Changes in British policies in North America caused dissatisfaction among the colonists. Hostilities break out between Patriot and British forces.

The American Revolution

Creating a Nation – Unit Overview Changes in British policies in North America

caused dissatisfaction among the colonists.

Hostilities break out between Patriot and British forces.

The American Colonies fight the British government for their independence.

The Declaration of Independence and Constitution are conceived and written.

Creating a Nation – Unit Overview Chapter 5, Road to Independence,

focuses on events leading up to the American Revolution.

Chapter 6, The American Revolution, describes the battles and strategies of the war.

Chapter 7, A More Perfect Union, examines the steps Americans took after the war to build a new nation.

The American Revolution – Test Preview Vocabulary

Patriot forces

Lemuel Hayes

Friedrich von Steuben

Privateers

Guerrilla Warfare

The American Revolution – Test Preview What was another name given to

Loyalists?

Where was Loyalist strength greatest at?

Where was Loyalist strength weakest at?

What Patriot disguised himself as a teacher in order to spy on the British?

African Americans were enlisted in every state but one. Which state?

The American Revolution – Test Preview What French nobleman became

Washington's trusted aide.

Who said, “I have not yet begun to fight.”?

Who were the Hessians and why were they fighting?

What treaty ended the American Revolution?

What did George Washington do after the war ended?

The American Revolution – Test Preview

What foreign countries helped the Patriots win the war?

What was George Washington’s secret strategy for the siege of Yorktown?

The Early Years

Section Overview

This section highlights the initial struggles of the

Patriots.

The Early Years

The mighty British troops sailed to America, confident that they would quickly and easily crush the rebellious colonies. A British officer wrote to his friend, describing a military skirmish:

September 3, 1776

We landed on Long-Island. It was a fine sight to see with what eagerness they dispatched the Rebels with their bayonets after we had surrounded them so that they could not resist. The island is all ours, and we shall soon take New York, for the Rebels dare not look us in the face. I expect the affair will be over after this campaign.

The Early Years

Following years of disagreement and negotiation, the tension between the colonies and Great Britain had reached the breaking point. The war for independence from England begun.

Both the British and Americans expected the war to be short. The British planned to crush the rebellion by force. Most Patriots believed the British would give up after losing one or two major battles.

The Early Years

BRITISH ADVANTAGES

The strongest navy in the world

An experienced and well-trained army

The wealth of a worldwide empire

A much large population

COLONIAL DISADVANTAGES

No regular army or navy

Army lacked military experience.

Short on weapons and ammunition.

Not all colonists supported the Revolution.

The Early Years

Those colonists that remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence were called Loyalists or Tories.

At least one American in five was a Loyalists. Some believe as many a 1/3 were Loyalist, 1/3 were Patriots, and the other 1/3 were undecided.

Loyalist support varied by region but was strongest in the Carolinas and Georgia. It was weakest in New England.

The Early Years

Loyalists supported Britain for different reasons. Some where members of the Anglican Church,

headed by the British king. Some depended on Britain for their jobs. Some feared the disorder from war. Some simply didn’t understand what all the

commotion was about.

Some in the African American community also sided with the Loyalists. At the start of the war, Britain offered freedom to any slave that joined the British side.

The Early Years

COLONIAL ADVANTAGES They were fighting on their own ground and

were determined to protect it.

The British had to ship supplies and soldiers across thousands of miles of ocean.

The British used mercenaries to fight. These soldiers did not care as much about the outcome of the war. Using these troops also helped the Patriot gain more support.

The Patriots also had Washington, who would prove to be a great leader.

The Early Years

The American colonies placed great value on liberty and personal freedom. After declaring their independence they were unwilling to transfer their own power to the Continental Congress.

In many ways the American Revolution was really 13 separate wars. Each colony fighting against Great Britain.

This made it difficult for the Continental Congress to enlist soldiers for the army and raise money. The Congress had established the army but depended upon each of the states to supply the soldiers.

