The American Revolution 1775 - 1783

The American Revolution 1775 - 1783

by Ray Fortune

​Timeline of Key Events

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Open Ended

Read the quote with your group. After discussing the quote, tell me in your own words what you think the author is trying to say.

“Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.” - Thomas Paine, Common Sense

 

Shot Heard Round the World

​Disadvantages

Multiple Select

Which of the following are advantages the Patriots had during the Revolution?

(You may chose more than one answer.)

• It was personal

• Home Field Advantage

• Support of France and Spain

• Large well trained army

• None of these

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not a disadvantage the British had during the revolution?

• small navy

• long supply lines

• fighting on unknown territory

• lack of support at home

​American Leaders

• ​George Washington - Commander of the Continental Army

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• ​Marquis de Lafayette - French nobleman & Washington's second in command

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• ​Freiderich Von Steuben - Prussian soldier who trained soldiers at Valley Forge

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• ​John Paul Jones - Naval commander who launched a series of attacks off the coast of Great Britain. Famously said, "I have not yet begun to fight"

​British Leaders

• ​George III – King of Great Britain during the American Revolution

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• ​Lord Cornwallis – British general who surrendered at Yorktown in 1781​

​Women in the War

• Some dressed as men & openly fought in battle, others:

• Served as cooks, nurses

• Helped make supplies and ammunition

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• Notable Women included:

• Mercy Otis Warren – poet, political writer, and propagandist during the war.

• Abigail Adams – 1st leader of the women’s rights movement. “Remember the women, John"

​African-Americans in the War

• ​Served as soldiers, messengers, guides and spies on both sides.

  Notable African-Americans included:

  Wentworth Cheswell – 1st African-American elected to public office

  Crispus Attucks – killed at the Boston Massacre, 1st person to die in the Revolution

  James Armistead – American spy during the war.

Multiple Choice

Who appointed George Washington to be the leader of the Continental Army?

• 1st Continental Congress

• 2nd Continental Congress

• Parliament

• King George III

Multiple Choice

Which one of the following people served as a spy for the Patriots during the American Revolution

• James Armistead

• Wentworth Chesswell

• Patrick Henry

• Abigail Adams

​Lexington & Concord

• ​April 19, 1775 – 1st Battle of the Revolution – AKA “The Shot Heard Round the World”

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• British soldiers went to Lexington & Concord to seize weapons & arrest Sam Adams & John Hancock.

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• They failed & were met by Minutemen who chased them back to Boston.

​Bunker Hill

• ​June 16, 1775 - 1,200 militia men defended hill overlooking Boston

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• ​British army takes the hill when the militia runs out of gun powder

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• ​Over 1,000 British soldiers killed

​“A dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us.”

  – British General Sir Henry Clinton 

​Common Sense

​Written by Thomas Paine

• Encouraged Americans to declare independence from Great Britain

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Stated ideas such as:

• Government’s purpose was to serve the people

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• Having a king was a bad idea

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• People should be free to choose who to be loyal to

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• We had the opportunity to create a government based on self-rule

Open Ended

"I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me Liberty or give me Death!" - Patrick Henry 1775

1. What is Patrick Henry willing to give up in order to gain independence from Great Britain?

2. In your opinion, does this reflect the feelings of the Patriots?

​Declaration of Independence

• July 1776 – D.O.I. declared independence from Great Britain

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• Written by Thomas Jefferson

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• Listed 27 grievances as justification for independence

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• Declared all men are “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”​

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Fill in the Blank

The Battle of _________ is considered to be the first battle of the American Revolution.

Fill in the Blank

The Declaration of Independence was signed in the year ____

​War in the North

• ​Dec. 25, 1776 – Washington attacks Trenton capturing or killing over 900 Hessians (German Mercenaries)

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• Patriots win at Princeton less than a week later.

​“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” – Nathan Hale shortly before being hung for spying

​Saratoga - The Turning Point

• ​October 1777 – American army commanded by Horatio Gates & Benedict Arnold crushed a British army capturing almost 6,000 British soldiers.

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• Convinced French & Spanish to help by sending money, supplies, men, & the French navy.

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​Valley Forge

• ​Winter 1777–1778 -Washington's army drops from 20,000 to a few thousand as men quit.

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• ¼ of American soldiers died from Smallpox, Typhoid, & starvation

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• Von Steuben spent the winter training American soldiers

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• Paine writes The Crisis urging Americans to keep fighting

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​Yorktown - The End

• ​ October 19, 1781 - American & French troops helped by the       French navy trap General Cornwallis in Yorktown forcing him to surrender.

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• Convinced the English that the war is too costly to continue.

Multiple Choice

This battle is known as the turning point of the American Revolution.

• Battle of Bunker Hill

• Battle of Long Island

• Battle of Saratoga

• Battle of Yorktown

Open Ended

What happened as a result of the Battle of Yorktown?

​Peace at Last

• ​The Treaty of Paris - Ended the war.

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Great Britain agreed to:

• Recognize American independence

• Boundaries Established (Atlantic to Mississippi)

• Withdraws troops from American territory

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America agreed to:

• Repay debts owed to British merchants

• Advise states to return  Loyalist property

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