Legacy of the War

1781 July, British General Cornwallis set up base at Yorktown – in Chesapeake Bay. Easy base to receive supplies from August, French fleet blocked the Chesapeake Bay Cut off British supplies & shipping Washington & Rochambeau came down from the North and trapped Cornwallis

Battle of Yorktown British ships tried to rescue Cornwallis, but failed Americans & French bombarded Yorktown with cannon fire October 19, 1781 Britain surrendered Last major battle of the war

American Advantage Better Leadership: British generals: over confident & made poor decisions Washington: learned from mistakes and adopted new strategies Foreign Aid: Britain’s rivals – Spain & France helped the Americans Offered funds, military aid, and supplies Knowledge of the Land: Knew the land and used it to their advantage

American Advantage cont’d Motivation: Americans’ lives, property, and liberty were at stake.

1783 Treaty of Paris 6 conditions: United States was independent New U.S. boundaries were the Mississippi River, Canada, and Spanish Florida U.S. received the right to fish off of Canada’s Atlantic Coast Each side would repay the debts owed the other British would return enslaved persons it had captured Congress would recommend that the states return any property seized from the Loyalists

1783 No one fully lived up to the terms of the treaty. American soldiers were paid in land certificates for land in the West. Republicanism: people would rule and the government would obtain authority from its citizens & be responsible to them Vermont outlawed slavery.