Download American Forces Gain Strength

American Forces Gain Strength
I. France Enters the War
A. The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary war – first
because it preserved New England and lifted American’s spirits but also
because it convinced France to enter the war. France was a longtime
rival of England and was still bitter from its defeat in the French and
Indian War. However, France did not want to enter the war unless they
were convinced that the Americans had a chance to win. The Battle of
Saratoga convinced the French that victory was possible.
B. Benjamin Franklin had been in
Paris since the signing of the
Declaration of Independence.
It was his job to convince the
French to support the patriots.
Franklin was wildly popular
in Paris. However, he wasn’t
able to convince King Louis XVI
until word of the American
victory Saratoga reached Paris. French aid was a boon for the Patriots.
Three Benefits of French Aid:
1
2
3
II. Help from Abroad –volunteers from Europe came to aide the patriot cause
France
Prussia
Poland
Spain
Even before France
pledged aid the
Marquis de Lafayette
arrived to provide his
personal support.
Lafayette, a young
French noble, helped
train American
soldiers. He fought
beside Washington
and became one of
his close friends.
Friedrich von
Steuben helped train
American volunteers
into a trained nd
disciplined fighting
force. He taught
soldiers how to
march and maneuver
as a unit and how to
fight using their
bayonets.
Two Polish officers
joined the American
cause. Casimir
Pilaski trained the
American cavalry.
Thaddeus Kosciusko
was an engineer. He
taught American
forces how to build
forts and bunkers.
Bernardo de Galvez,
the Governor of
Spanish Louisiana,
supported the patriots
by secretly sending
gunpowder,
weapons, cloth and
medicine. New
Spain also supplied
cattle to help feed the
continental army.
III. Heroes in other Places – Not all the fighting in the Revolutionary War
was limited to the eastern colonies. Fighting also took place in the south, along
the frontier as well as at sea.
George Rogers Clark
John Paul Jones
Francis Marion
George Rogers Clark led an expedition of Virginia frontier fighters
against the British forts west of the Appalachians. He led his
forces through dense woodlands and made surprise attacks on
English outposts. By February of 1779 American forces had
captured three key forts along the Mississippi.
Fighting also took place at sea. The British navy was blockading
American ports. The Americans had little naval force and were
powerless to end the blockade but some daring captains were
able to capture a few British ships. One famous captain, John
Paul Jones won a victory over a much larger British warship.
Jones’s ship was battered in the attack but when the British
commander called for surrender, Jones famously replied, “I have
not yet begun to fight!” Jones crew captured the ship in hand to
hand combat.
Francis Marion led a group of American soldiers throughout the
low country of South Carolina. His small band would creep
through the swamps and launch surprise attacks against British
forces. Marion earned the nickname the “swamp fox”.