1.2.6 The Revolutionary War Part 2

The Revolutionary War: Part 2
Learners can:

• identify important information about the battles that occurred during the American Revolution

Vocabulary: Loyalists-someone loyal to Great Britain

Curriculum Kit Materials: red and blue crayons, Social Studies Activity Book (pages 3 and 4)

By Sierra Scaggs

In another lesson, you learned about the battles that started the American Revolution. In fear of going to war, the leaders of the colonies wrote the Olive Branch Petition to try and peacefully solve their conflict with Great Britain. The petition was a document that expressed the colonists' loyalty to the king and Great Britain.

They also asked the king to peacefully reconsider their requests to:

• have a position in Parliament; and

• repeal, or cancel, the taxes that were placed on goods.

A year after King George III rejected the Olive Branch Petition, the delegates at the Second Continental Congress wrote and approved the Declaration of Independence.

It declared to the world why they should be independent and free from the rule of another nation.

In today's lesson, you will learn more about the Declaration of Independence, and about some of the important battles of the Revolutionary War.

Match

Match the following

• colonists who were against British actions and laws

• a person, country, or group united with another for a common purpose

• Blank

Patriot

ally

Blank

• Patriot

• ally

• Blank

Common Sense

While everyone was tired of the cruel treatment from the British government, not all people were ready to break away from the British government. During the Revolutionary War, there were two groups of people: Loyalists and Patriots.

• American colonists who were loyal to Great Britain were called Loyalists.

• On the other hand, the colonists who were prepared to declare independence from Great Britain were called Patriots.

In January of 1776, the number of colonists who were Patriots increased because a Patriot named Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called Common Sense.
In the pamphlet, Paine encouraged colonists to break away from Great Britain and become an independent country. Paine declared, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again . . . The birthday of a new world is at hand.”

More than 200,000 copies of Common Sense were sold within its first few months of publication.
When Benjamin Franklin made his “Join or Die” cartoon, he wanted the colonists to join together for a bigger purpose, to win the French and Indian War.

Similar to Benjamin Franklin's cartoon, Thomas Paine's Common Sense pamphlet was meant to persuade, or convince, colonists that they needed to join together for a bigger purpose, too.

This time, the colonists needed to join together to fight for their independence from Great Britain

The Committee of Five

In July 1776, a year after battles had begun, the Second Continental Congress met again in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Representatives from all 13 colonies gathered to come up with a war plan. They also discussed whether or not they should declare independence from Great Britain.

The delegates concluded they needed to officially break away from Great Britain and become their own free nation. As a result, they asked five of the delegates to write a declaration of independence.
The five writers, called the “Committee of Five,” were:

• Thomas Jefferson;

• Benjamin Franklin;

• John Adams;

• Roger Sherman; and

• Robert R. Livingston.

The committee asked Jefferson to write the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Once the draft was completed, Franklin and Adams suggested changes.

Then, the writers submitted the document to Congress for approval. After voting on it, Congress officially declared independence on July 4, 1776.

The Declaration of Independence

The document can be divided into three parts: the Preamble, the charges against King George III, and the formal statement of separation from the British government.
The Preamble, which is an introduction, states that all people have rights that cannot be taken away.

1. The second section lists ways the king violated the rights of the colonists.

2. The document concludes with a declaration that the 13 Colonies are now independent, united states.

On July 8, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read to the public for the first time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
EDIO VIDEO PAGE 6
Today, the United States of America celebrates Independence Day on July 4, the same day in 1776 when Congress officially declared independence from Great Britain. The Fourth of July is known as the birthday of the country of the United States of America.

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence meant that the Revolutionary War had officially started. The colonists would have a long road ahead of them in the years to come, because Great Britain would not easily give up ownership of the American colonies.

Multiple Choice

Who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence?

• John Adams

• John Hancock

• Benjamin Franklin

• Thomas Jefferson

The Hessians and the Battle of Long Island

When Congress declared independence from Great Britain, the Revolutionary War officially began. Great Britain knew they would need more trained soldiers to fight. So, they hired about 34,000 German soldiers called Hessians. The Hessians were both feared and admired for their approach to fighting in a war.

They played important roles in many battles, especially the battles fought in the colony of New York. In the late summer of 1776, American commander George Washington and about 10,000 soldiers in the Continental Army were stationed on Long Island in the colony of New York.

Around the same time, about 20,000 British troops, or Redcoats, and Hessian troops, under the command of British General William Howe, arrived in Long Island. In the early hours of August 27, Hessian soldiers and Redcoats made a surprise attack on the Continental soldiers on Long Island. Many Continental soldiers dropped their muskets, or guns, and ran for their lives. The British won the battle in what would be known as the Battle of Long Island.

General George Washington and his American soldiers in the Continental Army were forced to retreat, or leave, from Long Island, New York. Following the Battle of Long Island, the Continental Army would face the British and Hessian troops in battles over the next several months. The British Army won each battle, causing many losses in the Continental Army.

With a much smaller army, General George Washington was forced to move his troops. They found a place to gather and rest on the banks of the Delaware River in the colony of Pennsylvania.

