The American Revolution
1775-1783
Loyalist Strongholds
Battle for the Middle States
• NY & PA
– 1776-1777
• Colonists suffered
many defeats early on
• “These are the times that try
men’s souls”
– Thomas Paine
Battle for New York
The British wanted NYC to isolate New
England
– By both land & sea
• Summer 1776- General William Howe
and Admiral Richard Howe sailed to NY
Harbor
Defeat in NY
• Goal: humiliate Washington & end the
Revolution
• Washington had 23,000 soldiers and was
greatly outnumbered
• Howe brought 32,000 soldiers & Hessians
• By late August the colonists retreated with
heavy losses
Defeat in NY
• By the Fall:
– Washington’s troops were pushed back
across the Delaware River
• Less than 8,000 troops left
HW- pages 107-111
• What are Hessians?
• What was the result of the Battle of NY?
• Why did General Washington
desperately need a victory prior to
December 31, 1776?
• Describe the Battle of Trenton.
• Who won the Battle of Princeton?
The Battle of Trenton
American Casualties- 5
British Casualties- 107
• Washington knew he needed a victory to
keep his troops
• Christmas night,1776 he crossed the almost
frozen Delaware River in row boats
– Washington’s troops lacked shoes
– The storm made muskets unfit for use &
Washington ordered his men to use bayonets
Battle of Trenton
•
4am they marched 9 miles in sleet & snow to
capture Trenton
• Sneak Attack– Hessians were drunk & passed out from
Christmas celebration
• Washington’s troops took 1,000 Hessian prisonerswhich were all treated with great respect
• This prompted many American soldiers to reenlist
The Battle of Trenton
The Fight for Philadelphia
• Spring 1777: General Howe planned to
take the capital of Philadelphia
– Howe’s troops left New York by sea &
landed in Philadelphia by August
• The Continental Congress fled the city
& Washington tried to stop the redcoats
• Washington had no successful & the
British celebrated with the Loyalists
Victory at Saratoga
September 19-October 17,1777
American Leader: Gen. Horatio Gates
British Leader: Gen. John Burgoyne
• General Burgoyne planned to move
from Canada to Albany and eventually
meet Howe & his troops in NYC
–
He traveled with 8,000 soldiers and
138 pieces of artillery
Saratoga
• Burgoyne was
constantly attacked by
militiamen &
Continental soldiers
– One of the worst was
Ethan Allen and his
Green Mountain
Boys
Saratoga Continued
• Burgoyne did not realize that Howe was not going
to meet him
– October 17, 1777- Burgoyne was forced to surrender at
Saratoga he was surrounded by General Gates and his
army
• From this point on the British kept their troops close
to the coast & supply bases
– British confidence took a heavy blow
• The French looked to increase their support to the
Patriots
– February 1778- a treaty of cooperation signed
The Surrender of General Burgoyne
at Saratoga- October 17, 1777
French Aide
• After victory at Saratoga, Americans had a morale
boost
• Since 1776: The French had secretly sent weapons
& ammunition
– Victory proved to the French that Americans had
a real chance at beating the British
– The French saw it as an opportunity to avenge
the British after the French & Indian War
Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Dec 19, 1777- June 19,1778
Valley Forge
• Winter Camp 20 miles outside
Philadelphia
– Congress had little $$ for supplies
• 10,000 soldiers battled:
– Wind, snow & ice
– Built makeshift housing, slept on straw
– 2,000 soldiers died
Financing the War
• Continental Army was unable
to pay the troops
– When Congress ran out of hard
currency, gold & silver - it
borrowed money by selling
bonds
– Started printing paper $ or
Continentals
– Had no gold or silver to back up
currency
• Caused inflation
War Financing
• Americans had a hard time supplying
the troops
– Blockade forced Americans to smuggle
goods
– Corrupt government officials engaged in
profiteering
Civilians at War
• Women stepped into
men’s roles
• Many women joined the
war effort
– Made ammunition
– Followed husbands to
battle
• Washed, mended &
cooked for troops- some
even fought
Abigail Adams
Molly McCauley
• “Molly Pitcher”
• Born NJ 1754
• Battle of Monmouthstepped in for her
husband John Hays
after his collapse
• Nursed wounded
soldiers
Sarah Franklin Bache
• Daughter of B.
Franklin
• Ladies Association
of Philadelphia
– Supervised the
making of shirts for
troops during the war
Betsy Ross
• A seamstress
acquainted with
George Washington
• According to legend
Ross made the first
flag
– Stars & Stripes
European Allies Shift the Balance
• During the winter of 1778
Friedrich von Steuben
(Prussian) volunteered to
help Washington at Valley
Forge
– “make regular soldiers
out of country bumkpins”
– With his an others help
the Continental Army
became an effective
fighting force
European
• 20 year old Frenchman
Marquis de Lafayette
• Lobbied France for
reinforcements
– France took time to
organize its forces
which meant no
immediate
improvement for
American troops
British Move South
• Summer 1778 the British focused on the South &
force their way north
– The British wanted to use port cities to attack the French
• By the spring of 1779 the British had taken over
Georgia & put a royal governor in place
• 1780- General Clinton replaced Howe and with the
help of General Charles Cornwallis captured Charles
Town
– They marched 5,500 soldiers off as prisoners of war
Continue South
• Throughout most of 1780 the redcoats advanced &
gained continued support from escaped slaves
hoping to win their freedom
• Within 3 months the British also took North Carolina
only to be pushed back by Patriot forces into South
Carolina
British Reverses:1781
• Nathaniel Greene, under Washington’s orders, harassed
Cornwallis as he retreated
• Greene divided his forces & sent 600 of his troops under
the command of General Daniel Morgan to South Carolina
– Cornwallis sent Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton
after Morgan
• When the forces met in January 1781 at Cowpens, South
Carolina the battle ended in the redcoats surrendering
– Angered by defeat Cornwallis attacked Greene in
North Carolina & won
• Cornwallis had 93 troops killed, 413 injured, & 26
missing
Victory at Yorktown
• Lafayette & his 6,000 French soldiers unite with the
American troops and attack Cornwallis
– The French navy defeated the British & blocked
the coast
• The siege of Yorktown lasted almost a month where
the British were attacked day & night by 17,000
French and American troops
• October 17, 1781- Cornwallis forced to surrender
since his troops were outnumbered
• Cornwallis was expected to officially surrender on
October 19th, but he sent General Charles O’Hara to
surrender to Washington, French Generals, and the
troops
Seeking Peace
• Representatives from the US, Britain, France, and
Spain met in Paris 1782 to negotiate the treaty
• They all had their own interests
– many thought the Europeans would easily outwit the
Americans
• John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay
demanded full independence before they would even
talk
Treaty of Paris
• September 1783
• US now covered the
Atlantic to the Mississippi
and from Canada to
Florida
• Treaty contained
problems:
– British did not protect the
land interests of their Native
allies
– Did not specify when the
British would leave America
United States of America 1784
Symbol of Liberty
• One of the major changes in the colonies was the
rise of egalitarianism or all people being equal
• Were all people truly equal?
– Women
– Slaves
– Native Americans
Equality?
• African Americans were still enslaved and those that
were free faced discrimination
– By 1804 many New England & Middle States took
steps to outlaw slavery
– Some Southerners (Washington) took steps to
free slaves
• Native American interests were of great uncertainty
– 50% population decline east of Mississippi
Symbols of Liberty
•
“Novus Ordo Seclorum”
– “a new order for the ages”
was chosen to be on the
reverse of the Great Seal of
the United States
• Now came the difficult job of
creating a government for
the people