The American Revolution

1775 – 1783From Paul Revere to the

Treaty of Paris

Bibliography

• Patriots: A Simulation of the American Revolution. 2000.• Build Our Nation. 2000.• The American Revolutionary War: A Timeline of Major Events.

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com• General “Mad” Anthony Wayne.

http://americanrevwar.homestead.com• George Rogers Clark. http://www.kdla.ky.gov

Paul Revere’s Ride p. 1 of 2

• Date: April 18, 1775

• Who: Paul Revere, William Dawes, & Dr. Samuel Prescott• Famous Silversmith, Paul Revere, rode through

the New England countryside from Boston to Lexington to warn the American colonists that the British were coming. He didn’t actually

Paul Revere’s Ride p. 2 of 2reach his destination because he was captured

by British Redcoats, but one of his companions, Dr. Samuel Prescott, got the message through.

When the British arrived in Lexington, the American militia was ready.

Famous line: “The Regulars are coming!”

The Battle of Lexington p. 1 of 2

• Date: April 19, 1775

• In the Spring of 1775, British spies sent word to General Gage that the Minutemen were collecting weapons and storing them in Concord, a town about 17 miles northwest of Boston. On April 18, Gage prepared to send about 800 soldiers to seize the weapons. They left Boston at dawn on April 19th.

Battle of Lexington p. 2 of 2

• The two armies met on the Lexington Green(an open area in the middle of town). The battle

that followed was hardly a battle at all. Sixty minutemen faced about 250 of the best-trained soldiers in the world. No one knows who fired first, but when the firing had stopped, eight colonists lay dead.

Slogan: “The shot heard round the world!”

Battle of Concord p. 1 of 2

• April 19, 1775 – right after the Battle of Lexington• After a victory cheer, the British marched on to

Concord. Some soldiers were sent to secure the bridges; others set out to destroy the supply of weapons. They never found the weapons.

• Instead they ran into about 500 Minutemen. The two sides fought, and three British soldiers and two Minutemen were killed.

• While the British were deciding what to do next,

Battle of Concord p. 2 of 2

--retreat or wait for more men – word spread fast. Bells rang, alarm guns were fired, and riders thundered along country roads, spreading the word. Thousands of Patriots headed toward Concord.

The British finally decided to march back to Boston. For most of the 17-mile march, Minutemen shot at them from behind trees and stone walls. By the time the British troops staggered into Charlestown, they were beaten, bloody, and exhausted.

Battle of Ft. Ticonderoga p. 1 of 2• May 10, 1775

• Who: Ethan Allen & the Green Mountain Boys

• Ft. Ticonderoga is a New York fort on the western shore of Lake Champlain that was originally a French fort, called Carillon, that was seized by the British in the French & Indian War.

• This fort was captured on May 10th by the Americans in their first “official” victory of the American Revolutionary War. The fort wasn’t garrisoned well, but still held a stock of British weapons.

Ft. Ticonderoga p. 2 of 2

• Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, along with Benedict Arnold, captured the fort on May 10, 1775. The capture stalled a planned British invasion from Canada and also helped the American troops to invade Canada themselves.

• The British recaptured this fort in 1777, but abandoned it in 1780.

The 2nd Continental Congress p. 1 of 2

• When: May of 1775• Where: Philadelphia, PA

• The Second Continental Congress met in 1775, when the Revolutionary War had started. Things were going badly, and the armed forces were disorganized. The Continental Congress created the Continental Army and named George Washington as commander-in-chief.

The 2nd Continental Congressp. 2 of 2

• The Congress continued through the summer.

• Some of the delegates included John Hancock, John Adams, and Samuel Adams from Massachusetts. Benjamin Franklin was a delegate from Pennsylvania. George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick Henry came from Virginia.

The Battle of Bunker Hill(fought on Breed’s Hill) p. 1 of 7

• Date: June 16, 1775• Charlestown – across the Charles River from

Boston (check out the map on p. 269 in the red book)

• This was a two-day engagement between British forces under the command of General William Howe and the American forces under Colonel William Prescott.

