1. Chapter 8 America Secedes from the Empire, 1775 – 1783

2. Congress Drafts George Washington
Congress select George Washington to head the army besieging Boston
Washington would actually lose more battles than he won
Known for his patience, courage, self-discipline, and a sense of justice

3. Bunker Hill and Hessian Hirelings
The curious war of inconsistency
May 1775 – a American force under Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold capture Ticonderoga

4. June 1775 – Bunker Hill
July 1775 – the Continental Congress adopted the “Olive Branch Petition’’

5. The Hessians
George III. Hires thousands of German troops
Most soldiers-for-hire came from the German principality of Hessen

6. The Abortive Conquest of Canada
October 1775 – the British burn Falmouth (Portland), Maine
October 1775 – the rebels invade Canada under General Richard Montgomery
January 1776 – the British set fire to Norfolk

7. Thomas Paine Preaches Common Sense
Loyalty to the empire was deeply ingrained
1776 – Thomas Paine published Common Sense
Colonies had outgrown any need for English domination and should be given independence

8. Paine and the Idea of “Republicanism”
Paine calls for a new kind of political society
The republic
Power comes from the people themselves

9. Jefferson’s “Explanation” of Independence
Richard Henry Lee
“These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states ’’
Congress creates committee of 5 delegates to draft a declaration of independence

10. Declaration of Independence
Issued July 4, 1776
The declaration drafted by Jefferson listed specific grievances of King George III’s government

11. The King’s Government’s Response
King George III (American signers reason to fear)
“…You are to be hanged by the neck, but not until dead; for while you are still living your bodies are to be taken down, your bowels torn out and burned before your faces, your heads then cut off, and your bodies divided each into four quarters, and your heads and quarters to be then at the King’s disposal; and may the Almighty G-d have mercy on your souls.”

12. Patriots and Loyalists
The Loyalists or “Tories’’
Loyalists most numerous where the Anglican church was strongest
The Patriots or “Whigs’’
Rebels were most numerous where Presbyterianism and Congregationalism flourished

13. The Loyalist Exodus Loyalists after the Declaration of Independence
Loyalists become subjected to some brutality
Hundreds were imprisoned, and some were hanged
Leading Loyalists flee to the British lines

14. General Washington at Bay
The British move to New York
1776 – The Battle of Long Island
Washington escaped to Manhattan Island

15. The Battle at Trenton – December 26, 1776
Washington re-crossed the Delaware River
Defeats the Hessians

16. Burgoyne’s Blundering Invasion
British plan to capture the vital Hudson River valley in 1777
General (“Gentleman Johnny’’) Burgoyne leads the British army
The Battle of Saratoga – October 17, 1777
Burgoyne is forced to surrender his entire command

18. Valley Forge
Washington and the Continental Army fight to stay alive at their winter camp in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
More than 2,000 soldiers died
Foreign Help
Friedrich von Steuben
Marquis de Lafayette

19. Strange French Bedfellows
British offer home rule after the Battle of Saratoga
The French provide firearms and gunpowder
1778 – France offers open alliance

20. The Colonial War Becomes a World War
1779 – Spain and Holland enter the war against Britain
The British evacuate Philadelphia and concentrate their strength in New York City
Until 1781, Washington remained in the New York area hemming in the British

21. Blow and Counterblow 1780 – General Benedict Arnold turns traitor
The British invade the southern colonies in 1778–1779
General Nathaniel Greene succeeded in clearing most British troops out of Georgia and South Carolina

23. The Land Frontier and the Sea Frontier
The Iroqouis Confederacy splits
The Oneidas and Tuscaroras side with the Americans
The Senecas, Mohawks, Cayugas, and Onondagas joined the British
1784 – pro-British Iroquois sign the Treaty of Fort Stanwix

24. Americas Navy
John Paul Jones – father of the navy
American privateers

25. Yorktown and the Final Curtain
General Cornwallis falls back to Chesapeake Bay at Yorktown
Admiral de Grasse blockades the Chesapeake

26. Washington’s and Rochambeau’s army surround the British
Cornwallis surrenders on October 19, 1781
“The World Turn’d Upside Down’’

27. Peace at Paris 1783
Terms:
Britain would recognize the existence of the United States as an independent nation
The Mississippi River would be the western boundary of the U.S.
Americans would have fishing rights off the coast of Canada
Americans would pay debts owed to British merchants and honor Loyalists claims for property confiscated