Chapter 2: Section 1

The American Revolution

March on Lexington & Concord

• more British troops arrive in Boston – 4,000 in city

• British commander – Gen. Thomas Gage• scouts reported minutemen had large

store of arms in Concord – 18 miles from Boston

• Gage planned to seize arms at Concord

• 700 troops left Boston – goal is to seize colonial arms

• Paul Revere – alerts others “The British are coming!”

• British reach Lexington (town near Concord) – 70 minutemen are waiting with leader, Capt. John Parker

• shot is fired – eight colonists are killed

• British go on to Concord• no arms (weapons) in the village• 300 minutemen force British to retreat• colonial sharpshooters, women shoot

from windows• 73 redcoats killed, 200 more wounded

or missing

Battle of Lexington and Concord

fighting ended all hope of peaceful settlement with Britain

Olive Branch PetitionSecond Continental

Congress – meets in May 1775 at Philadelphia

Petition to King George III – declares loyalty to king and asks him to repeal Intolerable Acts

King – furious about petition – vowed to bring rebels to justice

Ordered 20,000 more troops to colonies to crush revolt

Delegates set up Continental Army

Appointed George Washington of VA as commander in chief of Continental Army

Patriots

Advantages• owned rifles• good shots• leader – George

Washington• defending their

homes• know the land

1/3 of colonists in favor of war against Britain

Disadvantages• poorly organized• untrained• few cannons; little

gunpowder• no navy• unwilling to enlist in

Continental Army

British

Advantages• highly trained• experienced troops• best navy in world• support of 1/3 of

colonists

Disadvantages• army 3000 miles

from home• news and supplies

– travel took months

• unfamiliar with terrain

• in hostile territory

Loyalists• 1/3 of colonists who remained loyal

to England• included wealthy merchants, some

farmers, and craftsmen• most lived in Middle and Southern

Colonies• faced hard times from Patriots who

tarred and feathered them• many fled to England or Canada

at the beginning of war, most fighting centers around Boston

Battles of Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill

• Col. William Prescott – 1,200 minutemen on Bunker Hill to fire on British ships in Boston Harbor

• Breed’s Hill has better position – Prescott and minutemen move there

• British – Gen. William Howe – 2,400 soldiers attack

• British forced to retreat twice; finally take over the hill

• 1,000 redcoats dead; 400 Americans dead

• first major battle of Revolution

• proved Americans could fight bravely

• proved British would not be easy to defeat

Britain Wins

What is this war called?Revolutionary War

The American Revolution

Thomas Paine

• wrote essays urging colonies to declare independence

• pamphlet called – Common Sense

• did not believe Parliament had the right to make laws for the 13 colonies

• set out to change colonists’ attitudes toward Britain and the king

• Colonists did not owe Britain anything• Britain only helped colonies for its

own profit• it would hurt the colonists to remain

under British rule• Common Sense sold many colonists

on the idea of independence

Continental Congress

• meets in June 1776• appointed a committee to draw up a

formal declaration of independence• committee included John Adams,

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman

• Purpose – to tell the world why the colonies were breaking away from Britain

• Thomas Jefferson wrote the document• On July 2, 1776; Continental Congress

voted that the 13 colonies were “free and independent States.”

• delegates adopted document on July 4, 1776

• Declaration of Independence is printed

• John Hancock – president of Continental Congress – signed Declaration first – signed boldly

• copies of Declaration distributed throughout the colonies

• celebrations

Declaration of IndependencePreamble – Introduction

3 Main Parts1. Natural Rights2. Lists of Wrongs by King George III3. Announces Colonial

Independence – United States of America

1. Natural Rights• rights that belong to all people

from birth• certain unalienable rights• life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness• people have the right to protect

these rights and get rid of any govt. that threatens these rights

2. Lists of Wrongs• King disbanded colonial legislature• King sent troops to colonies in

peacetime• King limited trade• King imposed taxes without

consent of people• colonies had petitioned King• injustices remained

3. Announcing Independence

• political ties with England are cut• USA free and independent nation• USA has power to declare war,

make alliances, conduct business and all other acts that independent countries have the right to do

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Battle of Long Island• Brit. Gen Howe

lands in NY• 1,400 Americans

killed – the rest retreat to Manhattan

• British pursued• Americans lost

Washington retreats to PA

Nathan Hale• CT officer –

volunteered to go behind British lines

• captured – information found in the soles of his shoes

• Gen. Howe ordered Hale hanged

• “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

Battle of Trenton

December 1776 – Christmas night• Washington led troops across DE River• surprised Hessian troops

guarding Trenton• took them prisoner

Colonial

Battle of Princeton

• Brit. Gen. Charles Cornwallis• set out to recapture Trenton• Washington fooled Cornwallis• GW left fires burning and slipped

behind Brit. Lines• Continental Army defeated British

Washington and troops spend cold winter at Valley Forge (PA)

Colonial

British Gen. John Burgoyne

New Plan – Brit. Troops to cut off New England from other colonies

1. get control of Hudson River2. stop flow of soldiers and supplies

from New England to Washington’s army

3. Gen. Howe – march to Albany NY from New York City

4. George III – wanted Howe to capture Philadelphia first

5. Howe captured Philadelphia and defeated Americans at Battles of Brandywine and Germantown

6. Howe stayed in Philadelphia for the winter

7. Washington retreated to Valley Forge PA

- Brit. Gen. Burgoyne – marched to Albany NY

- slowed by Patriots – cut down trees; dammed up streams

- Burgoyne recaptured Fort Ticonderoga

- at Battle of Bennington – Patriots wounded or captured nearly 1,000 British soldiers

Turning Point of the WarBattle of Saratoga

• at Saratoga NY – Americans surrounded British

• Burgoyne – trapped; surrendered

• major turning point in the war – Effects?

