Transcript The Legacy of the War

The Legacy of the War
Chapter 7, Section 4
Overcoming Obstacles
Americans faced many hardships:
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8 years of war
Few supplies and weapons
Untrained/Inexperienced troops
British was the “best” army in the
world
Why the Americans Won
1. Better Leadership
• British generals were over confident
• American generals learned from mistakes
• More consistent
• Never gave up/Drug out the war
2. Foreign Aid
• Foreign loans and military aid
Why the Americans Won (cont’d)
3. Knowledge of the Land
• Americans knew land well
• Used knowledge to their advantage
4. Motivation
• Americans had more reason to fight
• Lives
• Property
• Liberty (freedom)
The Treaty of Paris, 1783
Six conditions for peace:
1. The United States was independent
2. Boundaries: North: Canada
East: Atlantic Ocean
South: Spanish Florida
West: Mississippi River
The Treaty of Paris, 1783 (cont’d)
3. US wanted fishing rights near Canada
4. Each side would repay any debts
owed to each other
5. British would return any enslaved or
captured persons
6. Congress would “recommend” any
property taken from Loyalists to be
returned.
The Treaty of Paris, 1783 (cont’d)
Both sides did not live up to treaty:
• America did not repay pre-war debt
• Did not give back Loyalists’ property
• Britain did not give back runaway
slaves
• Did not give up military outposts near
Great Lakes
Take a moment to talk with your neighbor about
the follow questions:
1. Name some of the hardships that Americans
had to overcome.
2. What are the 4 reasons Americans won the war?
3. What are the six conditions of the Treaty of
Paris, 1783?
Costs of the War
• Unknown how many died in the war.
Estimations:
• Americans:
• 25,700 dead
• 1,400 missing
• 8,200 wounded (including amputations)
• British:
• 10,000 dead
Costs of the War (cont’d)
Comparison to modern day warfare:
US Military deaths:
Iraq (2003-2014): 4,487
Afghanistan (2001-2014): 2,349
Total: 6,836
Costs of the War (cont’d)
Many American soldiers left army broke.
• Some given certificates for land in the West.
• Many sold them for cash.
Congress and individual states borrowed money for war.
• Debt after war was $27 millions dollars.
Many Loyalists fled country.
• 60,000-100,000 left (including natives and slaves)
• Many went to Canada
Issues After the War
Changes in gov’t don’t always go smoothly.
• New idea of Republicanism:
• Power comes from the people
• Elect representatives
• Limited to land-owning men?
• Women asked to teach children virtues:
• Honesty
• Duty
• Sacrifice
Republic vs. Democracy
Ticket Out
1. Watch the video (don’t fall asleep!).
2. In your own words, write a paragraph explaining why the United States is a
constitutional republic, not a democracy.
• Use complete sentences
• Provide evidence