. *People treated them like property rather than regular people. *African American slaves had their freedom.

11. SLAVERY *black slave status in the British Americas was not quite absolute bondage. *Some Africans brought to America were regarded as "servants”

12. SLAVERY *Slavery was decline in England. *most of Europe generally, since the Middle Ages. Middle Ages

13. SLAVERY *In 1831, Virginia slaves murdered over fifty slave-owners. *Slavery sparked violence not only between slaves and masters but also between pro and anti-slavery whites. Virginia Slaves

14. SLAVERY *After pro-slavery attacked the town of Lawrence, abolitionist zealot John Brown responded by massacring five pro-slavery settlers. *Federal troops killed or captured the whole party, and Brown was tired and hanged.

15. Revolution 1776-1890 Terror During the Country’s First Hundred Years