 On April 18, 1775, British troops set out for Concord, Mass. to seize arms and ammunition  Shots were fired at nearby Lexington, and eight minutemen were left dead (this was “the shot heard ‘round the world”)  The British moved on to Concord, where they destroyed a small amount of gunpowder.  Minutemen, lining the forest road, killed 73 British and wounded 200. This marks the beginning of the American Revolution.

 Two months after Lexington/Concord, American and British troops met again at Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill (“don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”)  Ended in the retreat of the Americans, but British forces lost 1,000 soldiers.  Is evidence to the British that this will not be an easy victory, but a long hard fought war.  The colonists have one downfall, there is still division among Loyalists (those supportive of Britain) and Patriots.

 General George Washington lost the critical Battle of Long Island in August 1776, and soon after had to retreat from Manhattan to New Jersey.  The soldiers were very low on supplies, and felt weak, but Washington urged the men to push on citing Thomas Payne’s The Crisis : “These are times that try men’s souls”.  In December 1776, Washington made a daring move. He surprised the British by crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Night.  The British camp was made up of Hessians (Germans hired to fight), stationed in Trenton New Jersey.  Washington’s troops would finally taste victory.

 Washington took 2000 men with him across the Delaware.  They used the darkness as camouflage.  They captured over 900 Hessians without losing a soldier.  Victory gave them stronger will to fight

 **Turning point in the war!  Success at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, including the surrender of 5,000 British Soldiers, proved America’s ability to fight.  Helped them gain support from more colonists, and other European countries ( France ) which would be crucial in defeating the British.

 Washington’s troops would endure a harsh winter in and almost abandoned the fight  However, with much needed training from Baron von Steuben, the army used its time to become better trained  Benjamin Franklin helped secure the French alliance who see this as an opportunity to defeat its nemesis  The Marquis de Lafayette volunteered to serve in the Continental Army on his own

 Many Southerners were Tories (remained loyal to Britain, aka “Loyalists”)  The British believed the Tories would support their cause and help crush the revolution  British seized both Savannah and Charleston in the summer 1780  British General Lord Cornwallis was ready to seize the Carolinas but was defeated  Cornwallis marched north to Yorktown, VA where he hoped to receive much needed supplies

 The French saw the weakening of the British forces as an opportunity to defeat their long- time enemy, and regain control of the seas.  In 1781, along with French help, the Continental Army defeated General Cornwallis, trapping 8,000 British and Hessian soldiers at the Battle of Yorktown.  This proved to be the definitive battle of the American Revolution.  Cornwallis surrenders

 Signaled the end of the Revolutionary War.  Changed the political map of North America once again.  Colonists were allowed to move westward, and now bordered the Mississippi River.  Canada remained under British control, but Britain gave Florida back to Spain.  Liberty brought Americans freedom, but also new challenges beyond what they could have ever imagined.