WeaknessesWeaknesses

• Not as many men

• Not enough supplies

• Not well-trained

Strengths for the Colonists

• Incentive- a

reason to fight

• They knew the

land

British StrengthsBritish Strengths

• More men• Better supplies• Well-trained• Great leaders

Britain is superior. Word!

British Weaknesses

• No real incentive to No real incentive to

fightfight

• Unfamiliar with the Unfamiliar with the

terrainterrain

• Great distance for Great distance for

them to get suppliesthem to get supplies

Bloody Lobsterbacks!

Olive BranchOlive Branch

• The Olive Branch petition was a formal request that asked King George III to protect the colonists’ rights and stated their desire for peace

• The King ignored it and prepared for war

Thomas PaineThomas Paine

• Thomas Paine was Thomas Paine was a writera writer

• He urged the He urged the colonists in his colonists in his pamphlet, pamphlet, “Common Sense,” “Common Sense,” to break free from to break free from England and England and completely completely separateseparate

We’re not gonna take it!

120,000 copies of Common Sense

were published, and thepop. of the colonies at

the time was 2.5 million -

1 in 20 people had a copy

Early CampaignsEarly Campaigns

• The colonists were chased The colonists were chased through New York and through New York and New Jersey in the early New Jersey in the early campaignscampaigns

• Washington surprised the Washington surprised the Hessians on December Hessians on December 26th, 1776, using the 26th, 1776, using the element of surprise to element of surprise to attack and defeat them at attack and defeat them at the Battle of Trentonthe Battle of TrentonThat’s right!

Who’s sorry now?

Battle of SaratogaBattle of Saratoga• The British planned to The British planned to

split New England from split New England from the Middle Coloniesthe Middle Colonies

• British reinforcements British reinforcements did not arrive, allowing did not arrive, allowing General Horatio Gates General Horatio Gates and his army to attackand his army to attack

• It was the first major It was the first major American victoryAmerican victory

Oui, oui!

Valley ForgeValley Forge

Brrr!!!

•Troops dealt with a Troops dealt with a lack of supplies, lack of supplies, clothing and shelterclothing and shelter

•They faced smallpoxThey faced smallpox

•Washington dealt Washington dealt with low troop morale with low troop morale and desertionand desertion

Marquis de LafayetteMarquis de Lafayette

• The French and Spanish came to the aid of the Americans

• The Marquis de Lafayette was a French nobleman who served as an aide to Washington

Ze French to ze rescue!

Women in the WarWomen in the War

• Women took over the responsibilities of their husbands and fathers, some even running businesses

• Caused many women to wish for more freedom and a place in society

Molly, pitcher!

That’s Molly

McCauley, bub!

Guerilla Warfare

• Americans began to use guerilla warfare, in which they hit-and -run

• This is a technique that they had picked up from the Native Americans

Battle of Yorktown

• French navy French navy blocked the British blocked the British off from escapingoff from escaping

• American and American and French forces then French forces then surrounded the surrounded the British and trapped British and trapped them in Yorktown them in Yorktown in 1781in 1781

There’s no way out, Corny!

Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris•Signed on Signed on

September 3rd, September 3rd, 17831783

•Great Britain Great Britain recognized the recognized the U.S. as an U.S. as an independent independent nationnation

•Ends the Ends the Revolutionary WarRevolutionary War

The Idea SpreadsThe Idea Spreads

• The ideas of liberty and equality spread to France, sparking the French Revolution

• They also spread to the Caribbean island of Saint Domingue, making it the second nation in the Americas to break free

Viva la revolucion!