When the Continental Congress released the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution officially began

Characters English King George III General and Commander in Chief of the English forces in America: William Howe No president in America  Many politicians from the colonies united to “run” the country General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army: George Washington

British Advantages: Well-trained and well-supplied army and navy Wealth and available resources Strong Central Government –Helped with decisions

British Disadvantages: Fighting in unfamiliar territory Fighting far away from Britain and resources Troops had mixed feelings about the war –Some just wanted to forget the colonies and go home

Colonial Advantages: Fighting on home ground –Familiar with the territory More motivated to fight –Fighting for freedom and their rights! French alliance  loans, navy, and troops –France wanted to get back at England for their losses in the French and Indian War

Colonial Disadvantages Untrained soldiers –Small army Food and ammunition shortages Weak and divided central government –Colonies were not united, remember?

We already discussed the battles and Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill –The colonial forces lost the fort on Bunker Hill but the British exited Boston to remove Thomas Gage from command and replaced him with William Howe

General Howe figured that he could end the war if he took a major colonial city –He figured that conquering a major city would show the people in the colonies was the war was a forgotten cause He made New York city his next target.

Before the Continental congress released the Declaration of Independence, Britain was shipping troops to New York – Planned attack? Though it was not a big army, Howe and the British forces launched their attack

The continental army was NOT ready for any kind of warfare Washington was still in the early stages of training his army during the attack on New York The British forces EASILY defeated Washington and his men. –The British made New York their headquarters for the rest of the war

After New York, Howe and the British turned their advantages towards Philadelphia. Fortunately for Washington and his men, the harsh winter forced the British to set up camp in New Jersey

“Washington crosses the Delaware” As the British camped in New Jersey, Washington devised a plan –On December 25, 1776, he took about 2,400 men across the Delaware River for a sneak attack –Washington led two small victories over the British troops in Trenton and Princeton

Howe commenced his plan(s) to take Philadelphia –The Continental Congress was in Philadelphia –He thought that if he took them captive, then the war would have an early end Howe moved forces south to Maryland and sent wave after wave of men up to Philadelphia

Philadelphia fell to the British in September 11, 1777 The Continental Congress escaped during the siege and avoided being taken prisoner Washington and his men retreated to Valley Forge –Valley Forge: Continental Army’s headquarters  Located in Pennsylvania

George Washington was not the only official in charge of training the men at Valley Forge –Assisted by General Marquiz de Lafayette from France and Baron Friedrich von Steuben from Prussia

The Turning Point of the War After losing New York and Philadelphia, American morale was getting pretty low. –The harsh winters and lack of food and medicine took many lives as well. The Continental Army needed an uplifting victory –The Battle of Saratoga

English General John Burgoyne and his troops were marching south from Quebec They were ambushed by American forces in Saratoga, New York –American troops led by General Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold

The Battle at Saratoga had a bigger effect than simply morale –The French were in secret discussions with American political leaders Discussing financial support from the French America’s victory at Saratoga convinced the French that the colonies could actually win the war.

On Feb. 6, 1778, the United States signed its first two treaties: –First Treaty: France became the first country to recognize the United States as an independent country –Second: An alliance between France and the United States

In June 1778, France officially went to war against England. Spain also entered the war in 1779 because they allied with France –Spain did NOT ally with the United States

The War Spread The Revolutionary War was not just in the northeast –The Patriots defeated the British surrounding the Ohio River Valley –The Patriots defeated the British at sea –The South fell to the British.

In December 1778, the British troops conquered Savannah, Georgia with much ease. They left Savannah and went straight to Charles Town –Charles Town was the greatest American defeat in the war –5,500 American soldiers were taken prisoner

The British troops made their way through the south, burning and raiding cities. –**Remember the Tories?  Supported the British The British ran into trouble when they reached the Appalachian mountains

American Generals Nathaniel Greene and Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion led a dual attack on the British in the south. As they fought the British from the front, they destroyed their supplies in the back.  It worked! –By late 1781, the Americans drove the English out of the South –Except Savannah, Charles Town, and Wilmington

England shifted towards Virginia General Charles Cornwallis of England met up with NOW English General Benedict Arnold –General Cornwallis was in charge of the remaining British forces in the South **Earlier in the war, Benedict Arnold sold information to the British –When his treason was discovered, he joined the British forces

The Battle of Yorktown The two combined British forces tore through Virginia, facing very little resistance for nearly three months. In June 1781, the British forces met an American force led by General Anthony Wayne Greatly outnumbered the British –Cornwallis retreated to a Virginia town  Yorktown

**Earlier that year, some of the promised French troops had arrived –6,000 men Washington was planning an attack to retake New York from the British, but saw an opportunity to end the war and created another plan instead –He and the French forces headed towards Cornwallis’ forces in Yorktown

Luckily for the Americans, more French troops were on their way by ship. –The fleet landed in the Chesapeake Bay near Yorktown Cornwallis was trapped!

The French naval fleet in the Chesapeake Bay blocked incoming supplies for the British and a retreat by sea Washington and the French forces blocked a retreat from the west General Wayne’s large forces in the south also made retreat impossible

On September 28, 1781, American and French forces began bombarding Yorktown. On October 17, Cornwallis began negotiations to surrender On October 19, 1781, about 8,000 British troops marched out of Yorktown and laid down their weapons. –The war was over.

In March 1782, Prime Minister Lord North and Parliament voted to begin peace negotiations with America –Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay led the negotiations for America The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783 –In this treaty, Britain recognized the United States of America as a new country

The treaty gave Florida back to Spain France received colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. On November 24, 1783, the last British ship filled with British troops left New York. The Revolutionary War was over and the era of a new nation had began.