UNIT THREE: Creating a New Nation (1763-1791)
CHAPTER SEVEN: The American Revolution (1775-1783)
LESSON 7-1: The Early Years of the War, pgs. 194-201
OBJECTIVE(S): For the student to be able to:
1) describe how the war divided Americans
2) list reasons why both sides struggled in preparing for war
3) evaluate Britain's Northern strategy
4) analyze the effects of the Battle at Saratoga
VOCABULARY, TERMS AND NAMES TO UNDERSTAND FOR THIS LESSON:
neutral(195)- not favoring any one side
pacifist(196)- someone who is opposed to war
George Washington(197)- commander of the Continental Army
mercenary(198)- professional soldier hired to fight for a foreign country
strategy(199)- an overall plan of action
rendezvous(200)- a meeting
guerrillas(*)- small band of fighters who weaken the enemy with surprise raids and hit-and-run attacks
John Burgoyne(199)- British army general in the Revolutionary War
Joseph Brant(200)- Mohawk Chief allied with the British
Benedict Arnold(200)- U.S. Army general in the Revolutionary War who later turned traitor; switched sides
Horatio Gates(201)- U.S. Army general in the Revolutionary War
Battles of Saratoga(201)- a series of conflicts in 1777 near Albany, New York
Complete the following items.
Americans Divided
[195, 20-30% vs. 40-45%]
1. TRUE / FALSE: At the beginning of the American Revolution there were more colonists that favored staying loyal
to the King (Loyalists) than there were those who wanted to separate from English rule (Patriots).
2. TRUE / FALSE: Both slaves and Native Americans took part in the Revolutionary War some fighting for the
American Continental Army and some fighting against it on the British side. [196]
Preparing for War
3. List three examples of the struggles General Washington had with his new Continental Army at the start of the war.
a. soldiers were volunteers who were untrained and undisciplined [197]
b. soldiers only served one-year tours of duty and were always in short supply (never more than 17,000) [197]
c. army often lacked basic supplies like blankets, food, shoes, guns and ammo [197]
4. List two examples of the struggles the British had assembling an army at the start of the war.
a. many British officers refused to fight in the war [197]
b. unable to recruit enough British soldiers, England hired German mercenaries (the Hessians) [197-198]
Lesson 7-1 is continued on the next page.
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Lesson 7-1 continued
Britain's Northern Strategy and Saratoga: A Turning Point
5. TRUE / FALSE: A major part of the British plan was to send three armies from three different locations to take
control of the Hudson River valley and isolate (cut off) the New England colonies from the rest of the states. [199]
6. Draw lines connecting what happened to each of the three armies that derailed this plan. [199-201]
a. General Burgoyne would move from Canada
tricked to retreat by a lie about army size movement
b. Lt. Colonel St. Leger would move through
the Mohawk Valley
c. General Howe would follow the Hudson River
North from NYC
movement was slow, ended fighting alone at Saratoga
diverted toward Philadelphia, defeated Washing twice
before taking the Colonial Capital City
7. In what two ways was the Battle of Saratoga extremely beneficial to the Americans. [201]
a. British were NOT able to divide the colonies and separate New England from the rest of the states
b. countries that were not friendly toward Great Britain (France) would begin openly helping the Americans
Major Battles of the Revolutionary War
Battle
Date
Location
American
Leader
British
Leader
Outcome
•
1 - Long Island
August, 1776
New York
(pg. 198)
2 - Trenton
December, 1776
New Jersey
(pg. 199)
3 - Philadelphia
September, 1777
Pennsylvania
(pg. 200)
4 - Fort Stanwix
August, 1777
Oriskany, New York
(pg. 200)
5 - Saratoga
October, 1777
New York
(pg. 201)
Washington
General Howe
•
•
This is the first major battle after the signing
of the Declaration of Independence.
Washington's army is badly beaten and he
loses the city of New York to the British.
The British now use all their military power
against the colonists.
Washington
none stated
•
Americans capture Trenton, New Jersey in a
surprise attack on Christmas.
Washington wins his first major battle
boosting the moral of the soldiers and
convincing more men to enlist or re-enlist.
none stated
General Howe
•
•
Americans lose their capital to the British.
The American Army escapes to York,
Pennsylvania.
General St. Leger
Chief Joseph Brant
•
Benedict Arnold
British strategy to take the Hudson river
valley and divide the New England colonies
from the rest of the country is ruined.
•
This is a major defeat for the British and
becomes the turning point of the War.
France enters the war on the side of the
Americans shortly after this battle.
