A. New France and British North America, 1713–1800 · New France and British North America, 1713 to 1800The American Revolution: Choosing Sides
A1 A3About 50 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain the causes of the American Revolution.
- I can describe the American invasion of Quebec in 1775 and 1776 and how Canadiens responded.
- I can explain why different groups, including the Haudenosaunee and enslaved Black people, chose different sides.
- I can describe the results of the Treaty of Paris (1783) for different groups.
Words to know
revolution
A big change, often when people overthrow their government.
Patriot
A person in the Thirteen Colonies who supported independence from Britain (also called a rebel).
Loyalist
A person who stayed loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution.
independence
Freedom from the control of another country.
proclamation
An official public announcement.
neutral
Not taking sides.
Whose side are you on?
In 1775, war broke out between Britain and its own colonists in the Thirteen Colonies. Families, neighbours and even Nations had to decide: stay loyal to Britain, join the revolution, or try to stay out of it.
For an enslaved person in Virginia, a Mohawk family in New York, or a habitant near Montreal, the choice looked very different. In this lesson you will see why.
Causes of the Revolution
- Taxes: after the Seven Years' War, Britain taxed the colonies (for example, on stamps and tea) to help pay its war debts. Colonists said: no taxation without representation, because they had no members in the British Parliament.
- The Royal Proclamation (1763): closed western lands that colonists wanted.
- The Quebec Act (1774): gave the Ohio Valley to Quebec and supported the Catholic Church there.
- Self-government: many colonists wanted to make their own decisions.
Fighting began in 1775. On 4 July 1776, the colonies declared independence as the United States of America. The war lasted until 1783.
The invasion of Quebec (1775 to 1776)
The Americans hoped Quebec would join them as a "fourteenth colony".
- In November 1775, American troops under Richard Montgomery captured Montreal.
- On 31 December 1775, in a snowstorm, Americans attacked Quebec City. The attack failed and Montgomery was killed. Governor Guy Carleton led the defence.
- In spring 1776, British ships arrived and the Americans retreated.
Most Canadiens stayed neutral. Some helped the Americans; others helped the British. The seigneurs and the Church, protected by the Quebec Act, urged loyalty to Britain.
Choosing sides
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy had tried to stay out of the war, but it was pulled in and split. Many Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga and Onondaga sided with the British, who had promised to protect their lands. Many Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the Americans. The Confederacy, which had kept peace among its Nations for centuries, was divided by war.
- Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), a Mohawk leader, fought for the British.
- His sister Molly Brant (Konwatsi'tsiaienni), a respected Mohawk clan matron, used her influence to keep many Haudenosaunee allied with Britain and passed on information about American troops.
- In 1779, an American army destroyed many Haudenosaunee towns and crops.
Enslaved Black people saw a chance for freedom.
- In 1775, Lord Dunmore, the British governor of Virginia, offered freedom to people enslaved by Patriots (rebels) who joined the British forces. Some 800 did.
- In 1779, the Philipsburg Proclamation by British general Henry Clinton promised freedom and protection to enslaved people who escaped from Patriot enslavers to British lines.
- Thousands escaped. They worked and fought for the British, for example in a unit called the Black Pioneers. Some Black people also fought for the American side, hoping for freedom there.
Women ran farms and businesses while men were away, carried messages, nursed the wounded and followed armies. Loyalist women often lost their homes when Patriot neighbours took their property.
| Group | Usually chose | Main reason |
|---|
| Many Thirteen Colonies colonists | Patriots | Independence, self-government, no taxation without representation |
| Loyalist colonists | British | Loyalty to the Crown, belief in British law, fear of disorder, business ties |
| Many Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga | British | To protect their lands from American settlers |
| Many Oneida and Tuscarora | Americans | Their own alliances and local ties |
| Many enslaved Black people | British | The promise of freedom |
| Most Canadiens | Neutral | The war was not theirs; the Quebec Act had protected their way of life |
The Treaty of Paris (1783)
On 3 September 1783, Britain recognized the independence of the United States.
- The border ran through the Great Lakes. Land south of the lakes, including the homelands of the Haudenosaunee and other British allies, went to the United States.
- First Nations allies were not consulted and were not mentioned. Joseph Brant and others felt betrayed.
- Tens of thousands of Loyalists, including Black Loyalists, now had to leave. Their story is in the next two lessons.
Worked exampleLet's think about a hard choice
Imagine you are Molly Brant in 1777. Why might you urge the Haudenosaunee to side with Britain?
- Identify her situation: a Mohawk leader and clan matron with deep ties to British officials (she was the partner of Sir William Johnson, who had died in 1774).
- Identify the main threat: American settlers wanted Haudenosaunee land. Britain had promised in the Royal Proclamation to protect First Nations lands.
- Weigh the risk: siding with Britain might protect the land if Britain won, but bring attacks if it lost.
