The American Revolution

The Key Battles4-3.3

What Lead us to this Point?

• What was the initial cause of the Revolutionary War?– The French and the

Indian War

• As a result of that cause, what did the British impose upon the colonists?– Taxes (Tea act,

Townsend Acts, Stamp Act, Sugar Act)

• Because these acts (taxes) were imposed upon the colonists, the colonists declared what, using what?– Their

independence, using the Declaration of Independence

SIGNIFICANT BATTLES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Significant Battles

• Lexington and Concord

• Bunker Hill• Battle of Saratoga• Cowpens• Yorktown

Lexington and Concord

• Small towns outside of the city of Boston.

• The first shot of the war was fired here, to this day, no one knows who shot first.

• The battle occurred as British troops marched out of the city of Boston to capture suspected trouble makers (Members of the Sons of Liberty) in the town of Lexington

Lexington and Concord

• The term “The Shot Heard Round The World,” came as a result of this battle.

• As a result of this battle, the Second Continental Congress named George Washington as it’s Commander-in-Chief of the army, and gathered in Boston.

Bunker Hill

• A major learning experience for the Americans.

• American troops were untrained, and were forced to surrender after being inflicted with heavy casualties.

• Americans, however, were able to stand up to the British for a significant amount of time, and showed the British that the Americans would not be defeated easily.

• Americans learned that they needed allies to supply ammunition and assistance.

The Battle of Saratoga

• Located in the present day state of New York.

• This battle was the turning point of the war, in favor of the American Patriots.

The Battle of Saratoga

• During the battle, British forces attempted to divide the American forces along the Hudson River, but failed and lost to the American Patriots.

• Because of the defeat of the British, France (and Spain, and the Dutch) entered an alliance with the Americans.

• This alliance was brought forward with the help of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, and provided aid to the Americans in the form of ships, soldiers, supplies, and other forms of financial assistance, in return for the opportunity to settle old scores and open trade with a new nation.

Taking the War to the South

• After the British were defeated in New York, they went further south, to South Carolina, hoping to find more people who were still loyal to the British Government.

• Unfortunately for them, things did not go exactly as planned. Upon the attempt to capture Charleston, British troops were thwarted by the tides and by the resilience of the palmetto log fortress, Fort Moultrie.

• As an attempt to regain control, British troops blockaded the Charleston Harbor, and attempted to cut off supply lines.

• British were also met by patriots who used hit and run tactics to fight.

The Battle of Cowpens

• This was a unique and important battle that took place in South Carolina.

• During these events, the American Patriots’ Continental army and the irregular partisan forces (militia,) fought together.

• The plan was, the partisan forces would engage the British on the battle field, making them think that they out numbered and overpowered the patriots, and then retreat, leading the British into the Continental Army.

• Afterwards, the British retreated to Virginia.

YorktownThe Final Battle

• Located on a peninsula in Virginia.

• This became a place where the British would make their final stand.

• On land, they were surrounded by American Patriots, and by sea, the French. The British were outnumbered and out maneuvered.

What Happens Next?

• After the British surrender at Yorktown, a peace treaty was drafted and agreed upon in the city of Paris, France, by Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams.

• It took two years after the battle, but in 1783, the Peace of Paris (The Treaty of Paris) was signed, and the United States of America was born.