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American Revolution
Daily Lecture and Discussion Notes
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I. The Opposing Sides
A. In order for the colonies to actually gain their independence from Britain, they had to
fight a war. No one expected it to last so long, however.
B. The Patriots, or Americans who supported independence, faced several obstacles:
C. Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Side
The strengths of the Americans were 1) we were defending our homeland that
gave us a better reason to fight, 2) most colonists owned rifles and were good
shots 3) we had great leaders such as George Washington.
The strengths of the British were 1) they had a well trained professional army,
2) they had experienced soldiers who had fought in many wars 3) they had the
strongest navy in the world.
The weaknesses of the American army were 1) our soldiers were untrained, 2)
we had very few cannon and little gunpowder 3) we did not have a navy.
The British weaknesses were 1) they were fighting 3000 miles from home 2) it
took months for supplies and reinforcements to reach the army 3) they were
fighting in unfamiliar enemy territory.
Loyalists, or Tories, supported Britain for several reasons:
1. Some were members of the Anglican Church and thus loyal to Britain.
2. Some depended on the British for jobs.
3. Some feared the changes a new government might bring and feared challenging
an existing government.
4. Some just did not understand the war.
Loyalist strength varied from region to region but was strongest in the Carolinas and
Georgia.
D. Some African Americans were promised their freedom if they fought on the British
side, so they became Loyalists.
E. Hessian mercenaries or hired soldiers who fought for the British for money
Did You Know? Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was published in 1776 in order to
influence Americans to support the Revolution. The pamphlet met this goal. Today,
more than 200 years later, Common Sense is still in print!
F. Raising an army was difficult. Congress had trouble enlisting soldiers and raising
money to fight the war. The Americans had militias, not a regular army. Soldiers usually
signed up for one year of service. The Congress offered a three-year term, or length of
service, but the one-year enlistment was most common.
G. Some women also fought in the war as Patriots. Mary Ludwig Hayes was the most
famous Molly Pitcher who carried water to the men on the battlefields. Deborah
Sampson dressed as a man and enlisted in the army and fought in several battles
until she was wounded and discovered and released from the Army.
II. Fighting in New York
A. The British troops outnumbered the Americans. During the summer of 1777, Britain
sent 32,000 troops to fight in America. The British hoped to win an early victory.
B. The British defeated the Continental Army at the Battle of Long Island in August.
This was the first formal battle for Washington’s army. The Americans lost over 1400
men. Nathan Hale became a hero for America. He stayed behind to find out about
British plans and fortifications. He was discovered as a spy when his loyalist cousin
Samuel Hale turned him in. He was condemned to death and his last words were “I
regret I have one life to lose for my country”. After the defeat, Washington retreated
to Manhattan and then across New Jersey into Pennsylvania, pursued by the British.
C. The Continental Army faced many obstacles. They ran short of supplies. The size of
the army shrank. Soldiers became discouraged. Some soldiers finished their term of
service and went home. Others ran away.
III. Patriot Gains
A. More soldiers were needed, so some states enlisted African Americans. By the end of
the war, every state except South Carolina had enlisted African Americans. In fact Rhode
Island had an all African American regiment in 1778.
B. The Americans were in desperate need for a victory. Thomas Paine wrote “The
Crisis” that said, “These are times that try men’s souls”. Washington read this to his
troops hoping to inspire them before battle and to encourage them to reenlist in the army,
as their commitments were about to expire. American troops scored victories at Trenton
and Princeton, New Jersey. Washington caught the British troops off guard when he
surprised them at Trenton in late December 1776. Hessian soldiers controlled Trenton.
They were celebrating Christmas and were caught by surprise when Washington
attacked. The battle lasted less than one hour. The British sent more troops under Lord
Charles Cornwallis, but Washington marched his troops to Princeton and drove
away the British.
IV. A British Plan for Victory
A. The British planned to gain control of Albany and the Hudson River to separate New England
from the Middle Colonies. First, John Burgoyne would lead troops south from Canada.
Burgoyne was the new British commander in America. He was so confident he could defeat the
Americans he bet 50 guineas or 4 years pay that he would do so in less than one year. Second,
Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger would move east from Lake Ontario. Third, General Howe
would move north from New York City, and they would all meet in Albany.