Battle of Bunker Hill p. 2 of 7• Two hills, Bunker Hill & Breed’s Hill, were located

on a peninsula in Charlestown, near Boston. The Patriots had surrounded Boston on every side except Charlestown, so they decided to fortify, or strengthen, this peninsula.

• One the night of June 16, one thousand Minutemen marched in the dark to Bunker Hill. Their commander, Colonel William Prescott, decided at the last minute to fortify nearby Breed’s Hill instead, because it was closer to Boston.

Battle of Bunker Hill p. 3 of 7

• The next morning the British saw what the colonists were up to on Breed’s Hill. They ordered their warships to begin bombarding the hill with cannons. At the same time, they ferried thousands of soldiers across the river to form battle ranks at the base of the hill.

• While they watched and waited, the Americans tried to control their fear. They kept repeating to themselves the order Colonel Prescott had given them: “Don’t one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”

Battle of Bunker Hill p. 4 of 7

• When the order finally came to shoot, the Patriots’ fire sent the line of British soldiers reeling. One British soldier who survived the battle later wrote that “such a slaughter was, perhaps, never made upon British troops.”

• The British, with many soldiers killed or wounded, were forced to retreat. Within minutes they launched a second attack against the hill.

Battle of Bunker Hill p. 5 of 7• The Patriots beat them back a second time!

• The British general sent his men up the hill a third time. Once again, the Patriots pushed back the British front line. But the soldiers kept moving forward until the Patriots finally ran out of ammunition. That’s when the British charged with their bayonets, forcing the Patriots to give up the hill and flee to higher ground. By the end of the day, the British had taken over the Charlestown peninsula.

Battle of Bunker Hill p. 6 of 7

• Most of the fighting took place on Breed’s Hill, but the battle became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. Though it was a victory of sorts for the British, it cost them. British casualties were much higher than Patriot casualties.

Start of Battle: Patriots = 1,500 soldiers British = 2,225 soldiers

Casualties: Patriots=500 British=1,025

Battle of Bunker Hill p. 7 of 7

• Although they lost Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill, the Americans were joyful. They had stood up to the greatest army of the world!

George Washington takes Command

• July 3, 1775• Cambridge, Massachussetts

• George Washington takes command of the Continental Army which now has about 17,000 men.

The Olive Branch Petition

• July 5, 1775 (after the Battle of Bunker Hill)• Congress voted to sign King George III a

petition (a written request signed by many people). This one was called the Olive Branch Petition (an olive branch is a sign of peace).

• The Congress begged King George III to bring about a “happy and permanent reconciliation”. The King refused, calling the colonists rebels.

Necessity of Taking up Arms

• July 6, 1775

• Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, issues a declaration that explain the causes and necessity of Patriots taking up arms (going to war).

1st Post Office

• July 26, 1775

• An American Post Office is established with Ben Franklin as Postmaster General.

Montgomery captures Montreal p. 1 of 2

• November 13, 1775

• General Richard Montgomery led American troops in the capture of Montreal. Montgomery then ordered General Benedict Arnold to capture the Canadian city of Quebec. Their presence in Canada, however, was not long lasting.

Canadian Invasion p. 2 of 2

• To reach Canada, Arnold led his 700 men through the harsh Maine wilderness. After joining forces with Montgomery, the Americans attacked Quebec. Montgomery was killed during their attempt to capture the city. Arnold was severely wounded, retreated to Ft. Ticonderoga in New York.

• “Americaslibrary.gov”

An American Navy and …..

• November 28, 1775

• Congress establishes the American Navy.

• The next day Congress appoints a secret committee to seek help from European nations.

The Colonies are closed to commerce & France may……

• December 23, 1775

• King George III issues a royal proclamation that officially closes the American colonies to

commerce and trade. This closure was to take place in March of 1776. Britain would no longer sell goods to the colonies.

In December Congress is informed that France may offer support in the war against Britain.

“Common Sense”

• January 15, 1776• Thomas Paine, an Englishman who recently

arrived in the colonies published a pamphlet that persuaded many colonists to become Patriots.

