Warm Up: What should be the title for
each column?
Are These people Patriots or
Loyalists?
Are These people
Patriots or Loyalists?
After a public reading of
the D.O.I. on July 9, 1776
in New York City, Patriots
pulled down a 4000lb.
statue of the King of
England, cut it into
pieces, melted it down &
made 42,088 bullets!
8.30C
kingsacademy.com
The REVOLUTIONARY
WAR
1775-1783
An Army is Formed
• After Lexington & Concord, militia began
gathering around Boston (20,000)
• General Gage is in Boston with his redcoats
• Delegates at Second Continental Congress
decide to form Continental Army (Patriot
Regulars) with George Washington as its
commanding General
• This congress also authorized
money to be printed to pay the
troops
Advantages/Disadvantages
British-Loyalists
ColonistsRebels
*Best trained,
equipped, and
experienced army &
Navy
*Fighting on
their own land
*PASSION
Disadvantages *Long supply line
*Short on
equipment
supplies,
experience, &
troops
*No Navy
Advantages
*Fighting on
unfamiliar
territory
Strategies
British
Colonists
British hoped to cut off
New England from the
rest of the colonies and
blockade ports to prevent
re-supplying of the
Patriots.
Patriots hoped to wear
out the redcoats so that
they would eventually give
up. Used privateers to
run blockades and to cut
off British supply lines.
Life on the Home Front
Changing Attitudes- Equality and Freedom were
being widely discussed and issues such as
Women’s rights and Slavery were debated.
Treatment of Loyalists- Many loyalists (tories) fled,
those that stayed behind faced much
discrimination.
Republicanism- A culture of Republicanism
develops as people become more and
more involved in their government.
Virtue and civic duty become very
important.
Abigail Adams
Abigail encouraged her husband, John
Adams, to “remember the ladies.” when
creating the new continental government.
She was a proud Patriot and influential
supporter of liberty and women’s rights.
Mercy Otis Warren
An American Poet, historian, and dramatist whose
brother James Otis was an important activist in
the American Revolution. She wrote a play in
1773 that foretold of the coming American
Revolution. She also wrote a play called The
Group that targeted and made fun of Tories. She
wrote many articles that asked women to support
the war. She was a friend of Abigail Adams,
another women’s right activist. Mercy Otis
Warren did not support the new Constitution
because it did not give Women equal rights.
Battle of Bunker Hill
•
•
•
•
•
Militiamen take Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill
behind Charlestown and build fortifications
June 17, 1775: General William Howe (British)
decides to take back the hills
The redcoats lined up and attacked the hill
Colonel William Prescott: “Don't fire until you
see the white of their eyes!”
Redcoats finally win the hill -but at a terrible
cost: 1000 redcoats to 400 militia
Olive Branch Petition
•
•
•
•
•
Most colonists still wanted peace
In July 1775, Continental Congress writes
an “Olive Branch Petition” and sends to
King George asking to restore peace
King doesn't even look at petition, instead
orders navy to block colonial ships from leaving
ports and sends Hessian soldiers in to help
fight Americans
“When once these rebels have felt a smart
blow, they will submit!”
Americans under Benedict Arnold try to take
Quebec, but fail under a miserable winter
Americans Take Back Boston
•
•
•
•
Green Mountain Boys bring 59 cannons in to
support Washington in
Boston
Washington moves to
Dorchester Heights,
overlooking Boston
General Howe (British)
decides to withdraw troops
from Boston
1000 Loyalists go with him, those left behind
suffered their homes and property being seized
and some abuse
Thomas Paine Publishes
“Common Sense”
It all started with “Common
Sense,” the writing that
sparked a revolution.
Best selling work by an
American author up to that
point. (only the Bible was
read by more people)
George Washington ordered
this pamphlet distributed to
his troops.
Declaration of Independence
•
•
•
•
John Hancock, president of
congress, was first to sign
Based on philosophy of John
Locke, an Enlightenment
leader and Locke's beliefs of
“unalienable rights”
Explained reasons for
breaking free from England
and declared colonies to be
free and independent states
Treason! If war lost, then
delegates would be hanged
Unalienable Rights
•
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness”
–
–
“people”= free white men
If govt does not protect these rights, then
people have right to abolish that govt
Americans are still Divided
•
20-30% Loyalists
•
40-45% Patriots
•
Most did not support War
•
New England and Virginia had most Patriots
•
New York State, Large Cities, and South had more
Loyalists
•
Native American groups divided
•
African Slaves were also divided, England
promised freedom if they joined, but 5000 joined
the Colonial armies and hoped that it might bring
them freedom
Which of these groups would be on the side of
the Loyalists, Patriots, or Neutrals?
