Valley ForgeValley Forge

Outside Philadelphia

Winter of 1777-1778

Army had little food or clothing

Soldiers suffered from frostbite and malnutrition

America’s first major charity event Americans donated supplies to the soldiers Women arrived with medicine and ingredients to

cook meals Women traveled the country raising money to

support the troops

A Multi-Nation WarA Multi-Nation War

Marquis de Lafayette: French noble who wintered at Valley Forge Became a trusted friend of Washington Brought professional soldiers

A Multi-Nation WarA Multi-Nation War

Two Polish officers helped build forts and defense and train cavalry

Friedrich von Stueben: Prussian who helped bring discipline in the army Prussian army was the best-trained army in

Europe Taught army how to march Trained the army on how to use bayonets

Final StageFinal Stage

The war began in New England

Shifted to the Middle States

and ended in the South

Many Loyalists lived in the south They were fearful of the rhetoric of the

Declaration of Independence

The SouthThe South

December 1778: British seized Savannah

Soon after, they took Charleston

Americans suffered a series of losses

Americans took on a new tactic Hit and Run Francis Marion: Swamp Fox

Attacked British at night and disappeared into the swamps

Tactic forced British back north into Virginia

YorktownYorktown

American raids were able to move the British under General Cornwallis where ever they wanted

British were pushed to Yorktown a small peninsula in Virginia

Cornwallis counted on the British Navy to protect him

Cornwallis did not know that a French fleet had pushed the British ship out of Virginia

YorktownYorktown

Cornwallis was trapped on the peninsula

Washington’s multi-national army blocked any escape by land

The French Navy blocked any escape by sea

Cornwallis held out for three weeks before surrendering his entire army

Peace TreatyPeace Treaty

Congress sent Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to Paris to meet with the British

The British lost all cares for America and gave the delegates almost everything they asked for

Both sides signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783

Treaty of Paris, 1783Treaty of Paris, 1783

Britain agreed to recognize the United States as an independent nation

Britain gave the Unites States all land from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River

Congress ratified the treaty on April 19, 1783, exactly eight years after Lexington

The United States was officially a nation