Ordinary Americans in the Revolution

Begin by considering the focus of this series: the men and women who peopled the American Revolution, who made history happen, but who are largely unknown to us now. Grasp the ways in which the legacy of the revolution was much more complex for common people than it was for the wealthy and privileged. Take a first look at the roles common people played in the revolution and its impact on them.

Assess the reality of urban poverty among American colonists in the 1760s. Learn about the economic depression that followed the Seven Years’ War, which was exacerbated by incoming waves of poor immigrants. Note how high costs of living, lack of job security, and a stark gulf between rich and poor left many at the bottom rungs of society in extreme hardship, which fueled resentment.

Learn about the experience of Jane Mecom, the sister of Benjamin Franklin, whose story we know through letters she wrote to her famous brother. Follow the arc of her life, characterized by poverty and adversity, noting how she became enmeshed in politics in Boston. Observe the details of her circumstances during the revolution and afterward, and how the conflict affected her and her family.

Take a broad look at commerce in the pre-revolution American colonies. Take account of the great proliferation of British manufactured goods in the colonies and their role as markers of status. Follow the advent of harsh British taxation of imports and the resulting boycott of British goods, which required vast mobilization and coordination, uniting colonists in a common identity.

Ebenezer Mackintosh was a shoemaker who became a leader of mass protests against the British. Trace his early life and how his career as a fireman thrust him into the public eye. Witness the crisis surrounding the Stamp Act, in which Mackintosh led what became violent insurrections. Learn also of his connection with the Sons of Liberty, a powerful group protesting British taxation.

Hear the story of the British military occupation of Boston, beginning in 1768, following violent reprisals against customs and tax officials. Track the simmering tensions between the colonists and the occupying forces, the oppressive stresses on the soldiers, and the types of altercations that grew from a pattern of retaliation and revenge to gang warfare between civilians and soldiers.

Relive the event known as the Boston Massacre, of March 1770, where shots were fired by British soldiers, killing five colonists. Study how the incident unfolded, the subsequent political fallout, and the sequence of the trial of the perpetrators and its aftermath. Learn how one of the dead, a mixed-race sailor named Crispus Attucks, later became an icon of African American patriotism.

Take account of the competing interest groups within the anti-crown protesters in the pre-revolution period. Consider how the tactics used in political actions differed between the lower rungs of society, the artisan class, and the elites. Note how artisans and skilled craftsmen became a distinct, organized political force, often at odds with the merchant and wealthy class.

George Robert Twelves Hewes was a shoemaker who became embroiled in revolutionary events. Trace his early life and how he came to be present at the Boston Massacre. Then, witness Hewes’ key role in the Boston Tea Party and in a later uprising involving a customs official. Learn how his revolutionary exploits made him famous in his nineties.

Punitive measures by the British following the Boston Tea Party led to the creation of the Continental Congress, an association of insurgents from across the colonies. Observe how the Congress used media coverage, local committees, and a new currency to build a sense of common cause among colonists, transforming a Massachusetts insurgency into an American revolution.

The 46-page pamphlet Common Sense by Tom Paine is credited by many for catalyzing the mass movement for independence. Trace Paine’s life and how he came to write Common Sense. Analyze the text to see how Paine used the power of rhetoric to propose something previously unthinkable—a rejection of monarchy and a declaration of independence and autonomy.

In the wake of military confrontation with the British in 1775, patriot leaders had to move quickly to form a standing army. Witness how initial enthusiasm for enlistment was followed by widespread challenges in recruitment. Learn about the brutal conditions of service in the Continental Army; how it became an effective fighting force; and, afterward, what became of those who had served.

Deborah Sampson served 17 months in the Continental Army disguised as a man, distinguishing herself in battle. Uncover the amazing story of her enlistment, her remarkable service, and how she evaded discovery. Also unearth her experience following the revolution, when, suffering severe economic hardship, she capitalized on her wartime exploits to bring security to her family.

Examine the experience of the colonists who did not take up arms during the revolution. Observe the many ways that noncombatants supported the war effort. Take stock of the war’s devastating economic effects on many, and how colonists dealt with privation. Note the divide-and-conquer strategies of the British to undermine the patriots, and what the common people gained from their war experience.

Mary Silliman’s life was typical of the sacrifices of thousands of women and mothers amid the revolution. In excerpts from her letters, learn of her early life, the elements of her character, and her hardships during the war, including the traumatic political kidnapping of her husband. Witness how her family survived during the conflict and experience the trials of her later life.

Native Americans were heavily involved in the events of the revolution. Study the factors that led most Native tribes to side with the British during the conflict. Take account of the roles of Indigenous peoples in the fighting, the atrocities committed on both sides, and the ways in which the war drastically reshaped the balance of power between Europeans and Native Americans.

Molly Brant, a Native Mohawk, was hugely influential on behalf of her people and the cause of Native loyalty to the British war effort. Learn how her marriage to a British diplomat, plus her own extraordinary talents, positioned her to become a military and cultural broker, and how her intelligence work, her role at war councils, and support for Native refugees earned her renown and gratitude.

Both enslaved and free African Americans responded fervently to the war effort. Witness how initial resistance to using enslaved soldiers in the Continental Army changed with severe manpower shortages. Note how the British recruited African Americans using promises of freedom, luring huge numbers of the enslaved to the British lines, and learn of the roles African Americans played in the war.

The story of Thomas Jeremiah sheds light on the racial politics of the American Revolution. Follow the events through which this wealthy, free Black man, a pilot, and a slaveholder himself, became implicated in a phantom plot to foment a slave rebellion, leading to tragic consequences.

During the revolution, remaining loyal to the immensely powerful British Empire was an attractive choice for Americans across the economic spectrum. Discover the war from the loyalist perspective, from the tensions, intimidation, and violence between loyalists and patriots, to the evacuation and exile of tens of thousands of loyalists over the course of the war.

Harry Washington, born in West Africa, became a slave of George Washington and, eventually, a loyalist. Uncover his life under enslavement and how he came to serve in Black British regiments during the war. Relive the events that took him to Sierra Leone, a destination for loyalist fugitives from slavery, and how he became involved there in rebellion against British oppression.

Between 1775 and 1800, working peoples’ economic opportunities diminished significantly. Track the decline of the apprenticeship system and the rise of wage labor, which deprived poorly paid workers of job security. See how this led to widespread strikes, followed by riots and coercive violence, as workers embraced protest tactics they’d exercised during the resistance to British rule.

Examine the post-revolution plight of Northern farmers. Witness the conditions of crippling debt that led farmers in Western Massachusetts to march on courthouses, igniting severe repercussions from a legislature controlled by business elites. Learn how former soldier Daniel Shays led 1,200 farmers in storming a federal arsenal, and how these events influenced the writing of the Constitution.

During the revolution, American women became political actors through petitions, protests, and myriad activities during the war. In the decades that followed, observe how they retained and expanded this role, up to the point of a dramatic backlash. See how women’s political actions and awareness in this era led to movements for women’s rights.

Martha Ballard’s diary records her long, rich life during the revolution and afterwards. Learn about her extensive work as a midwife and expertise with numerous kinds of medical treatments. Follow her hardships during the war, when her husband was accused of loyalism, and take note of what her diary reveals about sexual violence toward women, pre-marital sex, and divorce in the young republic.