The Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Essential Question:
How did the Colonies win the war?
 Who has the advantage in the war?
o British advantages
 Best army and navy in the world
 Strong central government
 Great wealth
o Colonial advantages
 Fighting for a cause
 Leadership of George Washington
 Fighting on home territory
 Guerrilla warfare
 Hit-and-run fighting technique using small groups of
soldiers
 Mercenary
o Soldier hired to fight for another country
o British hired Hessians
 Highly skilled German mercenaries
 Battle of Long Island (August 1776)
o Fought for control of New York City
o Decisive British victory
o Washington escaped into New Jersey and across Delaware River into
Pennsylvania
 Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776)
o Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night
o Surprised and defeated the Hessians the next day
o 1st real victory for the Continental Army
o Obtained needed supplies
o Casualties:
 Hessians: 1001
 Americans: 7
o Importance:
 Forced the British to evacuate most of New Jersey
 Allowed Washington to rest for the remainder of the winter
 Encouraged soldiers to enlist
 Battle of Saratoga (Sept/Oct 1777)
o Controlling the Hudson River was a key to victory in the war
o Important American victory
o Turning point in the war
 Ended the British offensive in the North
 Convinced France to enter the war against England
 Marquis de Lafayette
o French nobleman
o Came to America and became an aide to General Washington
 Valley Forge
o Camp in Pennsylvania
o Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-78 there
o Soldiers suffered greatly from cold, hunger, and disease
o Captain Friedrich von Steuben
 Prussian (German) military officer
 Organized and trained Washington’s soldiers
 France
o Benjamin Franklin had been in France since 1776
 Tried to convince King Louis XVI to help us in the war
o Declared war on Britain in 1778
 Convinced that America could win the war after Saratoga
 Sent money, supplies, troops, and ships
 War at sea
o Blockade
 The closing off of a harbor by enemy ships
 British blockade prevented supplies from reaching the colonies
o America had a very small navy
 Relied mainly on privateers
 Privately owned merchant ships equipped with weapons
o John Paul Jones
 America’s greatest naval commander during the war
 Famous quotation: “I have not yet begun to fight!”
o French navy played a major role after 1778
 Benedict Arnold
o American general
o Won important victories in the North
o Became a traitor
 Served as a British officer for the rest of the war
 Battle of Yorktown (1781)
o English General Cornwallis was trapped in Yorktown, Virginia
 Surrounded by Washington, the French army, and a French naval
blockade
o Cornwallis was forced to surrender
o Last major battle of the war
 Forced Britain to sign a peace treaty
 Treaty of Paris (1783)
o Officially ended the Revolutionary War
o Officially freed the colonies from British control