1. 1776: Washington’s Narrow Escape
Washington Faces Largest British Army Ever
Battle of Long Island
Battle of Trenton, Christmas 1776
Battle of Princeton
Winter at Morristown
1776 was a year of near disaster for the colonial army. General Howe assembled the largest British army ever to find and defeat the colonial army. While trying to get time to train his soldiers, Washington fought a series of retreats. At the end of the year, after the British had entered winter camp, Washington crossed the Delaware River, struck at Trenton, and enter winter camp himself at Morristown, where the colonial army trained for the next spring’s battles.

2. Major Campaigns in New York and New Jersey, 1776–1777
America, 8th Edition
Copyright © W.W. Norton & Company

3. American Society at War
Choosing Sides
Militia and Army
Financing the War Effort
Contrary to popular belief, the entire nation did not rise up to support the American Revolution. Colonial society was split between three groups: the Tories, the Patriots, and those who could care less.
The colonial army was divided into two groups: those who enlisted, and the militiamen who were sent by their states to fight.
Any war effort requires money, and the United States was rich only in resources. They needed to find outside sources to provide them with much-needed supplies. Until they won a major victory, the Continental army would have grave difficulties meeting their needs.

4. 1777: Setbacks for the British
The British Plan
Would launch a three-pronged attack on New York
Prong one, south from Canada
Prong two, east from western New York
Prong three, up the Hudson River from New York City
The Battle of Saratoga
The importance of Saratoga
The British plan in 1777 was to divide and conquer. By dividing New England from the middle and southern colonies, the British hoped to kill the rebellion. This plan was filled with overconfidence and poor communication. All three ended in defeat for the redcoats.
The largest failure was the Battle of Saratoga, in which the British general John Burgoyne was captured. This was the first major victory for the United States. It showed their potential allies that they could stand against the world’s strongest army and hold their own.
Because of the victory at Saratoga, the American Revolution became a world war. France entered into the conflict and provided war material and much-needed ships for the war effort.

5. 1778: Both Sides Regroup War in the East in 1778
General Clinton replaces Howe
Washington winters in Valley Forge
Western Successes for the Colonials
After the debacle at Saratoga, General Howe was replaced by General Henry Clinton. This would be a common theme among the British during this war: when one failed another would take his place with his own ideas and strategies.
While Washington was in winter camp at Valley Forge, the colonials there were shaped into a professional army.
At the same time that major battles were being fought in the colonies, British soldiers were stirring up Native American forces in the Ohio River Valley. These actions were intended to draw support from the colonial army, thereby dividing it and making it easier to conquer. It didn’t end up that way.

6. Southern Campaign Reasons to Move South
Reasons for Lack of British Success in the South
The Battle of Camden, South Carolina
The Battle of Kings Mountain
The Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Yorktown
The result
The British moved south to try to find the Tory base that they believed would rise up and support them against the colonials. However, their raping and pillaging the colonials they found did not endear themselves to whatever Tories were still in the area.
At the Battle of Camden, the British defeated the colonials, and the hero of Saratoga and commander of the colonial forces, Horatio Gates, fled for his life. He was replaced by Nathanael Greene.
Greene led Cornwallis away from his supply base in the north, closer toward Greene’s own support network. Cornwallis took the bait and soon found himself surrounded on the Yorktown peninsula. He surrendered his army, and with that surrender, the war came to a conclusion.

7. Major Campaigns in the South, 1778–1781
America, 8th Edition
Copyright © W.W. Norton & Company

8. Negotiations for Peace
Negotiators
Problems with Our Allies
America Enters into Solo Negotiations with Great Britain
The Treaty of Paris, 1783
As soon as the war began, the United States sent diplomats to England to work to end it and secure a peace.
Although the negotiators would change throughout the war, they were always led by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.
As soon as the war in the New World ended, it became obvious to the diplomats that France and Spain were not interested in ending the war. England’s army was defeated, but not her navy and not her people. France wanted England beaten and was unwilling to broker negotiations with them for the United States. Spain had entered the war against England but had never sided with the American colonies.
Franklin entered into negotiations with England and secured the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which brought the war to an end.

9. The Political Revolution
Republican Ideology
Changes to State Governments
Crafting the Articles of Confederation
Was the American Revolution truly revolutionary? What had begun as a crisis for political rights had ended in a separation from the mother country. But once that separation was completed, the system of laws and standards remained as they were before the war.
One major change was the codification of the civil liberties and the powers of the states in the face of the national government.
This is seen in the crafting of our first document outlining our system of national government, the Articles of Confederation, which created a loose network that tied the states together only when necessary.

10. The Social Revolution Equality and Its Limits The Paradox of Slavery
The Status of Women
Indians and the Revolution
Freedom of Religion
It is important to remember that, although this was a war fought for the independence of the American colonies and its citizens, and although the Declaration of Independence declared that “all men were created equal,” that after the war, there was not much change for some groups.
While the strict class structure that existed in England had never fully developed in the colonies, what had been practiced was still in effect. Slavery was still practiced and would be a major political and social issue for almost another hundred years.
A major change in American society following the conclusion of the American War of Independence was the growth of non-Anglican churches. They would play a role in shaping the evolution of society and politics through the remainder of American history.

11. Emergence of an American Culture
Independence Day
The Appearance of American Nationalism