From 13 Colonies to One Nation

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Patriots• Wanted

independence• Willing to fight

for freedom

Loyalists Wanted to remain

part of England Were willing to

fight to remain tied to England

THREE MAJOR AMERICAN OPINIONS GOING INTO THE

WAR

The Middle Had no real opinion Didn’t fight for either side Over time, this group shrank

The British began sending soldiers over to enforce

their rules.

Paul Revere and friends rode out in the middle of the

night to warn everyone.

The first battles were in Lexington and Concord, two

towns in Massachusetts. These battles actually

proceeded the Declaration of Independence.

FIRST FIGHT

Things did not go well for the Americans at first.

America lost important battles like the largest

battle of the war, the Battle of Brooklyn Heights.

American prisoners were placed on boats during the war. Many died when in

prisons.

THE WAR’S BEGINNING

Saratoga was a month long fight between the British and the Americans.

America was losing at first, but over time enough Americans arrived and the Americans won the battle.

Considered the turning point of the war.

France agreed to help America after the battle.

BATTLE OF SARATOGA

The Marquis de Lafayette (French) became one of

Washington’s major supporters

German states and Spain also sent assistance to the colonies after the Battle of

Saratoga.

Other European countries wanted the chance to help beat England, which was

the most powerful country in the world at the time.

INTERNATIONAL AID

Surprisingly, more battles occurred in South Carolina than in any other

colonies.

Famous South Carolina Battles: Cowpens and King’s Mountain

Most of the fighting in South Carolina occurred between loyalists and Patriots.

Francis Marion led his army in guerilla fighting with British soldiers.

BATTLE IN THE SOUTH

Americans learned to fight, and specifically how to fight the British, in the French-

Indian War

Americans knew the land better than the British

Americans had other countries helping them

Americans were farmers and hunters

The British were trained soldiers.

The British had the best equipped army

The British hired German mercenaries to help them

America

Britain

ADVANTAGES OF EACH SIDE

The British, led by Lord Cornwallis, surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown. A

French fleet blocked their escape from the town, while the American and French soldiers

beat them in the battle.

BATTLE OF YORKTOWN