Most Daring Conduct"Our situation was now truly critical-no possi-bility of retreating in case of defeat-and in fullview of a town that had ... six hundred men init, troops, inhabitants and Indians .... We knewthat nothing but the most daring conduct wouldinsure success."

-George Rogers Clark, describing the battleagainst British and Indians at Vincennes, 1779

•••Clark led his army through western wilderness.

The War WidensObjectives• Discover the role that African Americans

played in the American Revolution.

• Find out how the war affected women andother civilians.

• Learn about the progress of the fighting onthe western frontier and at sea.

\!) Reading SkillAnalyze Word Roots Word roots can domore than help you define unfamiliar words. Theycan help you expand your vocabulary. As you readSection 3, use word roots to determine meanings.Then, list other words you know that come fromthe same word roots. Think about how they sharemeanings with the text words-and how themeanings differ. Notice the shades of meaning thatcan derive from a single word root.

Key Terms and Peopleenlist Bernardo decivilian Galvezcontinental John Paul JonesGeorge Rogers privateer

Clark

Why It Matters Many early battles of the American Revo-lution were fought in the Northeast. But the struggle forindependence was waged on many fronts and affectedAmericans in all parts of the country.~ Section Focus Question: How did the effects of thewar widen?

African Americans in the WarAfrican Americans fought on both sides of the American

Revolution. For them, the war meant both danger andopportunity.

Free and Slave From the beginning, free AfricanAmericans took part in the war. At least nine served asminutemen at Lexington and Concord. Peter Salem foughtat Bunker Hill and Saratoga.

Enslaved people served as well. After fleeing his masterin Rhode Island, Jehu Grant served in the American armyfor nine months. He later recalled:

"When I saw liberty poles and the people allengaged for the support of freedom, I could notbut like and be pleased with such thing .... Thesongs of liberty ... thrilled through my heart."

-Jehu Grant, letter, December 1, 1836

The British offered freedom to enslaved people whodeserted and joined the British. Many thousands did so.They served mainly in support roles as cooks, blacksmiths,anti teamsters. However, some people who had formerlybeen en ved fought for the British.

186 Chapter 6 The American Revolution_________ ~~-___=__=__=~ __ - --'------"---- ..cE;..----- _

On the American side, Washington at first refused to acceptAfrican American soldiers. But the British offer of freedom toenslaved people made Washington change his policy. By the end ofthe war, some 7,000African Americans had served on the Americanside, including 2,000 in the navy. African Americans also served innorthern militias and state armies. Most southern states, however,refused to accept African American soldiers. Slave owners fearedarmed slave revolts.

_~ Analyze Word Rootst~ The word root port means

~11 s¥.'9 "to carry." The prefix sub-

means "under," and sub- becomessup- when used before the letterp. Use these word parts to explainthe meaning of support. List threeother words that build on the rootport.

Freedom Beckons During the Revolution, a number of northernstates took steps to end slavery. For example, a Pennsylvania law of1780provided for a gradual end to slavery. It allowed slaveholdersto keep their existing slaves but barred them from getting more.

~Checkpoint Why did some enslaved African Americans chooseto fight for the British?

The War at HomeMany men enlisted, or signed up for duty, in the military. After a

set term, usually one year, they were free to leave. Thus, Washingtonhad to struggle constantly to keep the ranks of his army filled.

Civilians, or people not in the military, also faced hardships.They were often subject to food shortages and military attack.

r Il.inks Across 'lime~"~~.~"'''''''!!!<~cilfU~~~«~.''''''---

1i77 Reversing his earlier policy, Washingtonpermits free African Americans to enlist in theContinental army.1863 During the last half of the Civil War, AfricanAmericans were allowed to join the Union army.Black and white soldiers served in separate units.1948 President Harry Truman ended racial separa-tion in the military. Two years later, black and whitetroops served side by side in the Korean War.

The Military Today In today's all-volunteer military,African Americans make up 21 percent of all militarypersonnel.

For: U.S. military in the newsVisit: PHSchool.comWeb Code: mvc-2063

A Woman in BattleWhen her husband waswounded at the Battle ofMonmouth, Mary Ludwig Haysdropped her water bucket andtook up his cannon. Her heroicactions made her a legendaryAmerican hero, known as MollyPitcher. Critical Thinking:Evaluate Information Whydo you think Molly Pitcher hasbecome a popular subject forAmerican artists? What imageof women does she represent?

Vocabulary Builderconfine (kuhn FIN)v. to keepwithin certain limits

Vocabulary Builderresource (REE sors) n. supply ofsomething to meet a particularneed

Women As men went to war, women took Over many of theirduties. On farms, women planted crops and cared for livestock. Intowns, women often ran their husbands' businesses.

Some women accompanied their husbands to military camps. Inbattles, they cared for the wounded. One woman, Deborah Sampson,joined the army, disguised as a man. Wounded in battle, Sampsontended her own wounds in order to keep her secret.

The added responsibilities of wartime gave many women a newconfidence. At a time when women's roles were largely confined, thewar opened up new opportunities for many women.

Financial Burdens Paying for the war was a difficult task.Congress had limited resources. With no power to tax, Congress hadto plead with the states for money. However, the states had littlemoney themselves.

To pay and supply troops, Congress printed continentals, orpaper money. But the more money Congress printed, the less themoney was worth. By the end of the war, paper money had lostalmost all its value.

~Checkpoint What roles did women play in the Revolution?

Fighting in the WestThroughout most of the American Revolution, attention was

mainly focused on the 13 states along the Atlantic coast. However,skirmishes and battles occurred on the western frontier as well.