The Early Years

Most soldier signed up for only one year enlistments. This meant that soldiers would often leave and go home once their enlistment time was up. Late in the war men started to sign up for 3 year enlistments.

Women also fought in the war. Margaret Corbin followed her husband when he joined the Continental Army. When he died in battle, she took his place. Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley carried water to soldiers and became known as Molly Pitcher. Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a boy and followed her brothers and friends off to war.

The Early Years

Many of the early battles only involved a few soldiers. The British commander, General William Howe, hoped that just the sight of the size of his army would convince to colonies to give up.

In late August of 1776, Washington’s troops fought the British in their first major battle. The Battle of Long Island was a serious defeat for the Patriots. Washington and his army barely escaped being captured.

One Patriot, Nathan Hale, volunteered to be a spy and disguised himself as a Dutch School teacher. He was late caught and hung. Before being hung he said, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

The Early Years

The winter of 1776-1777 saw the near collapse of the Revolution. Many soldiers left the army after their enlistments were up. Others simply deserted.

Washington begged the Continental Congress for more troops. He even asked to be allowed to enlist free African Americans. Because the southern colonies feared giving guns to slaves, there was a ban on the enlistment of African Americans.

However, some colonies ignored the ban and started enlisting African Americans. By the end of the war, all the colonies except South Carolina had African Americans fighting in their militias.

Among those African Americans who fought during the American Revolution were Lemuel Hayes and Peter Salem.

The Early Years

During winter of 1776-1777 most of the British troops settled in New York while a few remained in New Jersey near the cities of Trenton and Princeton.

During this period in history, armies usually halted their wars in winter. The British did not expect to have to fight.

Washington saw this as an opportunity to catch the British off guard. On Christmas night, 1776, he crossed the Delaware river and attacked Hessian troops at Trenton. His army captured 900 Hessian soldiers. He later attacked and captured Princeton and was able to drive off British reinforcements.

The Early Years

The British battle plan for 1777 was to gain control of the Hudson River by taking the cities of Albany and New York.

This would in involve a three-pronged attack. General John Burgoyne would lead a force of 8,000 troops south from Canada. The second prong would come east from Lake Ontario. The third prong under General Howe, would move north up the Hudson River valley from New York. The three force planned to trap and destroy Patriot troops near Albany.

Before moving north, Howe planned to capture Philadelphia. He was able to do this by winning battles at Brandywine and Paoli. After capturing Philadelphia, Howe decided to spend the winter of 1777 there.

The Early Years

While Howe was able to capture Philadelphia, other parts of the British plan were not going well. In August 1777, an American force under Benedict Arnold was able to stop the British army moving east from Lake Ontario.

General Burgoyne’s army was not making progress toward Albany either. He was able to capture Fort Ticonderoga but was slow in moving on southward. (Page 168).

The Early Years

In October 1777 General Burgoyne came up against a larger American force at Saratoga. American troops under the command of General Horatio Gates block his path to the south. The Americans were able to defeat Burgoyne’s army and force 5,700 British troops to surrender.

Soon after this defeat British general Howe was forced to resign as commander of the British troops in America. He was replaced by General Henry Clinton.

The War Continues

Section Overview

This section describes the Patriot’s hardships at war

and at home and who Europeans helped the

Patriots.

The War Continues

The Continental Congress sent Jonathan Austin of Boston to France to deliver the news of the American victory at Saratoga. Benjamin Franklin was already in France trying to get that country to help the Americans against the British.

As soon as Austin arrived, Franklin nervously inquired, “Is Philadelphia taken? “ Austin answered, “It is, sir. But, sir, I have greater news than that. General Burgoyne and his whole army are prisoners of war.”

The War Continues

The victory at Saratoga boosted American spirits. Even more important was that it marked a turning point in the war. Europeans nation, especially France, realized that the United States might actually win.

