Why did the British seize New York? Does anyone remember from your reading?

BATTLES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

BATTLE OF NEW YORK

Why did the British seize New York? Does anyone remember from your

reading?

NY CONTINUED

Wanted to move war theater away from Boston

Focus on the Middle States

NY

William Howe led the British 32,000 BR men Washington rallied 23,000 men

Mostly untrained troops German mercenaries (Hessians)

helped the BR – they solely for money Americans retreated on August 27,

1776

AFTER EFFECT

Washington’s troops had to retreat to PA

Only 8,000 men left under Washington’s control

Needed more men to enlist and enlistment due date was December 31st.

CHRISTMAS

Washington risked everything in 1776 Travelled through snow to Trenton Held by Hessians – had a little too

much fun the night before and weren’t expecting American troops

Surprise attack – Americans took 918 captives, killed 30, and took 6 cannons

PRINCETON

Washington rallied his troops to victory in Princeton shortly after Trenton

He met 1200 BR soldiers Moved on to Morristown http://

www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-trenton-and-princeton/videos/george-washington-makes-surprise-attack-on-trenton

PHILADELPHIA

1777 – William Howe led campaign to seize this capital city

Landed near Philly in late August Continental Congress fled British captured Philly and Howe

enjoyed hospitality of Loyalists

JOHN BURGOYNE

BR General Came up with complex scheme Wanted to take BR army from Canada

to Albany, where he thought he would meet Howe’s troops as they arrived from NYC (didn’t realize they were in Philly)

Wanted to work with Howe to isolate NE from the colonies

BURGOYNE

Set out with 4,000 BR, 3,000 mercenaries, and 1,000 Mohawks under his command

Bogged down his army and food supplies ran low

(This is all eventually going to lead to the Battle of Saratoga)

GENERAL HORATIO GATES

Commander of Northern Department of Continental Army

Gathered soldiers from NY and NE Ethan Allen attacked Burgoyne’s troops

in Vermont on his way down to Philly Burgoyne never realized Howe wasn’t

going to meet him since he was in Philadelphia

BATTLE OF SARATOGA

Burgoyne surrendered army to Gates on October 17, 1777

Saratoga is in NY Changed BR’s war strategy dramatically –

decided they needed to stay close to coast Why would staying close to the coast be a

good/safe thing to do?

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battle-of-saratoga

TURNING POINT

FR still bitter about FR and Indian War Secretly sent weapons to colonists

since 1776 Saratoga bolstered trust in American

army Recognized American independence

and signed alliance with them in Feb 1778

FR wouldn’t make peace with BR until BR also recognized American independence!!!

HOWEVER…

It would take months for FR aid to arrive

BR still controlled NY and parts of NE BR wintered comfortably in Philly Washington and army endured freezing

cold winter (1777-1778) in Valley Forge

Suffered from exposure and frostbite 10,000 soldiers at Valley Forge; 2,000+

died

LIFE DURING AMERICAN REVOLUTION Congress ran out of hard currency – silver

and gold Borrowed money by selling bonds to

American investors and foreign govts like France

Printed paper money called Continentals Inflation ensued Americans had to smuggle armaments from

Europe (why do you think they had to resort to this?)

LIFE IN COLONIES

Profiteering – Selling scarce goods for a profit

Sold spoiled meat, cheap shoes, defective weapons, etc.

Appointed Robert Morris as Superintendent of Finance

WOMEN

Mended clothing and cared for soldiers Cooked Made ammunition Molly “Pitcher” – carried pitchers of

water to the soldiers

FEBRUARY 1778

Americans began amazing transformation

Friedrich von Steuben Prussian captain and drillmaster “Make regular soldiers out of country

bumpkins” Volunteered services to Washington

MARQUISE LAFAYETTE

French Endured misery of Valley Forge Vouched for FR reinforcements in 1779 Led command in VA

SUMMER 1778

BR moved operations to the South Wanted to gather support in South and

eventually move way back up North 1778 – Took Savannah, GA and placed

royal governor in charge

GENERALS HENRY CLINTON AND CHARLES CORNWALLIS

BR – sailed south with 8500 men Greatest BR victory of war – British

captured Charles Town, SC in May 1780 5500 American soldiers became

prisoner of war Cornwallis set out to conquer NC and

SC African Americans joined the BR

NATHANIEL GREENE

Washington’s ablest general Army fought BR and forced BR to

surrender in Cowpens, SC Cornwallis attacked Greene 2 months

later at Guilford Court House, NC. Cornwallis won but it cost him: 93 killed 400 wounded 26 missing

CORNWALLIS’S MISTAKE

April 1781 – Greene asked Lafayette for help Cornwallis decided to move fight to VA Tried to capture divisions led by Lafayette

and von Steuben and failed Fateful mistake – Cornwallis led troops

(7500) to peninsula between James and York Rivers and camped at Yorktown, near Jamestown

Planned to take VA and then join Henry Clinton’s forces

THE MISTAKE CONTINUED

Lafayette’s Plan when he heard about Cornwallis: FR army of 6,000 had landed in RI American and FR forces joined 2 FR fleets

at RI and West Indies and attacked the BR forces at Yorktown

FR naval force defeated BR fleet and blocked entrance to Chesapeake Bay; prevented BR rescue by the sea

YORKTOWN

About 17,000 FR and American troops surrounded BR at Yorktown and bombarded BR day and night

Siege of Yorktown lasted 3 weeks October 17, 1781 – Cornwallis surrendered. His

troops had been outnumbered 2:1. October 19 – everyone assembled General Charles O’Hara represented Cornwallis

and handed over his sword http://

www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/siege-of-yorktown

PEACE TALKS IN PARIS - 1782

US, BR, FR, SP BR hoped to avoid giving America full

independence FR supported American independence but

feared America’s becoming a major power Spain was interested in acquiring the land

between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River

John Adams, John Jay, and Ben Franklin represented Americans

1783 – TREATY OF PARIS (AGAIN)

Confirmed US independence and set the boundaries of the new nations

US now stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Canada to the Florida border

BR made no effort to protect land interests of NA allies, and treaty did not specify when BR would evacuate their American forts

Americans agreed BR creditors could collect debts owed them by Americans and promised to allow Loyalists to sue in state courts for recovery of their losses.

State governments failed to honor this agreement All European nations recognized the United States of

America.

EFFECTS OF WAR

Egalitarianism - a belief in the equality of all people – which fostered a new attitude: the idea that ability, effort, and virtue, not wealth or family, defined one’s worth

This applied only to white males Most African Americans still enslaved, and

those that were free faced discrimination and poverty

EFFECTS OF WAR

Maryland and VA - # of free blacks rose from 4,000 to over 20,000.

NA – Revolution brought uncertainty As settlers from the US moved West and began taking

tribal lands and left NA further threatened By adopting Declaration of Independence – Americans

rejected BR system of government, in which kings and nobles held power

Set out to build a stable republic, a government of the people

Continental Congress chose a motto for the reverse side of the Great Seal of the US: “a new order of the ages”