- Conclusion from her perspective: the British alliance (the Covenant Chain) looked like the best way to protect her people's land and future.
To protect Haudenosaunee lands from American settlers and honour the long British alliance, Britain seemed the safer choice.
Just for funFun fact: On 16 December 1773, protesters in Boston dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbour to protest a British tax. It became known as the Boston Tea Party, although nobody drank a single cup.
Not one story
The same event can be liberation for one group and disaster for another. For enslaved people who reached British lines, the war offered freedom. For the Haudenosaunee, it brought division and loss of land. For the new United States, it was the birth of a country. A good historian keeps all of these in view.
Hands-on activityDecision cards
You need: 6 index cards or squares of paper, and a pencil.
- On each card write one person: a Mohawk mother in New York, an enslaved man in Virginia, a habitant near Montreal, a Boston shopkeeper, a wealthy Loyalist lawyer in New York, an Oneida warrior.
- Shuffle and draw a card. In 2 or 3 sentences, explain which side that person might choose in 1776 and why.
- Your grown-up asks one question: What could go wrong for you?
- Repeat for every card.
Look for: reasons that fit the person's situation (land, freedom, faith, business, alliances) and awareness of risk.
Your turn
1Give two causes of the American Revolution.
Any two: taxes without representation; the Royal Proclamation closing western lands; the Quebec Act; the desire for self-government.
2What happened on 31 December 1775?
The Americans attacked Quebec City in a snowstorm and failed; Montgomery was killed.
3How did most Canadiens respond to the American invasion?
4Why did many enslaved Black people join the British?
The British (Dunmore in 1775, the Philipsburg Proclamation in 1779) promised freedom.
5How did the war affect the Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
It split the Confederacy: many Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga and Onondaga sided with Britain, while many Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the Americans.
6Why did First Nations allies feel betrayed by the Treaty of Paris (1783)?
Britain gave land south of the Great Lakes, including their homelands, to the United States without consulting them.
More practice: warm-up
1In what year did the United States declare independence?
A person who stayed loyal to the British Crown during the Revolution.
3Who led the defence of Quebec in 1775?
4What is Joseph Brant's Mohawk name?
5In what year did the war end with the Treaty of Paris?
More practice: on your own
1Why did the Americans want Quebec to join them?
To make it a fourteenth colony, remove a British base to the north, and gain its people and resources.
2Why did the seigneurs and the Church urge Canadiens to stay loyal?
The Quebec Act had protected their rights, land system and Church under British rule.
3Name two ways women took part in the war.
Any two: ran farms and businesses, carried messages, nursed the wounded, followed armies; Molly Brant gave political leadership and information.
4Why was the Philipsburg Proclamation important to enslaved people?
It promised freedom to enslaved people who escaped from Patriot enslavers to British lines, so thousands escaped.
5Why might a wealthy colonist stay Loyalist?
Loyalty to the Crown, belief in British law and order, and business ties with Britain; fear of losing property in a revolution.
Challenge
1Explain why the British promises of freedom to enslaved people were limited.
They applied mainly to people enslaved by Patriots, not by Loyalists, and Britain made them to weaken the rebels, not to end slavery. Loyalists kept their own enslaved people, and many brought them to British North America.
2Use cause and consequence to explain how the Seven Years' War helped cause the American Revolution.
The Seven Years' War left Britain with huge debts, so it taxed the colonies. With France gone from North America, colonists felt less need for British protection. The Royal Proclamation after the war also closed western lands. These led to anger and revolution.
3Was the American Revolution a fight for freedom? Answer from two different perspectives.
Patriot colonists: yes, freedom from British rule and taxes. Enslaved Black people: the new United States kept slavery, so for many, freedom lay with the British instead. (Other perspectives, such as the Haudenosaunee's loss of land, also work.)
Quiz
1. Which was a cause of the American Revolution?
2. What happened when the Americans attacked Quebec City on 31 December 1775?
3. What did the Philipsburg Proclamation (1779) promise?
4. How did the war affect the Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
6. What did the Treaty of Paris (1783) do?
Big idea: The American Revolution (1775 to 1783) forced people to choose sides. Your child learns its causes, the failed invasion of Quebec, why groups (including the Haudenosaunee, enslaved Black people, women and Canadiens) chose differently, and the results of the 1783 Treaty of Paris (A1, A3).
How to help at home:
- Talk about a time your family had to make a hard choice with risks on both sides; connect it to the people in this lesson.
- Ask: Was this war a fight for freedom? For whom?
Common difficulties:
- Thinking all Loyalists were wealthy English-speaking men: Loyalists included Black people, Haudenosaunee allies, women and people of many backgrounds.
- Thinking British promises of freedom meant Britain opposed slavery: the promises were a wartime strategy, and Loyalists kept enslaved people.
- Forgetting the invasion of Quebec: the Revolution was also fought on what became Canadian soil.
Note: Joseph Brant also held enslaved Black people; this is covered in Lesson 12 with care.