American
Revolutionary War
The American Revolution
1775-1883
• The revolutionary war in America
is also known as the American
revolution. It was fought between
great Britain and the thirteen
colonies. The result was the
formation of a new nation-the
United States of America.
• Fighting between British soldiers and
the American Patriots began April
19,1775, at Lexington and
Concorde, Massachusetts. The
war’s last major battle was at
Yorktown, Virginia during September
and October Yorktown 1781. Britain
formally recognized America
independence with the signing of the
treaty of Paris on September 3,
1783.
Events leading to the American
Revolution
• Britain was deeply in debt following
the French and Indian war (17541763) in which it defended against
the takeover by France. Once the war
was won, Britain began passing laws
and taxes to increase its control over
the colonies and regain some of the
money it had spent.
• By then, Americans had
enjoyed a great Amount of
freedom. They especially
represented new taxes without
their consent and
representation in Britain’s
parliament.
Major issues that angered
them were:
1. The Proclamation of 1763 –
England’s King George forbid
colonist to settle west of the
Appalachian Mountains.
2. The Sugar Act of 1764 – placed a
3 cent –penny tax on each gallon of
molasses that entered the colonies
from outside the British Empire.
3. The Stamp Act of 1765 –
required colonist to pay for tax
stamps on newspapers, and
various legal documents.
Parliament abolished the Act in
1766.
4.
The Townshend Acts of
1767 placed a duty on imported
goods including glass, lead, paint,
and paper. Americans responded
by not buying British goods.
5. The Tea Act of 1773 – To avoid
paying the tea tax, colonial merchants
smuggled tea in from the
Netherlands. In 1773, Parliament
passed the Tea Act, which made it
possible for the East India Company
to sell tea below the price of the
smuggled tea. Britain believed that
the colonists would buy the English
tea since it was cheaper.
BOSTON TEA PARTY
On December 16,
1773, Samuel
Adams led patriots,
disguised as
Indians, on a raid of
British ships docked
in Boston’s harbor.
They dumped the
cargoes of tea
overboard. This
was later called the
Boston Tea Party.
6. The Intolerable Acts of 1774 –
were Britain’s response to the Boston
Tea Party. One act closed Boston’s
harbor until the colonists paid for the
destroyed tea. Another took away nearly
all power from Massachusetts’
legislature. Control of the colony was
given to the newly appointed British
governor, General Thomas Gage.
The First Continental Congress
September 5 – October 26, 1774
• The First Continental Congress was
attended by representatives from all the
colonies except Georgia. They bet in
Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia to protest
the Intolerable Acts. There
representatives decided to stop trade with
Britain unless the Acts were abolished.
They also advised colonists to prepare for
war. They agree to meet again in May
1775.
Colonial Militia and
Minutemen
Britain had large
numbers of well
trained militia.
Soldiers’ uniforms
included bright red
jackets. The
colonists called the
soldiers
“redcoats”.
The colonies did not have a central
government, army, or navy. Each
colony did have a small citizen army
called the militia. Some members of
the militia were ordinary citizens such
as farmers, craftspeople, and
businessmen. They were prepared to
drop everything and become
volunteers at a moment’s notice.
They were called minutemen.
Lexington and Concord,
Massachusetts 1775
• Fighting began in April at Lexington and
Concorde. General Gage received secret orders
to arrest Massachusetts’ troublemakers. Boston
patriots learned about the orders. They fled the
city. Gage found out that Americans had stored
arms and gun powder in the nearby town of
Concorde. Joseph Warren, a Boston patriot,
discovered Gage’s plan. He sent three carriers
Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott to
ride and warn the citizens.
Nearly 150 years later, an American
poet, William Wadsworth Longfellow
told the story (even though incorrect
historically) of the famous ride of
referred to as “The Mid-Night of Paul
Revere”. It was Samuel Prescott who
made the famous ride not Paul
Revere.
