Transcript L8 Unit 2 American Revolution Lecture.ppsx

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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Second Continental Congress (1775)
Representatives from the colonies met in Philadelphia
to discuss plans.
• Created Continental Army to prepare for war under
the command of George Washington.
Declaration of Independence (1776)
• Written by Thomas Jefferson, in July 1776.
• Declared independence and created the United
States of America.
• Purpose
– Break ties & Create a new government
– Create a government that would protect the rights
and liberties of its citizens
– Power comes from the people
– Ideas don’t apply towards women, slaves, or Native
Americans
Colonial Forces
• The Continental (Patriot)
Army
• In the beginning, it was made up
of farmers, frontiersmen, and
townspeople who left their
homes to fight the British. Many
believed the war would be
short.
• At first, they had to provide
their own weapons,
ammunition, and uniforms.
• Over time, they would be
formed into regular units with
uniforms and proper
equipment.
Continental
Army
ADVANTAGES:
1. They were fighting for
their homes, families, lives,
and freedom.
2. George Washington
3. They were fighting on
their home ground.
DISADVANTAGES:
1. Poorly trained army and
no navy.
2. No $$ to fight a war.
3. Weak, inexperienced
gov’t.
4. 2/3 of population were
either Loyalists or didn’t
care.
5. Poor equipment and lack
of food.
6. Soldiers could leave at
will.
British
ADVANTAGES:
1. Professional army and navy.
2. Factories to make war
materials.
3. $ to feed and supply an army.
4. Hessians and Indians on
British side.
DISADVANTAGES:
1. England’s supplies were
across the ocean.
2. English soldiers were
fighting because they
were told to fight.
3. Land was large and
unfamiliar.
Major Battles
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Battle of New York 1776
Battle of Trenton 1776
Battle of Saratoga 1777
Battle of Yorktown 1781
Valley Forge – December 1777
“To see men without clothes. . . without blankets to lie upon,
without shoes. . .without a house or hut to cover them until
those could be built, and submitting without a murmur, is a
proof of patience and obedience which, in my opinion, can
scarcely be paralleled [matched].”
-George Washington, quoted in
George Washington: A Collection
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Soldiers built tents
Some had no shirts or shoes
Approximately 2000 men died of
diseases and starvation; some
froze to death
Help From Europe
• France and Spain helped the Patriots
War at Sea
• The French Navy
helped the colonists.
• Continental Navy was
formed and was in
combat in early 1776
Treaty of Paris (1783)
• The peace agreement
between Great Britain
and the United States
– Great Britain
recognized the
independence of the
United States