The Revolutionary War
The Divided Colonies
• 1/3 Patriots- Support Independence*
• 1/3 Loyalists or Tories- Loyal to GB*
– (Middle and Southern Colonies)
• 1/3 Undecided- Lacked Commitment*
• A Civil War
Great Britain’s Strengths
• Professional Army*
• British Naval Tradition*
• Loyalist Support/ African American
• Native American Support
• Hessians- Mercenaries*
Great Britain’s Weaknesses
• Unpopular War in Great Britain*
• Long Supply Lines*
• Fight in Hostile Country*
• Wrong Tactics*
Colonial Strengths
• Fought on their Own Ground*
• French and Indian War Tactics*
• George Washington*
Colonial Weaknesses
• Never Enough Supplies*
• No Navy*
• Desertion/ Constant Turn Over of Troops
The Major Events of the War
• Lexington and Concord
• The Battle of Bunker Hill
• Princeton/Trenton
• The Battle of Saratoga
• The Winter at Valley Forge
• The Battle of Yorktown
Lexington and Concord
April 1775
• Stockpiles of Ammunition at Concord
– (20 Miles from Boston)
• American Victory*
• Beginning of the Revolution*
• “The Shot Heard Around the World”*
The Battle of Bunker Hill
June 1775
• Actually Breeds Hill
• British Looking for an Easy Victory/ Show of Force
• Patriots Fight Tenaciously*
• Victory for the British*
– 1,100 Redcoats Killed or Wounded
The Crossing of the Delaware
Christmas 1776
Trenton and Princeton
Winter 1776
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Americans Defeated in Battle of NY
Many American Soldier Desert
Washington Attacks in Winter
Crosses Delaware River*
Caught by Surprise in Trenton*
1,200 Hessians Captured*
Morale Boost*
The Battle of Saratoga
September 1777
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The Turning Point of the War*
Gen. Burgoyne (GB) Tries to Cut Off NE
Gen. Gates (A) Surrounds Burgoyne at Saratoga
Decisive American Victory*
Help from Abroad
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France Enters the War for the Colonies*
French Money, Troops, and Navy
Marquis de Lafayette – Assisted Washington *
Baron von Steuben - helps train troops*
The Winter at Valley Forge
Winter 1777
• Disease/Starvation/Desertion*
• Continental Congress Could Not Tax
– Supplies Could Only Be Requested From the
States
• British Warm and Supplied in Philly
• Showed Washington was great leader*
The Battle of Yorktown
October 1781
• Cornwallis Moves to Yorktown to be
reinforced with Troops and Supplies
• Trap is Set
– French Navy Cuts Off the Chesapeake
– Lafayette is Reinforced by Washington
• “The World Turned Up-Side Down”*
• Last Major Engagement of the War*
The War is Over
• The Treaty of Paris (1783)
– Great Britain Recognizes United States*
– Boarder Between Canada and US Estab.
– Mississippi River Boarder Between Spanish
Territory and New Nation
• The United States of America
– Florida Returns to Spain*
– Great Britain Removes Troops*
– Rights and Property of Loyalist Restored