Revolutionary War
The Battles and events that lead to
Independence.
Moving People to Independence
• Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet
“Common Sense”
• This turned many loyalist to consider
independence from England as a viable and
productive option.
• Richard Henry Lee of Virginia was one of
the first to offer officially in a document the
ideal of independence.
Declaration of Independence
• A select committee of delegates were
chosen to write the Dec. of Indep.
• Thomas Jefferson was the actual author of
the document
• People in the delegation signed the
document realizing they could be hanged
for treason.
• July 4, 1776 Independence Day (July 2)
British Take New York
• Washington figured Howe would attack in
New York. Washington and 20,000 troops
meet him there at Long Island. Howe
arrived with 34,000 men and 10,00 sailors.
Washington didn’t even have an army.
• Howe killed 1400 men and forced
Washington to retreat into Manhattan.
New York cont’d
• Howe had Washington and was ready to
capture but stopped his men to fight fires in
Manhattan. Loyalist were begging for his
help. Washington retreated toward
Pennsylvania.
• Howe had Washington with in distance to
fight and capture him but decided to stop
and let his troops rest.
Washington Retreats in New
Jersey
• Howe failed to capture Washington.
• Washington took his thin, frail, unequipped
army and prepared to raise morale.
Soldiers were disserting the army
daily.
• Washington was afraid the war was about
over. He didn’t think his troops could
withstand.
Trenton And Princeton
• Washington took a chance and planned a
surprise attack on Trenton and Princeton.
• Trenton and Princeton were occupied by
British troops and mostly German
mercenaries.
• Attacked on Christmas Eve.
• Planned on troops being drunk from
celebration.
Trenton and Princeton
• At Trenton Washington held his men
through the night and watched the Hessians
get inebriated.
• He attacked at 8:00 a.m. Christmas Day.
• The general was caught with his pants down
and made surrender.
• Cornwallis hears of the news and vows to
capture Washington at Princeton.
Princeton
• At Princeton, Washington left the camp
fires burning for Cornwallis to see. They
attacked the camp site but Washington had
left and flanked his men which led to a
quick battle and surrender.
• Washington wins at Trenton and Princeton.
• Morale of Continental soldiers begin to
soar.
Battle of Saratoga
British 3 pronged attack
• The British had a plan to attack and capture
Washington in New England.
• Howe was to March south from New York
to Albany.
• St. Leger was to march west from Canada to
Albany.
• Burgoyne was to march north.
Miscommunication leads to
Disaster for British
• Howe was under orders to seize
Philadelphia first. He completed this task
but didn’t march to Albany. He stayed in
Philadelphia for the winter.
• St. Leger was stopped and turned back by
Benedict Arnold and his regimen. He never
arrived.
Miscommunication
• Burgoyne was the only to arrive.
• This was after many hardships of marching
in swamps for days and having to clear
paths to move artillery.
• Burgoyne arrived but men was exhausted
and needed rest and re-enforcements.
• Burgoyne was captured and surrendered to
American army at the Battle of Saratoga.
Saratoga the Turning Point
• The Battle of Saratoga created French
Allies with the Americans.
• France not only send money but send a
navy and people to train the American
soldiers.
France Helps Out
• Marquis de Lafayette brought soldiers from
France and trained American soldiers. Will
be Washington most trusted person.
• Frederich von Stueben from Prussia will
train American army. He had the best
trained army in Europe.
• Thaddeus Kosciusko built forts and casimir
Pulaski trained to Calvary.
Winter at Valley Forge
• The American army was in hard times for
supplies and their morale.
• Soldiers were sleeping on open cold ground.
• They had few blankets, clothes that barely
covered them, little food,no shoes, frost
bite, and soldiers where having to train
daily. Many soldiers died and others started
to dissert. Washington becomes very strict.
Valley Forge
• Martha Washington arrived at Valley Forge
to help nurse soldiers and to sew clothes.