B. But King George III ordered Howe to capture Philadelphia first. In July of 1777, Howe
sailed from New York to Chesapeake Bay. As Howe marched on Philadelphia, Washington tried
to stop him. At the Battle of Brandywine, Howe defeated the Americans. Marquis de
Lafayette was a Frenchman who helped Washington at Brandywine. Washington covered 8
crossings at Brandywine, but Howe found another crossing and overwhelmed the Americans.
1300 Americans died (2x that of British). 1 week later the capital fell. The Americans
regrouped and tried a 2nd attack. Reinforcements were 5 miles from Philadelphia at
Germantown. The Americans were forcing the British back and trapped them in the Chew
mansion. The fog and smoke were so thick that the Americans began to fire upon themselves.
This led to a panicked retreat from the area. Howe had prior to Germantown captured
Philadelphia without firing a shot. Washington retreated to spend the winter at Valley Forge.
Impt: removed Howe from a threat to Albany.
C. 2 other British armies under Barry St. Leger and John Burgoyne continued to march toward
Albany. Leger tried to capture Fort Stanwix but Benedict Arnold drove the British back. The
Iroquois quit after their defeat at the Battle of Ariskinney. Their defeat caused Leger to
retreat and leave his supplies behind. This left only Burgoyne to attack Albany. Burgoyne’s
army moved slowly dragging heavy carts of cannons and supplies. Americans slowed him down
by blocking routes and damming up creeks. It took 20 days to cover 22 miles. Burgoyne did
capture fort Ticonderoga. British troops were sent into Vermont to find food and horses.
The French were preparing to come into the war to help the Americans. There was only one
major victory needed. Ben Franklin was sent to France to negotiate for help. Short of supplies
and men, Burgoyne retreated to Saratoga, New York, in October.
D. The British lost the Battle of Saratoga. Burgoyne’s troops were surrounded at the Battle of
Saratoga by the army of Horatio Gates (6,000). Gates used sharpshooters under Daniel Morgan
to keep pressure on Burgoyne. American General Benedict Arnold fought despite Gates
relieving him of his command. On October 17, 1777 Burgoyne surrendered his entire army to
the Americans including 7 generals and 12 members of Parliament.
Saratoga was the turning point of the revolutionary war for three reasons:
1) Ended British threat in New England or prevented the colonies from being split
2) Boosted American spirits
*3) Convinced French to sign a treaty (Feb. 1778) to give military aid to U.S.
Gaining Allies
I. European Allies
A. European nations helped the American cause. France and Spain were at war with the
British in Europe and hated the British. They realized that the Americans had a chance to win
their war, so they offered assistance.
B. France at first secretly gave money to help the American war effort and then publicly
announced its support. In February 1778, the French and the Americans worked out a trade
agreement and an alliance. France declared war on Britain and gave the Americans money,
equipment, and troops to fight the British.
C. Spain and the Netherlands were at war with Britain. Spain did not recognize
America’s independence until after the Revolution, but the Spanish governor of
Louisiana, Bernardo de Gálvez, helped the war effort by bringing in Spanish cattle (longhorns)
to feed the army.
D. Washington’s troops spent a hard winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The army lacked
enough food, clothing, and shelter. Some men deserted; others resigned. Yet the Continental
Army survived. In April news of France’s alliance cheered them.
E. A French nobleman, Marquis de Lafayette, spent the winter at Valley Forge. He offered his
services and became one of Washington’s trusted aides.
F. Other Europeans also volunteered to help.
1. Casimir Pulaski from Poland died fighting for the Continental Army in 1780. He trained
the cavalry or soldiers on horseback.
2. Friedrich von Steuben from Germany taught military discipline to Washington’s troops.
3. Juan de Miralles from Spain lent money, became friends with Patriot leaders, and
convinced Cuba, Spain, and Mexico to send financial aid to the colonies.
4. Thaddeus Kosciensko from Poland was an engineer that built bridges and roads for the
Patriots.