• Paine wrote that independence from Britain was the only true way to prevent Britain from abusing the colonists’ rights.

• Sold over 100,000 copies in three months

Moore’s Creek, New Providence, & Boston

• February 27th – Patriots triumph at Moore’s Creek in North Carolina.

• March 3rd – The Continental Naval fleet captures New Providence Island in the Bahamas.

• March 17th – The British evacuate Boston.

Should we be independent?

• June 7th – Richard Henry Lee of Virginia asked Congress to vote for independence. Before voting, Congress decided to draft a declaration telling why the colonies wanted to be free from British rule. Congress appointed a committee to write it. The committee members were: John Adams, Ben Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson.

• June 28th – Britain defends Ft. Moultrie, SC.

Yes, we are free! P. 1 of 2

• July 4, 1776 – The Declaration of Independence was officially approved by Congress.

• Two months later, on August 2nd, the document signers gathered in silence. They knew this would make them traitors, which was a hangable offense.

Freedom p. 2 of 2

• Hancock said, “There must be no pulling different ways. We must all hang together.”

• Franklin responded, “Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

• Abigail Adams wrote to her husband asking for equality for women. This was not included.

Battle of Long Island and….. P. 1 of 2

• August 27-30, 1776• With the arrival of 30,000 British troops in

New York harbor the British win the Battle of Long Island (Battle of Brooklyn).

• September 15th – British win the Battle of Harlem Heights.

• October 11th – Benedict Arnold was defeated at Lake Champlain.

Long Island and……P. 2 of 2

• October 28th – Americans retreat at the Battle of White Plains, New York. Washington writes his brother “the game is pretty near up.”

• November 16th – British capture Ft. Washington in New York and Ft. Lee in

New Jersey.December 6th – The naval base at Newport,

Rhode Island is captured by British.

The Battle of Trenton 12/26/1776During the winter, both armies generally retired

into “winter quarters.” Washington knew that he desperately needed a victory to show the American people that the cause was not lost. On Christmas night, 1776, he led his freezing army across the ice filled Delaware River and struck the Hessian (German soldiers who fought for the British for pay – mercenaries)

garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. Surprised by the morning assault, over 1000 Hessian troops surrendered.

Battle of PrincetonJanuary 3, 1777

Encouraged by his success at Trenton, Washington struck and scattered a British force on January 3, 1777, near Princeton.

This forced the retreat of the British Army from New Jersey to New York. Washington successfully demonstrated that the war was not hopeless and gave the young nation a will to resist.

Winter Plans

• January 6 through May 28, 1777 Throughout the long winter of 1776-1777 both sides

rested their armies and plotted strategy for the spring campaigns. The British decide to attack on two fronts. One army would move to capture Philadelphia, America’s largest city, while another army would follow the Hudson River north from New York City, past Albany, isolating New England. This strategy was a disaster for the Redcoats.

Brandywine & More…. P. 1 of 3

• 6/14 – Flag Resolution was passed. Flag designed by Hopkinson, likely sewn by Betsy Ross-7/5 – St. Clair surrenders Ft. Ticonderoga to the

British.-7/27: Marquis de Lafayette, a French officer,

arrived in Philadelphia to help Washington.-8/6: Americans defeat the British at Ft. Stanwix, in

the Mohawk Valley in Oriskany, NY-8/25: British General Howe lands at Head of Elk,

Maryland, replacing General Thomas Gage.

Brandywine & More…p. 2 of 39/11: American troops under General

Washington tried to stop British troops under Generals Howe and Cornwallis from reaching Philadelphia, the temporary American capital. Howe’s 18,000 British troops were more than enough for the 11,000 Americans, who backtracked to Chester, leaving Philadelphia dangerously exposed. The British occupied the capital and then pressed on to Brandywine.

Brandywine & More…. P. 3 of 3

9/16: Battle at the Clouds, Pennsylvania was rained out.

9/19: General Burgoyne was stopped by Americans, led by Horatio Gates, at Freeman’s Farm, NY.

