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New York had a central role in winning independence from Britain for the 13 colonies.
Almost one-third of the war’s battles were fought there. These included the battle that marked the turning point of the war. Not to mention battles for control of the Hudson River and surrounding valley. But New York’s role in the fight for independence began even before the first shots were fired.
▲ New Yorkers stoked the flames of rebellion on at least three occasions. One related to the Stamp Act of 1765. The act required that an official stamp be bought and placed on all papers, including newspapers and even playing cards. New Yorkers would have none of it. Thousands protested. Violent rioting, vandalism, and fires lasted until news of the act’s repeal reached the colony in 1766.
◀ The Quartering Act was another cause for rebellion. The Act was passed in 1765. It required the colonies to provide lodging, food, and other necessities to British soldiers. Again, New Yorkers would have none of it. But this time, resistance was passive. The New York legislature simply ignored the law.
No one ignored the British East India Company’s 1773 monopoly on selling tea to the colonies. It caused the third act of rebellion. New Yorkers forced a ship carrying the tea back to Britain. They actually boarded another ship. In a smaller version of the Boston Tea Party, they dumped the tea on that ship into New York Harbor. It was only a matter of time before the first shots of the American Revolution would be fired. ▶
◀ The American Patriots’ first offensive victory in the war for independence took place in 1775. That was the year before the Declaration of Independence was pronounced. The place was Fort Ticonderoga. The fort had been in British hands for almost 20 years. Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen and his militia (known as the Green Mountain Boys) made a surprise attack and overtook the British soldiers. The biggest prize for the Patriots was not the fort itself but the collection of weapons. These were eventually taken to Boston and used in the war.
The Battle of Oriskany took place on August 6, 1777. It is said to be one of the bloodiest of the war. Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer, 800 militiamen, and 60 Oneida warriors were on their way to help defend Fort Stanwix. That’s when they were ambushed by the British at a ravine near Oriskany Creek. It was brutal, hand-to-hand combat. But in the end, the British were forced to retreat. The Oneida were among the only Haudenosaunee to fight on the side of the Americans. Today, they are known to many as America’s First Allies. ▶
◀ The Battles of Saratoga were the turning point of the war. They took place in the fall of 1777. Why were they the turning point? Because they ended Britain’s efforts to control the Hudson Valley. The victory also helped the French understand that the Americans could stand up to the British. As a result, the French were willing to sign a formal treaty of alliance with the Americans. Without this alliance, the Americans may not have been able to win the war.
Imagine you’re stepping into a photo gallery. In this gallery, you’ll find four people who made unique contributions to the Revolutionary War.
▲ Alexander Hamilton commanded the Continental Army in several important battles. One of them was the Battle of Yorktown, which won the war for the Americans. Hamilton also served as an important aide to George Washington. After the war, he was the New York delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
▲ George Clinton was a member of the Continental Congress. He helped organize resistance to British rule. During the war, he served as a brigadier general of the Continental Army. Clinton was the first governor of New York State.
▲ Polly Cooper, a member of the Oneida, walked hundreds of miles from Central New York to Valley Forge (near present-day Philadelphia) in the winter of 1777. Her mission, and those of other members of the Oneida, was to bring food to the starving American soldiers.
▲ Margaret Corbin fought alongside her husband and other American soldiers in the war. When Corbin’s husband was wounded in the Battle of Fort Washington in northern Manhattan, she took his place at the cannon and fired. It’s said that her cannon was the last one to fire as the British took control of the fort.
▲ George Washington was the first president of the new nation. New York City was its first capital. And Federal Hall in Manhattan was its first capitol building. Washington was sworn into office at Federal Hall on April 30, 1789 (above). In Washington’s remarks during his inauguration, he talks about maintaining public “harmony” and respecting people’s rights:
For I assure myself that whilst you carefully avoid every alteration which might endanger the benefits of a united and effective government, or which ought to await the future lessons of experience, a reverence for the characteristic rights of freemen and a regard for the public harmony will sufficiently influence your deliberations on the question how far the former can be impregnably [in a way that cannot be entered by force] fortified or the latter be safely and advantageously promoted.
◀ New York had a state seal long before it had ratified, or approved, the new Constitution. In fact, New York was almost the last state to do so. Why? Because many New Yorkers were concerned that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government. They were worried that it didn’t give enough power to the states. Alexander Hamilton contributed to a series of essays called the Federalist Papers. His essays included arguments in favor of ratification. In the end, people were convinced, and in July 1788, New York ratified the Constitution.
Think Piece!
New York’s first state seal included the state’s motto, “Excelsior.” Excelsior means “ever upward.” What do you think this means? Why do you think “Excelsior” might have been chosen as the state motto?
