A.A B.B C.C D.D Section 1-Polling QuestionSection 1-Polling Question Which quality of an army do you think is most important for success? A.Size of the army B.Strong leadership C.Advanced technology D.Enthusiasm for their cause

Chapter 6 The American Revolution ( ) Section 1 The Early Years

Essential QuestionEssential Question W h a t c h a l l e n g e s d i d t h e A m e r i c a n r e v o l u t i o n a r i e s f a c e a t t h e s t a r t o f t h e w a r ?

The American Revolution After the Declaration of Independence, war was unavoidable Both sides thought the war would be short Patriots thought the British would give up after one or two losing battles John Adams thought otherwise “We shall have a long… and bloody war to go through” The British had great advantages

British Advantages Strongest navy in the world Experienced, well trained army Wealth Larger population 8 million in Great Britain to 2.5 million in the United States

Colonists’ Disadvantages Lacked a regular army and strong navy American soldiers lacked experience Short supply of weapons and ammunition Most were militia Fought for a short period of time before going home

More Patriot Struggles Not all supported the struggle for independence Some were neutral Quakers would not participate in the war Many remained loyal to Britain

The Loyalists Loyal to Britain- also called Tories 1 in 5 (20%) were Loyalists Some people changed sides depending on which army was closer Loyalist support was biggest in the Carolinas and Georgia Weakest in New England

Why were people Loyalists? Some were members of the Anglican church (headed by the king) Others depended on the British for their jobs Others feared disorder of forming a new government Others didn’t see why the colonies wanted independence One Loyalist complained: No other country “faced a rebellion arising from such trivial causes”

African Americans in the War Some sided with the Loyalists The Royal Governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, announced that enslaved people who fought on the British side would be freed Many answered the call

Patriot Advantages Fighting on own land and fought with determination to protect it Britain was fighting in a faraway land mercenaries HessiansBritain relied on mercenaries (hired soldiers) called Hessians Better leadership (George Washington)

A.A B.B C.C D.D Section 1Section 1 One of the Patriots’ greatest advantages was which of the following? A.A larger population B.Mercenaries fighting on their side C.A stronger navy D.George Washington as their military leader

Raising an army transferThe Americans transferred the power to the Continental Congress The American Revolution was really like 13 separate wars Each state pursued their own interests Continental Congress had a hard time enlisting soldiers and raising money to fight the war recruitEach state was to recruit (enlist) soldiers

More of Raising an Army At first men signed up for one year of service Washington convinced some to enlist “for the whole term of the war” Officers were also hard to recruit previousThe best officers were veterans of previous wars Women also fought with the Patriot forces –Molly Pitcher –Molly Pitcher and others

Battle on Long Island General William HoweSummer of 1776, Britain sent 32,000 troops across the Atlantic under General William Howe Patriots had fewer than 20,000 troops Continental Army suffered serious defeat Nathan HaleNathan Hale proved himself a hero at Long Island Hale spied on the British disguising himself as a Dutch schoolteacher The British figured out his true identity and hanged him Right before his hanging Hale said, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”

More of the Battle of Long Island Americans fought with bravery, but ran short of supplies A British soldier wrote that many of the Patriot soldiers killed had not been wearing shoes, socks, or jackets “They are also in great want of blankets,” predicting that the rebels would suffer during the winter Washington retreated to Manhattan and then to Pennsylvania

A Low Point Patriots faced near collapse during the winter of Size of the army dwindled as terms of service ended Others ran away Washington pleaded with the Continental Congress for new troops Washington wanted to allow free blacks to fight, but many in the South felt uncomfortable giving them guns

African Americans Join the Fight As more soldiers were needed, many states ignored the ban and enlisted African Americans Rhode Island had an all- African regiment in 1778 By the end of the war, all states except South Carolina had enlisted African Americans to fight Lemuel HayesPeter SalemAs many as 5,000 joined the Patriots including Lemuel Hayes and Peter Salem African Americans joined because they believed in the Patriot cause or they needed money

A.A B.B C.C D.D Section 1Section 1 Historians estimate that how many African Americans joined the Patriots to fight? A.500 B.1,000 C.5,000 D.10,000