- First Battles
o Lexington 1775: home of the shot heard around the world
o Concord 1775:
o Bunker Hill 1775: First Official Battle of the American Revolution
§ Deadliest battle in the war
- War Moves to the Middle States
o Defeat in NY
§ British strategy was to divide the colonies
· To isolate New England, the British decided to seize New York
City
o Led by General Howe and 32,000 troops
o Hired Hessians: German soldiers to help British
· Washington led an army of 23,000 men
o Troops were untrained with poor equipment and outnumbered by British
o British win and Americans Retreat
o Battle of Trenton 1776
§ Washington launches a sneak attack on the Hessians Christmas night
· American victory led to the reenlistment of American troops
o Battle of Princeton 1776
§ American victory shortly after Trenton
· Increased troops morale
o Fight for Philadelphia
§ General Howe had a plan to seize the American capital at Philadelphia
· Sailed from NY, up the Chesapeake and defeated Washington’s army
at Brandywine Creek
o Saratoga 1777
§ Burgoyne’s Plan
· Lead army down a route of lakes from Canada to Albany where he
would meet Howe’s troops and the isolation of New England would be complete
o Met resistance as he traveled further south through the woodlands
o Supplies ran low as time moved on
· Plan did not work
o Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys defeated Burgoyne at Bennington,
VT
o Howe was preoccupied with capturing Philadelphia and wasn’t heading up
to Saratoga
§ Americans surround Burgoyne at Saratoga and force a surrender
· Changed British war strategy
o Stay away from the countryside and keep their men along the coast
§ Turning Point of the War
· Americans had proof that they could win the war
o Led to French involvement in the war
o Valley Forge 1777-1778
§ Congress did had not money to supply the troops during the winter,
and when the French join in, Congress ignored the need for supplies
- American Life During the Revolution
o Financing the War
§ Borrowed money by issuing bonds to American investors and foreign
governments
§ Printed paper money
· Led to inflation: a general rise in price
§ Arms and goods had to be smuggled due to a British blockade
· Led to profiteering by American gov’t officials
o Selling a scarce good for a profit
o Civilians at War
§ Women do their husband’s duties
§ Opened some doors for African-Americans
· 5,000 fought in the Revolution
- European Allies Shift the Balance
o Frederich von Steuben
§ Prussian drillmaster volunteered to train American troops an Washington
at Valley Forge
o Marquis de Lafayette
§ Came to Valley Forge and lobbied French government to help American
cause
- British Move South
o Early British Success in the South
§ 1778: British easily capture Savannah, GA
§ 1779: Royal Governor once again commanded Georgia
§ 1780: Generals Henry & Cornwallis sailed south with 8,500 men
· British captured Charleston, SC and Cornwallis is left by Henry
to command British forces in the South.
o British Reverses in 1781
§ Washington ordered General Nathanael Greene to harass Cornwallis
as he retreated
· Divided his forces into two groups
§ January 1781: Americans defeat larger British army at Cowpens, SC
§ March 1781: Cornwallis defeats Americans at Guilford Courthouse,
NC
· Cornwallis lost 25 percent of his army
o Led to Cornwallis moving the battle grounds to Virginia
§ April 1781: Cornwallis fails to defeat divisions led by von Steuben
and Lafayette
· Led to Cornwallis’ decision to capture Yorktown
- British Surrender at Yorktown
o Victory at Yorktown
§ French naval force defeats a British fleet at blocks the entrance
to the Chesapeake Bay
· French made it impossible for the British to get supplies
§ 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the British on the
Yorktown peninsula while lobbing shells at them
· Cornwallis surrenders one month later
o Seeking Peace
§ Four nations participated in Paris Peace talks of 1782 and each
nation had their own interest
· Britain: hoped to avoid giving America full independence
· France: feared America becoming a major power
· Spain: wanted land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi
River
§ Continental Congress Representatives
· John Adams
· Ben Franklin
· John Jay
o All demanded that Britain recognized full American independence before
talk began
§ Britain did
§ 1783: Treaty of Paris Signed
· confirmed American independence
· set new boundaries for the New Nation
o East: Atlantic Ocean
o West: Mississippi River
o North: Canada
o South: Florida
· Problems
o British did not attempt to protect the land interests of the Native American
allies
o Treaty did not specify that British would evacuate their American forts
o Americans did allow loyalists to sue for recovered losses
§ State gov’t would fail to honor this agreement though
- War Becomes a Symbol of Liberty
o Impact on American Society
§ Rise of Egalitarianism
· Belief in the equality of all people
· Applied only to white males
o spurred a growth in the opposition of slavery
o Challenges of Creating a New System of Government
§ Americans had rejected the British form of government in which kings
and nobles held power
§ Set to build a stable republic, a government of the people
· Questions Needed to be Addressed
o Who should participate in this government?
o How should the government answer to its people?
o How would a government be set up so that opposing groups of citizens
would have a voice?