9/26: British, under Gen. Howe occupy Philadelphia.

Battle of Germantown

• 10/4/77: After the British won at Brandywine, they camped at Germantown, PA, a city nearby. American Generals Washington and Nathaniel Greene marched on Germantown from different directions. The resulting battle caused the British to fall back, but American attempts to finish off a bunch of Redcoats hiding in a house resulted in more American casualties than British. Though a British victory, it was an American win of sorts.

Turning Point at Saratoga p. 1 of 2

• 10/7: Burgoyne loses a 2nd battle of Freeman’s Farm, NY

• 10/17: Burgoyne surrenders to American General Gates at Saratoga. It was the turning point in the war in that this victory convinced France to enter the war on side of the Americans. There was a 3-pronged attack. Burgoyne came from the south. He met at Albany, NY with Generals St. Leger & Howe.

• St. Leger was to move east from Ft. Oswego, on Lake Ontario; and Howe was to march north from Virginia. Burgoyne thought this was a brilliant plan!

Turning Point of Saratoga p. 2 o 2f

• Burgoyne hoped to crush the northern army. Trouble was, it didn’t work.

• Howe never got the message. He went to Philadelphia instead. Burgoyne was stopped by Gen. Benedict Arnold at Saratoga. St. Leger made it to Albany, and had it all to himself.

• At the Battle of Saratoga (which was actually a few battles), Burgoyne surrended almost his entire army (6,000 soldiers) to Gen. Horatio Gates on 10/17/77. French money and supplies began to come to America!

Valley Forge p. 1 of 2

• December 1777 through June 1778• Gen. Washington led his army into winter quarters at Valley

Forge, PA. The winter proved to be an ordeal for the Continental Army, and only the determined will of Gen. Washington kept the army together. While enduring brutal cold, many soldiers lacked food, clothing, and even shoes.

• General Washington wrote to Congress, “You might have tracked the army…to Valley Forge by the blood of their feet.” One soldier wrote that his meal at Thanksgiving was “a leg of nothing and no turnips.” Sickness and starvation claimed over 2,500 lives. Many, worried about their families and unable to endure more, deserted and went home.

Valley Forge p. 2 of 2

• But even as the soldiers shivered in their log huts and endured incredible privations, Baron Friedrich von Steuben arrived from Prussia (Germany). His new drill technique simplified the complicated maneuvers soldiers must learn and turned the ragtag American army into a much more efficient fighting force.

• By late winter, better supply methods brought food and clothing. Though weakened by its ordeal, by the spring the newly organized Continental Army was ready to take the war to the British.

May 1777 through 1779Clark’s campaign in the Northwest p. 1 of 2

• In the beginning the war was fought mainly in the Northeast. Then it began to spread to the West, to the Spanish territories in the Southwest, and to the South. In each place, heroes sprang up to fight for the Patriot cause.

• One of those heroes was George Rogers Clark. He and a small band of riflemen set out to take the Ohio River Valley away from the British and their Native American allies. With fewer than 200 men, Clark captured three forts in the summer of 1778. During the winter, Clark captured Ft. Vincennes on the Wabash River. He had only about 150 men left. Cold and hungry they marched 180 miles through flooded lands to reach the fort. Taking the British troops by surprise, Clark forced them to surrender.

Clark and some others p. 2 of 2

• On June 21, 1779 Spain formally declared war on Great Britain. Bernardo de Galvez, governor of the Spanish territory of Louisiana, gathered in New Orleans an army of militia, Native Americans, African Americans, and other volunteers. They successfully attacked the British at Pensacola, Natchez, and Baton Rouge. These victories opened up the Mississippi River to American ships.

Monmouth & more battles p. 1 of 2

• 6/28: Washington fights to a draw at Monmouth Court House. Americans coming from Valley Forge wanted to stop the British advance from Philadelphia to New York. The heat was terrible. Exhausted, both sides stopped fighting. Under cover of darkness, the British slipped away. This battle saw the deeds of Mary Hays McCauly, better known as “Molly Pitcher”.