• Spring came and supplies arrived.
• The morale of the American soldiers had
increased drastically.
• Battles in the West
Native Americans will help the
British in the west because of
Americans taking their lands.
– British try and take Fort Vincennes.
– George Rogers Clark and his men surround the
fort and the British give up without much of a
fight.
– Spain aids the Americans
Battles in South
• British Navy is controlling most of the
south.
• British Seize Savannah Georgia, Charleston
South Carolina, and Camden South
Carolina.
• The British start to lose their strong hold on
the south.
Battles of South
• The Americans take over the Carolinas and
Savannah Georgia.
• The Americans win a huge battle at King’s
Mountain.
• This is really the turning point of the year as
far as confidence and morale.
Women in the War
• Many women cared for the troops at the front.
Provided medical assistance and helped to produce
clothing.
• One women took on the role of a blacksmith.
• Molly Pitcher actually took water to the troops and
once picked up husbands rifle and fought.
• Betsy Ross sewed flags for Washington’s army.
African Americans in War
• Many of the slaves fought in the
Revolutionary war.
• They fought on the American side hoping
for freedom from slavery.
• Freedom from slavery was not given.
• This will start the big debates over slave
and free states.
Benedict Arnold
• Was one of the best American Generals in
the war.
• Controlled West Point in New York.
Became angry for lack of recognition and
tried to turn over West Point to British.
• Americans found out and were to hang him
before he switched sides.
• Died a traitor and poor man in England.
Battle of Yorktown.
• Cornwallis went to Yorktown VA to cut off
the shipping of goods to the colonist and to
wait for more supplies and re-enforcements.
• Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau all
joined forces and surrounded Cornwallis at
Yorktown.
• Admiral de Grasse used his fleet to
blockade the bay area.
Yorktown.
• Cornwallis tried to flee across the river but
the attempt was unsuccessful. He then had
to surrender at Yorktown.
• Lord North of Britain when he heard the
news stated “oh my God it is all over”
• The United States win Independence.
• British have to go back to Europe and fight
French.
Treaty of Paris
• April of 1783
• British recognize the colonist as United
States of America.
• U.S. gets all land from Atlantic coast to
Mississippi River. Spread south to Florida
which remained with Spain.
• Americans agreed to pay loyalist for land
lost. It never happened. War 8 years long.
Problems in forming a New
Nation
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Government
Economic
States rights versus national Government
Newly acquired land.
Lack of trained soldiers and no navy for
protection
Government Problems
• Each state wrote its own Constitution.
• Each state had its own set of laws
independent of Federal Government
• No state wanted to realize power to a
central government. They were afraid of
tyranny by someone like a king.
• Inability to enforce laws
Economic Problems
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Each state coined its own money system.
States would not accept other states money.
People were going bankrupt.
Only states could raise money through
taxes. No money for federal government to
operate or pass laws for trading protection.
Land west of Appalachians
• How do we determine what happens to land
west of Appalachians.
• Land Ordinance of 1785 stated that land
would be divided up into 36 sections of one
square mile. Land would be sold for
$640.00 and one section would be reserved
for government and public schools
Northwest Ordinance
• Stated that all future lands would be divide
up into territories.
• State that settlers will have individual rights
and there would be no slavery in the
territory. (watch for this in future)
• When a territory had 60,000 settlers it could
write a Constitution and be admitted as a
state. Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin etc
Trade
• Not only could the new government named
the Articles of Confederation pass taxes but
it couldn’t limit imports.
• Britain and other countries flooded our
markets with their cheaper products.
• Countries closed ports to us.
• The U.S. goes through its first Depression.
Shays Rebellion
• In Massachusetts, the state legislators were
passing taxes to help rebuild after the war.
• The farmers could not pay their taxes
therefore Massachusetts foreclosed and sold
their land. The farmers rioted and the state
militia was sent in.
• A change must happen……in comes the
Constitution.