•
General Gates
General Burgoyne
•
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Major Battles of the Revolutionary War (continued)
Battle
Date
Location
American
Leader
6 - Valley Forge
winter 1777-1778
Pennsylvania
(pgs. 207-209)
General
Washington
7 - (fort) Kaskaskia
and Vinncennes
(Fort Sackville)
May, 1778-Feb. 1779
Northwest Territory
- Illinois
(pgs. 209-210)
8 - Bonhome
Richard vs. Serapis
September 1779
Atlantic Ocean
- off British Coast
(pgs. 210-211)
British
Leader
none stated
George Rogers
Clark
Henry Hamilton
John Paul Jones
none stated
9 - Camden
August 1780
South Carolina
(pgs. 214-215)
Horatio Gates
Baron de Kalb
10 - Guerrilla
Fighting
Entire War
North and South
Carolina
(pg. 215)
Francis Marion
"Swamp Fox"
none stated
11 - Cowpens
January, 1781
South Carolina
(pg. 215)
General Morgan
General Cornwallis
12 - Yorktown
September 28, 1781,
ends October 19,
1781
Virginia
(pg. 216)
General
Washington
General
Rochambeau
General Cornwallis
Outcome
•
•
•
Washington's troops suffer a terrible winter.
This is the low point of the American army.
Almost half of the army dies of cold and
disease or deserts.
•
Americans capture the fort without a shot
being fired (at the Fort)
Clark retakes Vincennes and secures the area
west of Appalachian mountains for the U.S.
•
•
Americans win naval battle which boosts our
moral by showing the British navy can be
defeated - and off the British shores.
•
Half-starved and poorly supplied Americans
are crushed by the British.
Gates and poorly trained militia run away
during the battle and Baron de Kalb is killed.
The American army spirits fall to new low.
•
•
•
Americans used "Hit and Run" tactics to
harass the British and destroy their moral and
supply line.
•
Americans win a spectacular victory proving
they had mastered the formal battle tactics of
the British.
•
Washington and French surround Cornwallis
and force him to surrender his entire army.
This is the final "official" battle of the war.
General Cornwallis
•
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LESSON 7-2: The War Expands, pgs. 204-211
OBJECTIVE(S): For the student to be able to:
1) identify reasons why Spain and France entered the war.
2) summarize the effects of the winter at Valley Forge on
American army.
3) explain how the Americans expanded the war.
VOCABULARY, TERMS AND NAMES TO UNDERSTAND FOR THIS LESSON:
ally(205)- a country that agrees to help another country achieve a common goal
desert(207)- to leave military duty without permission
Marquis de Lafayette(207)- French aristocrat who volunteered to serve in Washington’s army
Valley Forge(207)- site in southeast Pennsylvania where Washington and his army camped the winter of 1777-1778
George Rogers Clark(209)- frontiersman who helped defend the Western frontier
Wilderness Road(209)- a trail into Kentucky
privateer(210)- a privately owned ship that has been given government permission to attack an enemy’s merchant ships
John Paul Jones(210)- sea commander who attacked British ships near the British coast
Complete the following items.
Help From Abroad
[205, only after American forces proved they would win a major battle - Saratoga]
1. TRUE / FALSE: As soon as the American colonies completed the Declaration of Independence France openly
entered the war as an ally.
2. Why did Spain enter the war on the American side? Spain was an ally of France [206]
3. Select seven ways that having the aid of France and Spain greatly helped the American's in this war. [205, 206-207]
sent cavalry horses
sent troops
sent officers
brought navy [*205]
forced the British to spread out their resources
sent delegates to British parliament
introduced new weapons
sent supplies
sent money
sent spies to England
Winter at Valley Forge
4. TRUE / FALSE: Although the winter of Valley Forge (southeast of Pennsylvania) was unbearable for Washington
and his men, it did serve as a statement of the American Army's determination. Likewise, because of the training,
provided by German Officer the Baron Von Steuben, the army became better trained and disciplined. [207-209]
Frontier Fighting
5. List two examples of the violent nature of the fighting taking place in the Frontier around 1777-1779. [209-210]
a. British officer Henry Hamilton was known as the hair-buyer for paying Indians for American scalps
b. American George Rogers Clarks men executed NA allies in view of fort (Vincennes) to scare them into surrender
War on the Waves
6. How did privateers (like John Paul Jones) impact the war? [210-211]
a. since America had few ships of its own, privateers were given permission to attack British ships; steal cargo
b. John Paul Jones began to attack British ships off Britain's coast - British merchants called for war's end
Jones captured the British ship the Serapis and in doing so wrecked his own ship the Bonhomme Richard; was the
battle where Jones used the phrase "...I have not yet begun to fight!"
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LESSON 7-3: The Path to Victory, pgs. 212-219
OBJECTIVE(S): For the student to be able to:
1) analyze how the combined efforts of the Americans and their allies
brought about an American victory and end to the war.
