Question

In the mid 18th century, what methods did the patriots use to further their goals through civic engagement?

Answer 1

"Patriots," as they came to be called, were leaders of the 13 British colonies who during the American Revolution rebelled against British rule, and then joined the U.S. Continental Conference. Such Patriots opposed the exclusion of colonist representation in the British Parliament and the imposition of British taxation. During the French and Indian Wars the colonies gained much greater freedom because of salutary negligence, which was the British policy of allowing the colonies to circumvent strict trade limits in order to stimulate development. Patriots sought to get official recognition of this policy by independence during the Revolutionary War.

Trusting that independence lay ahead, Patriots alienated many of their fellow colonists by resorting to violence against tax collectors and pressuring others to declare a position in this conflict. Eventually, Americans remained Loyalists or supported the Patriot cause on the basis of which side they felt their interests would be better served. Prominent traders in port cities and people with business or family connections to Great Britain's ruling class appeared to remain loyal to the Crown, while Patriots were mostly made up of yeoman farmers. Nonetheless, all sides of the conflict were inhabited by citizens of all socioeconomic statuses.

The Forage War increased morale for the Patriots as they were very successful in their guerrilla campaigns against the British. First, there are other Americans who used to hit and run raids, ambushes and surprise assaults on the British including William R. Davie, David Wooster, Francis Marion, Shadrach Inman, Daniel Morgan, Morgan's riflers and the Overmountain Men. Both these American guerrilla soldiers played their part in battling the British and loyalists using unorthodox methods. Nathanael Greene made very successful use of a guerrilla tactic against Lord Cornwallis. First, Nathanael Greene will proceed to withdraw to draw the British away from their supply lines and then commit his forces to battle.