George Clymer

George Clymer was born in Philadelphia, on March 16,.He was an American politician and Founding Father. He was one of the first Patriots to advocate complete independence from Britain. As a Pennsylvania representative, Clymer was, along with only four others, a signatory of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He died January 23 1813



He was a patriot and leader in the demonstrations in Philadelphia resulting from the Tea Act and the Stamp Act. He entered the Continental Congress as the successor to John Dickinson, George served in Congress from July 20, 1776, to September of 1777. With Wilson and others of the Pennsylvania members of Congress, he signed the Declaration along with John Hancock, Roger Sherman, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and more. A signer of the United States Constitution along with Jame McHenry and Jonathan Dayton. Clymer also helped write the US Constitution, becoming one of only six men who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The six men who signed both documents are George Read, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and James Wilson. He was the first treasurer of the central government and worked with Robert Morris in planning the financial affairs of the United colonies which was then a treasury without funds. While no orator, this George Clymer was well informed, a witty conversationalist, and a good writer. At the time of the signing of the Declaration, George Clymer was a prosperous merchant who was praised as one of the wisest of all delegates, excepting Benjamin Franklin.





In 1777, Congress asked Clymer to investigate conditions on the Pennsylvania frontier, and he traveled to Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh), where he made the first peace treaty between Congress and the Cherokee and Creek Indians of Georgia during the last period of George Washington's administration. At the Constitutional Convention, Clymer served on those committees concerned with the military, commercial, and financial powers and responsibilities of the new government. An advocate of strong central government, he supported the Federalist position taken by Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison He entered the Continental Congress as the successor to John Dickinson.



His sympathy was with the people who were seeking their freedom. Clymer was opposed to England's tax plan because he, as a large and successful business man, was compelled to pay these taxes. He left Philadelphia and went to Boston to gain knowledge, returning to Philadelphia thoroughly filled with a desire for the independence of America. In 1785 he became a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature and served until 1788. During this time he, with the Quakers, fought against capital punishment for many offences, and against the public expose of criminals. He also was a member of the Federal Constitution Convention. Clymer was sent to the first Congress under the Constitution he had helped to create, as the first representative of a district that included the territory later represented in Congress by James Buchanan, who later became the fifteenth President of the United States.



I believe that George Clymer should be recognized more in U.S. history because he is one out of six to sign the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and not only did he sign the Constitution he helped write it too. So some of the laws we have today may been from Clymer himself. He also made the first peace treaty with Indians, which helped out allot in the war with them. George Clymer, should be talked about more in history classes because of his contributions too history. He should be recognized at the level as Washington or a little bit under. He may not have been in the war or a president, but he wrote some of the laws we abide by.

Gentlemen of the Jury, Edward Gerrish brought to attention to a soldier about there debt to a barber, and said he needed to pay. The soldier was offended and told Edward to come and say it to his face. The soldier struck him in the head with the butt of his gun which was unnecessary. This is what brought the mob and massacre to begin with. As the boys threw snow and such at the soldier it was only for the punishment for the earlier event, as he called the guards to help the people noticed this and formed a mob and got a little rowdy. As Capt Preston came he ordered his men to fire upon them to stop the mob. This was too far, Preston or one of his men could have taken their gun and fired one shot into the air to disperse the mob of people who were there to justify the event with Edward. I say that Capt. Preston and his men are Guilty for the deaths of five personnel for they could have prevented it all with a single shot into the air. The men should be sentenced to death by hanging for their impeccable crimes.

The king should get the message that this town will not take the violence that the soldiers gave upon us, that the people will take action against this. We the people will not tolerate the pompous acts against us and that the soldiers will hang for there crime, murder

Revolution and War

Revolution and War
1763-1789
Revolution Notes

1763—Proclamation Act
It's a line that tells what land the Indians can have and that the Britain's can not take it. It's in the Appalachian mountains. From the moutains to the ocean is Britians, the rest is the Indians.

1764—Grenville Acts (direct tax)
Sugar (molasses, wine)
Stamp
Quartering
Currency
Virtual/ Direct Representation
It's a direct tax of sugar and stamps, soldiers were placed in houses and Britain said that only their British pounds were to be used in all colonies.

1765—Stamp Act Congress
Sons of Liberty
Samuel Adams
Paul Revere
John Hancock
Propaganda
Boycotts
Is first time that colonies sent delegates to discuss issues against Britain.

Lobsters (Lobster-backs, Thomas Lobster)

1766—Declaratory Act
Britian takes away all taxes, but Declares that have the power to tax tgem on anything and anytime they want

1767—Townsend Acts (indirect tax)
Taxed glass, paper, paint, second attempt to tax the colonies

Charles Townsend
Writes of Assistance (search warrants)
Revenue used to pay Royal officials in the colonies
Tea Act (glass, paper, paint) support British East India Company

1770—Boston Massacre
Five people were killed, Propaganda was used in the picture to influence people to fight against the British.

March 5, 1770
Local reaction (primarily)
5 dead colonists
John Adams defends British soldiers/5 exonerated-2 convicted
Convicted men discharged and thumbs branded

1773—Boston Tea Party

Britshed taxed their tea so Samuel Adams got men angry and had them throw 10,000 British pounds into the sea. This cost British lots of money which starts the intolerable acts

November 30, 1773--Dartmouth sails into Boston Harbor
December 16, 1773--Tea dumped into harbor
340 chests of tea dumped (value of 10,000 British pounds)

1774—Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts in Britain)
Because of the boston tea party the British closed the Port of Boston and shut down our government.

