1. The American Revolution
Unit 2, Lesson 3

2. A Tough Task for Patriots
Loyalists: Remained loyal to Britain
Almost 1/3 of colonists
Location: Mostly New York and lower South
Patriots: Favored independence from Britain
About 40% of colonists
Location: Mostly in New England and Virginia
Patriots were NOT in the majority and victory was NOT likely

3. Patriots Advantages Fighting a defensive war Fighting for freedom
Disadvantages
Fewer soldiers
Poorly trained soldiers
Lack of supplies and equipment

4. British Advantages World's most powerful army and navy
Best equipment and training
Disadvantages
Distance from Britain
War was unpopular back hme

5. Britain’s Strategy to Win the War
Initial British strategy: Cut New England off from the rest of the colonies
Most colonists and Patriots that wanted independence lived here and would be isolated
Troops under John Burgoyne in British-owned Canada would move south
Troops under Howe in New York City would move north to meet Burgoyne
They would meet in Albany and then invade New England

6. Fighting in the North
Battle of New York: Washington’s army was defeated, forced to retreat
British General William Howe captured NYC, but failed to crush Patriots; GW escapes to PA
Revolution’s “D-Day” – British invaded America
Shows British strength – overwhelming size, better training
Shows British weakness – lack of aggressive leaders allowed Continental Army to survive

7. Washington Crosses the Delaware
After months of defeats, Washington needed to give Americans hope
On Christmas of 1776, Washington led troops secretly across the Delaware River into Trenton, New Jersey
Surprised Hessians - captured supplies, cannons, and ammo with no casualties
Boosted American morale and army recruitment

8. Boosted Morale
Washington won victories in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton
Washington’s victory and leadership kept morale up (for now)
Surprised Hessians - captured supplies, cannons, and ammo with no casualties
Boosted American morale and army recruitment

9. Britain Takes Philadelphia
Howe’s troops moved to Philadelphia to capture the Congress; Congress escapes
Howe occupied Philadelphia and took the winter off to enjoy the city
Howe thought the revolution would fall apart without its government

10. Winter Sets In Valley Forge, PA:
Americans endured the harsh winter outside Philadelphia in
During this time, Washington and other officers drilled and disciplined the soldiers to boost morale, training
Lack of food, clothing, medicine, and shelter – miserable conditions
1/4 of 10,000 troops died during winter

12. Battle of Saratoga This battle was the turning point for the Americans
Americans stopped British, ending their campaign to cut off New England
This helped convince France to join America against Britain, providing vital help
British plan to divide colonies failed
And this is HUGE …
Ben Franklin in France trying to win foreign
assistance – victory convinced France and
Spain to join American side
3. Saratoga was the TURNING POINT of the war

13. Fighting in the South
Focus on controlling the South, where most loyalists were
Britain wanted to at least keep the South and maybe use it to invade the North
Britain only controlled a few major cities in the South but could not control the vast countryside in between
The strategy depended upon the assumption that many southerners remained loyal to the British. American loyalist support never matched Germain’s expectations, however, and by 1781 the Southern Strategy failed to prevent British defeat in the war.

14. Charles Town (Charleston)
After a six-week siege of Charleston by British land and naval forces, American General Benjamin Lincoln, outnumbered and outsmarted by British forces under generals Henry Clintonand Lord Charles Cornwallis, surrendered over five thousand troops and an ample amount of Continental supplies.
Britain captured Charleston and invaded South Carolina
British General George Cornwallis was put in charge of conquering the Carolinas’ countryside
British troops freed many slaves, making the South unstable

15. Battle of Yorktown
Cornwallis marched to Yorktown to wait for resupply from the British navy
Cornwallis assumed Britain’s strong navy still controlled the ocean
Washington rushed his army south to capture the land around Yorktown
The French navy captured the coast at Yorktown, preventing Cornwallis’ resupply and escape
In October, Cornwallis’s army fell under siege at Yorktown by American troops led by Washington and French troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau. The arrival of French ships on the York River pinned Cornwallis between the French Navy and the French and American troops, forcing him to surrender on October 19. With the surrender of the main British army operating in the South, the British Southern Strategy, as well as the major hostilities of the American Revolution, effectively ended.

16. Cornwallis Surrenders
Surrounded, Cornwallis and his 8,000+ troops surrendered
The Battle of Yorktown caused Britain to declare the war over

17. Treaty of Paris (1783) Ended the American Revolution
Britain recognized the U.S. as a new nation
The U.S. owned land all the way west to the Mississippi River
Economic strain: British merchants were cut off from their supply of raw materials for seven years
Treaty of Paris 1783 provided:
British acknowledgement of American independence
The Mississippi river was acknowledged as the US western boundary
Americans would have fishing rights of the coast of Canada
Americans would pay debts owed to British merchants