Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England Hello Delegates, On behalf of Centennial High School’s Model United Nations Club, we welcome you to CHMUNC 2014! My name is Manisha Vepa, and I will be serving as your chair for the British Divison of our Joint Crisis Committee. Alongside myself, my co-chair will be Ben Smith. Ben and I have been involved in Centennial’s Model UN club beginning in our sophomore years, both as delegates as well as board members. As novices, CHSMUNC provided an excellent opportunity to hone our MUN skills, and we hope that we can provide a similarly enriching experience. This year, our Joint Crisis Committee will discuss the American Revolution. As you know, the American Revolution was an important event in our nation’s history. It was through determination and belief that America won the war, however any small change in the surrounding circumstances could have changed the course of history as we know it. We look forward to hear some stimulating debate, as well as see the outcomes that evolve from our discussion. Who knows, we may even rewrite history! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Good luck, and see you in November! Manisha Vepa JCC Division II Chair JCC Division II (Great Britain) Delegates, Welcome to the 6th Annual Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference 2014! My name is Ben Smith and I will be serving as one of the chairs for your committee this year. I am a senior here at Centennial High School and this is my second year participating in Model UN. I am also the Co-President of the Centennial High School Model Congress Club, an organization that also participates on the collegiate conference level. Due to this involvement, I bring a wealth of experience in government simulations to the conference staff. Joining me as the other JCC Division II staff will be Manisha Vepa and Brittany Murugesan. Each year CHSMUNC’s pair of JCC committees “fight” and resolve conflicts of significance between two opposing parties in real time. This year, we have organized a Historical Joint Crisis experience centered around the American Revolution. This committee will be based on crises developed by our esteemed crisis staff. Delegates will have the opportunity to make relevant decisions quickly in order to solve these problems. It is important to note that JCC utilizes a slightly amended parliamentary procedure rules from General Assembly committees. All of these changes can be found in the following pages of the background guide. I am extremely excited for this opportunity to engage in this unique Model UN experience. As the committee representing the government of His Majesty King George III and Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England Great Britain it is our job to teach those pesky colonial rebels a lesson. It is our goal to quell the revolution and regain the territory for the crown. A word of caution however; it has been rumored that American spies may be along our midst as me meet. We must expose these traitors in our fight towards victory in this conflict. One important component of this committee is the ability to represent you character with a level of historical accuracy while making your decisions. Delegates who both stay in character by voting for decisions that the actual historical person would have will be look upon favorably by the staff. As a JCC the events of the war are not scripted nor set in stone. It is up to the delegates of both committees to determine the outcomes of each crisis and battle that occurs. Therefore, I expect that events will not be historically accurate as the outcomes are to be determined by every participant of the two committees. I encourage you to conduct research on this topic beforehand in order to enrich the overall experience through more involved debate. This background guide serves as a great starting point for your research. However, there is a wealth of knowledge available on the American Revolution throughout the internet and print sources. I look forward to reading all of your position papers and hope that the entire CHSMUNC 2014 experience will not only help you grow as a MUN Delegate as well as provide a memorable and awesome experience. Overall, the most important aspect of this conference is to have fun as you debate the issues and events of the American Revolution from the British perspective. If you have any questions at all, no matter how “trivial” or “insignificant” they may sound feel free to email me at [email protected]. I will try to have a response back to you within two days. Regards, Ben Smith CHSMUNC 2014 JCC Division II Introduction to JCC: The Joint Crisis Committee (JCC) is unlike any other committee in Model UN, and the experience will be challenging yet exceptionally intriguing. This committee is filled with scandalous espionage, potential spies, heated debates, and fast decision making. JCC entails two individual subcommittees whose choices and actions will directly affect the crises at hand. Ultimately, your goal is to settle the crises with your position’s best interest at heart, keeping in mind the enemy is always on the move and new issues will constantly rise. Unpredictable events (and crises) are bound to come up in this committee, but with compromises, debate, perseverance, and old-fashion creativity, delegates are sure to succeed. Below are some helpful guidelines for JCC: Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England Guidelines for Crisis Committees:  Crisis Committees follow a similar structure to General and Ecosoc Committees in terms of flow of debate, and moderated and unmoderated caucuses as well as points and motions. The regular structure, though, is interrupted by crises which are implemented by the Crises Committee. The committee must then react quickly to the introduced crises and has four tools handy which take the place of resolutions and are implemented promptly and throughout the course of the committee: directives, communiqués, press releases, and portfolio requests. o Directives:  The main tool used in committee to address an issue  Actions the committee wants to carry out  Need to be voted on  Shorter resolutions only using operative clauses (do not waste precious time on overly complex language, make directives concise and specific)  Bullet points can be used  Examples:  Authorizes 50 assault rifles to be sent to forces on the West Bank.  