LOREM IPSUM. Book Title DOLOR SET AMET

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1 LOREM IPSUM Book Title DOLOR SET AMET

2 It s Too Late to Apologize Chapter 5 The American Revolution A parody on why we fought the American Revolution. Our struggle for independence would not be an easy one. In this chapter, you ll see how and why.

Chapter 5, Section 1 Beginnings of the Revolution IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL... 1. Learn about the initial battles of the American Revolution. 2.

3 Chapter 5, Section 1 Beginnings of the Revolution IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL Learn about the initial battles of the American Revolution. 2. See how the colonies were governed during the American Revolution. In the winter of 1774, England formally declared the colonies in rebellion. The British could now use military force against the colonists. By the spring of 1775, British general Thomas Gage received permission to start waging war. In April 1775, Gage sent forces from Boston to Concord. He received information that people in Concord were collecting weapons and other materials in order to use them against the British. On the way to Concord, the English had to go through Lexington. On April 19, 1775 they engaged in a battle that forever changed the landscape of America. The famed fight at Lexington and Concord would be considered the first battle of the American Revolution. The night before, Paul Revere went on his famed midnight ride to warn folks that, the British are coming! Startled by this news, colonists fled from their homes and sought out safe havens. The first few hours of the battle were pretty uneventful. People were trying to get things into place in order to fight. Paul Revere s Ride (1940 illustration) 2

Eventually, though, the shot heard round the world would be fired. The Patriots would make a stand against the British for quite some time. But it wouldn t last.

4 Eventually, though, the shot heard round the world would be fired. The Patriots would make a stand against the British for quite some time. But it wouldn t last. The British found the arsenal where the colonists stashed their weapons, and after finding it, they began to retreat. As they retreated, there were ambushes set throughout their path. All told, 275 Redcoats would be killed. But they had won the initial battle of the Revolution. In May of 1775, the colonial leadership decided that they would meet to discuss some important matters. The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. Each of the 13 colonies sent representatives to Pennsylvania to serve in this congress. This group of men would serve as the governing body during the American Revolution. They accomplished two major tasks at this meeting. First, they created a formal army and named George Washington as its commander. The Congress also sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George in England. In it, they declared loyalty to the king, and asked for him to repeal the Intolerable Acts. King George refused, and instead of letting up on the colonists for declaring loyalty to him, he sent 20,000 more troops. It s on now! Shortly after the Second Continental Congress convened, the British and Americans engaged in the Battle of Bunker Hill. In mid-june, the Patriots controlled a couple of hills outside of Boston. The hills were being used as places where the colonists would set up artillery and fire it at the British. General Gage decided it was time to take control of those hills. When the battle took place, it would only last one day. The colonists were on the defensive for nearly the entire battle. Beginnings of the Revolution Watch how the colonists prepared for fighting. Included: Lexington & Concord, Paul Revere s Ride, and the Shot Heard Round the World Much of the battle at Bunker Hill would be hand to hand combat using bayonets. The British did take the hills at the end of the day, but the colonists had another moral victory. Of the 2,500 Redcoats, the British lost 1,000 at Bunker Hill. Historians often say that the Battle of Bunker Hill legitimized the Revolutionary War. Peace would no longer be an option until one side officially won. 3

Chapter 5, Section 2 The Declaration of Independence IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL... 1. See how Thomas Paine influenced the Founding Fathers to make a total break from England. 2. See how the Declaration of Independence was (and still is) a pillar of American culture.

5 Chapter 5, Section 2 The Declaration of Independence IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL See how Thomas Paine influenced the Founding Fathers to make a total break from England. 2. See how the Declaration of Independence was (and still is) a pillar of American culture. It became clear after the first few battles of the Revolution that winning would not be an easy task. Once the Founding Fathers realized the severity of the situation they were in, it became clear that a total victory was the only option. Consequently, freedom from Great Britain became their primary objective. In order to cement that freedom, three men would write a document that would change history. A major event leading up to the authorship of the Declaration of Independence would be the writing of Common Sense. This was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine (right) in the spring of In it, Paine emphasized the idea that the colonies needed to make a clean, total break from England. He also specifically attacked the king in this article. Most people blamed Parliament for their hardships (i.e. new taxes). But Paine attacked the king to rally people in order to get this break from England that they knew would be needed. Losing the war and gaining full independence was the only 4

6 Declaration of Independence America the Story of Us: Declaration of Independence Hear what some have to say about this historic document. John Trumbull s famous painting of the drafting committee presenting the Declaration to the Congress option. Just imagine how difficult life would be for the colonists if they lost... In June of 1776, the time came for the Continental Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams would be the primary authors of this revolutionary document. Jefferson would be its primary author, and was the youngest member of the Continental Congress. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopts the Declaration, stating that they wanted to break free from England and create a new nation. As stated in the section objectives, the Declaration was (and still is) a pillar to our culture. It can be divided into two parts. The first is a brief summary of the political ideals they believed a government should have. Jefferson stated that the government should exist to benefit the people. His ideas were enlightening, but not original. John Locke had already written most of these things before; Jefferson was just summarizing the main political 5

7 thoughts of the day. The second part of the Declaration was a list of injustices that the colonies had suffered at the hands of England. These injustices would be the legal rationale for the rebellion against England. Nearly every injustice was blamed on King George III. Interestingly enough, people do not see these injustices as the king s fault today. But at the time, he seemed like the practical scapegoat for their problems. After deciding that freedom was the best option for the colonies, Ben Franklin said to his peers, We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall hang separately. Declaring freedom was a dream scenario, and people were excited about it. But Franklin and the other Founding Fathers knew that losing the war would result in certain death. And at this time, the war wasn t going exactly as planned. Thankfully, though, things would take a turn for the better later in

Chapter 5, Section 3 The Turning Point IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL... 1. Read how the Patriots turn the war in their favor.