When the redcoats reached Lexington,
seventy minutemen were waiting. It is not
known who fired first, But eight minutemen
were killed and ten were wounded. Only
one British soldier was injured. The British
continued toward Concorde. Again
minutemen met them. Three redcoats and
two patriots were killed. When the British
began to march back to Boston,
minutemen fired at the from behind trees
and bushes. About 250 British were
wounded. American losses numbered
ninety.
Fort Ticonderoga, New
York 1775
In May 1775, patriots Ethan Allen along
with his militia “Green mountain Men” and
Benedict Arnold led the siege of Fort
Ticonderoga, a British post in New York.
They also captured nearby Crown Point.
These two victories supplied Americans
with much needed artillery.
1. After the ______ and _______ War,
Britain was in great debt. It began
passing Laws and taxes to further
control the ________.
2. List six taxes and laws that put more
control on the colonies.
3. The colonists’ response to the Intolerable
Acts of 1774 was a dump English
______ into Boston’s Harbor. This event
is called the _______ _______ _______.
4. The Second Continental Congress met in
________ in ________. Congress
agreed to _______ with Britain until the
________ were abolished.
5. The Colonists did not have a central
________.
6. Citizens, who were ready to bear arms at
a moment’s notice were called
________.
7. These volunteer soldiers had their first
encounter with the British on ______ at
________ and _______, Massachusetts.
8. Townspeople were warned that the
British were coming by ______,_______,
and _________.
9. This famous story has been told in a
poem by _________.
10. The Americans had another early victory
when they captured the English Post
Fort __________.
The Second Continental
Congress – May 1775
• At firs, few delegates wanted to break ties
with Britain. However, King George
continued to ignore the colonists’ petitions.
He closed all American ports to overseas
trade. Support for American
independence continued to grow. Even
so, it is important to note that as many as
one-third of the colonists remained loyal to
Britain.
• They called themselves loyalist. The
patriots called them Tories. More than
one-third of the colonists didn’t care one
way or the other. The war depended upon
the patriots who numbered less than onethird of the population.
• In Philadelphia, on June 14, 1775,
Congress established the Continental
Army. On June 15, Virginia’s George
Washington was made the army’s
Commander in Chief.
Congress soon appointed 13 additional
generals. Fighting continued while
Congress faced the major tasks of
recruiting troops and paying for a war. It
had no power to tax. It soon began to
issue currency called Continental Dollars.
They became nearly worthless. Congress
received loans and gifts from wealthy
citizens and from other nations, especially
France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Benjamin Franklin represented America in
France. He played an important role in
obtaining French troops and warships.
1. The Second Continental Congress met in
____ on _____.
2. In June of that year they established the
_______ Army.
3. George Washington was made _______
of the army.
4. Congress had little _______to finance its
fighting against the British.
5. Colonists who wanted freedom were
called ________.
6. Colonists who wanted to remain as
British citizens were called ________.
7. The colonists decided to declare their
independence from the King of ______.
8. The ______ War is the name given to
the fighting between the Americans and
the _________.
9. During the war who was the King of
England?
The Battle of Bunker Hill 1775
Both the British and the Americans wanted
to occupy hills overlooking Boston.
Americans fortified Breed’s Hill. On July
17, 1775, British troops, under General
Howe, attacked. So as not to waste power
and shot, Americans were ordered not to
fire until they saw the whites of the
enemies’ eyes! Patriots fought until they
ran out of ammunition and had to flee.
This battle is know as the Battle of Bunker
Hill.
American Expedition to Canada
1775
Britain had two colonies in Canada that
remained loyal. I fall 1775, Congress
ordered troops to march into Canada to
keep British forces from invading New
York. Benedict Arnold led a force toward
Quebec, and Richard Montgomery led
troops toward Montreal. Montgomery was
killed and Arnold wounded. American
forces were forced to retreat in spring of
1776.