Establishes refugee camps in areas under attack  Orders all airborne vehicles in the region to be shot down o Communiqués  Messages from the committee as a whole to another organization, government, person, or group of people  Need to be voted on  Serve as methods of communication with other groups in a crises and can be used to negotiate or request aid  Example:  Dear Doctors Without Borders, An outbreak of a deadly but unknown virus has occurred in Liberia and has claimed thousands of lives in the course of less than a month. We seek your support and request that forty of your finest doctors can be sent to aid the sick and suffering. Sincerely, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf President of Nigeria o Press Releases:  Messages from the committee to the public  Require a vote to be implemented  Used to sway public opinion, cause outrage, drum up support Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England  Example:  The United States Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement that terrorists within United States Borders are receiving shipments of weapons from their allies in the Middle East. o Portfolio Requests:  Actions taken by one member of the committee, do not need to be voted on  The action taken must be within the power of the individual in real life; The head of an NGO has the power to fund relief efforts but cannot authorize a military attack  Can be used to maintain secrecy  Example of uses:  Meeting in secret with a group or individual  Authorizing funds for relief efforts  Authorizing weapons or military supplies  Leaking false information Note: We will be using all of these methods throughout committee, with the exception of press releases, which I expect will be used very little or not at all. Introduction to the topic: The late sixteenth and early seventeenth century marked the beginning of large scale European colonization of the “New World” [North & South America]. In particular English settlements in what are now Virginia and Massachusetts flourished. Over the next century the English colonies grew in size and added land from Maine to Georgia with the absorption of the Dutch Colony New Amsterdam (New York) in 1664. To the north was French-held Canada and to the south and west was Spanish Territory. After the conclusion and British Victory of the Seven Year’s War (A worldwide war between Great Britain and France; the American theater is known today as the French & Indian War) the British crown had incurred a large financial debt. In order to recoup some of the money that was spent in defense of the American Colonies and to gain control of Canada parliament levied various taxes and tariffs on goods such as tea, stamps, and sugar. The American colonists were not happy about the application of these policies, as they had no electoral representation in the British Parliament. In 1770 a group of British soldiers fired on protesters in Boston killing five in the Boston Massacre. Later in 1773 as a response to the tax on tea colonists of a pro-Independence group known as the “Son’s of Liberty” dressed as Native Americans and pillaged a tea ship in an infamous event now known as the Boston Tea Party. The war began in earnest in 1775 when the British expeditionary force occupying Boston marched on Concord to seize a militia arsenal. Thanks to Paul Revere’s midnight ride they were met with colonial resistance at both Lexington and Concord. The day saw a colonial victory and the British retreated. Later battles occurred in and around Boston in locations such as Bunker Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England Hill. In response to these events the Second Continental Congress convened to discuss Independence. The body met and called for the creation of a national army under the direction of George Washington. In addition the body drafted the Declaration of Independence that officially separated the two countries. Around this time the British expeditionary force having secured Boston set its sights on New York City. Faced with an untenable position with a disadvantage in troop numbers, General Washington vacated the borough of Manhattan and instead built fortifications in Harlem Heights. It is here in the historical narrative that our committee starts. The following list consists of major battles/campaigns of the war that it would be helpful to have some knowledge about.               Boston Campaign (1774-1776) Ethan Allen’s Invasion of Canada - 1775 New York Campaign - (1776-1777) Battle of Trenton - 1776 Upstate New York Campaign (Saratoga Campaign) - 1777 Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) Campaign (1777-1778) Valley Forge (1777-1778) US Navy and English Coastal Raids Western Front (West of the Appalachian Mountains) Southern Theater (In Georgia and South Carolina) Guerilla warfare throughout the southern colonies US Navy and English Coastal Raids Naval battles between England, France, and Spain Yorktown (Virginia) Campaign - 1781 Government and Military: Government United States of America: Prior to 1776, the United States of America had been known as the thirteen British Colonies in the Americas. After several upsetting events with their mother country, a Continental Congress was created in the fall of 1774 to serve as the government during the Revolutionary War. Later, the Second Continental Congress met to further solve issues that the colonies faced. John Hancock presided over this government as the second President of Congress. This position lacked a great amount of authority, as most of the power was spread to various speakers and chairmen of several committees. The Committee of Whole, or the entire group of approximately 56 delegates, met to discuss important issues and unanimously passed the Declaration of Independence proclaiming 13 states sovereign under one nation. The Congress also took care of Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England matters such as sending ambassadors abroad, receiving loans, raising an army, and taking care of military supplies. In 1775, George Washington was appointed as commander-in-chief, and he directly reported to the Board of War and Ordnance within the Second Continental Congress. This particular committee made recommendations to the Congress regarding the war because of its job to oversee the American Continental Army’s administration. Great Britain: Historically, Great Britain has maintained a parliamentary monarchy. George III was the king of Britain during the American Revolution. At that time, Prime Minister George Grenville and the Parliament had enforced several laws upon the American colonies. There was a lack of representation of the Americans in this government when such legislation was being passed, creating conflict. Militia & Tactics United States of America: The United States entered the war as underdogs, only having few advantages. Many of the tactics used by American officers were inherited from the British. This insight helped to counteract future actions the redcoats would take. Additionally, homeland terrain proved to be difficult for the British to handle, so the Americans used it to their benefit. Guerilla warfare, which consisted of ambushes, hit and run raids, and surprise attacks, successfully created casualties for the opponents. Great Britain: On the other hand, the British Army was well accomplished particularly with its long list of victories in brigades, acquisitions, and