Number 1-10 & Write a L, P or N
__1.Small farmers
__6.Artisans
__2.Merchants/Traders
__7.Frontiersmen
__3.Southern Slaves
__8.Working Class
__4.Quakers
__9.Native Americans
__5.Free African-Americans
__10.Plantation owners
Creating an Army
•
At first formed out of untrained, undisciplined
militias
•
Enlistments were short
•
Congress could not raise enough money to supply
the army
•
Women helped by following men and working in
camps. Some women dressed as men and fought.
Mary Hays earned nickname “Molly Pitcher” for
carrying water to men in middle of battles
•
Because Washington never had a large, welltrained army his strategy was to win small decisive
battles
War in the Middle Colonies
• By using the coastal cities of
the middle colonies, the
British believed that they
could bring in troops and
supplies to launch military
campaigns (battles) and very
quickly defeat the American
militia.
• General William Howe
(leader of the British military)
also hoped to divide the
colonies in half by taking
New York.
Battle of New York City
July 1776 (p.179)
• Gen. William Howe lands 10,000 British soldiers
on Staten Island and is soon joined by 24,000
more –including 9,000 Hessians.
• General Washington was headquartered on Manhattan Island.
• Months of fighting between the Colonial Army
and the British army ensued.
• Finally, during a heavy fog, General Howe
forced Washington to make a daring retreat
across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania
Defeat
• The American Army was in bad shape by
this time. No food, inadequate clothing, no
weapons, and lots of diseases.
• The troops were demoralized and at
numbers near 3,000 –they wear near
desertion.
“The American Crisis”
• Washington asks Thomas Paine, now a soldier
in the American Army, to read his newest essay
“The American Crisis” to the troops
• The American Crisis: “These are the times that
try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the
sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the
service of his country. But he that stands it now,
deserves the love and thanks of man and
woman.”
• The soldiers’ spirits revived! It was a morale
victory, but Washington needed a military victory
as well. He had a brilliant idea…
Battle of Trenton
December 25, 1776
• On Christmas night, 1776, through a blinding
sleet storm, Washington ferried 2400 troops
back across the ice-clogged Delaware River.
• The freezing troops then marched 9 miles to
Trenton, New Jersey, surprising the sleeping
British soldiers who had just finished celebrating
Christmas. The Americans defeated the British
in just 45 minutes and took some much needed
supplies.
Battle of Princeton
January 3,1777
• British General Cornwallis marched south to
retake Trenton from Washington. Exhausted, he
refused to attack Washington the night he
arrived.
• Meanwhile, Washington sees him coming,
orders his men to leave their campfires burning
and sneak through the night to the rear of
Cornwallis.
• The next morning Washington led a victorious
attack on Cornwallis’ rearguard.
Victory!
• By winning these two battles in New
Jersey, General Washington’s Army
gained many new recruits.
• The nation cheered him as a hero!
War in the North
• The British had a goal to seize
the Hudson River Valley and
cut off New England from the
rest of the colonies.
• General John Burgoyne would leave from
Canada and travel south; Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger
would march his troops from Lake Ontario to the
Mohawk Valley; and General William Howe
would follow the Hudson River North from New
York City.
Benedict Arnold’s Trick
Summer 1777
• American, Benedict Arnold was asked to lead a
group of soldiers up the Mohawk Valley to chase
the British out of New York. After he captured a
few loyalists and Iroquis Benedict Arnold used
the captured soldiers to spread the rumor that
the American soldiers had recruited a huge
number of soldiers and would easily defeat the
British.
• The trick worked!!! St. Leger’s troops retreated
so quickly that they left behind tents, cannons,
and supplies!
General John Burgoyne Travels to Saratoga
Summer 1777 (p.181)
• Known as “Gentleman Johnny”
General John Burgoyne began
traveling south from Canada
towards Albany, NY.
• The General enjoyed traveling slowly through
the countryside and taking time to celebrate his
victories in battle. This allowed the Americans
plenty of time to cut down trees to block his
march.
• It took the British 4 long weeks just to finally
reach the Hudson River.
Battle of Saratoga
Oct 17, 1777
• General Burgoyne and his troops were surprised
to meet the Continental Army near Saratoga,
New York.
• The Americans had built earthen walls that
General Burgoyne had to break down in order to
proceed to Albany.
• Benedict Arnold led American charges against
the British until Burgoyne finally surrendered
5,000 men and several Generals.
Results of These Battles
1. The American Victory at Saratoga was a turning point.
France and Spain realized that the colonists could win
the war and decided to help them with soldiers, supplies,
and money. (French motivation: land lost during the
French and Indian war)
1.
Benjamin Franklin represented the
Americans as an envoy in France. He
worked tirelessly to gain French support
2.
