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SPOILER ALERT:

WE WON!

Battle of Lexington and Concord

• General Howe

• 2 Goals:– Obtain Colonial Arm

stores

– Capture Rebel Leaders

• Paul Revere/William Dawes– Midnight Ride

• Lexington:– “Shot Heard Round the

World”

• Concord– Militia drives British

back to Boston

Second Continental Congress

• May 1775

• John Hancock –

President of Congress

• Olive Branch Petition

– Last attempt at

reconciliation

– Ignored by British

John Dickinson –

Conservative Delegate

Letters from a Farmer in

Pennsylvania

Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill)

• June of 1775

• Colonials

encamped at

Breed’s Hill

• Howe attempts to

drive colonials

out

• British win but:

– 40% casualties

George Washington

• Appointed to

Commander of

Continental Army

• Strength:

– Ability to keep a

Perpetually weak

colonial army

together

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Why Wash?

• Seriously? Was there anyone else?

• He possessed his powerful leadership skills and strong moral character.

• As a Virginian, he was selected to head the mostly New England Continental Army (Why?)

• His wealth assured people that he

was not a fortune seeker.

• As an aristocrat, the delegates were

selecting “one of their own” (the elite).

• Lesson? Dress like a colonel and you get appointed a colonel

Washington’s HeadachesWashington’s Headaches

Only 1/3 of the colonists

were in favor of a war for

independence [the other

third were Loyalists, and

the final third were

neutral].

State/colony loyalties.

Congress couldn’t tax to

raise money for the

Continental

Army.

Poor training [until

the arrival of

Baron von Steuben]

Benjamin Franklin

• Sent by Second Continental Congress to Paris

• Negotiate French support for Americans

• Celebrity in Paris– Acted the part of the

“rustic American”

Declaration of Independence

• Written by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams

• Influenced by the Enlightenment

• 2 Sections:– Theory of Government

– Grievances against the King

Jefferson's Explanation of Independence

-On June 7, 1776, motion is made before the 2nd Cont. Congress for the adoption of a resolution declaring the colonies “free and independent states”.

The measure was passed on July 2, 1776. It was the formal Declaration of Independence by the American colonies.

-Why?

• Invite foreign aid

• Rally resistance at home

• Appeal to Britons back in England

But why blame KG III and not parliament?

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-Thomas Jefferson outlined the need for preservation of

natural rights, giving the document a universal appeal. The

Declaration of Independence was formally approved by

Congress on July 4, 1776.

Here’s the kicker!

When governments become

Destructive, not if!

…profound

implications!

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Dunmore Proclamation

• November 1775

• Virginia Royal Governor

• Slaves and Indentured Servants free if they fight against Colonies

• Extended by Clinton to all American colonies

• Patriots and Loyalists

-During the War of Independence Loyalists

remained supportive of the crown,

making up about 16% of the American

population. They were most common

among the older generation and generally

found where the Anglican church was

strongest and in the middle colonies.

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LoyalistLoyalist

StrongholdsStrongholds--

Trends?Trends?

-The Patriots were most highly concentrated New England,

where Presbyterianism and Congregationalism were

dominant religions.

-Virginia was also home to many Patriots as many planters

were eager to be relieved of debts owed to the crown.

-Frontier colonists were among the toughest soldiers, as they

were skilled marksmen and resented the British.

-The largest group of colonists were those

who were apathetic to the cause and didn’t

take up arms for either side.

-Overall, the rebellion, like most revolutions

was a minority movement.

THE AMERICANS

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Horatio Gates

• Veteran of French and

Indian War

• Best known battles:

– Saratoga

• Attempted to

overthrow Washington

as commander - 1777

Nathanael Greene

• Washington’s most

trusted General

• Began war as a

private

• Best known Battles:

– Southern Campaign

– Guilford Courthouse

Baron Von Steuben

• Prussian

• Helped transform

Continental Army

into a successful

fighting force

• Brought military

discipline and

formations/tactics to

Army

Marquis de Lafayette

• French nobleman

• Came to America for

glory and to fight for

Liberty

• Quickly became

General and

Washington ally

• Helped defeat the

British at Yorktown

John Paul Jones

• Naval Soldier of the

Revolution

• “I Have Not Yet

Begun to Fight”

Alexander Hamilton

• Better politician than

soldier

• One of Washington’s

lieutenants

• Close Washington

ally and advisor

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Benedict Arnold

• American General

• Defeated British at

Saratoga

• Greatest Known

Traitor:

– Attempted to give

British West Point in

exchange for money

and commission

THE BRITISH

Sir William Howe

• British General

• “Won” at Bunker Hill

• Captured New York

and Philadelphia

• Helped Burgoyne

lose at Saratoga

Sir Henry Clinton

• Commander – in –

Chief from 1778-

1782

• Ordered the

Southern Campaign

Lord Charles Cornwallis

• General of the

Southern Campaign

• Loss at Yorktown

ends major fighting

of Revolutionary War

KEYS TO THE GAMEKEYS TO THE GAME

Attrition [the Brits had a

long supply line].

