THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

The Two Sides British They had the strongest navy in the world An experienced-well trained army The wealth of a worldwide empire Much larger population (9 million compared to 2.5 million) America Lacked a regular army and a strong navy Soldiers lacked experience Weapons and ammunition in short supply Not all Americans supported the war

The Loyalists The colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war were called Loyalists or Tories. Approximately 20% of the population, more in the South than in the North They supported Britain for different reasons, some to remain loyal to the Church of England, some because of their jobs, and many feared challenging an established government, and some thought rebellion was based on trivial reasons

Patriot Advantages Fighting on their own ground Fought with great determination Greatest advantage was probably George Washington and the leadership he provided

Raising an Army Continental Congress established the Continental Army, but depended on states to enlist soldiers Most soldiers signed one year enlistments Some women disguised themselves as men and fought in battle

Fighting at Lexington and Concord April 19, 1775 At dawn, a couple hundred British troops come across a group of about 70 minutemen A shot was fired (shot heard around the world) and when skirmish was over 8 minutemen lay dead British troops continue on to Concord to take militia supplies. It had been removed and British head back to Boston Minutemen ambush the British all the way back to Boston killing and wounding a couple hundred

The Battle of Bunker Hill June 16, ,200 militiamen set up on Bunker and Breed’s Hills, across the harbor from Boston June 17, 1775 British decide to remove the troops from their location As British charge the hill they are forced to retreat until Americans ran out of ammo and have to withdraw Technically British win the battle because they take the hills, but many more British were killed or wounded than Americans

Common Sense January 1776, Thomas Paine publishes a pamphlet that drew attention to Americans In it he calls for complete Independence from Britain Many Americans are influenced by the pamphlet

The Declaration of Independence 4 parts Part 1- the preamble, states that people who want to form a new country should explain their reasons Parts 2 & 3- list rights colonists should have and their complaints against Britain Part 4- proclaims existence of a new nation Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson and approved July 4, 1776 and signed August 2, 1776

Turning Point At Saratoga, New York General John Burgoyne expected more British troops to join him, but they did not arrive British end up surrounded by an army 3 times as large as his. The British were trapped with no food October 17, 1777, 5,700 British soldiers hand their weapons to the Americans

Allies Ben Franklin went to France in 1776 to try to get support for the war, and they secretly gave money After victory at Saratoga, and the French realize America had a chance, they openly supported the colonies with money, equipment, and troops Spain and the Netherlands help, mostly because they hated the British, by giving money, rifles, and other supplies

Valley Forge During the winter of , George Washington and troops set up camp at Valley Forge, outside of Philadelphia They lacked food, clothing, and shelter Some men deserted Those that endured saw conditions improve gradually by spring and the army was much more disciplined and prepared to continue their fight

War at Sea Great Britain used its navy to set up blockades on American harbors John Paul Jones raided British ports and won battles at sea. This made him a hero to American Patriots

Struggles in the South General Charles Cornwallis was commander of British forces in the South. British won many battles in the South between 1778 and 1780 including Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina

Patriots Rally Down South Beginning in late 1780 the Patriots start winning battles such as King’s Mountain, Cowpens, and Guilford Courthouse General Nathanael Greene led American troops in the South beginning in October of 1780

Victory at Yorktown Washington knew General Cornwallis was camped on the Yorktown peninsula, in Virginia French ships cut off the British movements 17,000 American and French troops trap 8,000 British Because the British thought Washington was going to attack New York, the rest of the British army was not there to assist General Cornwallis On October 11 the Americans began a tremendous bombardment British supplies began to run low and on October 19 General Cornwallis surrendered

Accepting Defeat The fighting did not really end at Yorktown. The British still controlled various cities such as New York and Charleston It did convince the British that the war to costly to continue so King George III prepared to give America their independence

The Treaty of Paris The two sides send delegates to Paris, France Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay represent the United States Signed September 3, 1783 Terms included that Great Britain would recognize the U.S. as independent, the British would withdraw all troops, among other things