Notes for American Revolution
· April 18-19, 1775
· Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott warn militia the British marching
· British looking for munitions stores in Concord
· First “ordered” shot of the Revolution fired at Concord’s Old North Bridge
· Americans beat back British troops all the way to Boston
· British sustain 4x the casualties
· AMERICAN VICTORY
BUNKER HILL
· June 1775
· Americans dig fortifications at the tops of Bunker and Breed’s Hill overlooking Boston
· British troops storm the hills
· Putnam (American) “Don’t fire ‘til you see the whites of their eyes!”
· Americans beat them back twice
· Third time Americans retreated because they ran out of ammo – British victory
· 1,000 British dead, only half that for Americans
· AMERICAN MORAL VICTORY!
SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
· Met in Philadelphia
· Elected George Washington to head united colonial militia
· Send Olive Branch petition to King George
GEORGE WASHINGTON TAKES OVER
· Seizes guns, powder, and ammo from Fort Ticonderoga (Henry Knox)
· 1776 British in Boston awake to find cannons point at them
· British abandon Boston
· 1,000 ships leave carrying 9,000 troops and 1,000 Tories
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
· Written by committee / Thomas Jefferson
· Declared man had God-given rights
· Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
· King had no respect for those rights
· So he was unfit to rule them
· Ratified July 4, 1776
COMMON SENSE
· Many colonists still not ready for independence
· Thomas ______published pamphlet “Common Sense”
· 120,000 copies distributed
· It urged Americans to support ______!
· Propaganda??? Circle: Yes or No
AMERICAN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
· Weaknesses:
o Few soldiers (20,000 at best)
o Soldiers not trained
o Shortage of ammo, gun, cannons
· Strengths
o Patriotism
o French supplied gunpowder (90%)
o George Washington
BRITISH STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
· Weaknesses
o Distance from home (homesickness)
o People at home didn’t support the war
o Poor leadership (Germain)
· Strengths
o Professional army (50,000)
o Hessian Mercanaries (German hit men joined them (30,000)
o Well-supplied with ammo
TRENTON (Dec 1776)
· British had just beaten Americans BADLY in New York
· Washington’s enlistments were up in a week
· Needed a victory to convince them to stay
· Crossed the Delaware River Christmas night
· Caught Hessians unprepared
· 800 Hessians captured
· 0 American casualties!
· AMERICAN VICTORY
SARATOGA -- Summer – Fall 1777
· turning point of the war
· British tried to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies in the state of colonies
· But US outnumbered British
· Britain surrendered, Americans took their which they needed
· AMERICAN VICTORY
· France now our ally
VALLEY FORGE
· Winter encampment for years 1777-78
· 2,000 died
· Hardships included:
Hunger, cold, disease
· Baron Von Steuben drilled the troops
· Americans now a trained army!
YORKTOWN
· Washington chased British troops around until ______
· British troops retreat to ______, Virginia (a port town) to await new supplies
· French troops arrive and block the port (no chance for British to ______)
· Washington has 18,000 troops (American and French) to block the ______
· General Cornwallis _____ Oct. 19, 1781