1. The Revolutionary War Americans and the Revolution I can describe the personal and economic effects of the Revolutionary War. I can explain the role of women, African Americans and Native Americans during the war.

2. Personal Hardships The Declaration of Independence showed that colonial leaders had united against Britain. – Colonists were deeply divided, and had to decide whether to support independence or stay loyal to the British king. Patriots supported independence. Loyalists remained loyal to the king. About 1/3 of colonists stayed neutral, or did not choose sides. – Friendships and families were sometimes torn apart. – Church groups were divided. – British soldiers robbed and destroyed towns. – Patriots destroyed their own belongings and crops so British soldiers couldn’t get them.

3. Economic Hardships Americans faced economic hardships. – There was a shortage of imported British goods. – British ships blockaded ports so trading ships could not unload goods. Prices Rise – American colonists faced inflation, or a rise in price of all goods, so things cost more to buy. – Congress had trouble paying for the war. – Some farmers and shopkeepers began profiteering, or charging extra-high prices for their crops or goods.

4. Women and the War Men left their homes to fight, so women ran family farms and businesses, raised money for the war and collected clothing for soldiers. In Battle and at Home – Some wives, like Martha Washington, followed their husbands from battle to battle. They cooked food and washed clothes in the camps. They brought water to soldiers in battle. – Some girls and women joined battles by dressing as men. – Women wrote poems and stories and letters to support independence.

5. African Americans, Free and Enslaved One out of every 5 people was of African descent at the start of the war. The Promise of Freedom – About 5,000 African Americans fought for the Continental Army. Many were promised freedom as a reward for their service. James Armistead was a spy for the Americans. He helped Washington win the battle at Yorktown, VA. Many African American also fought on the side of the British, who also promised freedom. Peter Salem fought for the Continental Army at Concord and Bunker Hill. James Forten, from Philadelphia, fought in the Continental Navy.

6. People in the West Many Native Americans and white settlers in the West remained neutral at the start of the war. New Alliances: – Native Americans were divided by the war. Many groups sided with the British, like the Mohawk. – Thayendanegea, also known as Joseph Brant, was a Mohawk leader who sided with the British to keep white American settlers from moving west. The Oneida and Tuscarora tribes fought on the American side. – White American settlers in the west eventually sided with the Patriots to keep the British out of the lands they had claimed.