The American Revolution

1
The American Revolution

• 1765-1783

2
The American Revolution

• Section 3
• Turning Points of the War
• What factors helped the Patriots win the war?

3
The Opposing Sides

• Britain produced more ships weapons
• Britain has established government
• British army well trained equipped

• Americans have no government
• No way to pay for war
• Continental army not trained or well equipped

4
British Misunderstand the Fight

• British thought war would be a traditional
  European war
• British generals thought if they could defeat the
  Continental Army, capture the seaports, and the
  capital (Philadelphia) they would win the war
• All these were accomplished-and the British lost!

5
British Misunderstand the Fight

• Revolutionary War Not enough to win on the
  battlefield
• Must win hearts minds of civilian population
• Instead of surrendering after defeat, Patriots
  kept fighting

6
Patriot Strengths

• Washington
• Knew he could not fight British in unfavorable
  conditions
• Knew when to retreat rather than lose his army
• Knew how to inspire his soldiers during hard
  times
• Civilians support their army
• Women worked freeing men to be soldiers

7
War Shifts to the Middle States

• March 1776 Washington and the Continental Army
  forced the British army out of Boston and they
  retreated to Halifax, Nova Scotia
• British, led by General Howe, left Nova Scotia,
  landed on Staten Island, New York and prepared to
  attack Washington at New York

Lt. Gen. Sir William Howe
8
War Shifts to the Middle States

• Battle of Long Island, Brooklyn
• British wanted to capture New York, separate New
  England from the other colonies
• Howe landed on Long Island August 1776 with
  13,000 British troops and 9,000 Hessian
• mercenaries.

9
War Shifts to the Middle States

• Modern mercenaries are soldiers who hire
  themselves out to fight for money
• In the American Revolution the Prince of Hesse
  hired out about 30,000 of his subjects to fight
  in the British army against the American rebels

10
War Shifts to the Middle States

• British forces defeat Continental Army on Long
  Island, Brooklyn Heights, Harlem Heights, White
  Plaines
• Washington then
• crossed the Hudson,
• retreated across
• New Jersey into
• Pennsylvania

11
War Shifts to the Middle States
12
Military Turning Points

• Battle of Trenton
• Washington leads army across Delaware River on
  Christmas night , 1776
• Continental Army catches 1200 Hessian mercenaries
  the next morning recovering from partying
• Modest victory raises spirits of troops and
  Patriot supporters

13
Military Turning Points

• Battle of Princeton
• January 3, 1777 Washington defeats British under
  General Charles Cornwallis

Cornwallis
14
Military Turning Points

• After Washington wins at Princeton, British
  envision a grand strategy to win the war
• Attack Washington and capture Philadelphia
• Attack down the Champlain/Hudson Valley, split
  colonies

15
Military Turning Points

• In late 1777 Howe defeated Washington at
  Brandywine Creek and marched into Philadelphia
  unopposed. Washington and the army retired to
  Valley Forge.
• July 1777, General John (Gentleman Johnny)
  Burgoyne marched south from Canada to split the
  colonies

16
Military Turning Points

• Battle of Saratoga
• Oct. 1777, Burgoyne met the Continental army at
  Saratoga, initially British were successful.
• Then Colonials turned the tables
• British were trapped by Continentals under
  General Horatio Gates
• Burgoyne surrendered
• entire army to Gates

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Military Turning Points

• Saratoga convinces European nations that the
  Patriots could beat the British
• Benjamin Franklin negotiated
• treaty where France began
• supplying arms and
• ammunition
• Marquis de Lafayette
• volunteers, helped train
• Continental Army
• Spain entered war as French
• ally (not American)

Lafayette
19
Military Turning Points

• Winter at Valley Forge 1777-78
• No food, supplies
• Enlistments running out
• Of 10,000 troops nearly 2,000 died
• Leadership of Washington
• held army together
• Friedrich von Steuben volunteered from Prussia
• to further train American troops

20
Military Turning Points

• June 26, 1778 General Howe evacuated
  Philadelphia to move his army to New York
• Washington pursued from Valley Forge
• Urged by Lafayette, Colonials attack British at
  Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey
• Americans show improved discipline under fire

21
Military Turning Points

• Since wars beginning, British have won most
  battles White Plains, Brooklyn Heights,
  Ticonderoga, Brandywine, Germantown
• Have nothing to show except New York and
  Continental Army has not been destroyed
• British decide to invade the South

22
War on the Frontier

• Most Indians sided with British
• British promised they would not allow colonists
  to
• move west into Indian
• land
• George Rogers Clark led
• Patriot militia into Indiana, Illinois,
  persuaded Indians
• to side with colonists
• -- defeated British at Vincennes and controlled
  Ohio River valley

23
The American Revolution

• Section 4
• Wars End and Lasting Effects
• What did the Revolution accomplish, and what
  ideas did it set in motion?

24
The British Invade the South
25
The British Invade the South

• British expected loyalist support from Southern
  farmers in N.C., S.C., Ga.
• Instead of supporting loyalist militias, British
  waged
• conventional war
• 1778, British captured
• Savannah
• 1780, British captured
• Charleston and 5000
• Patriot soldiers, beat Patriots at Camden

26
The British Invade the South

• British fail to hold countryside
• October 1780, Patriots beat Loyalist militia at
  Kings Mountain, North Carolina
• More and more loyalists switch to Patriots side

27
The British Invade the South

• British inability to hold southern countryside
  makes General Cornwallis frustrated
• Early 1781 Continentals defeat British at
  Cowpens, S.C., and Guilford Courthouse, N.C.
• Cornwallis decides to move to Virginia to wait
  for reinforcements

28
The War Ends

• Cornwallis planned to move to Virginia, get
  evacuated by navy and join Howe in New York
• Moves to Yorktown
• Washington marches
• Continental army
• south-trap British
• French fleet under
• de Grasse closes off
• sea escape

29
The War Ends

• October 19, 1781 Cornwallis surrenders British
  Army to Washington
• The World Turned Upside Down

30
The War Ends

• Four reasons for Colonists success
• British underestimated Patriots
• British misunderstood
• political nature of war
• Patriots highly motivated
• and benefitted from
• Washingtons leadership
• Critical assistance
• from France

31
Treaty of Paris (1783)

• Yorktown a devastating loss for British Army
• British public tired of casualties and paying
  taxes to support the war
• American delegation including Benjamin Franklin
  went to Paris to negotiate a treaty with British
• Franklin negotiated for more territory for
  America than Patriots had won in the war
• Making separate peace with British strained
  American alliance with France

32
America After Treaty of Paris in 1783
33
The Revolution Impacts Society

• British abandoned their former allies
• 90,000 loyalists, including 20,000 former slaves
  left the American colonies, many for Canada
• Native Americans ignored by British in treaty

34
Revolutionary Ideas Spread

• Greatest effect of the Revolution was to spread
  ideas of liberty
• African Americans women worked to claim rights
  inspired by all men are created equal
• French Revolution first of many revolutions
  around the world inspired by American Revolution