The End of the Revolution CH 4 Section 4 The End of the Revolution

Friedrich von Steuben, a Prussian officer and expert drillmaster, began to train the American troops at Valley Forge. He helped to turn the inexperienced soldiers into a strong fighting army

Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman, also offered his help to Washington’s army. He contributed his own personal fortune. Along with von Steuben, he helped improve the fighting ability of the Continental Army.

In the summer of 1778, the British shifted much of their operations to the South. British generals hoped to gain Loyalist support in the South and then fight their way back north.

General Cornwallis: British general tasked with attacking the colonists in the south.

After important victories, Cornwallis marched his army to Yorktown, Virginia. Yorktown lay along the Chesapeake Bay. From there, Cornwallis hoped to take Virginia and then meet up with British forces in the Northern colonies.

The colonial and French forces bombarded Yorktown for days. American and French forces decided to attack Cornwallis at Yorktown. Meanwhile, a French naval force defeated a British fleet on the Chesapeake Bay. The colonial and French forces bombarded Yorktown for days. On October 19, 1781, the British surrendered. The Americans had won the war.

Treaty of Paris (1783) Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation. The British also gave America all the land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. The treaty did not specify when the British would evacuate their American forts.

During the war, rich and poor fought alongside each other During the war, rich and poor fought alongside each other. Military leaders grew to respect their men. This togetherness brought about a feeling of egalitarianism—a belief in the equality of all people

Americans had rejected the British system of government, in which kings and nobles held power. Instead they set out to build a stable republic, a government of the people.