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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”
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
• Concord
– Militia drives British
back to Boston
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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Washington’s Headaches
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
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
Declaration of Independence
• Sent by Second
Continental Congress
to Paris
• Negotiate French
support for Americans
• Written by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and
John Adams
• Celebrity in Paris
– Acted the part of the
“rustic American”
• 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
-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!
But why blame KG III and not parliament?
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• Patriots and Loyalists
Dunmore Proclamation
• November 1775
• Virginia Royal
Governor
• Slaves and
Indentured Servants
free if they fight
against Colonies
• Extended by Clinton
to all American
colonies
-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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Loyalist
Strongholds-Strongholds
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
Baron Von Steuben
• Prussian
• Helped transform
Continental Army
into a successful
fighting force
• Brought military
discipline and
formations/tactics to
Army
John Paul Jones
• Naval Soldier of the
Revolution
• “I Have Not Yet
Begun to Fight”
Nathanael Greene
• Washington’s most
trusted General
• Began war as a
private
• Best known Battles:
– Southern Campaign
– Guilford Courthouse
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
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
THE BRITISH
• Greatest Known
Traitor:
– Attempted to give
British West Point in
exchange for money
and commission
Sir William Howe
• British General
• “Won” at Bunker Hill
• Captured New York
and Philadelphia
• Helped Burgoyne
lose at Saratoga
Lord Charles Cornwallis
• General of the
Southern Campaign
• Loss at Yorktown
ends major fighting
of Revolutionary War
Sir Henry Clinton
• Commander – in –
Chief from 17781782
• Ordered the
Southern Campaign
KEYS TO THE GAME
The Americans
The British
Attrition [the Brits had a
long supply line].
Break the colonies in
half by getting between
the No. & the So.
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.
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 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.
THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGN
WASHINGTON ON THE RUN
-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.
Battle of Trenton – Dec. 25, 1776
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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.
Saratoga:
“Turning Point”
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 CAMPAIGN
CORNWALLIS ON THE MARCH
Francis Marion
Britain’s “Southern Strategy”
Britain thought that there were more
Loyalists in the South.
• “Swamp Fox”
• Led Guerrilla Attacks
on British forces in
the South
• Helped push British
northward, towards
Yorktown
Southern resources were more
valuable/worth preserving.
The British win a number of small
victories, but cannot pacify the
countryside
• 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 17781779 and Charleston, South Carolina fell in 1780.
Battle of Yorktown
• British: Cornwallis
• Americans: Lafayette and
Washington
• French navy defeated
British
– Cut off Cornwallis’ sea
escape
-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.
• Americans laid siege
• October 20, 1781
– Cornwallis surrenders
• “The World Turned Upside
Down”
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• Peace at Paris
Treaty of Paris 1783
-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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