Chapter 6 – The American Revolution

Washington Crossing the Delaware - 1851 oil-on-canvas painting by German American Artist Emanuel Leutze

Ch 6.1 - Fighting Begins in the North

Print by A.H. Ritchie.

How the American Revolution Started• 4/19/1775 - British soldiers march from

Boston to Concord, MA to seize colonist’s weapons

• On the way, they clash with militia in Lexington, MA

• Colonial militia force the British soldiers to retreat back to Boston after fighting in Concord

– “the shot heard ‘round the world”

Now what do the colonists do?• Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, PA

on May 10, 1775 to decide what to do

• New arrivals to the group of delegates: – Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson

Olive Branch Petition • The delegates, or

representatives from each colony, decided that their main goal was peace.

• They wrote the OBP to King George III– Declared their loyalty to the

king and Britain– Asked the King to repeal,

or take back, the Intolerable Acts

– Not all delegates agreed

In Western culture, derived from the customs of Ancient Greece, the olive branch symbolizes peace or goodwill.

Peace or War? – Opposing Sides

• Patriots – those who favored war with Britain

• Loyalists (Tories) – colonists who remained loyal to Britain

Of the total population of the colonies, roughly 1/3 considered themselves Patriots, 1/3 Loyalists, and 1/3 undecided

Patriot Advantages• Many owned rifles and were good shots• Washington was chosen by the 2nd Continental

Congress to command a Continental Army.– He was an experienced leader

• Fighting a defensive war– Determined to defend their homes

and property– Knowledge of local geography

and land

• Learned guerilla warfare tactics from Native American allies– AKA “hit and run” tactics

Patriot Disadvantages

• Militias and soldiers were disorganized and untrained

• Few cannons, little gun powder, and no navy

• Few colonists enlisted for long terms of service

British Advantages

• Highly trained, experienced army

• Best navy in the world

• Many colonists still supported them

– They were called ________.

British Disadvantages

• Armies were far from home– News and support took months to travel from Britain

• Did not know the geography and land• Risked attacks once they left cities and

marched into the countryside

Colonial Rebels Take Fort Ticonderoga

• In May 1775, Ethan Allen led the Green Mountain Boys on a surprise attack on the southern tip of Lake Champlain in northern NY

• There were cannons in the fort that the colonists could use!

• And the fort was not well-defended by the British

In the name of the Great Jehovah

and the Continental Congress!

On whose authority!?!

Setting Up An Army!

• By May 1775, a makeshift army had gathered around Boston.

Who should lead the army?• The 2nd Continental Congress sets up

the Continental Army in June 1775

• John Adams proposes George Washington as commander

• Congress appoints him and he rides to Boston to organize the troops

• Why George?– Tall, imposing presence– Experience from F and I War– From the South and this would help

southern support of the fighting in Boston

Why The Early Action Centered Around Boston

• Many Patriots lived there

• They were angry and had felt the full force of the Intolerable Acts

• Much of the protests happened there

…so the British began to concentrate their soldiers on containing the rebellion in

Boston….

The Siege of Boston – Summer 1775• British occupied Boston &

wanted to take control of Charlestown, which overlooked Boston

• Patriot militia built fortifications on Bunker Hill & vulnerable Breed’s Hill

• At dawn on June 17th, British ships opened fire on fortifications, then troops began marching up the hills

Battle of Bunker Hill – 6/17/1775• British General William Howe commanded the British up Breed’s Hill

• The British “redcoats” were turned back twice before taking the hill and forcing a Patriot retreat

• Americans ran out of powder

• The British had bayonets and the Patriots did not

“Don’t fire until you see the

whites of their

eyes!”

Patriots

British

Video

Effects of Bunker Hill• 1st major battle of the American Revolution, but

strategically pointless bloodletting

• Although the British won, it was a costly victory

• The British lost 1,000; the Patriots lost 400

• 2 Effects:

a. It proved colonists could fight hard and

b. that the British would be tough to beat

The British Leave Boston!

CAUSE• Washington arrives in

Boston to take command of the Continental Army in late 1775.

• Cannons taken from Fort Ticonderoga are aimed down on the British troops in Boston in March 1776. Surprise!

