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For months, the farmers and townspeople of Massachusetts had been gathering arms and ammunition, training as minutemen Preparing to fight on a minute s notice British General Gage receives orders to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington The plan was to get gunpowder allegedly in Concord and then go to Lexington But Patriots had been watching British troop movements and reporting to other nearby towns
lukerosa@gmail.com Paul Revere and William Dawes warn the villages from Boston to Lexington of the advancing troops 8 Americans killed; Adams and Hancock are not found by the British
Most of the gunpowder had been removed Along the road, back to Boston, British troops were being attacked British end up losing 3 times as many men as the Americans Students of History - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/students-of-history
Inspired by Thomas Paine s Common Sense (sold over 100,000 copies) July 2, 1776, Cont. Congress adopts a resolution, stating: That these United Colonies are, and, of right, out to be free, and independent states Jefferson authors Declaration with help from Franklin & Adams, signed on July 4, 1776 These ideas weren t new; it was the act of presenting it to King George that was landmark
Many Americans were divided Crowds in Philadelphia, Boston, and other places gathered to cheer, fire guns, and ring church bells Others disapproved or said they would support only if aims didn t conflict with the king They weren t colonies anymore; they were states Many states drafted their own constitutions but this was harder to do at a national level The Continental Congress had been a coordinating mechanism; it wasn t a form of national gov t The commitment to state autonomy and centralized authority needed to be mitigated
November 1777 Con. Congress adopts Articles of Confederation Not ratified until 1781 Confirmed the weak, decentralized system already in operation Cont. Congress would serve as the chief coordinating agency of the war It would have very limited power over the states Many issues: How to mobilize for the war with limited supplies? How do we finance the war?
George Washington took command in June 1775 Had more experience commanding troops than anyone else Held the troops together despite little rations, few supplies, and occasional mutinies The Americans also received foreign military support from: The French: Gen. Marquis de Lafayette The Prussians: Baron von Steuben lukerosa@gmail.com
lukerosa@gmail.com Advantages Disadvantages Fighting on their ground Deeply committed Spirit of 76 Low rations Few supplies Little ammunition, guns, and weaponry Students of History - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/students-of-history
lukerosa@gmail.com Only about 1/3 of the colonists were in favor of a war for independence. The other third were Loyalists and the final third were neutral.
The Americans Attrition [the Brits had a long supply line]. Guerilla tactics [fight an insurgent war you don t have to win a battle, just wear the British down] Make an alliance with one of Britain s enemies. The British Break the colonies in half by getting between the North. & the South Blockade the ports to prevent the flow of goods and supplies from an ally Use Loyalists to Divide and Conquer
Battle of Bunker Hill June 17, 1775 British decide Boston is a bad idea for waging the war It s the center of revolutionary fervor and indefensible tactically speaking Retreat (with many Loyalists) to Halifax, Nova Scotia Invasion of Canada Benedict Arnold attacks Quebec (late 1775, early 1776) States wanted Canada to join the cause, but to no success The British going to Canada wasn t a retreat; it was a realization that they needed to re-strategize for a longer war
A more traditional, conventional war Gen. Howe brings 32,000 troops to New York Hoped to awe the Americans into submission Washington s 19,000 troops suffer a series of defeats Retreated into New Jersey and then into Pennsylvania For 18 th century Europeans, warfare was seasonal Settled down for the winter in New Jersey But on December 25, 1776, Washington attacks the British at Trenton, catching them off-guard However, he was unable to hold Trenton or Princeton, so he had to take refuge in NJ as well
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The British were continuing with their strategy to cut the states in half Gen Howe would move northward up the Hudson, while Burgoyne would come down from Canada and meet him But Howe changes his mind and decides to attack Philadelphia Leaves New York, travels by sea to Baltimore, and moves northward Hearing the news, the Cont. Congress flees to York, PA But this leaves Burgoyne alone in northern NY Faced several defeats, with the final one being at the Battle of Saratoga where he surrenders to Gen. Horatio Gates
The British failure to crush the Americans in the mid-atlantic states were due to a variety of reasons: Poor tactics and strategies Persistence of Washington Howe allowing Washington to retreat and regroup Howe s mind didn t seem to be in the war British failures and American successes inspired foreign aid from France Deals were cemented with the help of diplomats such as Franklin, Adams, and others
Had been trying to enlist the help of the Loyalists Failed miserably! The British, in essence, spent three years moving through the South, fighting small battles and attempting to neutralize the territory through which they traveled Only ended in frustration Gen. Henry Clinton replaces Gen. Howe in 1778 Lord Cornwallis takes over command of the British effort in the South Nathaniel Greene is given American command in the South
Was an early hero of the war He conspired with British agents to betray the Patriot stronghold at West Point The scheme unraveled before Arnold could complete it, and he fled to the safety of British camp, where he spent the rest of the war
October 17, 1781 Washington and Greene defeat Cornwallis in Yorktown, VA Prompts the British government to negotiate an end to the War
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