Siege of Boston British Retreat
from Boston 1776
• General Washington knew that by
fortifying the high ground around
Boston, he could drive the British
from that city. A plan was made to
move the captured Fort Ticonderoga
cannons across the show-covered
Bershire Mountains to Dorchester
Heights.
• This began in January and was
accomplished by March 4, 1776
With cannons looking down on them,
General Howe and his troops left
Boston. Nine thousand British
soldiers sailed to Halifax, Canada.
Washington then sent his troops
south of New York.
The Declaration of Independence
1776
• All the events and battles we have read
about so far occurred before the colonies
declared their independence from
England. By the summer of 1776, it was
clear that there could be no turning back.
The Second Continental Congress
appointed a committee to draft a
document declaring the colonies to be free
and independent states.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the
Declaration of Independence
and it is one of the best political
documents ever written. On July
4, 1776, Congress adopted the
Declaration of Independence.
1. June 1776, Congress called for the
colonies to become _______ states.
2. The Declaration of Independence
was adopted on ___________.
3. The main author of the Declaration
of Independence was
________________.
Howe’s Return from Canada
• Just days before the signing of the
Declaration of Independence, Howe
returned from Halifax and New York City.
With new reinforcements, he quickly drove
patriots out of Brooklyn heights and New
York City. Nathan Hale, a patriot and
young Connecticut schoolteacher, was
spying behind enemy lines. He was
caught and hanged. He is last words
were, “I regret I have but one life to lose
for my country.”
Trenton and Princeton, New
Jersey 1776
• After losing New York City, in the Siege of
Long Island, Washington’s troops with
drew to New Jersey. General Cornwallis
attacked them. They escaped across the
Delaware River to Pennsylvania o
December 7, 1776. Trenton, New Jersey
also located across the river was occupied
by German Hessian soldiers whom the
British had hired.
• Washington quietly crossed the Delaware
on Christmas night. Early on December
26 he attacked the sleeping Hessians, and
took 900 prisoners.
• Cornwallis marked toward Trenton.
Washington’s troops secretly slipped past
the British and attacked on January 3 at
Princeton. The American’s were
victorious. Washington then moved his
troops to winter headquarters in
Morristown, New York.
1. After losing New York in the Siege of
Long Island, Washington withdrew to
____________.
2. General __________ attacked the
Americans, and they escaped across the
___________River to _____________
on December 7, 1776.
3. On Christmas night, Washington secretly
crossed the ________ and attacked the
soldiers early December 26.
4. On January 3, 1777 Washington was
victorious at __________________.
Brandywine Creek and
Germantown, Pennsylvania
• The two armies clashed again on
September 11, 1777, at Brandywine
Creek in southern Pennsylvania. British
forces were victorious and occupied
Philadelphia. The Continental
Congress fled to New York. On
October 4, 1777, Washington struck
back at Germantown. Again the
Americans had to retreat.
Saratoga, New York 1777
• In July 1777, British General john
Borgoyne led troops toward New York
from Canada. As Burgoyne moved south,
patriots destroyed bridges, and cut down
trees to block his advance. From behind
trees and bushes, riflemen shot the
redcoats. Burgoyne finally began to
retreat, but it was to late.
• The patriots surrounded him at
Saratoga. On October 17, he
surrended to the American Army. The
Battle of Saratoga, New York, was the
turning point of the war. The Americans
captured the whole army of General
Burgoyne. The Americans took
supplies, arms, and nearly 6000
prisoners. After the great victory at
Saratoga, France decided to enter the
war on the side of the Americans to
fight against the British.
1. The turning point of the war was at
the Battle of __________ in New
York on ________.
2. This American victory convinced
__________ to enter the war on the
side of the Americans.
3. Name the British General who lost
the Battle of Saratoga.
_______________
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
1777-1778
Washington and his army of 10,000 soldiers
camped 1777-78 at Valley Forge. They
had very little food, clothing, or supplies.
Nearly one-fourth had died by spring.