8 Chapter 5, Section 3 The Turning Point IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL Read how the Patriots turn the war in their favor. While the Founding Fathers were writing and passing the Declaration of Independence, the militaristic fight for freedom was not going well. The colonists lost a series of important battles, specifically the fight for New York. By November and December of 1776, there was a need for a military victory in order to keep things from falling apart. Washington would come through at the Battle of Trenton. This battle would occur on Christmas Day in The night before the battle, Washington took his army out of camp and sailed across the Delaware River into New Famous painting by Emanuel Leutze of Washington crossing the Delaware River, circa 1851 Jersey. Once he crossed, he attacked the unsuspecting British troops in several places, including Trenton. The Continental Army had their first good, total victory. And it is this campaign that is credited for keeping the Revolution alive. The war would finally shift in favor of the Patriots after Trenton. The most significant militaristic turning point of the American Revolution came at Saratoga. 7

9 In the spring of 1777, the British decided to attack New York. By taking control of this colony, they would then be able to isolate Massachusetts (the most rebellious colony) and New England from everyone else, making them easier to control. They thought this would collapse the Continental Army over time, and that this strategy would hopefully defeat the independence movement. British commanders decided it would be best to attack from three spots: the Great Lakes, through New York City, and from Canada. The army that came from Canada into New York was commanded by British general John Burgoyne. Burgoyne came down from New York with 6,000 men in his army. By the time he reached Saratoga in August, he was confronted by a colonial force led by Horatio Gates, who had established a defensive position to block his way. Instead of attacking the Patriots right away, Burgoyne decided he would wait for his reinforcements coming from the south and the west. Unfortunately, every minute he waited, the colonists gained more and more forces to fight against the British. By mid- September, the Continental Army had surrounded Burgoyne. Realizing that he had no chance for victory, Burgoyne ordered his troops to break through the north so he could escape through Canada. By October 17, Burgoyne s efforts rendered futile and he surrendered. This was a HUGE military victory for the Continental Army, as well as a political and diplomatic one. Now, the French government decided that the Revolution might actually be successful. They decided to ally with the Americans. At the same time, they would hurt Britain (the British and French were bitter enemies). By early 1778, a military alliance was signed as a result of the Patriots winning at Saratoga. The Battle of Saratoga & Winter at Valley Forge Watch a little bit more on the Battle of Saratoga and the winter at Valley Forge. The victory in Saratoga would be short lived for the Continental Army. During the winter in 1778, the Patriots experienced a very harsh period at Valley Forge. Many soldiers were killed due to disease and other issues that occurred from a very harsh winter. One important thing that would happen was the emergence of 8

10 Baron Von Steuben. Von Steuben s role in the war was enormous. He trained and drilled the Continental Army through this very difficult time period at Valley Forge. Historians say this is important because he professionalized and made the army more disciplined. The war for independence had taken a turn for the better, but wasn t quite over yet. 9

11 Chapter 5, Section 4 A Landmark Victory IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL Read how the Patriots won the Revolution. 2. Learn the terms of the Peace of Paris treaty. Following their loss at Saratoga, the British decided to change their strategy and turn their focus to the south in The hope was that they could isolate the southern colonies and then move north. There were a couple of reasons for shifting this focus. Firstly, if the British could control southern coastline, they could move men and materials better. Secondly, the South had always been more sympathetic to the British. With that being the case the British thought, perhaps, that they could get some help they may not otherwise receive. Initially, the strategy the Redcoats used would work. The British would win a series of victories in the South, beginning with Savannah (Georgia) in December And by the beginning of 1780, they captured Charleston in South Carolina. The whole southern campaign was much more difficult than the British thought it would be. When the British got to the border of South Carolina, they lost a couple of battles. Following these defeats, they realized this strategy took too long and was ineffective. They were then instructed to march north towards Virginia in the summer of The British would eventually arrive in Yorktown, which is located on the peninsula where Jamestown is located. Generals received word to wait, and in a few weeks, the British navy would sail to the Chesapeake, and then would reevaluate their situation. 10

12 General Charles Cornwallis led an army of 7,000 men at Yorktown. Understanding that this was a dangerous place to be, Washington and French General Jean Rochambeau realized Cornwallis vulnerability. They made plans to capture the British army by setting up a strong defense to prevent Cornwallis from moving inland. This effort would prove successful, and in mid- October of 1781, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington (and the French). Two years later, the British and the Americans signed the Peace of Paris in This was a very good treaty for the United States. One of the things it accomplished was the establishment of our country s boundaries. The new-found United States would extend north to the Great Lakes, west to the Mississippi River, and south to Florida. Secondly, there was an agreement between the United States and Britain which stated that England would withdraw all troops from U.S. soil in exchange for paying off all pre-war U.S. debt to the British. This was a big deal because the British controlled seven forts inside the United States. Eventually, this part of the treaty would come to fruition 10 years later. 11

4: TELESCOPING THE TIMES

The Americans (Survey) Chapter 4: TELESCOPING THE TIMES The War for Independence CHAPTER OVERVIEW The colonists clashes with the British government lead them to declare independence. With French aid, they