• ended British threat to New England

• boosted American spirits• convinced France to

become an ally of the U.S.

France

• first nation to sign a treaty with the USA

• recognized USA as a new nation• agreed to provide military aid

As a result – Netherlands and Spain gave loans to USA

Marquis de Lafayette

young French noble

• brought trained soldiers

• became one of GW’s most trusted friends

Friedrich von Steuben

• from German state of Prussia

• helped train GW’s troops to march and drill

Thaddeus Kosciuskofrom Poland• helped build

forts

Casimir Pulaski

from Poland• trained

cavalry (troops on horseback)

• Betsy Ross – Philadelphia – sewed flags

Role of African Americans• ½ million African

Americans lived in the colonies in 1776

• Britain offered freedom to male slaves who would serve the king

• GW asked Congress to allow free African Americans to enlist

• 5,000 served in army• 2,000 served in navy• some formed special

regiments• others served in white

regiments as drummers, fifers, spies, and guides

• many ran away – especially along the coast

• Black Patriots hoped Revolution would end slavery

• Declaration of Independence – “all men are created equal”

• Quakers – spoke out strongly against slavery

• slavery began declining in the North• slavery made illegal – MA, NH, PA

Role of Indians• ??? Patriot victory

would mean more white settlers on their land

• British got support of tribes in the South

• Indians attacked many settlements

• in North – Iroquois – Mohawk – Joseph Brant – joined Loyalists in raiding settlements

• Patriots struck back destroying Iroquois villages

Spain Helps USA• Bernardo de Galvez –

governor of Spanish LA• secretly supplied

medicine, cloth, muskets, gunpowder to Americans

• seized British forts along the MS River and Gulf of Mexico

• drove British out of West FL

• first cattle drive – 10,000 cattle driven from TX to colonies

Fighting at Sea

• British ships blockaded American ports

• Capt. John Paul Jones– captured British

warship

New British Commander

Henry Clinton• goal – take over

the Southern colonies and cut them off from the other colonies

British seized Savannah GA, Charleston, and Camden SC

Patriots versus Loyalists – raid each other

Nathaniel Greene (RI)

• Commander of Continental Army in South

• Gen. Cornwallis wore out soldiers trying to catch Greene’s army

Battle of Cowpens (SC)

• Daniel Morgan (VA)

• divided soldiers into front and rear lines to defeat British

Greene and Morgan Join Forces• bloodiest battle of the war –

Greensboro NC• Americans retreated, but British

suffered greatest losses

Francis Marion (SC)

• Swamp Fox• used guerrilla

tactics• hit and run;

lead enemy into swamps to get lost

General Cornwallis

moved troops to VA• goal – cut off

Americans’ supply routes to South

Benedict Arnold

• one of America’s best generals

• traitor – switches sides to help Britain

• he felt he was not appreciated for his Am. victories

• he needed money

• secretly agreed to turn over West Point (NY) to British

• plot uncovered by Patriot patrol

• GW ordered Arnold hanged – but he was never captured

Battle of Yorktown

Last Major BattleBritish Gen. Cornwallis – in VAGov. Thomas Jefferson and other officials

had to escape• Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown (strip

of land jutting into Chesapeake Bay)• Washington trapped Cornwallis on

peninsula by guarding it on the north and west sides

• French soldiers were with GW – Comte de Rochambeau

• French fleet – Admiral de Grasse – closed Bay to the east

• Cornwallis cut off; could not get supplies; could not escape by land or sea

• 16,000 American & French troops vs. Cornwallis’ 8,000

• Cornwallis under siege– army surrounds and blockades an enemy

position in attempt to capture it

• Cornwallis held out for several weeks• October 19, 1781 – British surrendered

their weapons

Treaty of Paris (1783)

• peace talks in Paris, France

• Congress sent Benjamin Franklin (PA), John Adams (MA), John Jay (NY), Henry Laurens (SC)

• Britain eager to end war

Results

1. Britain recognized United States as independent nation

2. U.S. borders – from Atlantic Ocean to MS River

3. northern border stopped at Great Lakes4. southern border stopped at FL (it returned

to Spain)

April 1783 – treaty is ratified (approved)Revolutionary War lasted 8 years

Reasons USA Won

• geography• Britain too far from home• Spain – helped with attacks• France – helped with money, supplies,

military aid• Americans – greater cause; reason to fight• better fighting skills• GW – leadership and military skills