Benjamin Franklin had been in Paris for a year trying to get the support of the French government. The French gave some money to the Americans to show their support.

When news of the American victory at Saratoga reached France the French changed their policy toward the Americans. In February 1778, the French and the Americans worked out a trade agreement and an alliance. France declared war on Britain and sent money, equipment, and troops to the Patriots.

The War Continues

Other European nations also helped the American cause. Spain also declared war on Great Britain in 1779. The Spanish governor of Louisiana raised an army and captured British forts at Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and Pensacola.

Word of the new alliance with France did not reach America until the spring of 1778. British general Howe and his army spent the winter in comfort in Philadelphia. Washington set up camp at Valley Forge, about 20 miles to the west of the British.

The winter of 1778 was very hard on the American troops. The troops endured a winter of terrible suffering because of the lack of decent food, clothing, and shelter. Washington’s greatest challenge was keeping the Continental Army together.

The War Continues

During the time at Valley Forge, many of the men in the Continental Army deserted. Some officers also resigned.

With strong determination, the Continental Army survived and conditions gradually improved. The troops built huts for shelter and volunteers help gather supplies and made clothes for the troops and cared for the sick. In April 1778, Washington was able to tell his troops of the alliance with France. This greatly improved everyone’s sprits.

The War Continues

Among the soldiers at Valley Forge was a French nobleman named the Marquis de Lafayette. Other Europeans also volunteered to help.

Friedrich von Steuben was a former army officer from Germany. Von Steuben drilled the Patriot troops and taught them military discipline and fighting techniques. He turned the ragged Continental Army into a more effective fighting force.

The War Continues

Getting money to finance the war was a big problem for the Continental Congress. It had no power to raise money through taxes.

To pay of the war, the Congress and states printed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of paper money. This money quickly lost value because there was not enough gold and silver backing it up. This caused inflation, which means it took more and more money to buy the same amount of goods.

Eventually the Congress stopped issuing money because no one would use it.

The War Continues

The ideas of liberty and freedom that inspired the Revolution caused some women to question their role in society. Women like Abigail Adams championed women’s rights.

As the war continued, many Loyalists started fleeing the country. Most went back to England, but some went to Florida, Canada, and the western territories.

The American Revolution also caused some people in the colonies to begin questioning slavery. In 1778 Governor William Livingston of New Jersey asked the legislature to free all enslaved people in the state.

The War Moves West and South Section Overview

This section examines the Revolutionary War battles

fought in the West and South.

The War Moves West and South

Francis Marion organized a small but expert fighting force in South Carolina. Living off the land, Marion’s soldiers harassed British troops by staging daring surprise attacks, sabotaging communication and supply lines, and rescuing American prisoners.

After these attacks, Marion withdrew his men to swamps and forests. His habit of disappearing into the swamps to get away from the British earned him his nickname, The Swamp Fox.

The War Moves West and South At same time that Francis Marion was staging his

raids in the South, there were many small battles going on along the western frontier.

Many of these battle involved Native Americans that had sided with the British. Many Native American tribes felt that the British were less of a threat than the Americans.

Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, led a number of brutal attacks in southwestern New York and Pennsylvania.

George Rodgers Clark, was ordered to end British attacks on settlers. Clark captured, later lost, and then recaptured the important British stronghold in Vincennes (Indiana).

The War Moves West and South As the fighting continued along the western frontier,

there were more battles being waged at sea.

Great Britain had sent its powerful navy to patrol the American coast and keep supplies from reaching the colonies from their allies through the use of a blockade.

To break the blockade, the Continental Congress order the construction of 13 American warships. This didn’t work out too well and all 13 ships ended up being destroyed by the British.

American privateers were more successful. Privateers are privately owned merchant ships equipped with weapons. Around 2,000 ships sailed as privateers and attacked the enemy.

The War Moves West and South One successful American naval officer was John Paul

Jones. Instead of trying to fight the British in American waters, Jones went across the Atlantic and attacked British ports.