Benedict Arnold believed that he was not
being adequately rewarded for his wins and
heroic actions. In 1780 he turned traitor
when he agreed to turn over an American fort
but the plot was discovered before it could
be carried out. Benedict Arnold was forced
to flee the country.
French-American
Alliance 1778
• A French-American Alliance, negotiated by
Benjamin Franklin, was crucial to America’s
victory in 1783.
• Britain responded by declaring war on France in
1778.
• Spain, who was an ally of France, declared war
on Britain in 1779, then captured Pensacola,
Florida from the British.
• Haym Salomon- Jewish immigrant to
America, he worked tirelessly to gain
financial support for the American cause. He
was arrested by the British for being a spy, then
helped other prisoners escape and British
Valley Forge
Winter 1778
• Washington’s troops wintered in
bitterly cold Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania.
• Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a Prussian
volunteer who spoke little to no English,
drilled the soldiers all winter, frustrated that
they couldn’t understand his German
swearing.
• He turned them into professionals, and his
drill book became standard in the army.
The War in the South
• After losing several major battles in the North,
the British turned their attention to the Southern
colonies because they thought that they would
get more loyalist support there.
• The British promised freedom to the enslaved
Africans who joined them as soldiers, and
wanted to use the southern seaports to bring in
more soldiers from the British West Indies.
Siege of Charlestown
1780
• British Army General Henry Clinton landed
in South Carolina and trapped the
American Army at Charlestown.
• Almost 5,000 American troops
surrendered, which was the worst
American defeat of the war!
Battle of Camden
Aug 1780
• After putting together a new army, General Gates
headed south to Camden, South Carolina to challenge
the British forces under the leadership of General (Lord)
Cornwallis.
• On the way, he met Francis Marion (also known as the
“Swamp Fox”) who gave him important information about
the coastal swamplands.
• Aug 1780 General Gates’ army ran into British troops
outside Camden. The Americans were in dire straits –no
supplies, half-starved and inexperienced.
• When the British attacked, the American militia panicked
and ran! This second defeat ended Gates’ leadership of
the American army and caused the spirits of the
colonists to fall.
The “Swamp Fox”
and Guerrilla Warfare
• The cunning “Swamp Fox” heard
about the American army’s
defeat at Camden and knew that the
prisoners were being marched to
Charles Town. He used guerrilla
warfare to overwhelm the British forces and free the
American prisoners.
• General Washington appointed Nathaniel Greene to
command the army in the south.
• Greene’s new plan: to avoid full-scale battle and make
the British chase the Americans around the countryside
while militia picked them off with guerrilla warfare tactics.
War on the Frontier & Sea
Spanish Help
• After Spain agreed to join the war on
the American Side, it immediately seized the British
strongholds of Natchez, Baton Rouge Louisiana.
Then Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida.
These victories prevented the British from attacking
the U.S. from the southwest. It also caused the
British to overextend their forces to try and battle the
French and Spanish forces along with the American
forces.
• Bernardo de Galvez- Spanish nobleman who
became Governor of Spanish Louisiana, he
protected American ships in New Orleans and
sent war supplies to the Continental Armies
War on the Frontier & Sea
French Help –Marquis de Lafayette
• Help from the Europeans also included leaders
in the military. The Marquis de Lafayette was a
19 year old French nobleman who
volunteered to serve because he
believed in the American cause.
• His soldiers loved him because he
understood their hardships. He also
used his own money to buy clothes,
weapons and food for his troops.
• The Marquis de Lafayette used his influence to
persuade the King of France to send 6,000
troops to help the Americans.
James Armistead
An African American spy during the American
Revolution. Born as a slave, he volunteered to
join the army. He was able to successfully
infiltrate General Cornwallis’ headquarters
posing as a runaway slave. Armistead was able
to send many messages to General Washington
informing him to the whereabouts and plans of
the British armies.
War on the Frontier & Sea
The “Frontiersmen”
• Many “frontiersmen,” or men who lived west
of the Appalachian Mountains, also
accepted the Continental Congress’ call
to arms.
• In 1777, George Rogers Clark received permission to
raise an army to capture British posts on the Western
Frontier.
• May 1778: Clark & his group captured Fort Kaskaskia on
the Mississippi River and then moved east to take control
of Fort Sackville. The following year, the British
recaptured Fort Sackville and Clark decided to take it
away from the British for a second (and last!) time.
• By catching the British by surprise, Clark was easily able
to overtake the fort.
• This Victory gave the Americans control of the land from
the Great Lakes to the Ohio River Valley.
War on the Frontier & Sea
War at Sea
• BY 1777, Britain had over 100 warships off the American
coast, controlling the Atlantic trade routes.
