American Revolution

American Revolution

Key Battles

• April 19, 1775 General Thomas Gage, the British governor of Massachusetts, learned that Patriots were storing gunpowder and cannons in Concord, Massachusetts. He sent soldiers to destroy the supplies.

• Minutemen gathered in Concord, as the British searched for the hidden gunpowder and cannons. Fighting broke out.  The minutemen forced the British to retreat back to Boston.

  
  

• The British in Boston were trapped.

  
  

  The American Revolution had begun.

Multiple Choice

Why were British troops sent to Lexington and Concord?

• They were sent to find livestock.

• They were sent to find a storehouse of weapons and destory supplies.

Battle of Saratoga

• September 19, 1777 The British began an attack from Canada. Americans stopped the British near Saratoga, New York. Upon meeting, the armies fought two intense battles. The Americans won. The Americans forced General Burgoyne and over 5,000 of his soldiers to surrender.

• The Battle of Saratoga was considered a turning point in the war.

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Multiple Choice

Who won the battle of Saratoga?

• Americans

• British

Multiple Choice

Which battle is considered the "turning point" in the Revolutionary war?

• Battle of Yorktown

• Battle of Lexington and Concord

• Battle of Saratoga

Battle of Yorktown

• October 9, 1781 General Cornwallis led the British army to Yorktown, Virginia. George Washington marched his troops south from New York into Virginia.   Americans and the French fired cannons on Yorktown relentlessly.   The French Navy blocked Yorktown harbor, so Cornwallis could not be rescued by British ships. Cornwallis was trapped. The British army surrendered at Yorktown.

  
  

  The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the War for Independence.

Multiple Choice

Who led the British troops to Yorktown?

• Paul Revere

• George Washington

• John Adam

• General Cornwallis