THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
DESCRIBE THE FIGHTING IN NEW ENGLAND
• Battle of Lexington and Concord (War begins)
• Battle of Bunker Hill• 1st real test of colonial militia to stand up
to regular British forces• Army under Washington laid siege to
Boston March 17, 1776• British withdrew to New York• Washington moved to New Work but
could not keep British forces from occupying the area, so Colonial forces escaped across New Jersey into Pennsylvania
• Matters were bleak at this moment, but fighting had moved from New England
SUMMARIZE FIGHTING IN THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES
• Victorious surprise attack on the British at Trenton, New Jersey (December 1776)
• Victory at Princeton (January 1777), gave hope to Americans who spent the rest of the winter camped near Morristown, New Jersey
• British Plan: planned a major attack 1777 to cut New England from other states. Goal to meet up by Saratoga, New York. • One army comes up from New York City, one
army was to move east from Lake Erie, and one army move south from Canada.
• However General Howe attacked Philadelphia , the American capital 1st, although Washington lost battles, he delayed Howe’s movement to Saratoga, and the Americans defeated the army coming from Canada at the Battle of Saratoga.
EXPLAIN THE TURNING POINT IN THE REVOLUTION
• Battle of Saratoga (turning point in the war)• When French heard of the win, they recognized
America’s Independence, signed a Treaty of Alliance, and joined the war the next year.
• This is an important move for America!• Washington spent the winter (1777-1778) at Valley
Forge in Pennsylvania.• Conditions were miserable in the camp• British troops pleasures of Philadelphia to New
York • British troops moved from Philadelphia
completely to New York in June 1778, after hearing the French fleet was headed to New York
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EXPLAIN THE TURNING POINT IN THE REVOLUTION
• Next several years fighting focused in New York and on the frontier., where British were allied with Native American tribes.• Several massacred occurred• American frontiersmen were
frightened, who organized successful attacks on British forces in the Northwest Territory• These victories allowed this land to
be claimed at the peace conference.
EVALUATE FIGHTING IN THE SOUTH
• Began in Virginia in 1775 & continued until the last major battle of the war in Yorktown, Virginia in October 1881
• The British Army was now surrounded at Yorktown.
• They were greatly outnumbered by the French and American troops. For 11 days the American forces bombarded the British.
• Finally Cornwallis sent out the white flag for surrender. He originally made a lot of demands to George Washington for his surrender, but Washington didn't agree.
• When the American troops started to prepare for another attack, Cornwallis agreed to Washington's terms and the battle was over.
ASSESS THE TERMS OF THE PEACE OF PARIS, 1783
• Terms very generous toward the Americans• Terms included: • British recognized their independence of
the 13 Colonies• Rights to fish off of Newfoundland &
agreed to withdraw troops there• U.S. received all land east of Mississippi
River, south of the watershed of the St. Lawrence River, & north of Florida, which was returned to Spain.
• British were to give all forts in the Northwest Territory to the U.S.
• Debts owed to citizens were recognized• Agreed Congress would ask states to
return properties seized from any Loyalists and restore their rights
