Common Sense This was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. He suggested that the people should make the laws. He also questioned the benefit of the colonies staying under English rule.

The Writers of the Declaration Thomas Jefferson was the writer of the Declaration of Independence. However, he was assisted by John Adams, Ben Franklin and Roger Sherman.

The Declaration of Independence The Declaration is divided up into four parts. The First part is the Preamble. It explains why the colonies wished to break away for England. The Second part lists the rights of citizens. The Third part lists the complaints about the king (George III). The Fourth part declares our independence from the England.

Battle of Trenton Christmas Night George Washington sneaks across the Delaware River to attack the Hessians (Mercenaries) at Trenton. Washington Defeats this army of the British giving the Continental Army a much need victory for moral. General Cornwallis(British) tries to catch up to Washington only to be tricked and beaten at Princeton.

Battle of Saratoga General Burgoyne (British) designed a play to defeat the Continental Army. The strategy required perfect time. General Howe (British)– was to swing in from New York and meet General Burgoyne in New York. Their timing was off and Burgoyne found himself surrounded and had to surrender the largest army of the North. It was the Turning Point of the War

Turning Point England has to surrender its largest army in the North. The victory convinces France that the colonists could win independence. France’s King Louis XVI signs the Treaty of Alliance.

Valley Forge This was not a battle, but a reminder of the suffering faced by the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-78. It was a symbol of the courage and determination necessary for independence.

Battle of Yorktown 1781 This was the last major battle of the war. General Washington surrounded General Cornwallis (British) at Yorktown. Cornwallis’s retreat by sea was cut off by the French Navy. Cornwallis was forced to surrender the only major army in the South to the colonist. This defeat signaled the end for the British

Why was Yorktown the end for the British? They did not have the necessary money to continue the war. (Build a whole new army up and send to America etc.) The French were now heavily involved in the conflict. The Continental Army was now an experienced force. It would have been to costly to continue the war.

The Treaty of Paris 1) England recognizes the United States as a country. 2) Spain gets Florida back. 3) The Western border for the United States was now the Mississippi River.