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Explore the major events and figures of the American Revolution, including the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Declaration of Independence, and the role of Patriots and Loyalists. Learn about the strategies and challenges faced by the colonists as they fought for independence from British rule. This timeline showcases key moments from April 1775 to September 1783.
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Timeline April,1775 - The Battle of Lexington and Concord June, 1775 - The Battle of Bunker Hill Jan, 1776 - Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense July, 1776 - Congress approves Declaration Of Independence Sept, 1783 - Treaty of Paris is signed
Patriots • Patriots were generally young, not afraid to take risks • Mostly in New England • Able to recruit colonists for the cause • Harassed the British
Loyalist • Strongholds • 20% of the population stayed loyal to the King of England
Loyalists • Loyalists = Tories - 20% to 30% of population -loyal to King George III -Conservative, educated, wealthy -feared “mob rule” -king’s officers & other beneficiaries to crown -tar & feathered, hanged, traitors, estates sold
Indians • Most tribes sided with the British because they were fearful of American expansion into the West
Hessians • King George III, whose grandfather had come from Germany to take over the throne, hired German mercenaries called Hessians from the principalityof Hesse
Battles of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point • May, 1775 - Ethan Allen + Benedict Arnold capture the British garrisonsat Ft. Ticonderoga and Crown Point in New York
The Second Continental Congress May 10, 1775 • All 13 colonies present • Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms • Olive Branch Petition - last ditch effort by moderates to avoid all-out war • Pleaded for cease-fire and agreed to remain loyal to King George III but was ignored by British.
2nd Continental Congress drafts George Washington • Selected G.W. for Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army • Leadership • Strength of character • Throughout the war he kept the cause alive and the states together.
Battle of Bunker Hill • Fought near Boston, Massachusetts (actually on Breed’s Hill) • “Don’t fire ‘til you see the whites of their eyes.”
Thomas Paine“Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation”
Thomas Paine Preaches Common Sense • Americans slow to change loyalty • Eventually they realized the need to gain independence • Thomas Paine told the colonies what they could have, what the monarchy was really doing, and why they did not need Britain in this pamphlet published January, 1776.
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress accepted Richard Henry Lee’s proposed independence from England in a document called Lee’s Resolution.
Thomas Jefferson • Justified the separation from England in the Declaration of Independence which was adopted July 4, 1776 • The document is considered “Mr. Jefferson’s advertisement of Mr. Lee’s resolution” • Even though he had slaves, still wrote “all men are created equal”
Declaration of IndependenceJuly 4, 1776 • 3 major parts 1. Preamble-influenced by John Locke 2. List of 27 grievances 3. Formal declaration of independence • Result: Foreign aid could now be successfully solicited • Document inspired French Revolution
Declaration of IndependenceJuly 4, 1776 • Was based on the philosophy of the Enlightenment • Put rules of war into place to protect its soldiers • Listed various ways in which George III had taken away the rights of the colonists
The Loyalist Exodus • After the Declaration of Independence loyalists were treated harsher • Patriots believe any opponent of the colony = traitor • Colonists drove out loyalists, they also flee as well • Loyalist land confiscated and then sold to fuel the war
The Opposing Sides --Colonists Advantages • Knew the terrain • Poor roads • Didn’t have to conquer the British, they just had to wear them down • Used hit-and-run tactics • War was unpopular in Britain • Hessian soldiers didn’t “buy-in”
The Opposing Sides --Colonists Disadvantages • 11,000,000 British citizens to 2,500,000 colonists • Britain had the world’s largest navy • British army was well-trained • Navy was well-supplied • Loyalists helped the British
General Washington Held at Bay • July 1776, British fleet of 500 ships, 35,000 men appear at New York led by General Howe and won the Battle of Long Island • George Washington only mustered18,000 ill-trained troops
Brilliant New Jersey Campaign • A 2nd victory for Washington at Princeton • Overall, he was at his best during this campaign • Hailed as the “old fox” • Dec 1776,Washington then stealthily re-crosses the Delaware River and surprises and captures 1,000 Hessians at the Battle of Trenton
Washington Crossing the Delaware River just before the Battle of Trenton
Phase II: NY & PA[1777-1778]
The Battle of Saratoga • Burgoyne forced to finally surrender at Saratoga on October 17th 1777 , he had run out of moves to play • The Turning Point • Franklin to Paris • Got loans and troops from the French • Then from Spain (1779) • Then from the Netherlands (1779) • America started to win
France Becomes Most Important American Ally • Revenge on British for 7 Years War • Victory at Saratoga showed ability to beat British
Befriended George Washington and helped the patriots train at Valley Forge. He also convinced the French government to back the Patriots against the British. Marquis de Lafayette
France Becomes Most Important American Ally • Franco-American Alliance 1778 -Promised recognition of American Independence -Wage war until American victory-or mutually agreed terms with Britain
Valley Forge • Washington’s men were tired, hungry, frostbitten • Feb 1778, Baron Fredrick Von Steuben, Prussian Drillmaster, shaped them into a professional army
Benedict Arnold = Traitor View of West Point, NY Before 1802 Unknown Oil, c. 1785
Revolution Stretches British Resources • Spain & Holland enter in 1779 • Catherine the Great of Russia: The League of Armed Neutrality • War in Europe, North America, South America, the Caribbean and Asia • Major naval battles between British, French, & other European powers • Mostly in West Indies • British overcome by French, Spanish and Dutch • Conflicts for Britain continued until 1785 when British won last battle near India
John Paul Jones • Father of the American Navy • Battle of Bonhomme (Bonami) Richard vs. Serapis in the North Sea • Chief contribution: destroying British merchant shipping • Didn’t affect British navy • American Privateers more effective-privately owned ships authorized to attack British ships