G. Getting money to finance the war was difficult. To pay for the war, Congress and the states
printed hundreds of millions of dollars of paper money. Soldiers had to be paid and supplies
bought. The paper quickly lost its value and in turn led to inflation.
Congress stopped issuing paper money because no one would use it.
II. Life on the Home Front
A. Women often took over the duties of men while the men were in the military. Some women
questioned their place in society, and some fought for women’s interests.
B. The Loyalists in the colonies faced hard times. Those who actively helped the British by
spying and informing on the Patriots could be arrested and tried as traitors. Some were victims of
mob violence or ignored by their neighbors. Many fled to Britain, to Spanish-owned Florida, or to
the frontier.
War in the West and At Sea
I. War in the West
A. The war in the West took place along the frontier, west of the Appalachian Mountains,
and involved Native Americans. They often helped the British by raiding American
settlements.
B. George Rogers Clark went west to end the attacks. In June 1778, he and 175 soldiers
took the British post at Kaskaskia in present-day Illinois and then captured the town of
Vincennes in present-day Indiana.
II. Glory at Sea
A. The British had a powerful navy and thus were able to wage battles at sea. They
blockaded American harbors, preventing ships from entering or leaving ports. This
effectively cut off supplies and reinforcements from getting to the troops.
B. The American Navy was too weak to fight the British, so they used privateers.
Privateers were privately owned merchant ships with weapons. The privateers attacked
the British ships. Congress authorized more than 100 ships to sail as privateers.
C. John Paul Jones became a naval hero as a result of his battle near the coast of Great
Britain in September 1779. The battle involved his ship, the Bonhomme Richard, and the
British warship Serapis. After more than three hours of battle, the Serapis surrendered.
The Bonhomme Richard sank because it was so badly damaged. Famous quote by
Jones when asked by the British to surrender: “I have not yet begun to fight”
Did You Know? Naval hero John Paul Jones is considered to be one of the founders
of the United States Navy. He was the first person to hoist the new American flag on
a warship. In 1778 Jones sailed into a French bay and exchanged gun salutes with a
French ship. This was the first time the United States flag was officially recognized
by a foreign government.
Turn
III. Struggles in the South
A. By 1778 the British saw that it would be difficult to unite the American colonies back
into their empire. They concentrated their efforts in the South, which had many Loyalists.
B. In late 1778 the British occupied Savannah, Georgia, and took over most of the state.
In 1780 General Henry Clinton himself went to attack Charles Town, South
Carolina. In May, Charles Town surrendered. It was the worst defeat for the
Americans during the war.
C. General Charles Cornwallis remained in the South as commander of the British
forces. The British scored another victory at Camden, South Carolina, in August 1780.
D. The Patriots used guerrilla warfare (Hit and run fighting) to catch the British off
guard. Frances Marion was one of the successful guerrilla leaders of eastern South
Carolina. He was known as the Swamp Fox.
E. The Patriots were victorious at Kings Mountain in central North Carolina in
September 1780. They forced the British to retreat.
F. Another battle at Cowpens, South Carolina, saw the British defeated in January
1781. In March the Continental commander Nathaniel Greene met General Cornwallis’s
army at Guilford Courthouse in present-day Greensboro, North Carolina. Greene’s army
retreated, and even Cornwallis’s troops ended the battle. They suffered many losses, so
Cornwallis abandoned the campaign to take North Carolina.
G. In April 1781, the Cornwallis troops retreated north to Virginia, carrying out raids
and nearly capturing Governor Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature in June.
Cornwallis set up camp at Yorktown, Virginia.
H. George Washington sent Lafayette and Von Steuben to fight Cornwallis. The
battle for the South was almost over, but the war was at a point where each side needed a
victory to win.
Bringing the War to an End
I. Victory at Yorktown
A. Washington planned a complex and secretive takeover at Yorktown, Virginia, in
hopes of surprising Cornwallis. Washington was originally going to attack New York
City because he was expecting a French fleet to arrive there to help. The French fleet
never reached New York City because the British fleet trapped them in Newport.
Washington planned an attack on Yorktown instead.
1. He knew the British expected him at New York City, so this change would
surprise and confuse them.
