The Commonwealth of
North America:
The Tale of the Second American Reolution
Chapter Two: The Occupation
Section One: Clamping Down
After the last of the rebel standing armies was defeated, and most diplomats abroad captured and killed, the Kingdom of Great Britain would clamp down on its rebellious colonies in hope that a firm hand now will allow a softer hand later. There were those who openly spoke out against the measures that would be taken on the colonies. In Parliament the Whigs spoke out openly against what became known as the “Victory” Acts. The leading voice of Whigs, Sir Edmund Burke, would do whatever possible to lessen the punishments being placed on the colonies by Parliament. In the military General Charles Cornwallis also spoke out against the Victory Acts. Cornwallis had had misgivings about the conflict from the beginning. He had been sympathetic to the grievances of the colonists but still sought active service. After the war he would seek the position of Commander in Chief of North America. He would not receiving the position, it being occupied by Sir William Howe. He was, however, able to receive the position of Governor General of the Southern Department.
A new command structure was set up in the colonies. With the exception of the King and Parliament, the highest authority in the colonies became the Commander in Chief of North America. Below the Commander in Chief were the three Governor Generals. The 13 colonies were divided into three “departments”. There was the northern department consisting of the colonies of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. The middle department consisted of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. The southern department consisted of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, East Florida, and West Florida. Below each Governor general were the Royal Governors of each colony. The Royal governors, though technically chosen by the King and Parliament, were in reality delegated to the Commander in Chief of North America and the Governor Generals.
During Howe’s tenure he tended to select Royal Governors from the military, all of them being born and raised in England. This incited some resentment from the colonists. Up until that point most of the colonies had had governors who were at least from the colonies. Under Howe’s reign the will of Parliament and the King were exerted to the letter. Ports were heavily occupied by British soldiers to make sure all taxes were paid. The frontier also became more heavily guarded from pioneers while simultaneously hunting down rebel guerilla fighters still resisting British rule.
Up until the years before the revolution the colonists had enjoyed representative government in the colonies. They had democratically elected legislatures and town hall meetings. However these became seen as a hotbed for descent and action. After the last standing rebel armies were subdued all colonial legislatures were closed and all town hall meetings were banned. In New England the restrictions were stronger then in the south. In Massachusetts a curfew was set so that no civilian could be out on the streets at night after 9:00 pm. This resulted in taverns and pubs either having to close early, or expand their business to room and board. Many of the practices that lead to the rebellion continued into the occupation. Soldiers were housed in the homes of private citizens without their consent.
There was fear that the families of rebel leaders might become the leaders of a new rebellion. The British went out to the homes of the rebel leaders and forcibly relocated them to the colonial capitals where they would be monitored and guarded by British soldiers, essentially being under house arrest. One story from the families forcibly relocated has become famous and is one of the national stories of the Commonwealth.
Thomas Jefferson was sent by the continental congress in late May of 1779 to France in hopes of possibly convincing the French to grant recognition. He left as soon as he could. He had to leave his wife Martha at home in Charlottesville, Virginia. A few weeks after he left, Martha discovered that she was pregnant. After the surrender of Horatio Gates armies across the colonies seemed to just fall apart. On October 1st General Charles Cornwallis marched on Monticello. The pregnant Martha Jefferson was unable to flee. To her surprise Cornwallis was very kind and polite to her and her family. The British simply occupied the home and the family put under house arrest. In January of 1780 the order for all family members of rebel leaders to be relocated was issued, and Martha Jefferson, 8 months pregnant, was forced to make the journey from Charlottesville to Williamsburg in the middle of winter. The journey was difficult, and Martha went into labor mid journey. She gave birth to a son, and with her last breath she named him Thomas[1], after his father. Martha died after giving birth. The nurse thought that the conditions the child was born in would most likely mean the child would die as well. But the child would survive into adulthood and play a pivotal role in the history of the commonwealth.
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[1] A fictional character. I have plans for this character.