1. Developing Alliances

2. Gaining Alliances
Late 1777, Ben Franklin had been in France for a year
Wanted French as allies
Franklin used the victory at Saratoga to convince the French
February France declares war on Great Britain
Spain declared war on Great Britain in 1779

4. Winter at Valley Forge
British General Howe still occupied Philadelphia
Washington made a base nearby at Valley Forge
Soldiers lacked supplies
Snowstorms delayed supplies
Volunteer (including Washington’s wife) made clothes for the soldiers to stay warm
A large number of men either died or deserted
However, when Spring came around, more soldiers joined the cause

5. Foreigners Help on the Battlefield
Marquis de Lafayette - French - worked without pay and was a top aide to Washington
Thaddeus Kosciuszko - Polish - Built key defenses for colonists
Friedrich von Steuben - Prussian - Trained the Patriot troops to be more disciplined
Juan de Miralles - Spanish - Loaned money to the Patriot cause
Many immigrants joined the Continental Army

6. Life on the Homefront Wives took care of husband’s property
Children lived their lives without fathers

7. Economic Concerns Continental Congress had no way to raise money
Got small amounts of money from foreign nations
Congress started printing more money and quickly lost value
Amount of paper money > amount of gold and silver = inflation
Congress then stopped printing money
America had no way to finance the war

8. Women question their roles
Abigail Adams - Wife of John Adams
“I can not say that I think you [are] very generous to the Ladies, for whilst you are proclaiming peace and good will to Men, Emancipating all Nations, you insist upon retaining an absolute power over Wives.”

9. Slavery is Questioned
NJ Governor William Livingston asked his government to end slavery
Believed slavery went against his beliefs as a Christian and a human
African Americans in NH argued the same thing
PA legislature adopted a plan to gradually free all enslaved people (first legislature in the world to do this)
Issue of slavery would still continue to be debated through the nation’s history

10. Treatment of Loyalists
Thousands of loyalists in the colonies fought for the British
Many loyalists left the colonies
Loyalists who remained were either shunned, arrested, attacked, and sometimes executed