Native Americans Take Sides Americans tried to keep theNative Americans neutral. They offered payments to groups willingto remain at peace. Still, most Native American groups sided withBritain. They feared that an American victory would mean moresettlers moving west or south onto Native American lands.

188 Chapter 6 The American Revolution

The turmoil of war hurt many Indian groups. Sometimes tribessplit into warring factions when they could not agree which side tojoin. Thousands of Indians were driven west by raids. Sometimeswhole villages picked up and moved to avoid the fighting. OtherNative Americans responded by attacking white settlements.

A smallpox epidemic made matters even worse. The disease firstspread among American soldiers in Quebec in 1775,and then alongthe east coast of the colonies. By 1779,it had reached New Orleans.Soon after, it spread to Native American groups all across NorthAmerica. Smallpox deaths far outnumbered casualties during theAmerican Revolution. By1782,more than 130,000whites and Indianshad died from smallpox. In contrast, about 8,000soldiers had died inbattle during the same period.

Defending the Frontier Seeking to defend against attacks onthe frontier, Virginia sent George Rogers Clark and a militia force tostrike British forts beyond the AppalachianMountains in 1778. Clark's forces easilycaptured two Mississippi River outposts,Kaskaskia and Cahokia.

Early in 1779,Clark and his men trudgedacross 200miles, at times splashing throughicy floodwaters up to their chests. Theirmidwinter attack on the fort at Vincennescaught the British by surprise. The British andtheir Native American alliessurrendered.

Clark's victories allowed settlers to remainon the frontier. This strengthened the Americanclaimon the Ohio Valleyarea.

Help From the Spanish The Americansgot unofficial help from Spain. At the time,Spain governed Louisiana, the land west ofthe Mississippi stretching as far north asCanada. The Spanish were eager to get backFlorida, which they had lost to Britain at theend of the French and Indian War.

Even before Spain declared war againstBritainin 1779,Louisianagovernor Bernardo deGalvez began helping the Americans. Hesecretly provided money and munitions toGeorge Rogers Clark and other Americans. Healso gave American ships safe refuge in NewOrleans harbor. From 1779 to 1781, Galvezplayed a key role in Spanishattacksthat capturedBritishfortson the MississippiRiverand the Gulfof Mexico. Financial help also came from theSpanishcolonyofCuba.

-"t

t'i'Checkpoint What was the result of thefighting in the West?

KEY200

i - American forces

British forces

+- American victories

i Forts

Several important battles took place west of theAppalachian Mountains, especially in the OhioValley.

(a) Interpret Maps Describe the route taken byBritish troops to Vincennes.

(b) Understand SequenceUsethe information onthe map to explain thesequence of the threebattles shown here.

MapMaster _ nlineFor: Interactive mapVisit: PHSchool.comWeb Code: mvp-2063

Section 3 The War Widens 189

John PaulJones

The War at SeaCongress had voted to create a Continental navy as early as 1775.

But American shipyards were able to build only a few warships. Withonly a small navy to go against the powerful British fleet, the Ameri-cans became skilled at making hit-and-run attacks on British ship-ping. Still, Britain dominated the seas. The British fleet blocked mostships from entering or leaving American ports.

The most famous naval battle took place off the coast of Englandin 1779.The American ship Bonhomme Richard (bon ohm ree CHARD),under the command of John Paul Jones, fought side by side with thelarger British warship Serapis. Cannon and musket fire ripped thesails of both ships to shreds and blasted holes in their wooden sides.Though his ship was in tatters, Jones refused to give up. "I have notyet begun to fight," he vowed. Finally, with dozens of sailors dead oneach side, the captain of the Serapis surrendered.

The navy had help from some 800privateers that harassed Britishshipping. Privateers were armed civilian ships that had theirgovernment's permission to attack enemy ships and keep theirgoods. Operating like pirate ships, privateers seized cargoes of rumfrom the West Indies, wool from England, and furs from Canada.Such attacks forced Britain to spend valuable resources protectingmerchant ships.

"-----~~Checkpoint How did privateers help the AmericaQ, war effort?

c

'....f Looking Back and Ahead Despite important battles atsea and in the west, the main war effort was concentrated in the col-onies. In the next section, you will read about the final phase ofthe war.

,....."..,.,....,........•Progress Monitoring nlineFor: Self-test with instant help

1Oo:,,'.,: •..... ,.<!IVisit: PHSchool.com ~-

~~~~~~~~"~~""~~~~~~~~~WebCode:mva-20

Comprehensionand Critical Thinking1. (a) Recall How did Washington's

policy toward African Americansoldiers change? What was thereason for this change?(b) Identify Benefits How didAfrican Americans expect to ben-efit from serving in the military?

2. (a) Describe What challengesdid the American navy face?(b) Draw Conclusions Why doyou think John Paul Jones is con-sidered a great American hero?

190 Chapter 6 The American Revolution

\!) Reading Skill3. Analyze Word Roots The root

fid means "faith." The prefix con-means "with." Usethese wordparts to determine the meaningof confidence in this sentence:The added responsibilities of war-time gave many women a newconfidence.

Key Terms4. Draw a table with four rows and

three columns. In the first column,list the key terms from this sec-tion: enlist, civilian, continental,privateer. In the next column,write the definition of each word.In the last column, make a smallillustration that shows the mean-ing of the word.

Writing5. Identify the problems facing the

Continental Congress during thewar. Then, brainstorm one or twopossible solutions.