battles. The campaign in North America needed newer, better tactics to conquer the war, and so the British brought out their best. Formations were changed to put up a fight against the Americans, or by maintaining them in such a fashion that they could be changed instantaneously. In addition to this, Europeans in the seventeenth century had access to many new weapons. The most important of which were the musket attached to a bayonet and the cannon. These destruction machines were quick and easy to reload and effective. Military Ranks of the British Army:     Commander-in-Chief (General Sir William Howe, succeeded by Sir Henry Clinton) General Major General Colonel Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England             Major Captain Lieutenant 2nd Lieutenant Sergeant-Major Company Sergeant Major Quartermaster Sergeant Color-Sergeant Lance-Sergeant Second Corporal Lance Corporal Private Military Ranks of the Continental Army:             Commander-in-Chief Major General Brigadier General Colonels Brigade-Major Major Aide-de-Camp Captain Subaltern Sergeant Corporal Private The Continental Army developed most of its ranking structure from the British Army. This idea of having such insignia and class for soldiers was constantly being developed during the war since General George Washington insisted that certain positions needed to be regulated. Characters: Only 10 characters from each committee will be revealed in this guide. The rest will be revealed at the conference. It is important to thoroughly research your own character, the other characters given in this guide, and other historic figures that were your allies/enemies or were important to you in another way. Not being dedicated to your research will be detrimental to Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England yourself, the other delegates, and the overall committee experience. Below are the character lists and brief descriptions of the figures. Colonists:           George Washington (Army)- Commander of Colonial Forces Benjamin Franklin (PA)- Statesman, vital in French relations John Paul Jones (Navy)- most well-known Navy commander during American Revolution John Jay (Foreign Diplomat)- Served in Continental Congress before the war, visited Spain, France, etc. during war as a foreign diplomat Horatio Gates (Army)- Army general, former colonel of British army Patrick Henry (VA)- Wartime governor of Virginia, against Cherokee Indians Henry Knox (Army)- Chief artillery officer Richard Henry Lee (VA)- Served in Continental Congress before and during war Anthony Wayne (Army)- Brigadier general, general in chief of the army, involved in many battles, involved with Indians John Dickinson (PA)- Represented Pennsylvania politics during war, militia officer, believed in reconciliation rather than war British:           Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford [Lord North]- Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer for the majority of the war, held various other government posts William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe [William Howe] (Army)- Commander-in-Chief of British army Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe [Richard Howe] (Navy)- British naval officer William Franklin (NJ)- Illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, governor of New Jersey, president of the Board of Associated Loyalists William Allen- Loyalist, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Philadelphia at time of war, believed in constitutional means rather than war Joseph Brant (Indian)- Mohawk military leader, most important American Indian leader King George III- King of England William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne [William Petty]- British prime minister during last few months of war, succeeded in securing peace with Colonies Sir Henry Clinton [Henry Clinton] (Army)- Succeeded General William Howe as British Commander-in-Chief Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis [Charles Cornwallis] (Army)- British leading general Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England Note: All research must be completed before the conference. Delegates are not allowed to research on laptops/electronic devices during the conference. This includes both in committee session and out of committee session. Bloc Positions: British: The British want to keep the Thirteen Colonies under their rule. They have a massive army, Hessian reinforcements, and an organized government back in England. However, since they are not fighting on their own soil, it is difficult to communicate with their government and to receive resources from England. The British are willing to use other methods, though, and offer slaves freedom in exchange for fighting for them and become friendly with Indian tribes. Their foreign ally is Germany. Indians: The Indians are not all united when it comes to the war. They have to defend their territories and sustain trade while a war is taking place on their homeland. Different tribes have different alliances; some side with the British because they hope for Western expansion and are angry at the colonists for taking over their land, while others fight with the Colonists. Some remain neutral. The Cherokees and Mohawks (an Iroquois nation) side with the British. The Shawnees and the Delawares try to stay neutral, and the Iroquois split and become the enemy of both sides. Foreigners: Foreign countries involved in the war include France, Germany, Spain, and Canada. France and Spain are allies of the Colonies, Germany is a British ally, and while Canada does not join the war, both sides try to gain its allegiance. Fighting erupts on Canadian ground and the country is also invaded due to conflicts with the Iroquois and French-Canadians. Questions to Consider: 1. What is our overarching and most effective military/diplomatic strategy regarding the colonies? 2. Is war the only possible solution to this dilemma? 3. What allies do we have/can recruit to help us in this conflict? 4. How/should we punish the leaders of the Independence movement if we are successful? 5. How should we continue to supply our troops in North America both financially & physically if the war lasts longer than expected? Saturday 15 November 2014 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference – JCC-England Further Research: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/american-revolution-history http://www.revolutionary-war.net/causes-of-the-american-revolution.html http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/4thjuly.cfm http://www.ushistory.org/us/10e.asp http://www.ushistory.org/us/11.asp http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/battles.aspx http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/people.aspx http://www.mountvernon.org/educational-resources/encyclopedia/appointmentcommander-chi
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