The AMERICAN Revolutionary War 1775-1783

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TheAMERICAN Revolutionary War1775-1783
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FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS Philadelphia -
September, 1774

• Prepare colonies for possible revolt
• Begin to create militias
• Most colonists dont want a total splityet
• Just dont want to be taxed unfairly
• No taxation w/out Representation

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KEEPING THE CLIMATE RIPE FOR REVOLUTIONSons of
Liberty
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Colonial Populations

• PATRIOTS
• Want Independence / War
• TORY
• British Loyalists / NO Independence
• Undecided

• 33
• 33
• 33

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The Opening of the Revolt

• King George III interprets colonists actions as
  rebellion
• Sends Redcoats to supress
• Brits learn where John Hancock Sam Adams are
  (Lexington)

• Also learn where secret militia storage supply is
  (Concord)
• 700 British troops secretly set out to capture
  both
• BUT

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Patriots learn of British Plan

• TWO IF BY LAND, ONE IF BY SEA

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• Need to send someone to ride out to Lexington and
  Concord to Philadelphia
• Warn of the coming British ambush
• Who???

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PAUL REVERES MIDNIGHT RIDE???

• Riders Sam Prescott, William Dawes, Israel
  Bissell Revere
• Revere and Dawes captured after 20 miles
• Prescott made it to Concord
• Only Bissell made it to Philadelphia to warn
• Killed his horse he rode so hard

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Why Revere so Famous???

• LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear Of
  the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the
  eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five Hardly a
  man is now alive Who remembers that famous day
  and year.

• Jump to 1860
• USA on brink of Civil War
• Need something to unify people
• Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wants to sell a
  book
• Writes Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
• Becomes a hit legend becomes truth

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The Midnight Ride of William Dawes

• I am a wandering, bitter shade,Never of me was a
  hero madePoets have never sung my
  praise,Nobody crowned my brow with baysAnd if
  you ask me the fatal cause,I answer only, "My
  name was Dawes
• When the lights from the old North Church flashed
  out,Paul Revere was waiting about,But I was
  already on my way.The shadows of night fell cold
  and grayAs I rode, with never a break or a
  pauseBut what was the use, when my name was
  Dawes!

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MINUTEMEN UNITS
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THE BRITISH REDCOATS
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BATTLE OF LEXINGTONAPRIL 19, 1775THE SHOTS
HEARD ROUND THE WORLD

• First battles of war
• British looking to capture rebel leaders and
  supplies
• Brits meet 70 Militia, who begin to disperse
• Someone fires?
• British gun down militiamen
• 8 killed, 10 wounded

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BATTLE OF CONCORDAPRIL 19, 1775 (later that day)

• Word spreads about the murders
• Patriots want revenge
• Assemble 300 on North Bridge
• Kill 14 British, who are exhausted
• Brits retreat back to Boston

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NORTH BRIDGE OVER CONCORD RIVER
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BATTLE MAP

• Patriots keep attacking from trees the whole
  march back. 250 British killed. (90 minutemen)

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THE BRITISH SEIGE OF BOSTON
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SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS Philadelphia - MAY
10, 1775

• Continental Army officially created
• Washington named C in C of Army
• Accepts w/ no pay
• Still No Call for Independence from Govt
• Olive Branch Petition plea to King to work it
  out

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Characters at the Continental Congress

• FOR INDEPENDENCE
• John Adams (MA)
• Sam Adams (MA)
• KEYS TO INDEP. VOTE
• Richard Henry Lee (VA)
• Thomas Jefferson (VA)
• George Washington (VA)
• Ben Franklin (PA)

• AGAINST INDEPENDENCE
• John Dickenson (PA)
• Edward Rutledge (SC)
• James Duane (NY)
• PRESIDENT OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
• John Hancock

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BATTLE OF BUNKER HILLJUNE 17, 1775
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• British foolishly advance up hill numerous times
  thought Patriots would run
• They didnt
• 1,000 British Killed
• 250 Patriots killed
• Compromise now unreachable to King
• Colonial Govt STILL not want total
  independence!!!
• Until

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BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL
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BUNKER HILL BATTLEDont fire
until you can see the Whites of their Eyes
- Patriot William Prescott
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BUNKER HILL MEMORIAL
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GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON

• On the day he is commissioned General

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Common Sense byTHOMAS PAINE
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THOMAS PAINE MEMORIALS

• Convinced colonists to use common sense and
  declare Independence

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THOMAS JEFFERSON
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WRITING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE(WITH
BEN FRANKLIN JOHN ADAMS)
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• Independence Vote taken
• July 2, 1776
• SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
• JULY 4, 1776

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DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
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National Archives in DC
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So we are at warHow can we win???

• American Strategy
• Cant go head to head with British Empire
• Must make war last as long as possible
• Make British give it up
• Use guerilla tactics quick strikes and get out
  BUT
• GW did want a traditional army and trained for it

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After a while

• War NOT going well at all
• Morale very low in Continental Army
• Washington has not yet won a battle
• Enlistments will expire end of 1776
• Sooooooo
• Washington plans to deliver Xmas Victory
• Attack a Hessian camp at Trenton, NJ

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WASHINGTON CROSSES THE DELAWARE RIVEREmanuel
Leutze 1851
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XMAS Campaigns, 1776

• Trenton Battle
• Small Victory, but gave Army HOPE
• GW gets new enlistments
• Tells British colonists are tough and this will
  be a long fight

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Army Grinds it out for another year

• October 17, 1777 Battle of Saratoga, NY
• Continentals win, but more importantly
• Win convinces France to intervene in the War on
  Patriots side
• British want to negotiate, Colonists Dont

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SUFFERING AT VALLEY FORGE
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WASHINGTON PRAYER
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Continental Army Problems

• Only GW holds it together his strength and
  personality
• Army size always changing
• Very short of supplies
• (Never know what if anything will get from
  Congress)

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BATTLE OF YORKTOWN
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SEIGE OF YORKTOWNWAR ENDS WITH PEACE OF PARIS
1781
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BRITISH SURRENDER AT YORKTOWN 1781
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October 17, 1781

• Treaty (PEACE OF PARIS) signed 2 years later on
  Sept. 3, 1783
• Ends the American Revolution

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Why did America win???

• Colonials able to drag out the war
• British Gave it up
• Became too Expensive to keep fighting
• French Alliance
• American strategy pays off
• NOW THERE IS A NEW COUNTRY!!!!