2. By 1776, American colonists were divided into 3 groups
Loyalists wanted to remain British colonies
Neutrals were undecided about which side to choose
Patriots supported separation from Britain (independence)

3. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was the principal author
By July 1776, enough Americans were “patriots” that members of the Second Continental Congress formed a 5-man committee to draft a Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was the principal author
All men are born with “natural rights” of life, liberty, & property
Citizens can break their social contract with their gov’t when their gov’t becomes tyrannical
It was based on the “enlightened” ideas of John Locke & explained why the colonists were rebelling

4. Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)
Committee to draft the Declaration: Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, & Roger Sherman

5. Decoding the Declaration of Independence
We should explain why we are declaring independence
All people have natural rights
Government power comes from the people
If a gov’t cannot protect people, then the people should create a new gov’t that can
King George III has abused his power
These are the reasons we believe that the king has abused his powers
We have explained to the king why we are unhappy but he has ignored us and hurt us
Because of the king’s abusive actions, we are declaring our independence as a new nation

6. Formation of a Continental Army under George Washington
The Declaration of Independence was a formal demand for separation, but the Revolutionary War had already begun in 1775
Lexington & Concord
Formation of a Continental Army under George Washington
Americans were divided among Patriots, Loyalists, & Neutrals

8. Revolutionary War
When the war began, the British had a clear military advantage:
400% larger & more experienced army
More money
The world’s most dominant navy
Manufacturing to make war supplies

9. Revolutionary War But, the American colonists had:
Familiarity with the environment
A commitment to win the war
Short supply lines to their soldiers
A defensive strategy to outlast the British

10. Britain under-estimated the colonial commitment to independence
Revolutionary War
Britain under-estimated the colonial commitment to independence
To win, the English had to find & defeat the Continental Army

11. He had to build a professional army & coordinate the militias
As leader of the Continental Army, George Washington was the symbol of the American cause
He had to build a professional army & coordinate the militias
Encouraged common citizens & volunteer soldiers to support the war even when the British seemed destined to win during the early years of the revolution

12. Differing Military Strategies
The Americans
The British
Divide & Conquer
Use Loyalists, seize property, encourage slave revolts
Split the Northern & Southern colonies
Blockade ports to prevent trade
Outlast the British
Defend colonial lands & drag out the war
Guerilla tactics
Make an alliance with France

13. Discord Turns to Violence…
The American Revolution began at Lexington & Concord

14. British victories from 1776-1777 made an American victory look impossible
The British win at
• Bunker Hill
• Long Island
• Ticonderoga
• Quebec
• Brandywine

15. On Christmas Eve 1776, Washington gave Americans hope by crossing the Delaware River & surprising British troops in Trenton, NJ
Mr. Roberts & Mr. Fryar at Princeton Battlefield in New Jersey. (Yeah, we’re history geeks!)

16. From the beginning of the war, American diplomats, led by Benjamin Franklin, tried to form an alliance with the French
The French gov’t was willing, but needed to see that the Americans had a chance to win
The French agreed to join the American cause after the battle of Saratoga in 1777

17. The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point because France joined the Americans as an ally

18. After Saratoga, French general Lafayette helped train American troops while the French navy helped neutralize the British advantage on the high seas
Marquis de Lafayette
When French troops arrived in the spring 1778, the tide of the war shifted in favor of the Americans

19. During the winter of
, Continental Army troops nearly starved at Valley Forge, PA but Washington & Lafayette inspired & trained the troops to continue the fight
Washington: the story of us video (2.19)

20. The Southern Theater
With the war a virtual stalemate in the North, British General Charles, Lord Cornwallis, opened a new front with the capture of Charleston, SC in 1780.

21. The Southern Battles of The Revolutionary War
The role of Carolinians in the course of the American Revolution, including the use of partisan warfare and the battles of Charleston, Camden, Cowpens, Kings Mountain and Eutaw Springs, Moores Creek, and Guilford Courthouse

22. Patriot leaders got word the British planned to capture Charles Town.
First Battle of Charleston
Patriot leaders got word the British planned to capture Charles Town.
They decided to build a fort on Sullivan’s Island – Colonel William Moultrie began building a fort of palmetto logs.
British fired and their cannon balls bounced safely off the soft wood.
Americans severely damaged the British ships and renamed the fort, Fort Moultrie.

