1. The
American
Revolution:

2. First Continental Congress (1774)
55 delegates from 12 colonies
Met in Philadelphia
Agenda  How to redress colonial grievances?

3. The Regulars Are Coming . . .
Paul Revere & William Dawes make their midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British soldiers.

4. The Shot Heard ’Round the World! Lexington & Concord – April 18,1775

6. Second Continental Congress
May 1775
Conservative
No well defined desire for independence
“Olive Branch Petition”
Best political move - drafting George Washington

7. Bunker Hill and the Hessians
May Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga
June 1775 – colonists capture Bunker Hill – but it was taken back by the British
July nd Continental Congress adopts the Olive Branch Petition – REJECTED by the king
August 1775 – King George III claims that the colonies are in rebellion – hires Hessians to bring order

8. Thomas Paine Preaches Common Sense
Americans continue to deny any intention of independence
Paine released a pamphlet called Common Sense in 1776 – argued that colonists had outgrown the need for English domination and they should be given independence
Called for the creation of a new political society – a republic – where power flowed from the people

9. Jefferson’s Explanation of Independence
July 2, Richard Henry Lee ‘s resolution of declaring independence was passed
Thomas Jefferson was appointed to draft the Declaration of Independence
Approved by Congress on July 4, 1776

10. By signing their name to the Declaration of Independence, these 56 men committed an act of treason.

11. Military Strategies The Americans The British
Break the colonies in half by getting between the No. & the So.
Blockade the ports to prevent the flow of goods and supplies from an ally.
“Divide and Conquer” - use the Loyalists.
Attrition [the Brits had a long supply line].
Guerilla tactics [fight an insurgent war you don’t have to win a battle, just wear the British down]
Make an alliance with one of Britain’s enemies.

12. Phase 2: The Middle Colonies
British concentrated on New York City because Boston had been evacuated
1776- Washington and his men were overpowered by the British at the Battle of Long Island – escaped to Manhattan
Nathan Hale captured
December 26, Washington surprised and captured 1,000 Hessians who were sleeping – The Battle of Trenton
Thomas Paine “ Crisis Papers”

13. Washington Crossing the Delaware Painted by Emanuel Leutze, 1851!
Is it realistic?

14. Saratoga: “Turning Point of the War”

15. The French
After the Lexington shooting, the French secretly provided arms to the Americans
However, the French made an open alliance with the Americans in 1778, following the American victory at Saratoga.

16. Valley Forge
George Washington & Marquis de Lafayette

17. The Battle of Yorktown (1781)
Count de Rochambeau
Admiral De Grasse

18. Yorktown and the Final Curtain
General Cornwallis waited for supplies and reinforcements at the Chesapeake Bay near Yorktown – George Washington and Rochambeau’s army joined with Admiral de Grasse cornered Cornwallis
Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781

19. Cornwallis’ Surrender at Yorktown:
“The World Turned Upside Down!”
Painted by John Trumbull, 1797

20. Famous People of the American Revolution
Nathan Hale (1776) – caught by the British in NY, charged with espionage, and hanged – “I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Betsy Ross (1776) – DID NOT make the first American flag
Patrick Henry (1775) – Governor of Virginia – In a speech to the House of Burgesses he stated, “ Give me liberty, or give me death.”
Mary McCauley (1778) – “Molly Pitcher” – took her husband’s place at the canon when he was injured at the Battle of Monmouth.
Benedict Arnold (1780) – turned traitor for money
Nathanael Greene (1780) – cleared the South of British troops by attacking small units individually – “Fighting Quaker”
Francis Marion (1780) – “Swamp Fox” – led night-time guerilla-style raids on the British
John Paul Jones (1779) – “Father of the American Navy” – “Surrender? I have not yet begun to fight.” – captured the HMS Serapis

21. Recap of Important Battles
1. Lexington – Concord 1775
Shot the world
2. Breeds- Bunker Hill – 1775
Don’t fire ‘til you see the whites of their eyes
3. Trenton- Princeton 1776
G. Washington crosses frozen Delaware River
4. Saratoga Oct 17, 1777
Howe & Burgoyne vs. Arnold & Gates
France + Alliance = $
5. Yorktown Oct 17, * end war
Cornwallis (Br) vs. G. Washington, Rochambeau & DeGrasse
6. Treaty of Paris Sept 1783
United States recognized officially as a country

22. Peace at Paris Conditions of the Treaty of Paris of 1783:
British formally recognized the independence of the United States
Florida was given to Spain
Britain granted generous boundaries – Mississippi River was western boundary of the United States
America granted fishing rights off the coast of Newfoundland
Loyalists were no longer persecuted
Ben Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay negotiated the peace terms with Britain

23. North America After the Treaty of Paris, 1783