EFFECT• British troops leave

Boston but King George orders a blockade of all colonial ports.

• King hires mercenaries from Germany to help fight the Patriots.

• Oh, it’s on now.

Ch 6.2 – The Colonies Declare Independence

Artist: John Trumbull; Oil on canvas, 12' x 18‘; Commissioned 1817; purchased 1819; placed 1826 in the Rotunda in the Capitol

Wait - Not Yet!• By mid 1776, many Patriots felt that

their determination and courage at Bunker Hill and Concord would convince the King and Parliament to listen to their complaints

• They wanted guaranteed rights and self-government while still belonging to Britain

• King George and Parliament rejected the OBP

• This upset many colonists

Talk to the hand!

A Remarkable Pamphlet• Thomas Paine was a

journalist working in Philadelphia

• In January 1776 he published a plain, brief, but passionate argument for independence

• 100,000 copies were printed and read in 1776!

• He said the idea to separate from Britain was “Common Sense.”

Common Sense – Thomas Paine (1776) What it said -

• The problem was not taxation, but the king!

– He called the King a “Royal Brute”

• The idea of having a king was wrong

• Called for separation from Britain –

– “Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. ‘Tis time to part.”

Effects of Common Sense• Many colonists read and were sold on the idea

of independence• Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduces a resolution, or statement, for independence to the Congress in June 1776.

• The delegates in Congress debated declaring independence:

-No turning back-If caught, they’d be hung as traitors

Writing a Declaration• The Congress set up a committee to create a

declaration in late June 1776– Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, etc.

• Their job is to tell the world why the colonies were breaking away from England

• Thomas Jefferson is asked to write it– Great writer

• July 2, 1776 – Congress votes that they will become “free and independent states.”

• After peer-editing, the Declaration of Independence is adopted and printed on ___.

Declaration of Independence (1776)• Happy Birthday – USA!

Four Parts1. Preamble

– introduction

2. Natural Rights– Stresses idea that people are born with rights that

cannot be taken away by goverments

3. British Wrongs– List of what the Americans are upset about

4. Independence– The colonies are now the United States of

America

In Battle of Long Island, 1858 by Alonzo Chappel, Lord Stirling leads the attack against the British with 250 troops while others swim into

the marsh.

Ch 6.3 Struggles in the Middle States1776-1777

The Empire Strikes Back! (after Boston)

Patriots• Continental Army

marches south through New England to New York

Leader and Army• Washington thinks

this is where the British will strike next

• 20,000 troops• No navy

British• Sail north to Canada

then south to New York to attack Patriots rebelling in New York

Leader and Army• Howe wants to destroy

the Continental Army to end the revolution

• 34,000 troops/10,000 sailors, and a navy of ships to move them

Battle of Long Island • British General Howe lands 15,000

on Long Island (near NYC) and attacks Washington’s 6,000 troops in August 1776

Outcomes:

• 1,400 Continental troops killed

• Washington retreats to New York to save the Continental army

Losing New York• Washington is forced to retreat west to Manhattan

(NYC)• By November, his army moves west again across the

Hudson River to NJ, abandoning NY• Continental Army is chased by Howe and the British

south to NJ

Retreat to NJ!

British land in New

York City

Spies/Traitors - Who was Nathan Hale?• CT school teacher turned Patriot; 21 years old

• Volunteered to spy for Washington during the Battle of Long Island against the British

• Caught and before his execution by the British, made a “sensible and spirited speech”

"I only regret that I have but one life to give my country."

Legacy

• Nobly served and gave his life for his country

Victory in New Jersey• Things were not going well for the Continental

Army by winter 1776 (lost in Long Island & NY)

• Washington learns that Hessian (German) mercenaries are camped across the Delaware River in Trenton, NJ

• Washington leads 2,000 soldiers and 40 cannon across in one night!

December 25-6: Washington Surprises the Hessians in Trenton

Washington Crossing the Delaware - 1851 oil-on-canvas painting by German American Artist Emanuel Leutze

Battle of Trenton (12/26/1776)• Washington surprises

the Hessian mercenaries• Most Hessians are taken

prisoner & there were no American losses!

