1. Causes & the Revolutionary War
American Revolution
Standards 3-4
Causes & the Revolutionary War

2. More causes… standard 3 extras
Thomas Paine – Common Sense
Author - Thomas Paine
Published in 1776
challenged the authority of the British government & the royal monarchy.
The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.
First Continental Congress
1774, delegates from 12 colonies met together – Georgia did not participate  agreed to halt trade with Britain.
Expanded the militia of citizen soldiers (minutemen) throughout the colonies, in anticipation of armed conflict with Britain.
Committees of Correspondence - colonial leaders from all but one colony (Pennsylvania), communicated ways to protest British policies.

3. Escalating Conflict: Lexington & Concord
BRITISH ACTION: April 1775 General Gage sent troops to march on Concord, Mass. & seize colonial weapons & capture “rebel” leaders: Samuel Adams & John Hancock
Results:
Lexington: 8 colonists dead,
10 wounded
After Concord:
British suffered 273 causalities,
colonists suffered less than 100
COLONIAL REACTION:
Minutemen intercept the British and engage in battle—first at Lexington, and then at Concord.
Patriot leader Paul Revere, who along with William Dawes, heard about the plan of the British & decided to spread the alarm.
“The British are coming!”

4. 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
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
2nd continental congress: 3 weeks after battles of Lexington & Concord – continental congress met in Philadelphia.
Important people: Ben Franklin, John Hancock, Sam Adams
1st issue was defense  Congress voted to “adopt” the militia army surrounding Boston.
It was based on the “enlightened” ideas of John Locke & explained why the colonists were rebelling

6. Americans who backed Britain were known as Loyalists, or Tories.
People who believed Britain had become tyrants were known as Patriots, or Whigs.
Patriots vs. Loyalists
What is a Patriot & what is a Loyalist?
Where were the Loyalist strongholds?
Why might Indians have been loyalists?

7. Based on this word cloud, hypothesize THREE major themes present in the Declaration of Independence?

8. Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)
Severing all ties with Great Britain and
declaring themselves the United States of America
Committee to draft the Declaration: Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, & Roger Sherman

9. Founding Fathers video: “We Declare our Independence”

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

11. Let’s Discuss
What was the biggest advantage the American colonists had during the Revolutionary War?
What was the biggest advantage that Great Britain had during the Revolutionary War?
Based on this chart, who should win the war?

12. 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

13. But, the American colonists had: Familiarity with the environment
Revolutionary War
Britain under-estimated the colonial commitment to independence
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
To win, the English had to find & defeat the Continental Army

14. 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

15. American Military: Continental Army, Colonial Militias, & Civilians

16. Differing Military Strategies
General Washington
The Americans
General Gage
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
As long as Britain did not defeat the Continental Army, England could not win

17. The American Soldier

18. The American Revolution began at Lexington & Concord

19. British victories from 1776-1777 made an American victory look impossible

20. British Seizure & Burning of New York, 1776

21. On Christmas Eve 1776, Washington gave Americans hope by crossing the Delaware River & surprising British troops in Trenton, NJ
Washington & his men were suffering from losses to British, loss of thousands of troops

22. This victory gave new hope to the Americans
Crossing the Delaware in route to a surprise attack at Trenton & Princeton, 1776
This victory gave new hope to the Americans

23. 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

24. The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point because France joined the Americans as an ally
included the surrender of almost 5,000 British soldiers, proved America’s ability to fight, & bolstered American resolve while attracting European support.

25. The “turning point” of the Revolution: The Battle of Saratoga, 1777
After Saratoga, French general Lafayette helped train American troops while the French navy helped neutralize the British advantage on the high seas
When French troops arrived in the spring 1778, the tide of the war shifted in favor of the Americans
Marquis de Lafayette

26. 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)
Valley Forge (outside Philadelphia), served as the site of the Continental Army’s camp during the winter of
British occupied Philadelphia & took quarters inside while the underclothed & underfed Patriots were in makeshift huts in the freezing, snowy woods.
low point for General Washington & his troops

27. Near Starvation at Valley Forge, PA in 1778

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

29. 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)

30. 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”

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

32. North America 1754
North America 1763
North America 1783

33. Practice Questions
Of what importance were men such as Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Steuben to the American cause?
A) they served as spies
B) they provided expertise
C) they assisted the British
D) they served in Congress

34. Practice Questions
How did the Treaty of Paris 1783 change the political map of North America?
A) Great Britain gained land.
B) The United States claimed land that had been under British control.
C) France ceded Florida to Spain.
D) The United States gained Florida from Spain.