In his most daring battle, John Paul Jones maneuvered his ship, the Bonhomme Richard in close to the British ship Serapis. In a battle that lasted for three hours, Jones’s ship was badly damaged. The British captain asked Jones if he wanted to surrender. He replied, “Sir, I have not yet begun to fight.”

Although his own ship later sunk, John Paul Jones was able to capture the Serapis. Today Jones is considered the father of the U.S. Navy.

The War Moves West and South The Patriots had some initial success in fighting

against Loyalist forces in the southern colonies. The southern colonies had a large number of loyalist and the British decided to concentrate their efforts in those colonies.

The British hoped to use British sea power and the support of the Loyalists to win decisive victories in the Southern states. Initially the strategy worked.

In late 1778, General Henry Clinton sent 3,500 British troops from New York to take Savannah, Georgia. He easily captured the city and the entire state. From there he marched to Charles Town, South Carolina and in 1780 he also captured that city in what was the worst American defeat of the war.

The War Moves West and South After the capture of Charles Town, Clinton returned

to New York and left General Charles Cornwallis in charge of the southern campaign.

The Continental Congress sent an army under the command of General Horatio Gates to face Cornwallis. The two armies fought in a battle at Camden, South Carolina. Although Cornwallis won the battle, he found that he could not keep control of the area.

The British receive less help from loyalist in the area than they expected. Instead, as the British moved through the area they were attacked by small groups of Patriots who would disappear as quickly as they had appeared. The type of warfare is called?

The War Moves West and South After British victory at Camden, South Carolina, the

British moved northward through the Carolinas. At Kings Mountain, Patriot sharpshooters defeated a group of loyalist being lead by a British officer.

In October, 1780, Nathanael Green replaced Gates as commander of the Continental forces in the South. Rather than trying to fight the British in one large battle, Green split his army.

In January 1781, part of the Continental army led by General Daniel Morgan defeated the British at Cowpens, South Carolina.

After reuniting his army, Green faced Cornwallis at Guilford Courthouse. Although the British won the battle, they suffered heavy losses.

The War Moves West and South After the battle of Guilford Courthouse, the British

under General Cornwallis march north to Virginia. There they carried out raids throughout the state and nearly captured Governor Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature.

By May 1781, Cornwallis had reached Yorktown, Virginia and decided to make that his camp and await further orders from General Clinton.

After learning that Cornwallis was in Yorktown, General Washington order his armies commanded by Lafayette and General Anthony Wayne south to fight Cornwallis.

The War is Won

Section Overview

This section highlights the events that led to the end

of the Revolution, and identifies the reasons why

the Patriots won.

The War is Won

A popular children’s tune in eighteenth-century Britain went like this:

“If ponies rode men and if grass ate cows, And cats should be chased into holes by the mouse…

If summer were spring and the other way ‘round,Then all the world would be upside down.

This song would hold special meaning for the British troops in America as the Revolution reached its peak.

The War is Won The war reaching a critical point. Both sides were looking

for a major victory that would end the war. As Washington was making plans to attack the British at Yorktown, Virginia he was hoping for help from the French.

In July 1780, French warships carrying 5,000 troop under the command of Comte de Rochambeau arrived off the coast of Newport, RI. The French army unload but the French fleet was trapped in Newport by the arrival of a British fleet.

Washington remained camped near New York were he could keep a close eye on the forces lead by British General Clinton. He was also awaiting the arrival of a second French fleet.

The War is Won A year went by with Washington following reports of the war

in the South. He knew that a British army led by Cornwallis was bottled up on the Yorktown peninsula by Patriot forces under the Marquis de Lafayette.

In August 1781, Washington learned that French Admiral Francois de Grasse and the second French fleet was heading toward the Chesapeake Bay instead of New York.

At this point Washington decided he would attack the British at Yorktown instead of New York.

