Unit 6 American Revolution

Unit 6 American Revolution

Following the Declaration of Independence...

• The Battle of Long Island took place in August of 1776. Washington had 10,000 soldiers who were mainly militia and new recruits. He faced General Howe and about 22,000 professional British soldiers. Washington’s inexperienced men broke and ran. As a result, Britain drove the Americans from Brooklyn and forced them to evacuate New York City.

• In October of 1776, the Continental Army under Washington suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of White Plains. The army retreated westward.

• In November of 1776, there were more victories for the British. General Howe took Fort Washington. The Continental Army was forced to move further westward toward the Delaware River with the British not far behind them.

Analyze this picture...

• What appears to be happening in the picture?

• What time of year is it? Who are the people in the picture?

• Who are the people in the picture?

• Where are they going? Why?

• Who do you think made the picture?

• What might have been their motives?

• In late 1776, Washington’s troops had lost one battle after another. His soldiers were tired and supplies were short.  Many did not have winter clothes or tents.

• There was talk in the Congress of replacing Washington.

• At this time, Washington himself was very discouraged and wrote to his brother: “I am wearied to death.  I think the game is pretty near up.”

• On December 25, 1776, Washington and his troops were camped nine miles from Trenton on the banks of the Delaware River.

• They crossed the icy river and then marched to Trenton in the early morning of December 26.  It was snowing and icy and some of the soldiers even lacked shoes.

• They made a surprise attack on the Hessian soldiers in Trenton and the Hessian regiment surrendered to Washington.

• ...

Multiple Choice

Washington had doubts about winning the war.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Who surrendered to Washington?

• Tom & Jerry

• The Hessians

• The British

• Not the right answer

Multiple Choice

Who were the Hessians?

• German Mercenaries

• british soldiers

• teachers

• wrong answer

By June of 1777, the British had developed a new strategy for winning the war.  Their plan was to try and cut off New England from the rest of the states

• On June 17, 1777, British General Burgoyne invaded the U.S. from Canada. He sailed down Lake Champlain toward Albany, New York. He planned to link up there with General Howe who would come from New York City and meet him in Albany. Having a huge force of soldiers in Albany would cut off New England.

• On July 6, 1777, General Burgoyne’s troops captured Fort Ticonderoga and supplies there that were badly needed by Washington. The Americans retreated from the fort, but blocked roads and destroyed bridges in order to slow down the advance of Burgoyne’s troops.

• On July 23, 1777, General Howe and 15,000 soldiers left New York but instead of going north to meet up with Burgoyne, they went to capture Philadelphia instead.

• On September 26, 1777, General Howe took over Philadelphia and the Continental Congress had to relocate to York, Pennsylvania.

The Battle of Saratoga

• General Burgoyne’s British troops numbered about 10,000. They were met by about 15,000 Continental soldiers under the command of General Gates.

• Battles took place on Sept 19 and Oct 7 of 1777.

• The Americans defeated the British and Burgoyne’s troops surrendered. The surrender is depicted in Illustration #2.

• The American victory ended the British threat to New England.

• It also boosted American spirits and determination.

• It convinced France to become an ally of the United States.

Multiple Choice

The British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Saratoga.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which country joined the war to help the colonial army?

• Mexico

• Neptune

• France

• Jupiter

Winter at Valley Forge

• This picture shows Washington’s troops in their winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania beginning in December of 1777

• The picture shows it was a cold winter and the troops were faced with many problems.

  
  

• Despite the awful conditions at Valley Forge, some good things took place. For example in February of 1778, Baron von Steuben of Prussia arrived at Valley Forge. He began to drill and train the troops. As a result, when spring came Washington’s army was much more disciplined and unified.

February 1778:  The Americans and French signed two treaties in Paris

• Ben Franklin had been in France trying to gain French support. The French had initially held back. However, after the American victory at Saratoga, they decided to join the U.S. in the fight against Britain.

• Two treaties were signed. One recognized the U.S. as an independent nation and promoted trade between France and the U.S.

• The other treaty made the U.S. and France allies against Britain. This led to the French providing military supplies, loans, about 12,000 soldiers, and about 32,000 sailors to the Revolution efforts. One of these soldiers, Marquis de Lafayette, became an important officer and friend to George Washington.

• In July of 1778, France officially declared war on Britain.

Multiple Select

What did the second treaty provide?

• made the U.S. and France allies against Britain

• French provided military supplies and loans

• provided about 12,000 soldiers, and about 32,000 sailors

• free cheeseburgers for all the soldiers

Letter to British Major John Andre

• Are you able to read this letter?

• Why do you think it is in code?

Letter decoded

•  This letter was from an American general, General Benedict Arnold, to a British officer.

• He was offering to give up the fort at West Point for a sum of money.

• What does this say about Benedict Arnold?

•  By September of 1780, Americans had learned that Benedict Arnold had become a traitor, or someone who acts against his or her country, in exchange for money and a high rank in the British Army.

•  He was able to escape and later became a brigadier general in the British Army.

Multiple Choice

Who was Benedict Arnold?

• An American Hero

• A Traitor

• A Trainer for the British

• A breakfast dish made of eggs.

The Battle of Yorktown

• What options did the British have at Yorktown?

Poll

Did the British stand a chance at winning the battle of Yorktown?

• yes

• no

What is being said?

• These letters between General Cornwallis and General Washington were part of a series of letters in which a British surrender at Yorktown was worked out.

Multiple Choice

Who was General Cornwallis?

• an American General

• A High School Principal

• A corn farmer

• A British General

Multiple Choice

The British surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown.

• True

• False

Why did the Americans win the Revolutionary War?

• Britain had to send soldiers and supplies to a war several thousand miles away.

• Britain had to fight an enemy that was spread out.

• Americans were familiar with the geography of the area.

• The Americans got help from other nations especially France.

• The Americans got help from other nations especially France.

• Washington proved to be a great leader with strong military skills.

• The skills of the Continental Army improved greatly during the Revolution.

Treaty of Paris of 1783

• Negotiated between Great Britain and the U.S. as a final step in ending the Revolutionary War.

• Negotiations to end the war began in France in April of 1782

• The United States was represented by John Adams, John Jay, and Benjamin Franklin.

• The British were represented by David Hartley, a member of Parliament, who was representing King George, and two other negotiators

• Britain signed separate treaties with Spain and France

Multiple Choice

What did the Treaty of Paris do?

• It was a contest for a trip to Paris

• Officially ended the war between Britain and America

• Provided yummy treats from Paris to the colonists

• This is the wrong thing to click on, and please don't say "I clicked that by accident"

What were some of the problems or issues that the Treaty of Paris had to solve following the Revolution?

• Getting Britain to accept that the U.S. was an independent country now

• What to do about loyalists

• What to do about British soldiers still in the U.S.

• How to handle debts each country had

• How to set the borders of the U.S.

• What to do about prisoners of war

Borders After the War

• This map shows the borders of the U.S. that were set in the Treaty of Paris

• There was a lot of new land that could be settled and that there was a lot of land to protect and defend

“Consequences of the American Revolution”

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