1. The American Revolutionary War

2. CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Proclamation of 1763 stops colonists from moving west
Parliament taxes the colonies to pay British war debts
Intolerable Acts set up harsh rule in Massachusetts
EFFECTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Colonies declare independence
Britain recognizes United States independence
United States borders extend to Florida
and the Mississippi River
George Washington emerges as a leader

3. Strengths
and
Weaknesses

4. The Opposing Sides
One of the Patriots’ greatest advantages
was which of the following?
A.A larger population
B.Mercenaries fighting on their side
C.A stronger navy
D.George Washington as
their military leader
E.Tom Brady

5. British Strengths…
Population
8 million vs. 2.5 million colonists
Monetary Wealth
Royal Navy
Professional Army
Trained and experienced
50,000 British
30,000 Hessian mercenaries
30,000 American Loyalists
(Tories)

6. British Weaknesses…
Unrest in Ireland
Government inept and confused,
led by King George III
and Lord North
Lack of desire to
crush American cousins
Whigs cheered American
victories in Parliament

7. British Weaknesses…
Military Difficulties
Second-rate generals
Inadequate and poor provisions
Need for clear victory,
a draw would be a colonial victory
Armies 3,000 miles from home,
took months to reach the front
Vast colonial territory to conquer
(1,000 x 600 miles)

8. American Strengths…
Outstanding Leadership
Military – George Washington
Diplomatic – Benjamin Franklin
European Imports
Marquis de Lafayette
Comte de Rochambeau
Francois De Grasse
Thaddeus Kosciusko
Casimir Pulaski
Friedrich von Steuben

9. American
Strengths…
Colonists fighting
defensively
Self-sustaining
agricultural base
Colonists better marksmen?
Moral advantage
Good cause with
a positive goal

10. American Weaknesses…
TROUBLES WITH GOVERNMENT:
Colonies were poorly organized and not united for war
Continental Congress debated, took little action,
and exercised little leadership
No written constitution until 1781
Colonies were jealous of Congress and each other
ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES:
Little metallic currency available
Fearful of taxation
Congress issued virtually worthless currency

11. American Weaknesses…
MILITARY DIFFICULTIES:
Inadequate firearms, cannons, and gunpowder
(the colonists had enough for each soldier to fire nine shots)
Clothing and shoes scarce
(2,800 men barefoot at Valley Forge)
No Navy
American soldiers numerous but unreliable

12. The Opposing Sides

14. Capture of
Fort
Ticonderoga
May 10, 1775
Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold
with the Vermont militia,
the Green Mountain Boys,
captured the mostly abandoned
British fort without a fight
Captured valuable
cannons and gunpowder
Took control of a key route to Canada

19. Battle of Bunker Hill
June 17, 1775
Colonel William Prescott led
1,200 militia to
take the high ground over
Boston Harbor
Colonial troops dug in
and prepared defenses
on Breed’s Hill

20. British General
William Howe attacks:
2,400 redcoats
under his command
British are repelled
after two frontal
assaults
On the third attack,
the militia ran out
of gunpowder,
and the British
took the
position

21. Losses…
BRITISH
226 killed
COLONISTS
115 killed
(19 officers)
828 wounded
305 wounded
(62 officers)
30 captured
1,054 total casualties
(20 died as POW)
450 total casualties

22. Although the British won the
Battle of Bunker Hill, they learned
that defeating the Americans on the
battlefield would not be quick or easy

25. The Death of the American General Warren by John Trumbull

26. British Grenadiers attack on Breed's Hill

28. More Military Action
Which of the following shows the correct
chronology?
A. Bunker Hill, Lexington, Ft. Ticonderoga
B. Concord, Yorktown, Lexington
A. A
D.Lexington, Ft. Ticonderoga, Bunker B. B
Hill
C. C
E.Concord, Lexington, Bunker Hill
D. D
C. Yorktown, Lexington, Concord

29. Early
Battles

32. Redcoats Leave Boston
March 5, 1776
General Henry Knox and the
Continental Army took the
cannons captured from
Fort Ticonderoga 300 miles
to Dorchester Heights,
overlooking Boston Harbor
General Howe and
the British are forced
to retreat from Boston
to Halifax, Canada