23. The Siege of Charles Town
- Charleston was under siege by the British land forces for many days.
- Charleston harbor was blockaded and supply lines were cut off.
- Patriot troops, trapped on the
peninsula, were forced to
surrender to the British.
- Other Patriot forces in SC also surrendered.
British hoped that SC loyalists
and the large numbers of South Carolinians who remained neutral would help them to control the state and contribute to winning the war.

24. 1780: Charleston Under Siege…
• March 29, 1780
• Major General Benjamin Lincoln
• severe blow to the colonies
• the greatest loss of manpower and equipment of the war for the Americans
• gave the British nearly complete control of the Southern colonies

25. British Mistakes
British forces treated the colonists harshly, burning churches, looting or confiscating homes and harassing and mistreating citizens.
This harsh treatment turned many South Carolinians against the British and they formed partisan bands.
Soon Patriot partisans were fighting both the British regular troops and Loyalist forces using hit and run tactics.

26. British in the Carolinas…
British hoped that they would gain control of the state through large numbers of state Loyalists and the neutral colonists to help win the war
But, the British changed their parole terms and forced paroled Patriots to take up arms against their countrymen
At the same time, the British, along with American Tories, treated SC harshly: they burned churches, looted & confiscated homes, harassed and exiled citizens
This behavior turned South Carolinians against the British. Partisan bands were formed as a result

27. Partisan Troops… SUMTER MARION PICKENS
Carolinians faced with a British army marching through their colony resorted to guerilla warfare to stymie Cornwallis’ efforts to subjugate them.
SUMTER MARION PICKENS

28. Patriot partisans in the Carolinas led by Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens, & William Harden were fighting both the British regular troops and the Loyalists forces using hit & run tactics.

29. “Tarleton’s Quarters”
After British captured Charles Town, they began an offensive to conquer the whole state
Colonel Banastre “Bloody”Tarleton slaughtered the Waxhaws – “Tarleton’s Quarters”!
Convinced some neutrals to join patriots

30. Battle of Camden
a major defeat for the regular Continental Army because it signified that almost all of South Carolina was controlled by the British
The South Carolina militia was not prepared and turned and fled in the face of the regular British forces

31. Horatio Gates’ command of the southern arm of the Continental Army was then transferred to Nathaniel Greene
Greene understood the need to coordinate with the work of the state’s partisans in order to fight a destructive war of attrition [termed today a “mobile war”] that would unbalance and eventually destroy the British war effort.

32. Battle of Kings Mountain
After the British victory at Camden, Cornwallis sent Major Patrick Ferguson, Commander of the Loyalists, into the SC Up-country to rid the area of Patriots.
Ferguson was ambushed by North & South Carolina mountain-men at Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780.
Using guerrilla warfare, the Patriots killed Ferguson along with 1,100 of his men.
The British tried to surrender, but were offered no quarter by the Patriots in retaliation of the harsh treatment the British had bestowed upon the Patriots throughout SC
Kings Mountain is considered the turning point of the war in the south. From this point on, the British began retreating from the interior of SC.

33. Battle of King’s Mountain – The Turning Point in the War

34. Battle of Cowpens – YouTube (2:18)

35. Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens showed the cooperation of the regular Continental Army and the partisan forces.
Partisans had a reputation of turning tail and running (think Camden Cowards). Americans counted on this rep for the battle plan.
The partisans, led by Andrew Pickens, led the attack and then fled, tricking the British into thinking the Americans were retreating. Instead, the partisans lured the British forces into the guns of the regular American army.
British were defeated-retreated toward Virginia.

36. Guerilla Warfare
A tactic in which small groups of soldiers harass of launch surprise attacks on the enemy and then suddenly disappear
“Swamp Fox” – Francis Marion
“The Gamecock” – Thomas Sumter
“Wizard Owl” – Andrew Pickens

37. Guildford Courthouse March 1781
Bloody battle at Guildford Court House in North Carolina
Cost Cornwallis one-fourth of his men
British victory
Video:

39. From , both sides traded victories, but the war finally came to a conclusion at the Battle of Yorktown

40. The Battle of Yorktown
By 1781, Washington trapped the army of British General Cornwallis between the Continental Army & the French navy
America the Story of Us video on Yorktown (3.00)

41. Cornwallis’ surrender was the “day the world turned upside down”
The Battle of Yorktown
General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in 1781, ending the American Revolution
Why the Americans won the Revolutionary War: America Story of Us video (3.20)
Cornwallis’ surrender was the “day the world turned upside down”

42. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 ended the American Revolution
The treaty gave America:
Full independence
All territory east of Mississippi River, between Canada & Florida
The removal of the British army from U.S. claims in America

43. Crash Course #7