 Patriots were colonists who favored war against Britain.  They believed British rule was hard and unjust.  1/3 of the colonists were Patriots

 American colonists who remained loyal to Britain were known as Loyalists.  Loyalists included wealthy merchants and former officials of the royal government.  1/3 of the colonists were Loyalists.

 The Second Continental Congress decided to set up the new Continental Army.  The Congress appointed George Washington of Virginia as commander.

 Colonial forces poorly organized  Poorly Trained  Had few cannons, little gun- powder, and no navy  Few colonists were willing to fight near home, as part of a local militia or for a long term commitment  Many Patriots owned rifles & were good shots.  The Patriots leader was George Washington.  Determined to fight for their Land or property.

 Britain’s army was 3,000 miles from home.  News and supplies took months to travel from Britain to North America.  British soldiers risked attacks by colonists once they marched out of the cities into the countryside.  Powerful  Highly trained, experienced troops.  Best navy in the world.  Many colonists supported the British.

 700 British troops left Boston to seize colonial arms.  Colonists waited at the Charles river.  When the Redcoats reached Concord on the morning of April 19, 70 minutemen were waiting.  Outnumbered, The colonists were ordered to leave.

 Colonel William Prescott led 1,200 minutemen up Bunker & Breed’s Hill, across the river from Boston.  At sunrise British General, William Howe, spotted the Americans.  He ferried 2,400 redcoats across the harbor to attack.  Britain finally took the hill on its third assault, but they paid a high price for victory.  More then 1,000 redcoats lay dead or wounded. American loses numbered only about 400.

 By 1776, many colonists had come to believe that Parliament did not have the right to make laws for the 13 colonies.  In Common Sense, Thomas Paine set out to change the colonists’ attitudes toward Britain and the king.  Colonists, he said, did not owe loyalty to George III or any other monarch.  “Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation,” he concluded. “Tis time to part.”  Common Sense sold many colonists on the idea of independence.

 After the decision to become independent, Congress appointed a committee to draw up a formal declaration of independence.  The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Rodger Sherman  Their job was to tell the world why they are breaking away from the colonies.  Jefferson's ability to write clearly and gracefully earned him great respect. The committee asked Jefferson tow rite the document.

 The Declaration of Independence consists of a preamble, or introduction, followed by three main parts.  The first section of the Declaration stresses the idea of natural rights, or rights that belong to all people from birth.  The second part of the Declaration lists the wrongs that led Americans to break away from Britain.  The last part of the Declaration announces that the colonies are the Unites States of America. All political ties with Britain have been cut off.

 British = 34,000 troops, 10,000 Navy  Patriots = 20,000 Poorly Trained, No Navy  The Patriots were at a huge disadvantage.  More than 1,400 Americans were killed, wounded, or captured. The rest retreated to Manhattan.  To avoid capture, Washington fled to the North.

 With Washington’s Army in trouble, he decided on a bold move; a surprise attack on Trenton.  On Christmas night, he secretly led his troops across the icy Delaware River. Some Soldiers marched through the snow with no shoes.  Early on December 26, the Americans surprised the Hessian troops guarding Trenton and took most of them prisoner.  The Hessians were soldiers from Germany.  Washington then marched into Princeton winning another important battle giving Americans new hope.

 British troops had a plan  1.) to march on Albany and New York from different locations.  2.) To control the Hudson River to stop the flow of soldiers and supplies from New England to Washington’s army.  The British captured Philadelphia and retired for the winter instead of moving towards Albany.  Meanwhile the British armies under Burgoyne and Barry St. Leger marched from Canada towards Albany.

 General Daniel Morgan led America to an important victory at Cowpens, South Carolina.  General Morgan used front line / rear line tactics to win the battle.  The front line would fire two rounds, then retreat. The British, thinking the Americans were retreating, charged forward – straight into the fire of Morgan’s second rank.

 Under General Lafayette, Americans fought off British attacks by staging raids against the British.  Lafayette did not have enough troops to fight in a major battle still his strategy kept the British as bay.  British Commander Charles Cornwallis retreated to a Yorktown peninsula.  Washington saw an opportunity to trap Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula.  American forces joined the French land forces and their navy to trap the British.  For several weeks American and French soldiers pounded the British until they surrendered