USA 1780s | How Did a Revolution on the Verge of Collapse Invent a Country?

Welcome to Ten Minute Decade, the channel that covers world history ten years at a time, in fast, clear, documentary-style episodes. This video covers the USA from 1780 to 1789 — the decade when the Revolution either becomes a republic or collapses into chaos. Benedict Arnold betrays West Point and flees to the British. Nathanael Greene wins the south by never winning a battle. Washington marches to Yorktown and Cornwallis surrenders. Daniel Shays leads debt-ridden farmers in armed rebellion and frightens the founders into writing a Constitution. Fifty-five men gather in Philadelphia in secret and produce the most important political document in American history. Hamilton writes fifty-one Federalist Papers arguing for its ratification. And Washington is unanimously elected the first President of the United States. What You'll Learn in This Episode 1780 — The Fall of Charleston and Benedict Arnold The worst American military defeat of the war. Then the hero of Saratoga is discovered selling West Point to the British for money and a commission. Washington is shaken. The cause endures. Nathanael Greene in the South A Rhode Island Quaker who has never won a major engagement leaves Cornwallis exhausted and overextended across the Carolinas. It is Greene who creates the conditions for Yorktown. October 1781 — Yorktown Washington marches south in secret, deceives Clinton, and traps Cornwallis on the Virginia peninsula. The French fleet wins the Battle of the Chesapeake. Cornwallis surrenders. The band plays The World Turned Upside Down. 1783 — The Treaty of Paris American independence recognized. The Mississippi River established as the western boundary. A republic that did not exist eight years ago now controls everything east of the Mississippi. 1786 — Shays' Rebellion A Massachusetts farmer and veteran leads an armed uprising of debt-ridden men against courts seizing their property. The federal government cannot afford an army to suppress it. The founders are frightened into action. May 1787 — The Constitutional Convention Fifty-five men in a room with the windows nailed shut. Washington presides. Madison has read every republic in history and analyzed why they failed. Franklin is carried in a sedan chair and speaks rarely. Thirty-nine sign. The Federalist Papers Hamilton writes fifty-one of eighty-five essays in a matter of months. If men were angels no government would be necessary. A republic if you can keep it. April 1789 — Washington Inaugurated The only president in American history elected unanimously. Standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street. Still wanting to go home. Staying anyway. Chapters 00:00 — Introduction 01:00 — The Fall of Charleston and Benedict Arnold 02:30 — Nathanael Greene in the South 03:30 — Yorktown 05:00 — The Treaty of Paris 05:45 — The Articles of Confederation Fail 06:30 — Shays Rebellion 07:15 — The Constitutional Convention 08:30 — Hamilton and the Federalist Papers 09:15 — Washington Inaugurated and Conclusion ________________________________________ KEYWORDS USA 1780s, Yorktown 1781, Benedict Arnold betrayal, Constitutional Convention 1787, Federalist Papers Hamilton, Shays Rebellion, Nathanael Greene, Treaty of Paris 1783, Washington inauguration, James Madison Constitution, American history documentary, Ten Minute Decade, decade summary USA, 18th century America, American Revolution conclusion