1. The Battle of Yorktown

2. Battle of Yorktown Summer of 1781 British General Charles Cornwallis
Set up headquarters in Yorktown, VA
Choose this site because it was on the Chesapeake Bay
Easy to supply troops
BUT it was not easy to defend

3. When and Where Yorktown , Virginia On the Chesapeake Bay
Both the French and the Americans encircled Yorktown
The French navy took control of the bay

4. Victory at Yorktown The Cornwallis and his men were trapped
By mid-October they were running out of food and ammunition
Considered the last major battle of the war

5. Cornwallis Surrenders! American is free from England!
On October 19, Cornwallis surrendered
It was a siege that lasted 3 weeks
This is the house in which Cornwallis surrendered

6. Just something interesting
Cornwallis’s second in command tries to give Cornwallis’s sword to the French general
BUT the French tell him to give it to Washington
Washington tells the British officer to give it to Washington’s second in command
What do you think about this?

7. Washington goes home
After the war, Washington stops by a meeting of Congress
He retires as the leader of the army
Congress thanks him for his service

8. Treaty of Paris
April 1782
Both the British and the Americans meet to negotiate a peace treaty
John Jay, Ben Franklin and John Adams represent America

9. Treaty of Paris What the Americans wanted
Britain to accept America as an independent country
Wanted ALL British troops to leave American lands
The British agreed

10. Treaty of Paris The treaty was signed on September 2, 1783
The treaty named the United States of America as a new country

11. The Nation’s Borders From Georgia to the Great Lakes
From the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River

12. Bibliography
Slide 1 The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown
Slice 4 Surrender of Cornwallis at York-Town
Slide 5 House of Cornwallis’s surrender
Slide 10 map g3300 ar
Slide 6 George Washington