Declaration of Independence Quiz Today

-Grab your remote

-You have 3 minutes to review questions at the end of the packet

8TH GRADE US HISTORY CaptURE-THE-FLAG GAME AND THE

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR

ROUND 1-STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

1. Continental Army was always small & short of soldiers; untrained; and plagued by shortages.

2. Received aid from the French; strong leaders like G. Washington & others who inspired confidence

3. British had large army & hired mercenaries (Hessians) as well as loyalist and Native American support; well trained army & large navy; well supplied with weapons & other essentials

4. Sending troops & supplies to America was slow & costly; British were not passionate about defeating the rebels; had poor leadership

ROUND 1 -- CONTINUED

• American forces were smaller & had less training & experience than the British

• British army was larger, better trained & more experienced than the Americans

• George Washington was an experienced general

• The French secretly aided the Americans at the beginning of the war

• Britain was far from America and had to ship troops & supplies across the Atlantic

ROUND 2 – BRITAIN ALMOST WINS THE WAR

1. Many Americans believed that freedom & the chance to create their own country were goals worth fighting for

2. The Declaration of Independence raised hopes and questions for African Americans; they wondered if the phrase “all men are created equal” applied to them & if independence would bring an end to slavery

3. The British, with their greater numbers & superior training, overwhelmed the

inexperienced Americans at New York and other battles in 1776

ROUND 2 – CONTINUED 4. The Declaration of Independence increased

the motivation of many Americans to fight & win the Revolution.

• The British, with more numerous & experienced soldiers, almost defeated the Americans in 1776

• African Americans were not sure if fighting for independence would assure

them equal rights or end slavery. They had to decide on whose side they would fight – American or British.

ROUND 3 – A PEP TALK & SURPRISE VICTORIES

1. T. Paine’s The Crisis was to remind the Americans that real patriots hold onto their beliefs, even in hard times

2. G.W. had his troops cross the Delaware River on Christmas night and surprise the enemy early the next morning.

3. Those victories showed that the Americans could beat the British & it boosted their morale.

ROUND 3 -- CONTINUED

4. Thomas Paine’s The Crisis encouraged Americans to hold onto their beliefs, even during difficult times.

• American victories at Trenton & Princeton showed the British that it would be harder than expected to win the war, & boosted the morale

of the Americans.

ROUND 4 – THE TIDE BEGINS TO TURN

1. Washington avoided large battles where he might lose his army, instead fighting a defensive war that tired out the British.

2. Following the battle of Saratoga, the French agreed to become America’ allies.

3. Marquis de Lafayette of France became a hero to Americans, and Baron Friedrich von Steuben of Prussia drilled the Americans

to become an effective fighting force.

ROUND 4 – CONTINUED

4. G. Washington told Congress that he would fight a defensive war to tire out the British.

• Some Europeans, like Lafayette & von Steuben, aided the American cause.

• After the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga, the French became American allies.

ROUND 5, ETC – THE WAR ENDS1. Americans in the South used guerilla tactics,

like hit-&-run raids, against the British.

2. These raids tired out the British, forcing them to retreat to Yorktown where they were defeated.

3. French troops & ships helped trap the British army at Yorktown.

ROUND 5, ETC. -- CONTINUED4. Successful American hit-&-run tactics in

the South made it even more difficult for the British to win.

• The French sent troops & warships to help defeat the British at Yorktown.

THE WAR ENDS1. Most British were tired of the war, but King

George did not want to accept defeat.

2. Britain recognized the U.S. as an independent country.

• Britain handed over territory from the Atlantic to the Mississippi R.

• The U.S. agreed to return all rights & property taken from Loyalists during the war.

THE WAR ENDS-CONTINUED3. After Yorktown, many British were tired of the

war and wanted it to end; King George III did not want to lose the colonies.

• At the end of the war America, France, & England signed the Treaty of Paris of 1783, giving America its independence. England handed over territory to the U.S., and Americans promised to respect the rights &

property of Loyalists.