Multiple Choice

The Hessians were from which country?

• France

• Germany

• Italy

• Spain

The Battle of Trenton

By late summer of 1776, the Continental Army had about 20,000 soldiers. But throughout the fall months, the Americans suffered many defeats in battle, which reduced their number of soldiers to less than 5,000 men. The British were winning the war.

In the winter of 1776, the American Continental Army was tired and they felt defeated. They were forced to retreat to safety on the banks of the Delaware River in the colony of Pennsylvania.

While resting in the colony of Pennsylvania, American General George Washington developed a plan to win a battle against the British Army. He hoped his plan and a victory against the British would boost the confidence of American soldiers.
In December, a group of Hessian soldiers were responsible for protecting a British camp in a city called Trenton in the colony of New Jersey.

Trenton was not far from where Washington and his troops were stationed. On the night of December 25, 1776, Washington convinced his troops to cross the Delaware River and make a surprise attack on the Hessians in Trenton.

The Hessians were asleep when Washington's troops attacked the camp. They put up a small fight, but after about an hour, they surrendered. The American troops took a large number of weapons and ammunition and around 900 prisoners in what was called the Battle of Trenton.
EDIO VIDEO PAGE 8
Not long after the Battle of Trenton, on January 3, 1777, General Washington led another attack on British Troops.

This time, the attack was at Princeton, a city not far from Trenton in the colony of New Jersey.

At the Battle of Princeton, the British troops, led by General Charles Cornwallis, surrendered again.

The American Continental Army won another battle.
The Battles of Trenton and Princeton were huge American victories. It boosted their confidence and determination to continue to fight in the war.

Multiple Choice

What river did George Washington and his troops cross on the night of December 25, 1776, before launching a surprise attack at the Battle of Trenton?

• Delaware River

• Hudson River

• Ohio River

• Susquehanna River

The Battles of Saratoga

In the spring of 1777, many events happened in the colony of Pennsylvania. The British won the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and they captured Fort Mifflin.

While the British troops were busy occupying the colony of Pennsylvania, they also began to make plans to take control of the colony of New York and the Hudson River. The British Army ordered three of their armies to gather in Albany, in the colony of New York, so that they could begin to take control of the area. Only one of the British armies, led by General John Burgoyne, made it to Saratoga, which was not far from Albany.

When he got there, he was confronted by the Continental Army in two different battles.

A Turning Point

The Battles of Saratoga were a major turning point in the Revolutionary War. The Americans proved to other nations that they were worthy of independence.

France recognized the United States of America as an independent nation and began to support the Americans with supplies, soldiers, and ships. British General Burgoyne's surrender at the second battle of Saratoga meant Britain lost 25 percent of its troops in North America. It also meant that the British failed to take control of the New England and Middle colonies.

Starting in December of 1778, the war moved to the Southern Colonies.
EDIO PAGE 9

Multiple Choice

Which statement was not an outcome of the Battles of Saratoga?

• 
  General John Burgoyne surrendered.

• The British defeated the Americans in both battles.

• 
  The French decided to support the Americans.

• 
  More British soldiers were killed than American soldiers in both of the battles combined.

Battle of Yorktown

In 1778, the British forces decided to head south. There, they captured the port cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, in the colony of South Carolina.

During the summer of 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis and his troops were located in Yorktown in the colony of Virginia. Yorktown was a port city, and it was the perfect location to wait for ships that would arrive with more troops and supplies. While waiting for the ships to arrive, General Cornwallis found himself surrounded by about 18,000 American and French men.

The American Continental Army was led by George Washington and their French allies were led by Admiral de Grasse and General Rochambeau.
Although he was surrounded and outnumbered, General Cornwallis and his troops fought in a 20-day battle against the American Continental Army and their French allies. The battle would be known as the Battle of Yorktown. The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle fought in the Revolutionary War. Two years later, the representatives from the United States would meet in Paris, France, to sign a treaty of Peace with Great Britain.

The Treaty of Paris (1783) would officially end the Revolutionary War and declare the United States as its own independent nation.
EDIO VIDEO PAGE 10

Multiple Choice

How did the Battle of Yorktown end?

• 
  The British surrendered to the French.

• The British won and the Americans surrendered.

• 
  The Americans won and the British surrendered.

• 
  It was an American victory that ended the Revolutionary War.

Peace: The Treaty of Paris 1783

Peace did not come automatically after the British surrendered in Yorktown in October of 1781.

Fighting continued in some areas for more than two years. British troops remained in the United States until 1783.
On September 3, 1783, a peace treaty known as the Treaty of Paris (1783) was signed in Paris, France.

The United States was represented by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay.
The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War. Great Britain and most of the world officially recognized the United States of America as a new, independent nation.


Today, you learned about important battles throughout the Revolutionary War.

In 1776, the British Army was leading the war and the number of soldiers in the American Continental Army decreased dramatically.

The surprise attack in Trenton, New Jersey, and a victory at the Second Battle of Saratoga encouraged the Americans to keep fighting for their independence.

A final American victory at Yorktown would mark the end of the Revolutionary War.

The Americans won their independence!