Guerilla tactics [fight an

insurgent war ���� you don’t

have to win a battle, just

wear the British down]

Make an alliance with one

of Britain’s enemies.

The Americans The British

Break the colonies in

half by getting between

the No. & the So.

Blockade the ports to

prevent the flow of

goods and supplies from

an ally.

“Divide and Conquer”

���� use the Loyalists.

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THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGNWASHINGTON ON THE RUN

• The Abortive Conquest of Canada

-In October 1775, the colonists decided to mount a two pronged attack on Canada. The belief was that the French

would take up arms against the repressive British and deprive

them of a valuable base for striking at the colonies.

-On December 21, 1775, in the assault of Quebec Gen. Richard Montgomery was killed and Gen. Arnold was badly wounded. The campaign quickly collapsed as Arnold’s men the men retreated up the St. Lawrence River,

camping there for the winter.

Battle of Trenton – Dec. 25, 1776

-London devised an intricate scheme for capturing the vital Hudson River valley in 1777. The goal was to cut off New England from the rest of the states and crush the American revolution.

-General John Burgoyne would push his troops south via Lake Champlain from Canada. General Howe's troops would go to New York, if needed. A third force lead by Colonel Barry St. Leger would come in from the west by way of Lake Ontario and the Mohawk Valley.

-However, Benedict Arnold moved south along the St. Lawrence back to Lake Champlain, where engaged the British in an unsuccessful naval battle. However, Arnold bought the rebels time, since the British were forced to set up camp for the winter. This prevented the likely recapture of Ticonderoga, where Burgoyne could have launched a successful spring campaign.

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-Burgoyne began his mission with 7,000 troops and a heavy

baggage train that bogged him down and as he took rebel

fire from all sides.

-Unable to advance or retreat, he was forced to surrender his

entire command at Saratoga on October 17, 1777 to

American General Horatio Gates. This crucial victory

turned the tide of the war, persuading France to finally

come to the aid of the rebels.

-More losses at Brandywine Creek and Germantown in the fall

of 1777.

Howe established a winter camp in Philadelphia while

Washington retired for a bitter winter at Valley Forge.

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Saratoga: Saratoga:

“Turning Point”“Turning Point”of the War?of the War?

A modern-day re-enactment

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Valley Forge

• Winter 1777-78

• Hunger, cold, lack of supplies

• Washington’s Greatest Victory: keeping troops

together until Summer

• Why Valley Forge?

THE SOUTHERN CAMPAIGNCORNWALLIS ON THE MARCH

Britain’s “Southern Strategy”Britain’s “Southern Strategy”

Britain thought that there were more

Loyalists in the South.

Southern resources were more

valuable/worth preserving.

The British win a number of small

victories, but cannot pacify the

countryside

Francis Marion

• “Swamp Fox”

• Led Guerrilla Attacks

on British forces in

the South

• Helped push British

northward, towards

Yorktown

• Blow and Counterblow

-Over 6,000 French reinforcements commanded by General Rochambeau arrived in Newport, Rhode Island in 1780.

-Meanwhile, the British devised a plan to roll up the colonies from the South. Georgia was ruthlessly overrun in 1778-1779 and Charleston, South Carolina fell in 1780.

-American riflemen wiped out a British detachment at King’s Mountain, and then defeated a smaller force at Cowpens, South Carolina. In 1781, General Washington used delaying strategies to exhaust the British, succeeding in the campaign to clear Georgia and South Carolina of British troops.

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Battle of Yorktown

• British: Cornwallis

• Americans: Lafayette and Washington

• French navy defeated British– Cut off Cornwallis’ sea

escape

• Americans laid siege

• October 20, 1781– Cornwallis surrenders

• “The World Turned Upside Down”

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Treaty of Paris 1783

• Peace at Paris

-In 1782, Whig prime ministry Charles Watson-Wentworth

replaced the Tory regime of Lord North, setting the stage for

the peace talks favorable to the Americans.

-Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay met in Paris

peace negotiations. Jay suspected that France would try to

keep the U.S. cooped up east of the Alleghenies and keep

America weak.

-Thinking that France would betray American ambitious to

satisfy those of Spain, Jay secretly made separate overtures

to London against instructions from Congress. He came to

terms quickly with the British, who were eager to entice one

of their enemies from the alliance.

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Conditions of the Treaty of Paris of 1783:

• British formally recognized the independence of the United

States.

• Britain granted generous boundaries, stretching to the

Mississippi on the west, to the Great Lakes on the north, and

to Spanish Florida on the south.

• America was to retain a share in the priceless fisheries of

Newfoundland.

• The Loyalists were to no longer be prosecuted.

• Congress was to recommend to the state legislatures that

confiscated Loyalist property be restored.

• The states vowed to put no lawful obstacles in the way of

the collection of debts owed to British creditors.

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