• Washington asks his troops to fight on even though their enlistments are up on Dec 31st

• At Princeton, days later, they drive the British out of New Jersey

Video

A Powerful Ally?• In mid 1776 the Continental Congress had sent B. Franklin to Paris to

persuade the French king Louis XVI to help the Americans with weapons & other badly needed supplies

• They also wanted help from France’s powerful navy• France resented Britain because of the F & I War• France’s king did not want to get involved until the

United States could prove they could win the war.

Ben Franklin bows before France’s King

Louis XVI in Paris

Battle of Saratoga (in NY)

• Patriot victory here is a major turning point in the war

• British generals make huge strategic mistakes!

• This victory convinces France to join the war as an American ally

• France becomes the first nation to sign a treaty with the US

• First nation to recognize the US as an independent nation

Valley Forge• After fighting to defend Philadelphia, PA

Washington and the Continental Army set up camp 25 miles outside the city before the winter of 1777-8 to keep the British away

• Winter at Valley Forge, PA was difficult

- Lack of money and supplies, including food, clothing, firewood, and shelter

Help From Abroad

• Marquis de Lafayette – French noble/soldier – fought alongside the

Patriots. He became Washington’s aide at age 19

• Friedrich von Steuben – Prussian (German) military officer – helped train the

Patriots in marching and drilling

Help From Abroad• Thaddeus Kosciusko - Polish

freedom fighter/engineer– helped build forts and other

defenses, including work at West Point and Ticonderoga

• Bernardo de Galvez – Spanish governor of Spanish-controlled Louisiana– provided aid and prevented British

from surrounding the Patriots in the south near Florida

Help From Abroad• Casimir Pulaski – Polish

military officer– Trained Patriot cavalry (horse

riders/fighters)– Died in battle in Savannah,

GA in 1779– Washington’s tribute:

“Pulaski? Poland”

Ch 6.5 – Winning the War in the SouthStorming of redoubt #10

during the Siege of Yorktown, US Army Chief of

Military Historians Office, Date unknown, by H.

Charles McBarron

British Plans Change• The British decided to try to win

the war in the south because many loyalists lived in the southern colonies

• Daniel Morgan and Nathanael were Patriot generals who helped affect the outcome of the war in southern battles

• Francis Marion was called the “Swamp Fox” because of his use of guerilla warfare tactics against the British– Mel Gibson in “The Patriot” (2000)

Greene

Battle at Yorktown (1781)• British General G.

Cornwallis thought that if he conquered Virginia, he would cut off supply routes to the south.

• The Patriots forced the British to retreat to a town on peninsula in Virginia called Yorktown.– Trapped with no means of

retreat on land or sea– French navy surrounds

them on the sea, Americans on the land

Battle at Yorktown (1781)

• Washington rides from NY to help trap Cornwallis

Cornwallis Surrenders

• He sends his assistant O’Hara because he is “ill”• British formally surrender on October 17, 1781• Major fighting is officially over Video

Peace Talks Begin• Talks began in Paris, France in

1782

• Congress sent Ben Franklin, John Adams, John Jay, Henry Laurens, and W. Temple Franklin

Benjamin West painting titled "American Commissioners of

the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain"

also sometimes referred to as "Treaty of Paris" (unfinished

painting). The British commissioners refused to

pose, and the picture was never finished.

Treaty of Paris (1783)Terms of the Treaty

1. Britain recognizes the USA as an independent nation

Treaty of Paris (1783)2. The borders of the

USA are set up

Northern border – the Great Lakes

Eastern/Western borders – Atlantic Ocean to the MS River

Southern border – stopped at Florida, which is returned to Spain

Treaty of Paris (1783)3. Americans agreed to pay loyalists for

the property they lost in the war.• Most states ignored the loyalists claims

• Congress ratifies (approves) the Treaty on April 15, 1783

• The American Revolution is over!

Why the Patriots Won1) Geography – Americans

were familiar with the land and how to fight on it

2) Foreign Aid – France and Spain provided supplies and troops

3) “Spirit of ’76” – America’s ever-growing spirit of patriotism and love for the cause and country