36. King George III
of Great Britain declared,
"The colonies are in
open and avowed rebellion.
The die is now
cast.
The colonies
must either submit or
triumph."
The King ordered the
blockade of all colonial
ports by the Royal Navy

37. Attack onCanada
Richard Montgomery captured
Montreal in November, 1775
Benedict Arnold and
Montgomery marched on Quebec:
Poor planning and bad weather
weakened the attack
British reinforcements forced Colonists
to withdraw, leaving Canada to the
British and Montgomery dead
British and Canadians lost 20 men
The American losses were around 500

39. “The Death of Montgomery” by John Trumbull

40. Battle of Long Island
August 27, 1776
General Howe’s British forces completely
outnumbered and outmaneuvered the Americans
500 Ships
20,000 Troops
Washington and his 10,000 defeated troops retreated across
the Hudson River to New Jersey under the cover of darkness
Had General Howe pursued and continued the attack,
he would have captured Washington, crushed the
Continental Army, and ended the war
Casualties:
British: 400
American : 2,000 men and several cannons

43. Battle of
White Plains
October 28, 1776
Washington halted the
American retreat at White Plains
to prepare a defense
British forces led by
General Howe attacked
Hessians mercenaries led by
Colonel Johann
Gottlieb Rall outmaneuvered
American militia on Chatterton’s
Hill, and forced Washington’s
forces to break and continue to
retreat

44. Battle of Fort
Washington
November 16, 1776
British and Hessian forces
outflanked and defeated
the Americans last
position in New York
2,900 Americans were captured
and lost valuable guns,
gunpowder, and cannons
The Continental Army
retreated across New Jersey
into Pennsylvania

45. British troops crossing the Hudson River

46. Molly Pitcher
The only American hero to
emerge from the loss at
Fort Washington was
Margaret “Molly” Corbin.
“Molly Pitcher” was the wife
of a Pennsylvania soldier,
John Corbin, who had gone into
battle at her husband’s side
bringing water to swab cannons
After her husband was killed,
she stepped into his place to
load and fire a cannon,
until she fell wounded.

47. December, 1776
“The American Crisis”
Thomas Paine published a series of
pamphlets to boost American morale
The first volume began
with the famous words:
“These are the times that try men’s
souls. The summer soldier and the
sunshine patriot will, in this crisis,
shrink from the service of their
country; but he that stands it now,
deserves the love and thanks
of man and woman.

48. Americans
Turn
the
Tide

49. Battle of Trenton
December 26, 1776
Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware River
2,400 Troops
18 Cannons
The town was defended by
1,200 Hessians with 6 light guns
commanded by the feared Colonel Rall
On the night before the attack, Rall was at dinner when
he was brought information about the American attack
Rall ignored the message,
which was found in his pocket after his death

50. The American forces attacked
from three directions
The surprised Hessians attempted to form ranks in the town,
but were attacked from the front and rear
Surrounded and mortally
wounded, Rall surrendered
Casualties:
Hessians: 21 killed, 90 wounded, 900 captured
Americans: 4 wounded, 2 possibly froze to death

51. General George Washington “Crossing the Delaware” at the
Battle of Trenton on Christmas night, 1776 by Emmanuel Leutze

54. The surrender to General George Washington of the
dying Hessian commander, Colonel Rall, at the Battle of Trenton

55. Battle in the Streets of Trenton

56. General Washington leading the attack at the Battle of Trenton

57. Battle of Princeton
January 3, 1777
British Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis
attempted to retake Trenton from the Americans
Washington decided to leave Trenton before
his army was attacked and outnumbered
In the middle of the night, the Americans left fires
burning, and outmaneuvered the British at Princeton
Washington was not able to hold Princeton for long,
and was forced to retreat as his army was outnumbered

59. General Washington leads the attack at the Battle of Princeton

60. Battle of
Brandywine
September 11, 1777
General Howe brought his army
by sea to the Chesapeake
intending to capture Philadelphia
Washington took up defensive
positions at Brandywine Creek,
Pennsylvania to block them
British and Hessian forces
outmaneuvered the Americans
and forced them to retreat,
opening the route to Philadelphia

