Chapter 7 The American Revolution

1
Chapter 7The American Revolution
2
What would you sacrifice to win freedom?

• What sacrifices do soldiers at war make?
• What sacrifices do regular civilians make?
• Is it worth independence?

3
Revolutionary War

• Colonists (Patriots)
• VS.
• British (Loyalists)
• Fighting for independence from British rule in
  the colonies

4
Americans Divided

• 20-30 of colonists were Loyalists
• 40-45 of colonists were Patriots
• The rest remained neutral not siding with one
  country or the other

5
Continental Army

• Continental Army colonists fighting
  for independence
• untrained undisciplined volunteers
• - G. Washington commanding General
• African Americans
• fought for both sides
• offered freedom if they fought
• Divided families
• fathers and sons fought for different sides
• Benjamin Franklins son fought for the British

6
The Crossing

• The British troops tried to capture coastal
  cities so their navy could land troops and
  supplies.
• Washingtons troops crossed the Delaware river on
  Christmas Day, 1776
• mercenary a professional soldier hired to fight
  for another country.
• Hessians (German soldiers) were hired to fight
  for the British.

7
British strategy

• The British strategy
• seize the Hudson River Valley
• NEW YORK
• strategy an overall plan of action
• If successful, they would have cut off
  access to New England colonies.

8
Battle of Saratoga

• Saratoga
• turning point in the Revolutionary War
• U.S got help from the French after this battle
• The British were being defeated in many battles
• British troops became tired and many died in
  battles
• At Saratoga, the Continental Army fired day and
  night on the British troops and the British
  surrendered

9
First American Flag

• On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress
  adopted the stars and stripes design for the U.S.
  flag
• Betsy Ross sewed
  the first flag
  for George
  Washington

10
U.S. gets help!

• As a result of the Battle of Saratoga the U.S.
  got help
• To defeat the mighty British,
  the U.S needed an ally
• ally a country that agrees to help another
  country to achieve a common goal.
• They needed an ally that had money, troops
  ships.
• Also needed to be a British enemy.
• FRANCE began to give secret aid to the
  Americans

11
France others help out

• France began to send supplies and
  troops to America in 1778.
• Spain, Germany Poland began to send officers to
  help Washington and the Americans.
• Marquis de Lafayette
• 19-yr-old French nobleman
• volunteered to serve in Washingtons army
• given command of a whole division
• Washington considered him like a son

12
Marquis de Lafayette
13
Germans train military

• German soldiers helped to train the
  U.S. troops
• Taught U.S. soldiers how to move in lines and
  handle weapons properly
• Taught U.S. soldiers to use bayonets long steel
  knives attached to the ends of guns

14
Winter at Valley Forge

• Washington and his army camped at
  Valley Forge in Penn. in the
  winter of 1777
• VERY COLD!
• Men lacked shoes blankets
• Some men's legs froze and had to be amputated
  (cut off)
• 25 of the soldiers died at Valley Forge
• Became a symbol of hardships of war
• Some soldiers would desert leave military duty
  without returning

15
War at Sea

• By 1777, Britain had about 100
  warships
• American privateers attacked British ships
• A privateer is a privately owned ship that is
  given permission during wartime to attack an
  enemys ship
• During the war over 1,000 privateers captured
  hundreds of British ships

16
John Paul Jones

• John Paul Jones
• won most famous sea battle
• against the ship Serapis
• Jones success against the best navy in the world
  angered the British and inspired the Americans
• I have not yet begun to fight!

17
British try the South

• The British could not capture the
  North, so they tried to
  capture the South
• General Lord Cornwallis led the
  British army

18
Militia help in the South

• Francis Marion (called the Swamp Fox) led the
  militia out of South Carolina to help fight
• Like Benjamin Martin in The Patriot
• The militia fought more like guerrillas
• small bands of fighters who weaken the enemy with
  surprise raids and hit-and-run attacks
• Remember The Patriot??

19
The End of the War

• General Cornwallis set up his
  base in Yorktown
• A large French fleet of boats arrived in Yorktown
  and trapped the British

20
The End of the War

• The Battle of Yorktown was the last battle of the
  Revolutionary War
• Cornwallis surrendered and America won
  the war!

21
America WINS!

• Americans won independence even though they faced
  many obstacles

American Advantages in Rev. War
1. Better leadership never gave up
2. Foreign help French
3. Knowledge of Land familiar with roads, landforms (geographical)
4. Motivation wanted independence
22
The Treaty of Paris

• The Treaty of Paris 1783
• ended the Revolutionary War
• The United States was independent
• Boundary of the United States was Mississippi
  River, Canada, Spanish Florida

23
US in 1783