Many deserted. A Prussian soldier, Baron
Von Steuben, arrived in February. He and
The Marquis de Lafayette, a French
nobleman soldier, helped to further train
the American troops.
1. Washington’s Army spend the winter
of 1777-1778 at ___________,
Pennsylvania.
2. Soldiers had very little ______or
_____.
3. Because of the bad winter many
______, and many ___________.
4. French officer __________, and a
German officer ____________ the
Americans retrained the remaining
troops.
Monmouth, New Jersey
June 1778
British General Clinton left Philadelphia
on June 18, 1778 to march across New
Jersey to New York. He was met by the
Continental Army near Monmouth Court
house on June 28. The encounter
ended in a draw. Clinton continued to
New York this was the last major
Revolutionary War battle in the north.
Fighting At Sea
Americans had almost no Navy, but in
1778, John Paul Jones on board his
ship, The Bonhomme Richard,
managed to overtake the British ship
Serapis.
1. Americans had almost non navy.
One of its ships’ was the
_____________.
2. ______________ defeated the
British ship _______________ off
the coast of England in 1778.
Fighting In the West
Colonists who crossed the Appalachian
Mountains to settle new lands found
themselves fighting against the
British, as well as Indians whom the
British encouraged to fight the
colonists. Lt. Col. George Rogers
Clark was sent to strike back. He
seized British forts along the frontier.
1. On the western front Lt. Col. Clark
captured a British Fort on the
western side of the ____________
Mountains.
2. The Americans during the American
Revolutionary War fought the British
and the __________ on the western
front.
Fighting In the South
After France entered the war, Britain
concentrated on conquering southern
colonies. In 1778 the British easily
captured the port of Savannah,
Georgia. Within months Britain
controlled all of Georgia. They
moved on to take Charleston, South
Carolina, in 1780.
Yorktown, Virginia
Sept. – Oct. 1781
The last major battle of the war was fought
at Yorktown. French and American forces
caused Cornwallis a major defeat. Eight
thousand British soldiers surrendered on
October 16, 1781. Fighting dragged on in
some areas for two more years. Britain
suffered great financial losses, and was
afraid of losing other parts of its empire. It
began peace talks in 1782.
1. The last major battle of the war was at
______________.
2. Together the _________ and the
________ troops caused the British a
defeat.
3. Who were in command of the British
forces at the battle of Yorktown?_____
4. On what date did the British surrender to
the Americans? ________
5. Who were in command of the American
forces at the end of the war? ________
The Treaty of Paris 1783
• Peace talks began in Paris in 1782.
Richard Oswald, a wealthy British
merchant, represented Britain. Benjamin
Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay
represented the new Unite States. A treat
was agreed upon on November 30, 1783.
The Treaty recognized the independence
of the new nation and established its
borders – from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Mississippi River; north to Canada; and
south to Florida
Benjamin Franklin and John Adams
• Americans also gained fishing rights
off the coast of Newfoundland and
Nova Scotia. Britain gave Florida to
Spain in the Treaty of Versailles.
• Nearly 26,000 Americans lost their
lives from battle and disease in the
American Revolution. British looses
totaled about 10,000.
1. Where did the peace talks take place
at the end of the war? ___________
2. What was the name of the Treaty that
ended the Revolutionary War?
__________________
3. After the Revolutionary War the 3
Colonies became know as the
_________________.
4. When was the Peace Treaty signed?
__________________
5. The Revolutionary War lasted from
_________ to ____________.
6. The colonist won their freedom from
_______ at the end of the Revolutionary
War.
7. Name the new borders of the united
States because of the Peace Treaty in
1783. _______________
8. What other Country got land from the
Peace Treaty of 1783? _________
9. Put these sentences in the correct order.
English colonists settled in Jamestown.
European explore the Americas.
The French and Indian War ends.
The colonies become a free country.
The Revolutionary War begins.
Only Indians live in North America.