61. Battle of
Germantown
October 4, 1777
Washington planned a surprise
attack on British and Hessian
forces encamped at
Germantown, Pennsylvania
The plan was much like the
attack on Trenton, as the
Americans were to attack from
four directions at night
Confusion and heavy fog
led to American forces
breaking and retreating

62. October 17, 1777
Battle of Saratoga
British planned to cut off the
New England
colonies
at the
Hudson River
Three-Part strategy to attack Albany:
1. General John Burgoyne from the north
2. Colonel Barry St. Leger from the west
3. General William Howe from the south

63. General Howe changed his plans and attacked Philadelphia first:
Captures Philadelphia – Continental Congress flees to Baltimore
Howe retires to Philadelphia for comfortable winter quarters
Washington retreats to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Betsy Ross sews first “stars and stripes” flag?

64. Colonel St. Leger was driven
back by Benedict Arnold at
the Battle of Oriskany
Burgoyne moved south and retook
Crown Point and Fort
Ticonderoga
Burgoyne was surrounded by
American General Horatio Gates
at Saratoga, New York
On October 17, 1777 Burgoyne
surrendered 5,800 men
British General William Howe
was replaced by Henry Clinton

65. Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga by Fauvel

66. General John Burgoyne surrenders to General Horatio Gates

67. French
Alliance

68. French Alliance
February 6, 1778
Benjamin Franklin was in Paris to
convince King Louis XVI to help
with weapons, supplies, troops,
and strong naval forces
The French, still angry about their defeat
in the French and Indian War,
wanted proof that the Americans
could win before they would help
Saratoga convinced the French
to declare war on Britain
King Louis offered
troops, the French navy, money,
supplies, and a treaty of alliance

69. The
War Comes
to an
End

70. Victory at Sea
September 23, 1779
John Paul Jones on the
USS Bon Homme Richard,
attacked a larger British
warship, the HMS Serapis
His ship hit and in flames,
Jones stated,
“I have not yet begun to fight!”
when asked to surrender
American boarding parties defeated
the British and captured the Serapis
in bloody hand-to-hand combat

71. Battle of Flamborough Head, 23rd September 1779

72. An American Traitor
Deep in debt, passed over for promotion,
and bitter about not getting enough credit,
Benedict Arnold made a secret deal
to offer to the British the
American fort at West Point
Arnold's scheme was detected
when American forces captured
British Major John André carrying
papers that revealed Arnold's plan
Benedict Arnold escaped to a
British ship and left for England

73. PLEASE GET OUT
YOUR SPIRAL AND
GET READY FOR
TAKING NOTES

76. Battle of the
Chesapeake
September 5, 1781
French Admiral
Comte de Grasse defeated
British Admiral Sir Thomas Graves
at the mouth of the
Chesapeake River, Virginia
The victory of the French fleet
prevented the Royal Navy from
resupplying, reinforcing, or
allowing British troops to evacuate

77. Battle of Yorktown
September 28 – October 19, 1781
British General Charles Cornwallis
marched his army to Yorktown, Virginia
American and French forces surrounded Cornwallis
British forces were low on ammunition and food,
could not be reinforced, resupplied, or evacuated by sea
due to the French naval blockade
Cornwallis was forced to march out of Yorktown and surrender
CASUALTIES:
British: 500 killed, 6,000 captured
American and French: 80 American and 200 French

79. The British Surrender at Yorktown 19th October 1781

80. The British Surrender at Yorktown 19th October 1781

81. Treaty of Paris
of
1783

82. American negotiators
Benjamin Franklin, John Jay,
John Adams, and Henry Laurens
PROVISIONS:
Britain formally recognized the
independence of the United States
Tories (Loyalists) were allowed to file
legal suits to reclaim lost property
NEW BOUNDARIES:
Great Lakes to the North
Mississippi River to the West
Florida to the South (returned to Spain)
Treaty ratified by Congress
on April 15, 1783

83. Signing of the preliminary Treaty of Paris, November 30, 1782.

84. Benjamin West's painting of the delegations at the Treaty of Paris:
John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin.
The British delegation refused to pose, and the painting was never completed

85. Review Question 1

86. Review Question 2

87. Review Question 3

88. The End