• To help the Americans, Privateers attacked and captured
British supply ships! The cargo would be sold and the
monies split between the crewmembers and the country.
• Their were more than 1,000 privateers and they were
able to effectively disrupt the Atlantic trade to the point
that the British merchants wanted an end to the war (and
privateering!)
• One of the most famous Continental Navy officers was
John Paul Jones. In 1779 he captained the Bonhomme
Richard and, along with four other ships, approached
several British supply ships. During the fight, John Paul
Jones coined the phrase “I have not yet begun to fight!”
Jones successfully defeated the British warships, which
angered the British who believed that they had the best
navy in the world.
Timeline of Events
• Late 1780 –Early 1781: American riflemen
won at the Battle of King’s Mountain and
the Battle of Cowpens, setting up the
American troops for the upcoming battle at
Yorktown. Problems in the colonies –
inflation, bankruptcy in the government.
Yorktown
• July, 1781: British General Lord Cornwallis set
up his base at Yorktown, Virginia. This was a
key location because he could receive supplies
from New York and it was located on a
peninsula which he thought would be an easy
place to defend against the American militia.
• General Washington, on the other hand, saw
this as the “Golden Opportunity” to defeat the
British…
The Battle of Yorktown
• A French fleet blocked the Chesapeake Bay and
stopped the British from receiving supplies and
from escaping.
• The Americans came up from
the north and trapped Lord
Cornwallis on the peninsula.
Order of Battles
Let’s Start Yelling!
Lexington
Saratoga
Yorktown
The End of the War
• Together, the American and
French troops bombarded
Yorktown and forced Lord
Cornwallis to surrender his forces of 8,000
men on October 19, 1781.
• This was the last major battle of the war
and it forced the British leaders to begin to
negotiate a peace treaty.
Cause / Effect
Political
Economic
Religious
Social
No taxation with out
representation
Stamp Act/ Townsend Act,
etc.
Limiting of Individual rights
Think of themselves as
British w/grievances
Enlightened thought
Think of themselves as
“Americans”
Unalienable rights
belong to all Humans
Mercantilism –Goods from
England only.
Spread of uniquely
“American” culture
Intellectual “Rights of Englishmen” and
Artistic
Independence/
Democracy
Tax $ goes to colonists,
states agree to tax $,
free and open trade
with other countries
Religious Freedom
Treaty of Paris 1783
• Even the British defeat and
official end of the war did
not make King George III
recognize that Americans
had won their independence.
• After the Battle of Yorktown, Parliament
replaced King George III’s advisors and, in
essence, removed him from rule.
Costs of the War
Total Number of Deaths
Revolutionary War Deaths
7,200
8,500
10,000
10,000
American
British
Died in Battle Country
Prison Camp Deaths
Starvation / Disease / Exposure Deaths
After eight years of fighting, no one really knows how many people died in the
war.
Most historians estimate that 25,700 Americans died (10,000 died in camp of
starvation/ disease/exposure; 8,500 died in British prison camps; and 7,200
died in battle), 8,200 were wounded and 1,400 were listed as missing.
The British estimated about 10,000 deaths. In addition, there were almost
7,500 deaths for the Hessian soldiers who were paid by the British to fight in
the Revolution.
Other Issues After the War
• Soldiers were often not paid for their service in the military and the new
American government issued them certificates for
land in the West. However, these certificates did
not provide the soldiers with the items they needed
most after the war - money, food and supplies.
• The soldiers were given these certificates
because the Congress and states were deeply
in debt –almost $27 million!!!!
• The most persecuted group in the colonies was
the Loyalists because of their support of King
George III and Parliament. These people lost
their property, left the colonies for Canada and
took their language and customs with them to
their new homes.
Post-Revolution Problems
1 Government protects & regulates business –
NOT control it!
2 Freedom to choose what to make and how to
price your goods!
Economy
Land
1What to do with the recently acquired
land?
2States argued over who would claim
the lands & control it!
Government
Issues After The
American
Revolution
1 What type of government should the
colonies have?
2 Republicanism!
3 Protect citizens’ rights
4 good of country is put above
individual goals/needs
5 Only men could vote & hold office
6 Women teach children values of new
country
Religion
Slaver
y
1 Slavery vs. Liberty!
2 Richard Allen & Free African
Society
3 Development of African American
churches
1 Religious Freedom in the colonies?
2 Abolished laws preventing freedom of
religion
3 Ended the practice of using tax money to
support churches!
How did America Win?
•
The Americans had four major advantages that
allowed them to win this war against a superior
British army, more well-trained soldiers and better
weaponry. The four advantages were:
1. Better Leadership
2. Foreign Aid
3. Knowledge of the Land
4. Motivation
What possible problems might a
brand new country face?