2. He learned that a second French fleet was to arrive near Chesapeake Bay, and
he hoped that they would meet at Yorktown.
B. The Yorktown plan was kept secret. Three groups were to meet there and surprise the
British.
1. In August 1781, Admiral François de Grasse’s fleet was to land along the
Virginia coast near Yorktown.
2. In July the first French army that was trapped in Newport would meet
Washington’s troops and march south to Yorktown.
3. A third group from the west under Anthony Wayne and Marquis de
Lafayette was to march toward Yorktown, Virginia.
C. The plan worked. By the end of September, 14,000 American and French troops
trapped Cornwallis’s 7,500 troops. The British troops could not escape by sea because de
Grasse’s troops blocked them. The rest of the British Army was in New York under
General Clinton, unable to help Cornwallis in the South.
D. On October 9, American and French troops bombarded the British. On October 19,
Cornwallis surrendered. The Patriots had won the Battle of Yorktown.
E. The British marched between the French and the American troops to hand over their
weapons. A French band played “Yankee Doodle” and a British band responded with a
children’s tune called “The World Turned Upside Down.”
II. Independence
A. Fighting continued after the Battle of Yorktown, but the British realized that the war
was too costly to continue. Delegates from both sides met in Paris. After a preliminary
treaty was ratified in April 1783; the final Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3,
1783.
Terms of the Treaty of Paris 1783
1. Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation
2. The United States territory extended from the Atlantic Ocean west to the
Mississippi River and from Canada in the north to Spanish Florida in the south
3. The British promised to withdraw all troops and agreed to give Americans the
right to fish off the coast of Canada
4. The United States agreed that British merchants could collect on debts owed by
Americans
5. Property taken from Loyalists would be returned to them
The Newburgh Conspiracy
Washington maintained a strong army in New York until the peace treaty was
signed. The soldiers got angry when Congress refused to fund their pensions and failed
to provide other pay. Some officers circulated a letter stating that if the soldier’s
demands were not met, the army would refuse to disband. Washington knew that this
could lead to a revolt and destroy the new nation. He persuaded the officers to be patient
and urged Congress to pay the soldiers.
Washington’s Farewell
On December 4, 1783 Washington gave up his command and gave his farewell
speech to his officers. Three weeks later Washington formally resigned and returned to
his home in Mount Vernon.
“Having now finished the work assigned me I retire… and take my leave of all the
employments of public life.”
Wentworth Cheswell: (11 April 1746 – 8 March 1817) was an African-American teacher,
American Revolutionary War veteran, assessor, auditor, selectman and Justice of the Peace.
He is considered by some the first African American elected to public office, as well as the first
archaeologist in New Hampshire, despite being perceived by local contemporaries as white.
Mercy Otis Warren: was one of the most important female participants in the American
Revolution. At a time when politics was considered to be the exclusive province of white
men, Warren published plays, poems, and tracts dealing with political matters. Beginning
in 1772, Warren, with the support of John Adams, began to publish her works in
Massachusetts newspapers. Initially, these works appeared anonymously, or under a
pseudonym. In the period extending from the Boston Tea Party through the Declaration of
Independence, Warren attacked royal authority in Massachusetts and urged colonists to
resist British infringements on colonial rights and liberties. During the debate over the U.S.
Constitution in 1788, she issued a pamphlet, written under the pseudonym, "A Columbian
Patriot," that opposed ratification of the document and advocated the inclusion of a Bill of
Rights. In 1790
James Armistead: was the first African American double spy. An African American slave,
Armistead was owned by William Armistead in Virginia during the American Revolution.
First he spied on Brigadier General Benedict Arnold (by this time, Arnold had defected
from the American Continental Army to lead British forces). After Arnold departed north
in the spring of 1781, James went to the camp of Lord Cornwallis. He relayed much
information about the British plans for troop deployment and about their arms. The
intelligence reports from his espionage were instrumental in helping to defeat the British
during the Battle of Yorktown.
Haym Saloman: was a Spanish and Portuguese Jew who immigrated to New York from
Poland during the period of the American Revolution, and who became a prime financier of
the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain.