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TOPIC 3 – THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA (1750-1783)

Lesson 3.5 – Winning Independence (Vocabulary & Notes)

Key Terms (Vocabulary):

1. Battle of Long Island - a 1776 battle in New York in which more

than 1,400 Americans were killed, wounded, or captured

2. Battle of Trenton - a 1776 battle in New Jersey in which George

Washington’s troops captures a British encampment

3. Battle of Saratoga - a 1777 battle that was the first decisive

American victory in the Revolution

4. ally - a nation that works with another nation for

a common purpose

5. cavalry - troops on horseback

6. Valley Forge - the Pennsylvania site of Washington’s

Continental Army encampment during the winter of 1777-1778

7. Battle of Cowpens - a 1781 battle in South Carolina that was an

important American victory over the British

8. guerilla - a fighter who uses hit-and-run attacks

9. siege - a military blockade or encirclement of an

enemy town or position with the purpose of forcing it to surrender

10. Battle of Yorktown - the 1781 American victory in Virginia that

forced the British to surrender

11. Treaty of Paris - a 1783 treaty that ended the American

Revolution

12. ratify - to approve

13. Nathan Hale - (1756-1776) was a young American

Revolutionary hero from Connecticut. Hale was captured by the British and hanged without trial. Tradition says that before he died he said, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”

14. Marquis de Lafayette - (1757-1834) was a French aristocrat who

fought with the Patriots against the British during the War for Independence

15. Fredrich von Steuben - (1730-1794) WAS A German officer who

trained General Washington’s troops during the winter at Valley Forge. Steuben’s methods and training manual became standard for American troops.

16. Haym Salomon - (1740-1785) was a Jewish financier who

aided the fight for independence during the American Revolution. Salomon was born in Poland and immigrated to New York City in 1772

17. Wentworth Cheswell - (1746-1837) was a free African-American

who fought for independence during the American Revolution. The grandson of a slave, Cheswell was an educated, regularly elected town leader in New Hampshire

18. James Armstead - (1748-1830) was an enslaved African

American who spied for General Lafayette during the American Revolution. Armstead’s efforts were so successful that he was rewarded with his freedom and eventually with a veteran’s pension

19. Bernardo de Galvez - (1748-1786) was a Spanish governor of

Louisiana during the American Revolution. Galvez aided the Patriots by allowing supplies to be shipped up the Mississippi River to American forces

20. John Paul Jones - (1747-1792) was a naval captain, during the

American Revolution. During a battle with the British, with his boat sinking, he is credited with having said, “I have not yet begun to fight”

Lesson 3.4 – Winning Independence

Obj: to describe the middle states, including how the battles at Trenton and Saratoga marked turning points; to describe the roles of women and African Americans in the war; to explain how the war was fought on the western frontier and at sea; to describe the war in the south, including the American victory at Yorktown; to summarize the reasons why the Americans won the war

Through an off coincidence, the British began landing troops in New York in the same month that the Continental Congress voted for independence, July 1776.

General George Washington, expecting the attack, had led his forces south from Boston to New York City.

His army, however, was no match for the British under the command of General Howe.

Howe had about 34,000 troops and 10,000 sailors. He also had ships to ferry the ashore.

Washington had fewer than 20,000 poorly trained troops, which he spread in various locations to defend New York.

Worse, he had no navy.

EARLY CHALLENGES FOR THE CONTINENTAL ARMY

(see chart on pg 159 in TB)

August 1776 –

• The Battle of Long Island

o More than 1,400 Americans killed, wounded, or captured

o The rest retreated to Manhattan

o British pursued

▪ To avoid capture, Washington and his troops went north

Throughout the autumn, Washington fought a series of battles with Howe’s army

November 1776 –

• Washington crossed the Hudson River into New Jersey

• Chased by the British

o Americans retreated across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania

During the campaign for New York:

• Washington needed information about Howe’s forces

• A young Connecticut office volunteered to go behind British lines

o Nathan Hale

• On the way back with the information:

o Hale was seized by the British

o He was searched

o Hidden in the soles of his shoes was information about the British troop movements

o No trial

o Howe ordered Hale to be hanged the next morning

o As Hale walked to the gallows, he is said to have declared: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”

• Washington’s army retreated

• The British took New York City

• Many people there remained loyal to the American cause

o September 1776 - Haym Salomon

▪ A Jewish immigrant

▪ From Poland

▪ Arrested by the British

▪ Thrown into prison

▪ Supported the American cause from the start

▪ Helped the new government get loans

▪ Gave his own money to soldiers and military units for equipment

▪ Managed to escape to Philadelphia

▪ Continued to aid the fight for independence

A Surprise Attack Leads to an American Victory

Months of hard campaigning took a toll on the Continental Army

December 1776 –

• Washington described his troops:

o Sick

o Dirty

o So thinly clad as to be unfit for service

• Every day soldiers deserted

• Washington felt the end game was near

• He decided on a bold move –

o A surprise attack on Trenton, New Jersey

▪ The Delaware River separated the British in Trenton and the Americans

▪ The soldiers guarding Trenton would not expect American troops to cross it

o Christmas night 1776 –

▪ Washington secretly led his troops across the icy river

• Soldiers were thinly clad

• Had been retreating since August – dressed for warmer weather

• The spray from the rive froze on their faces

• They marched through swirling snow

• Some had no shoes

o Tied rags around their feet

o Early December 26, 1776 –

▪ The Battle of Trenton

• Americans surprised the Hessian troops guarding Trenton

• Took most of them prisoner

▪ British General Charles Cornwallis set out to retake Trenton at once.

o Late January 2, 1777 –

▪ Cornwallis saw the lights of Washington’s campfires

▪ Planned to take him in the morning

▪ Washington fooled Cornwallis

• He left the campfires burning while he slipped behind the British lines to attack a British force marching toward Princeton.

o January 3, 1777 –

▪ The Battle of Princeton

• Another victory for Washington and the Americans

o From Princeton Washington moved to Morristown

▪ It would be here that the army would spend the winter

• The victories at Trenton and Princeton gave the Americans new hope.

THE TIDE TURNS FOR THE AMERICANS

In London, British officials were dismayed by the army’s failure to crush the rebels.

Early 1777 –

o General John Burgoyne presented a new plan for victory

o British troops cut off New England from the other colonies

▪ He argued that the war would soon be over

(Burgoyne’s battles pg 161 in TB)

The New England Strategy

Burgoyne wanted three British armies to march on Albany, New York from different directions.

o They would crush American forces there.

o Once they controlled the Hudson River:

o They could stop the flow of soldiers and supplies from New England to Washington’s army

o Burgoyne’s plan for General Howe:

o To march on Albany from New York City

o King George III’s plan for General Howe:

o To capture Philadelphia first

July 1777 –

o Howe sailed from New York to Chesapeake Bay

o He captured Philadelphia, defeating the Americans at:

▪ The Battle of Brandywine

▪ The Battle of Germantown

o Instead of going north to Albany to meet Burgoyne as planned

o He retired for winter at his comfortable quarters in Philadelphia

o Washington retreated to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

o Meanwhile:

o British armies under Burgoyne and Barry St. Leger marched from Canada toward Albany

▪ St. Leger tried to take Fort Stanwix

• A strong American army drove him back

o Led by Benedict Arnold

American Troops Prevail at Saratoga

Only Burgoyne was left to march on Albany

It was a slow and labored trip

o His army had to drag many heavy baggage carts through the woods

o The Patriots cut down trees and dammed up streams to block the route

Despite obstacles, Burgoyne recaptured Fort Ticonderoga, shocking Americans.

His delay at the fort gave American forces time to regroup.

Burgoyne also sent troops into Vermont to find food and horses.

o The Battle of Bennington

o Here, Patriots attacked the redcoats

▪ Wounding or capturing nearly 1,000 British

Burgoyne’s troubles grew

o October 17, 1777 - The Battle of Saratoga

o The Green Mountain Boys hurried into New York to help American forces there

o Americans surrounded the British in the village of Saratoga

o Burgoyne tried to break free

o Americans beat him back

o Realizing he was trapped, he surrendered his entire army to the Americans

o The victory here was a major turning point in the war.

o It ended the British threat to New England.

o It boosted the spirits at a time when Washington’s army was suffering defeats

o Most importantly, it convinced France to become an ally of the US

Europeans Aid the Americans

The Continental Congress had long hoped or French aid

1776 –

o Congress sent Benjamin Franklin to Paris to persuade King Louis XVI to give Americans weapons and other badly needed supplies

o Congress also wanted France to declare war on Britain

o The French were eager to defeat Britain but were cautious

o France still angered over defeat in the French and Indian War

▪ did not want to help Americans openly unless he was sure they could win.

▪ Victory at Saratoga convinced him; US could stand up to Britain

February 1778 –

o France became the first ally of the United States

o Signed a treaty recognizing the new nation

o Agreed to provide military aid

o Later the Netherlands and Spain also joined in the war against Britain.

o All three nations provided loans to the United States.

Even before European nations agreed to help:

o Individual volunteers had been coming from Europe to join the American cause.

o Some became officers in the American army:

o Marquis de Lafayette

▪ Convinced France to send several thousand trained soldiers to help the Patriots

▪ He fought alongside Washington at the Battle of Brandywine and became one of his most trusted friends

o Friedrich von Steuben

▪ From the German state of Prussia

▪ Helped train Washington’s troops to march and drill

o Two Polish officers

▪ Thaddeus Kosciusko, an engineer

• Helped build forts and other defenses

▪ Casimir Pulaski

• Trained the cavalry

WINTER AT VALLEY FORGE

The victory at Saratoga and help from Europe boosted American morale.

Washington’s Continental Army began preparing for the winter of 1777-1778 by building a makeshift camp at Valley Forge.

o Conditions at Valley Forge were difficult but the soldiers endured

o 2,000 huts built as shelter

o Several soldiers improperly dressed

o As winter wore on:

▪ Soldiers suffered from

• Disease

• Poor food

• Hard lodging

• Cold weather

• Fatigue

o As news of their hardship spread, Patriots from around the nation sent help

o For the army, women collected:

▪ Food

▪ Medicine

▪ Warm clothes

▪ Ammunition

o Some women, like Martha Washington, wife of the commander

▪ Went to Valley Forge to help the sick and wounded

The arrival of desperately needed supplies was soon followed by warmer weather.

Drills taught by Baron von Steuben helped the Continentals march and fight with a new skill

By the spring of 1778, Washington could have not known it at the time, but the Patriot’s bleakest hour had passed.

WOMEN CONTRIBUTE TO THE WAR EFFORT

Women took on the added work at home.

o Some planted and harvested the crops

o Others made shoes and wove cloth for blankets and uniforms

Support the Army

Many women joined their husbands at the front.

o They cared for the wounded, washed clothes, and cooked

o Martha Washington joined her husband whenever she could

o Some women achieved lasting fame for their wartime service

o Betsy Ross of Philadelphia

▪ Sewed flags for Washington’s army

▪ Legend – she made the first American flag of stars and stripes

o 1778 – The Battle of Monmouth, few women took part in battle

▪ Mary Ludwig Hays

• Carried water to her husband and other soldiers

• The soldiers called her Molly Pitcher

• When her husband was wounded, she took his place loading and firing the cannon

Women’s Rights and the Revolution

As women participated in the war, they began to think differently about their rights.

Those who took on their husband’s responsibilities during the war became more confident and willing to speak out.

Most men in Congress did not agree that women should be treated equally.

The Revolution established important ideals of liberty and equality.

This ideal would encourage women to campaign in years to come.

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE WAR

By 1776 –

o More than ½ million African Americans lived in the colonies

o Their contributions to the war helped them quickly emerge as part of the American identity

o At first:

▪ Continental Congress refused to let them join the army

• Whether free or enslaved

▪ Some doubted the loyalty of an armed African American

o Then the British offered freedom to some male slabs who would serve the king

o Washington feared this would increase the ranks of the British army

▪ In response, he changed his policy and asked Congress to allow free African Americans to enlist

Deciding to Fight

o About 5,000 African Americans from all the colonies served in the army

o All except South Carolina

o Another 2,000 served in the navy

o Which allowed African Americans to join from the start

▪ At least nine black minutemen saw action at Lexington and Concord

o Some formed special regiments

o Others served in white regiments as:

o Drummers

o Fifers

o Guides

o Spies

▪ Saul Matthews and James Armistead served as spies

• Whites recognized their courage

o Wentworth Cheswell

o Served the Patriot cause from the start

o A New Hampshire schoolmaster

o Educated and free

o Regularly elected to local and town positions

o He rode all night from Boson to warn his community that the British were on the march (like Paul Revere)

o He later enlisted and helped in the battle of Saratoga

o Enslaved African Americans faced more difficult choices:

o If they joined the American army or continued to work on their plantations:

▪ British might capture and sell them

o If they tried to flee to the British army to gain freedom

▪ Risked being hanged by angry Patriots

Belief in Freedom

Nearly 500 runaway slaves offered their services to the British navy, who patrolled the coast

o Toward the end of the war, several thousand slaves sought freedom by following British troops through the Carolinas

Black Patriots had the hope of an end to slavery

o The Declaration of Independence did state “all men are created equal”

Some white leaders also hoped the war would end slavery

o James Otis

o Quakers

By the 1770s –

o Slavery was declining in the North

o A number of free African Americans lived

During the Revolution –

o Several states moved to make slavery illegal

o For example: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania

o Other states also began to debate the slavery issue

NATIVE AMERICANS AND THE SPANISH CHOOSE SIDES

Again, as the war spread to Indian lands in the West, Americans and British both tried to win the support of Indian tribes.

In the end, the British were more successful

o Convinced the Native Americans:

o A Patriot victory would mean more white settlers crossing the Appalachians and taking their lands

Loyalist Allies

In the South, the British gained support of the:

o Cherokees

o Creeks

o Choctaws

o Chickasaws

They encouraged the Cherokees to attack dozens of settlements on the southern frontier:

o After some hard fighting, the Patriot militia were able to drive them back into the mountains

Fighting on the northern frontier was fierce:

o 1778 –

o Iroquois forces led by the Mohawk leader Joseph Brant, joined with Loyalists in raiding settlements in Pennsylvania and New York.

o 1779 –

o Patriots struck back by destroying dozens of Iroquois villages

Other Tribes Choose to Help the Patriots

Farther West –

o 1778 –

o George Rogers Clark led Virginia frontier fighters against the British in the Ohio Valley

o Aided by the Miami Tribe

▪ He recaptured the British forts at Kaskaskia and Cahokia near the Mississippi River

o February 1779 – Siege at fort Vincennes

o Clark then plotted a surprise attack on the British fort at Vincennes.

▪ By spreading his men throughout the woods to make their numbers appear greater than they really were, the British commander thought it useless to fight so many Americans and surrendered

Spanish Assistance

Southwestern frontier –

o Americans received help from New Spain

o In the early years of the war Spain was neutral

o But, governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez favored the Patriots

▪ He secretly supplied Americans with:

• Medicine

• Cloth

• Muskets

• Gunpoweder

o 1779 – Spain enters the war

o Galvez took a more active role

▪ He seized British forts along the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico

▪ He also drove the British out of West Florida

• The city of Galveston, Texas is named after him

FIGHTING FOR INDEPENDENCE IN THE SOUTHERN COLONIES AND AT SEA

At sea:

o Americans could do little against the powerful British navy

o British ships blockaded American ports

▪ Ports served as supply routes to troops and towns

o From time to time, a bold American captain captures a British ship.

o September 1779 –

o The greatest American sea victory

o The North Sea

o Captain John Paul Jones captured the powerful British warship Serapis

▪ One of the many military leaders who contributed to the American cause

Raids on the high seas and along the frontiers kept many Americans on the alert.

It would be the battles between the Americans and Great Britain in the South that would settle the war.

Battles in the South

1778 –

o The South became the main battleground of the war

o Sir Henry Clinton, new British commander-in-chief

o Knew many loyalists lived in the southern backcountry

o He hoped they would join his troops if they marched through

o At first, his plan seemed to work

o December 1778 –

▪ Battle of Savannah in Georgia

o August 1780 –

▪ Battle of Camden in South Carolina

o April 1780 –

▪ Battle of Charleston in South Carolina

o Americans would suffer some of their worst defeats

o Washington wrote, “I have almost ceased to hope,” when he learned of the defeats.

Patriot and Loyalists Clash

In the Carolina backcountry, Patriots and Loyalists launched violent raids against one another.

Both sides burned farms, killed civilians, and sometimes even tortured prisoners.

After 1780 –

o Attacks by British troops and Loyalist militia became especially cruel.

o Resulting with more settlers siding with the Patriots

Momentum Shifts Toward the Patriots

October 7, 1780 – Battle of Kings Mountain

o American victory

o Afterward, two able American generals helped turn the tide against the main British army, led by General Charles Cornwallis

o Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island

▪ His ability to lead was perhaps second only to Washington

▪ 1780 - He took command of the Continental Army in the South

▪ Using his knowledge of local geography, he engaged the British only on ground that put them at a disadvantage.

• British soldiers of Cornwallis were worn out trying to catch Green’s army

o Daniel Morgan of Virginia

▪ January 1781 – took an important victory at Cowpens

• The Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina

▪ He used a clever tactic to defeat the British

▪ He divided his soldiers to create a front and rear line

• He ordered the front line to retreat after firing just two volleys

• The British, thinking they were retreating, charged forward

• Straight into the fire of Morgan’s second line

o March 15, 1781 - Greene and Morgan combined their armies when they fought Cornwallis at Guilford Courthouse, near present-day Greensboro, North Carolina

▪ One of the bloodiest battles of the war

▪ Americans retreated

▪ British sustained great losses

Adapting Tactics to Geography

Francis Marion of South Carolina

o Known as the “Swamp Fox”

o Added more frustration for the British

o He led a small band of militia

o Often slept by day and traveled by night

o Used guerilla tactics to harass the British

o His band of militia took advantage of the region’s environment

o Appearing suddenly out of the swamps

o Attacking quickly

o Retreating swiftly back into the swamps

A DECISIVE WIN BRINGS THE WAR TO A CLOSE

Cornwallis abandoned his plan to take the Carolinas.

Spring 1781 –

o Moved his troops north into Virginia

o His plan:

o Conquer Virginia

o Cut off the Americans’ supply routes to the South

Benedict Arnold

The British had achieved some success in Virginia, even before Cornwallis’ arrival.

Benedict Arnold, formerly one of the Americans’ best generals

o Now leading British troops

o He captured and burned the capital city of Richmond

o His forces raided and burned other towns

o September 1780 – while commanding West Point

o A key fort in New York

o He was angry because he felt he had not received enough credit for his victories

o He also needed money

o He secretly agreed to turn over West Point to the British

▪ His plot was uncovered by a Patriot patrol

o Arnold escaped to join the British

o Arnold was a traitor

o His treason and raids of towns in Connecticut and Virginia enraged the Patriots

▪ Governor of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, offered a sizable reward for his capture

▪ Washington ordered Arnold to be hanged

o Arnold was never captured

The British Are Trapped at Yorktown

Cornwallis hoped for the same success in Virginia as Arnold had achieved.

At first, things went well:

o Loyalists troops attacked Charlottesville

o Causing Thomas Jefferson and other officials to flee

Marquis de Lafayette fought back by staging raids against the British

o Although he did not have enough troops to fight a major battle, his strategy kept Cornwallis at bay.

Cornwallis makes a mistake:

o Sir Henry Clinton ordered him to send part of his army to New York

o Instead, Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown peninsula, near Chesapeake Bay

o Cornwallis was confident British ships could supply his army from the sea

o Washington sees this as an opportunity to trap Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula.

o He marched the Continentals south from New York.

▪ French soldiers under the Comte de Rochambeau (French nobleman and general) were with the Americans

▪ Both armies joined Lafayette in Virginia

o French fleet, under Admiral de Grasse was also heading toward Virginia.

o Once in Chesapeake Bay, de Grasse’s fleet closed the trap

o Cornwallis was cut off

o He could not get supplies

o He could not escape by land or by sea

The War is Won

September –

• More than 16,000 American and French troops laid siege to Cornwallis’s army of fewer than 8,000

• Day after day they pounded the British with artillery

• Cornwallis held on for several weeks

• Finally, with casualties mounting and his supplies running low, he knew the situation was hopeless

October 19, 1781 – The Battle of Yorktown

• The British surrendered their weapons

• French and American troops lines up in two facing columns

o The defeated redcoats marched between them

Paris, 1782 – talks began

• Congress sent Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, along with John Jay of New York and Henry Laurens of South Carolina to work out a treaty.

• Because Britain was eager to end the war, the Americans got most of what they wanted.

The Treaty of Paris

• Britain recognized the US as an independent nation

o It extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River

o Its northern border stopped at the Great Lakes

o Its southern border stopped at Florida, which was returned to Spain

• For their part, Americans agreed to:

o Ask state legislatures to pay Loyalists for property they lad lost in the war

▪ In the end, most states ignored Loyalists claims

April 15, 1783 – The Treaty of Paris is ratified

It was almost 8 years to the day since the battles of Lexington and Concord.

EXPLAINING THE AMERICAN VICTORY

Geography played an important role in the American victory.

Britain –

• Had to send soldiers and supplies several thousand miles from home

• Had to fight an enemy that was spread over a wide area

Americans –

• Were familiar with the local geography

o They chose geographic features that would provide an advantage in battle

▪ Hilltops

▪ Plains

▪ Swamps

Assistance from Allies

Help from other nations was crucial to the victory

• Spain

o Forces attacked along the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi Valley

• France

o Money to pay for supplies

o Military aid

o Soldiers and warships (navy)

A Growing National Identity and Patriotism

Unity for a shared American cause

The American Revolution inspired people of many different racial and minority groups, as well as social classes, to fight for the same American ideals of freedom and rights.

Debates about equality would continue long after independence was earned, but the ideals from the Revolution would further define a developing American identity.

Patriotism –

• Soldiers were fighting for their homes and beliefs

Gradually, Washington’s inexperienced troops learned:

• How to drill

• How to march

• How to fight the British

Perhaps the most important was Washington himself:

• By the end of the war:

o His leadership and military skills were respected by Americans and British alike.

Washington Leaves the Army

December 1783 –

• General Washington resigns from the military

• He bid farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York City

• All along his route home to Virginia crowds cheered for their hero

The new nation faced difficult days ahead.

In time, Americans would call on Washington to lead them once again.

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