Unit 4 war, then peace

The British Change Strategies

• After three years of fighting in the north, the British change their strategy to focus on the southern states.

• Why do you think the British change strategies?

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Because…….1. The British were winning battles in the

north and capturing cities, but they could not control the rural areas and did not have enough troops to control large areas.



The British head south

And…….2. The British believe that there are more

loyalists in the south and that the loyalists will assist them in controlling large areas.



Loyalists seeking help from the British.

And also….3. The British also wanted to be closer to

other colonies in the West Indies, including Jamaica, so they could move troops and supplies easier.


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Oh, and because…..

4. The British also believed that African American slaves would join their side because they promised freedom to any slave who joined them.





Sorry, One More5. The southern states

produce around 60% of America’s wealth by exporting cotton, tobacco, and sugar.In order to destroy America’s economy, British forces move south to disrupt the export of tobacco, sugar, and cotton.

Who grows the export crops of tobacco, sugar and cotton?



Will The British Strategy Be Successful?

• In December of 1778 British forces capture the city of Savannah, Georgia, an important sea port.

• One year later, British General Henry Clinton attacks Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina and forces 5000 American soldiers to surrender.





The American Response

• Congress sends General Horatio Gates and Baron de Kalb, south to confront the British at Camden, South Carolina.





Baron de Kalb

Horatio Gates

American Strategy

• Gates sends a local militia, led by Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox), to destroy British boats on the Santee River outside of Camden so that the British cannot communicate between Camden and Charles Town.



Francis Marion, The Swamp Fox

The Swamp Fox(Francis Marion)

• Francis Marion, The Swamp Fox, is the leader of a patriot Militia in South Carolina.

• Marion’s militia is made up of men, boys, and some African American slaves and freemen.



Marion’s militia was skilled in Guerilla Warfare tactics

The Swamp Fox

• Marion’s militia successfully uses guerilla warfare against the British.

• His forces attack the British quickly and then retreat using their local knowledge of the swamps along the coast of South Carolina.



Guerilla Warfare allows small forces to fight larger forces.

Battle of Camden

• Horatio Gates and his army are easily overtaken by General Cornwallis’ forces.

• Gates is forced to retreat and Baron de Kalb is killed near Camden.

• American morale falls to a new low point.



The Death of Baron de KalbQuickTime™ and a


British Dominate the South

• By 1780 the British have seized control of all major southern cities and sea ports. (Savannah, Charles Town, and Camden)



After Camden

• After the retreat of Horatio Gates and the American loss at Camden, South Carolina, George Washington places Nathanael Greene, a Quaker, in command of the southern army.



Nathaniel Greene was a Quaker.

Nathanael Greene

• Nathanael Greene was a Quaker, a Christian religious sect of pacifists (people that do not believe in violence).

• Greene is excommunicated from his church because he believed in armed fighting against the British.





Greene’s Strategy• Greene knew that the

Americans couldn’t fight the British face-to-face, so he encouraged guerilla warfare and moved his army frequently so that the British had to chase him.

• In 1780 Greene wins two battles at Cowpens and Kings Mountain, South Carolina.





War Becoming Unpopular In Britain

• By 1781 the war had become unpopular in Britain because of the huge cost in money, resources, and soldiers.

• Some members of the British Parliament start to think about giving independence to the American colonies.



The British Parliament

Cornwallis is on the Move• British General Cornwallis moves his army

north to Virginia. He establishes a base near Yorktown, on a peninsula in Chesapeake Bay.



Why would Cornwallis establish a base in Yorktown?

Think Like George Washington

• If you were General Washington, facing General Clinton in New York, how would you respond to Cornwallis’ move north?



What would you do?

French Support• Washington is joined in New York by French

General Jean Rochambeau and his army of 6000 French and 1000 Hessian mercenaries.

• A fleet French Navy ships arrive to block Chesapeake Bay and cut British supply lines and prevent Cornwallis from escaping by ship.


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The arrival of Rochambeau

French fleet led by Admiral de Grasse

Washington’s Move

• When George Washington hears of Cornwallis’ base in Yorktown, he and Rochambeau move their armies south to trap Cornwallis on the peninsula.







The Siege of Yorktown• Washington and Rochambeau use superior

artillery to attack Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown.

• French ships fight to block British ships from bringing supplies and reinforcements to Yorktown.

• The French Navy also bombards Yorktown heavily





Cornwallis Surrenders• After days of

bombardment, British General Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

• Cornwallis is so ashamed he sends his assistant to deliver his sword to Washington, Washington refuses and has his assistant accept the sword.



The Surrender of Cornwallis

After Cornwallis’ Surrender

• British Prime Minister Lord North is forced to resign his position back in England.

• Small battles continue, but the largest British force has surrendered, the war is nearly over.

America wins!

How did America win the war?

• Foreign Aid: Thanks France and Spain.

• Knowledge of the land (Home Court Advantage)

• Motivation: soldiers and citizens fighting for their own freedom and independence.

• Good Leadership: British leaders were overconfident. American leaders made mistakes and made changes to their strategy.

1783 Treaty of Paris

• What did the 1783 Treaty of Paris do for America?





The Treaty of Paris

In 1783 Britain and America sign a peace treaty in Paris, France.

1. United States granted independence2. Borders drawn (See map on page 213)3. Fishing Rights given to America4. Each side would repay debts (never

happens)5. Property seized would be returned (also

never really happens); slaves, forts, military equipment.

The Signing of the Treaty of Paris



American diplomats who signed the 1783 Treaty of Paris: (From left) John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry

Laurens, and William Temple Franklin.

•Why is Benjamin West’s painting of the Treaty of Paris unfinished?

War, Then Peace

• In November 1783, two years after the American victory at Yorktown, the last British soldiers left New York.

What is next for the new country?



The Cost of the American Revolution

• 26,000 Americans died, 10,000 British

• 8000 Americans seriously wounded

• America’s debt reached $27 million

• 80,000 Loyalists leave; most go to Canada

• Many American soldiers go unpaid

Republicanism, an American Value.• Republicanism is the belief that

government should represent the people, not a monarch.



Who was able to participate in American republicanism?

American Values Tested After the War

• In 1780 the state of Massachusetts passed a new state constitution with ideas similar to those in the Declaration of Independence.





What are America’s Values?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

-Declaration of Independence, 1776

Elizabeth Freeman• Elizabeth Freeman was a

slave to a Massachusetts lawyer and his family.

• After hearing the new Massachusetts state constitution read publicly she approached a local lawyer for help suing for her freedom.



What is the significance of Elizabeth Freeman’s last name?

Elizabeth Freeman• In August of 1781, Freeman was

granted her freedom by a jury.

• She was the first case of a slave using a state constitution to sue for freedom.

• Her case led Massachusetts to become the first state to outlaw slavery.



A jury is a group of citizens that decide court cases.

How are America’s Values Changing?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

-Declaration of Independence, 1776

Anytime while I was a slave, if one minute’s freedom had been offered to me, and I had been told I must die at the end of that minute, I would have taken it just to stand on God’s earth a freewoman.

-Elizabeth Freeman (Former Massachusetts Slave)

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Unit 4 war, then peace

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