Close the port of Boston
Shut down Provincial and Town Governments
All offices appointed
Named General Thomas Gage as Governor
Gave all western lands north of the Ohio R. to Quebec, allowed Catholic Church to practice

1774—1st Continental Congress

September to October (7 weeks)
Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia
New England—John Adams, Paul Revere, Silas Deane
Virginia—Washington, Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph, Richard Henry Lee
Pennsylvania—John Dickenson, Joseph Galloway (Plan for American council under Parliament, to avoid war)
New York—John Jay, James Duane
Maryland—Samuel Chase (future Supreme Court Justice), Charles Carroll (richest man in Maryland, Catholic)
Declaration of Rights—rejects Parliamentary authority over internal colonial affairs, colonies manage own defense, united aid to Boston if Intolerable Acts continue, absolute boycott of British goods to be enforced rigidly

1775— January
William Pitt urges Parliament to withdraw troops from America because the idea of managing the colonies through force was “too ridiculous to take up a moment of your lordships’ time”

1775—April 19 Lexington and Concord
Gen. Gage sends 700 men to Concord to seize the powder supplies
Paul Revere and William Dawes raise alarm the night before
Town of Lexington is on the way to Concord
Minutemen are assembled on the town common
“Shot heard round the world”
18 colonials killed and the rest run away
British march on to Concord and find the munitions were moved overnight
Minutemen ambush the British the whole way back to Boston
430 Redcoats make it back to Boston
30,000 Colonists surround Boston

1775—May
Gen. Howe, Gen. Clinton, Gen. Burgoyne
5,000 British troops
Ethan Allen, “Green Mountain Boys” seize Fort Ticonderoga
Henry Knox uses canon to lay siege on Boston
Benedict Arnold (Connecticut) takes Fort Crown Point to impede an invasion from Canada

1775—May 10, 2nd Continental Congress
Sam Adams pushes for Independence John Dickenson (Penn.) urges restraint
Agree to form Colonial Army
Delegates unanimously agree to Washington as Commander of Continental Army (John Adams suggestion)

1775—June 17, “Battle of Bunker Hill”
Actually fought on Breed’s Hill
Gen. Howe leads assault without canon support (his canon had been matched with wrong-sized cannonballs [Amherst at Ticonderoga])
Militia waited to within 30 yards (some say 15 yards)
Militia target British officers
Militia ran extremely low on ammunition
On the third assault, led by Gen. Howe, British troops overtake the colonial position
Britain losses almost 1000 men (about half the attacking force)
Colonials lose about 500 men

1776—January, Common Sense
Written by Thomas Paine
120,000 copies sold in three months

1776—March
Gen. William Howe evacuates Boston
July 2, lands in Staten Island, New York (Loyalist base)

1776—Declaration of Independence
June 7, Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) introduces legislation to declare independence from Britain
Before voting on Lee’s proposal Congress appoints five-man committee to draft a formal Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson, 33, does most of the writing)
June 28, Declaration presented to Congress
July 2, Congress approves Lee’s legislation to declare the United States of America independent of Great Britain
July 4, Congress officially adopts the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration intended to:
Undermine loyalty to King George III
Outline basic principles of representative government
Establish the “right” of rebellion
War

1776—August, Brooklyn Heights, New York
Largest Naval group Britain will launch until the 20th century
British victory, city falls to England
As winter came “sunshine patriots” left the American Army
Initial colonial enlistments due to expire

1776—December, Battle of Trenton
Howe believes war almost won
1,400 Hessians stationed at Trenton
Colonel Rall (Hessian) builds no fortifications
Washington “Crosses the Delaware” Christmas night
2,500 men; 18 artillery guns
Surprise attack at dawn
106 Hessians killed, 918 captured
No colonial casualties
Washington retreats in secret to avoid Gen. Cornwallis counter-attack

1777—January, Princeton
Washington ambushes British troops
Colonial victory establishes this will not be a quick war for Britain

1777—September-October, Saratoga
Gen. Burgoyne plans a three-prong attack on colonials at Albany
Plan does not consider the terrain, forcing British troops to march through swamps, lakes, hills and forests full of rebels
Two of the three “prongs” never arrive (Howe goes to Philadelphia instead, St. Leger retreats to New York afraid of Benedict Arnold)
Sept. Burgoyne crosses Hudson River
Oct. 17, Burgoyne surrenders
Establishes American Army as real threat
Helps secure open French Alliance
Turning Point of the War

1777-1778—Winter at Valley Forge
Under-funded troops
Low morale
10,000+ troops
4,000 troops listed as “unfit for duty” due to poor supplies (boots, blankets, coats, etc.)
2,500 troops die of disease (typhus, typhoid fever, dysentery, pneumonia)
George Washington mentioned a lack of shoes so severe that the men's "marches might be tracked by the blood from their feet”
Local farmers would sell produce to Brits who could pay cash

1779—February, Vincennes

1780—August, Camden

1780—October, Kings Mountain

1781—October, Yorktown
British Gen. Cornwallis
American Gen. Washington (also “Mad” Anthony Wayne, Baron von Steuben)
French Gen. Rochambeau (also Marquis de Lafayette)
Essentially a French Naval victory
Last significant battle of the war

1783—Sept. 3, Treaty of Paris
Britain recognizes American independence
America gets all land from Atlantic coast to Miss. River, Great Lakes to Florida
Fishing rights to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and off the coast of Newfoundland
America must pay debts to Britain
American congress would “earnestly recommend” all Loyalist property returned (States ignore this request)