Transcript War for Independence - Carondelet Catholic School

War for Independence
The shot heard round the world..
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;
Here once the embattled farmers stood;
And fired the shot heard round the world.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Concord Hymn
Lexington and Concord
• http://www.earlyamerica.com/shot_heard.htm
• Two brief skirmishes in April of 1775
• British were trying to capture ammo
and Patriot leaders outside of Boston.
• Minutemen fought for the patriots.
• Marks the beginning of the
Revolutionary War.
Battle of Bunker Hill
• British General Gage in Boston orders three
waves of attack.
• Colonial Army held high ground on two hills.
• Colonists lose the battle, but show they can
fight!
– Colonials kill almost 50% of British soldiers
– British only kill & wound 400!
• Eventually, colonials bombard Brits out of
Boston.
Retreat form New York
• General Howe reappears in NYC
• Washington’s troops are inexperienced
, poorly trained, and poorly equipped.
• Howe captures the city, and holds it for
the remainder for the war.
• Things look bad for the colonial
rebels…
• Members of Congress flee Philadelphia.
Thomas Paine’s The Crisis
• “These are the time that try men’s souls. The
summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will,
in this crisis, shrink form the service of their
country; but he that stands it NOW, serves
the love and thanks of man and woman.
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;
yet we have this consolation with us, that the
harder the conflict, the more glorious the
triumph.”
Trenton and Princeton
• GW launches a surprise
attacks against Trenton
and Princeton in
Dec 1776/Jan 1777.
• Both attacks successful.
• While of little strategic importance, these
battles boosted Patriot morale and gained the
patriots more supporters and soldiers.
Washington’s Strategy
• Keep an army in the
field, and survive to
fight another day!
– He avoids situations
that might destroy
his army.
– His leadership kept
army together event
when defeat seemed
inevitable.
All about the Benjamin (Franklin)
• Continental Congress
sends Franklin to Paris
to work for an alliance.
• France sends money
and supplies in secret,
but no public support.
• After Saratoga, Franklin
signs a Treaty of
Alliance with France.
Battle of Saratoga
• British seek to cut off
New England from
colonies.
• Colonial General
Horatio Gates defeats
large British force at
Saratoga.
• Convinces the French
that colonials have a
chance to win.
• French become open
allies!
Other Allies
• Spain, Netherlands join after France.
– Why would these countries become allies?
• Other nation’s citizens fight:
– France: Marquis de Lafayette
– Spain: Bernardo de Galvez
– Germany: Johann de Kalb
Baron Friedrich von Steuben
– Poland: Thaddeus Kosciusko
Battle of Yorktown
Battle of Yorktown (1781)
• Huge force under British General Cornwallis
is trapped on a peninsula, backed up against
water.
• French Navy blockades York River
– British cannot re-supply or escape.
• French and Colonial troops surround town.
– After several small battles, Cornwallis surrenders.
– The last major battle of the war.
Treaty of Paris (1783)
• Ends the Revolutionary War.
• Britain recognizes the United
States as an independent
nation.
• Sets the borders of the
United States.
• Congress agrees American
loyalists will have property
restored
– Americans ignore this order.
Impact of the War
• Idea of liberty spreads throughout the world,
leading to revolutions ever since.
• This was a radical concept in a world that
long accepted the idea of human inequality.
• In the US, only white males gain true
freedom.
– However, seeds of change are planted for women,
and slaves.
– Indians make out terrible, pushed farther west.