Monmouth & More p. 2 of 2

• 7/4: Clark captures Kaskaskia near Detroit.• 8/8: French and American forces besiege Newport, RI.• 12/29: British occupy Savannah, Georgia1779:• 2/14: Militia beat Tories at Kettle Creek, North Carolina• 2/25: Clark captures Ft. Vincennes• 7/8: Fairfield, Connecticut was burned by the British• 7/11: Norwalk, CT was burned by the British• 7/15-16: Americans capture Stony Point, NY

John Paul Jones & The War at Sea p. 1 of 2

• 9/23/1779: In 1775 Britain’s mighty fleet ruled the seas. The Patriot’s regular navy was mostly ineffective, and ships were either captured or sunk by the powerful British warships. The Americans enjoyed one key advantage: the British had to carry every bullet, jacket, and cracker across the wide Atlantic. The British merchant fleet carrying these supplies was vulnerable to American attack by hundreds of small, quick ships called privateers (private vessels fitted out with cannons). Privateers were fairly successful in interrupting British supply lines.

John Paul Jones & the War at Sea p. 2 of 2

• In one famous and inspiring naval battle, American ship Captain John Paul Jones with his ship the Bon Homme Richard, won a fierce battle against the British ship Serapis off the English coast.

• Though the American naval victories were few and far between, brave Captains such as Jones gave the new nation a needed boost. John Paul Jones is generally regarded as the founder of the United States Navy.

Lots more battles – Many in the South & West • 9/28: “No Flint” Grey kills 30 Americans by bayonet. This

became known as the Tappan Massacre.• 10/9: Americans attempt to recapture Savannah, Georgia.

They fail.• Winter 1779-1780: Coldest winter of the war: Washington

camps at Morristown, New Jersey.1780:5/12: British capture Charleston, South Carolina5/29: British crush Americans at Waxhaw Creek, SC6/20: Patriots rout Tories at Ramseur’s Mill, North Carolina7/11: French troops arrive at Newport, RI, to aid the American

cause.8/6: Patriots defeat Tories at Hanging Rock, SC

Battle of Camden

8/16/1780: The British won at Camden, SC. British forces under General Charles Cornwallis routed the

American troops under General Horatio Gates. The American troops actually outnumbered the British troops, but discipline prevailed. Gates himself actually fled the field and never commanded another army.

The victory was important because it solidified Britain’s hold on South Carolina, a move made to split the American colonies in half, North and South. Britain kept a tight hold on South Carolina until January 17, 1781 (Cowpens).

Benedict Arnold Commits Treason

• September 25, 1780• General Benedict was a brilliant Patriot who won several

battles against the British. He won at Lake Champlain and helped Ethan Allen take Ft. Ticonderoga. He played a major part in the American victory at Saratoga.

• Yet, he joined the British and tried to help them win the war. He had planned to deliver his own keys to West Point, the site of the US Army, to Britain’s Major John Andre. Andre was captured and hanged. Arnold escaped and actually commanded British troops later in the war. He did in Britain, unrecognized and alone.

King’s Mountain to Cowpens p. 1 of 2• 10/7: The Battle at King’s Mountain, SC lasted 65 minutes.

American troops led by Isaac Shelby and John Sevier defeated Major Patrick Ferguson and one-third of General Cornwallis’s army.

• 10/14: Washington names Nathaniel Greene as commander of the Southern Army.

1781:• 1/1: Unpaid soldiers in Pennsylvania mutinied.

• 1/17: Battle of Cowpens: This was a decisive battle that turned the tide of the war in the South. American forces under Nathanael Greene met British forces under the command of General Cornwallis near some cowpens in South Carolina. Outnumbered and ill-prepared, the Americans

King’s Mountain to Cowpens p. 2 of 2

• Nontheless won the day with a fierce bayonet charge that resulted in a mass surrender.

• This victory convinced Cornwallis to look northward, a decision that would ultimately lead him to Yorktown and ……..

The Articles of Confederation

• March 2, 1781• These articles were a document (later replaced by our

Constitution) that outlined the format the government would follow after the Revolutionary War.