VOCABULARY, TERMS AND NAMES TO UNDERSTAND FOR THIS LESSON:
Battle of Charles Town(214)- British siege of Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina, in May 1780, in which the
American suffered their worst defeat of the war
Lord Cornwallis(214)- British general whose campaigns in the South led to his defeat at Yorktown
redoubt(216)- a small fort
Battle of Yorktown(216)- final battle of the war, in which French and American forces led by George Washington
defeated British General Cornwallis
Complete the following items.
The War Moves South
[213, promised slaves freedom if they helped]
1. TRUE / FALSE: When the British took the fighting into the southern colonies they expect help from many of the
loyalists there and that slaves would escape and join the British army.
2. In what ways did the American loss at the Battle of Charlestown and at Camden effect the Patriots?
a. America lost almost all of its army in the Southern colonies [214]
b. American General Horatio Gates fled fighting at Camden - replace by Nathaniel Greene; Baron de Kalb was
killed during fighting [215]
[215, Francis Marion the "swamp fox"]
3. TRUE / FALSE: Though the British were successful in major battles (until Cowpens in South Carolina) the guerrilla
-style of hit-and-run fighting in the south hurt the British by disrupting their supply line (route for getting supplies).
4. Why was the British victory at Gilford, North Carolina a major part of their later defeat and surrender at Yorktown?.
[216, British supplies were low and lost so many men during the battle that Cornwallis's army was greatly weakened]
The End of the War
5. When British General Cornwallis attempted to get supplies at Yorktown, Virginia what happened that forced him to
surrender on October 19, 1781 and end the American Revolutionary War?
a. French navy (coming up from West Indies) cut off British ships with supplies coming south from New York [216]
b. General Lafayette along with General Washington and General Rochambeau cut off Cornwallis's retreat back
inland off the peninsula
Why the Americans Won
6. Examine the chart on page 218. Which of the American "strengths" in the Revolutionary War do you think was the
most helpful to the colonists in winning the war? (vary)
motivation
popular support
leadership
foreign allies
communication/supplies
troop strength
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LESSON 7-4: The Legacy of War, pgs. 222-228
OBJECTIVE(S): For the student to be able to:
1) summarize the costs of the war.
2) explain the terms of the Treaty of Paris.
3) identify the ideals on which the new nation was created.
VOCABULARY, TERMS AND NAMES TO UNDERSTAND FOR THIS LESSON:
Treaty of Paris(224)- the 1783 treaty that ended the Revolutionary War
disputes(225)- disagreements
outposts(225)- military bases, usually located on the frontier
nondenominational(227)- not favoring a particular religion
Elizabeth Freeman(227)- enslaved African American who won her freedom in court
Richard Allen(227)- African-American preacher who helped start the Free African Society
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom(228)- statement of religious liberty, written by Thomas Jefferson
Complete the following items.
Costs of the War [223]
1. How many American's are thought to have died in the Revolutionary War?
25,700 colonists killed/10,000 British
2. What was the estimated American financial cost of the Revolutionary War? $27 million dollars
3. TRUE / FALSE: Benedict Arnold was a scorned name in the colonies after the war because of an egg dish that
he had created which caused many illnesses. [224, betrayed America and switched to fighting for the British]
4. Which of the terms of the Treaty of Paris did both sides not live up to? [225]
a. U.S. was recognized as an independent country
b. U.S. boundaries were the Mississippi River (west), Canada (north), and Spanish Florida (south)
c. U.S. could fish off Canada's Atlantic Coast near Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
d. Each side would repay money it owed the other
e. British would return slaves and captives
f. U.S. Congress "recommended" that seized property be returned to Loyalists
5. TRUE / FALSE: The Treaty of Paris caused boundary disputes between the British, the Americans, the Spanish
(Spain) and with Native Americans. [225-226, Spain controlled Mississippi, Britain kept forts on Great Lakes but
gave away Native American land west of Appalachians Mts.]
Creating a New Nation
6. What ideal did the new state governments (after British rules was removed) all include in their constitutions?
[226-227, rights of individual citizens - freedom of religion, freedom of press, some prohibited slavery (Delaware)]
7. TRUE / FALSE: America's first attempt at a constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave a great deal of power
to the national (federal) government and less to individual state governments. [227, federal limited to treaties and war]
8. Why do you think it was more common for the Northern states than Southern states to enact laws that outlawed for
slowly phased out slavery? [ns, slavery was more important to farming (plantation/cash crops) done in the south]
9. TRUE / FALSE: Although freedom of religion was a common part of the states' constitutions, also common was the
feeling that government should not collect taxes to help support any religions. [228]
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