Washington took steps to keep the new American strategy secret. He wanted Clinton to think the Patriots still planned to attack New York. This, he hoped, would keep Clinton from sending aid to Cornwallis.

The War is Won General Rochambeau had marched his army from

Newport to join Washington. Washington and Rochambeau now marched their armies south. The secrecy was so strict that most of the soldiers did not know where they were going.

Washington was able to move his army 200 miles south in 15 days. During the entire time, British General Clinton in New York did not know that the American forces had left.

Now three groups – Lafayette’s troops, Washington’s and Rochambeau’s main American-French army, and the French fleet under Admiral De Grasse – would meet at Yorktown.

The War is Won The plan worked perfectly, and the British were thoroughly

confused. By the end of September, 14,000 American and French troops had trapped Cornwallis’s 7,500 British and Hessian troops at Yorktown.

Meanwhile, De Grasse’s fleet kept Cornwallis from escaping by sea. General Clinton and the rest of the British army waited in New York, unable to help Cornwallis.

On October 9th the Americans and French began a tremendous bombardment. Soon British supplies began running low and many soldiers were sick and wounded. Cornwallis made one attempt to escape across the York River but was unable to gather enough boats to take his army across.

The War is Won

By October 19th Cornwallis realized that his situation was hopeless and he surrendered.

While going to a nearby field to hand over their weapons, the British troops had to march between rows of French and American troops. A French band played “Yankee Doodle, “ and a British band responded with a children’s tune called “The World Turned Upside Down.”

The fight did not end with the British defeat at Yorktown. The British still held the cities of Savannah, Charles Town, and New York. The Patriot victory did convince the British that continuing the war would be too costly.

The War is Won The two sides sent delegates to Paris to work out a

treaty. The United States were represented by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. The American Congress ratified the preliminary treaty in April 1783.

The final Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783. By that time Britain had also made peace with France and Spain. Under the terms of the treaty Great Britain recognized the Unites States as and independent nation. The new nation claimed all land to the Mississippi River from Canada in the North to Spanish Florida in the South. The British promised to remove all troops from American territory and also agreed to give Americans the right to fish in the waters off the coast of Canada.

The War is Won The United States that British merchants could collect all

debts owned them by Americans.

Even after the treaty was signed, it took some time for British to leave. During that period, Washington kept the army ready at Newburgh, New York.

While in Newburgh, the soldiers and officers became upset with Congress because it was refusing to pay them or fund their pensions. There was talk of the army refusing to disband and perhaps taking over the new government.

Washington promised the men that he would take their complaints to Congress and was able to prevent a crisis for the new nation.

The War is Won Once British troops left New York in November 1783, the

war was truly over and Washington gave up command of the Continental Army. He returned to his home at Mount Vernon.

The American Revolution was a people’s movement. Its outcome was depended not some much on the outcome of a single battle but on the determination and sprit of all the Patriots.

The ideas expressed by the Declaration of Independence bounced back across the Atlantic and influenced the French Revolution in 1789. In 1791 the American and French revolutions inspired revolution on the French-held colony of Saint Domingue. In 1804 it became the second nation in the Americas to achieve independence from colonial rule.

Chapter Summary

Thomas Paine writes the inspiring Common Sense.

The Continental Army is defeated at the Battle of Long Island.

George Washington leads troops across the Delaware River to surprise the British at Trenton.

1776

Chapter Summary

The Patriots defeat the British at Saratoga, New York.

The British capture Philadelphia.

1777

Chapter Summary

France provides money, troops, and equipment to the Patriots.

The Continental Army suffers from the lack of supplies at Valley Forge.

1778

Chapter Summary

John Paul Jones forces the surrender of the British warship Serapis.

The British capture Charles Town and take thousands of prisoners.

1779

1780

Chapter Summary

The Americans win the Battle of Yorktown.

The Treaty of Paris is signed, marking the end of the Revolution.

1781

1783

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