• The focus was on state governments, which had tremendous power. This form of government proved unequal to the task of governing the 13 states, mainly because 9 of the 13 had to agree to get anything done.

• The result of this failure was the Constitutional Convention.

Battle at Guilford Court House

• 3/15/1781: This was a British victory, but together with the loss at Cowpens, it weakened the British forces in the South.

• General Charles Cornwallis, commander of the British southern forces, decided to abandon North and South Carolina and march to Virginia.

More Battles• 6/6/81: Americans recapture Augusta,

Georgia• 6/18: British hold off Americans at Ninety-Six,

South Carolina• 7/6: “Mad” Anthony Wayne – American

General was repulsed (pushed back) at Green Farms, Virgina

• 9/8: Nathanael Greene defeated at Eutaw Springs, SC

• 9/15: French fleet drove British naval forces from Chesapeake Bay.

Victory At YorktownOctober 19, 1781 p. 1 of 2

• Washington’s army was now generally well fed, adequately armed, and reliably supplied. When General Cornwallis retreated from the Carolinas in 1781, Washington force- marched his army from New York to confront and confine the British on the Yorktown peninsula in Chesapeake Bay.

• With the American and French army on one side, surrounded on three sides by water, and with the French fleet preventing British re-supply, Cornwallis had no choice but to surrender his 8,000 soldiers in October of 1781.

• At the surrender ceremony, Cornwallis’s sword was accepted by General Benjamin Lincoln, while a British band played “The World Turned Upside Down”. This was the last major battle of the war, although some minor skirmishes took

Yorktown & other things……..p. 2 of 2

• At the surrender ceremony, Cornwallis’s sword was accepted by General Benjamin Lincoln, while a British band played “The World Turned Upside Down”. This was the last major battle of the war, although some minor skirmishes took place for the next two years, until the Treaty of Paris was officially ended the war in 1783.

• 3/20/82: Lord North resigned as British Prime Minister.• 7/11/82: British evacuated Savannah, Georgia.• 11/30/82: British sign Articles of Peace.• 12/14/82: British leave Charleston, SC.• 4/19/83: Congress ratifies preliminary peace treaty.

Treaty of ParisSeptember 3, 1983 p. 1 of 2

• The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War. It was signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. Under the terms of the treaty, Britain recognized the independent nation of the United States of America. Britain . agreed to remove all of its troops from the new nation.

• The treaty also set new borders for the United States, including all the land from the Great Lakes on the north to Florida on the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.

• The United States agreed to allow British troops to still in America to leave and also agreed to pay all existing debts owed to Great Britain.

Treaty of Paris and More…… p. 2 of 2

• The United States also agreed not to persecute Loyalists still in America and to allow those that left America to return.

• 11/25/83: British troops leave New York.• 12/23/83: General George Washington resigns as

Commander of the Continental Army.• May of 1787: The Articles of Confederation (government

plan) is not working. Congress asks each state to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia. The purpose was to make the Articles of Confederation a stronger document. It didn’t work.

• 9/17/87: The US Constitution is ratified!

Conclusion• Though war is never glorious, it is sometimes necessary to

win freedom from oppression. The true war heroes are the everyday citizens who take a stand and sacrifice so that others will benefit. Counting troops on both sides, over half a million soldiers and sailors participated in the American Revolutionary War, with between 20,000 and 25,000 American deaths.

• American colonists fought and died for a cause they truly believed was more important than their physical comfort, their health, or their lives. By studying the courage and sacrifices of our ancestors, we can more deeply appreciate our country, our national ideals, and our role in the future. In the words of Cicero, a Roman statesman, “To ignore history is to remain a child.”

Bibliography• Patriots: A Simulation of the American Revolution. 2000.

• Build Our Nation. 2000.

• George Rogers Clark. http://www.kdla.ky.gov.

• “Mad” Anthony Wayne. http://americanrevwar.homestead.com

• Social Studies for Kids: A Timeline of the American Revolution. http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com

• http://Americaslibrary.gov