Name: Circle Period #: 8A / 8B

Revolutionary War Additional Notes HW

(You will also be tested on the notes in your notebooks)

British Strengths

  • Strongest nation on earth (Superpower)
  • By far the strongest navy in the world
  • Powerful army

American Strengths

  • Britain is in debt
  • Britain and the colonies are separated by over 3,500 miles of ocean
  • The 13 colonies are huge, and difficult to conquer (about 360,000 square miles, whereas all of Britain is only about 90,000 square miles)
  • Americans are defending land they know, and often have the good will of the people around them
  • Americans are fighting for a cause

Thomas Paine

  • Wrote “Common Sense” (1776), a Pamphlet that argued that it was just common sense that America should separate from the British which was very influential is convincing Americans to start the revolution

Declaration of Independence

  • The Continental Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence (mostly authored by Thomas Jefferson) declaring the independence of the United States from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence declared that “All men are created equal,” that the purpose of government is to protect the natural rights of the people and that since the King was not protecting the rights of Americans the King could not expect Americans to stay loyal to him.

Continental Congress

  • This was the first government of the United States. Delegates from each state were sent to Congress to make decisions for the new country.

George Washington

  • George Washington was the commander of the American Army during the Revolutionary War (also called the Continental Army). He later became the first president of the United States.

Battles of Lexington and Concord (1775)

  • The first battle of the war-- The British Army marched out of Boston to destroy weapons stockpiles – Americans armed themselves and fought the British off

New York and New Jersey Campaign (Winter 1776/7)

  • The British under Howe inflicted a devastating defeat on Washington's army, capturing New York and later Philadelphia (Washington made some mistakes, and the British were better trained)

Battle of Saratoga, NY (1777)

  • American forces under Gates forced Burgoyne's British army to surrender-- This victory convinced the French to enter the war against Britain on the American's side

Battle of Yorktown, VA (1781)

  • Americans under George Washington surrounded a British Army under Cornwallis by land at Yorktown as a French Fleet blocked his escape by sea-- Cornwallis was forced to surrender his army, effectively ending the war

Assignment: Create a study tool using some or all of this information to help you get ready for the test. You may decide what kind of study tool you want to create. Feel free to use one of the suggestions below or to do something else.

Suggestions

  • Flash cards
  • Draw visuals illustrating the terms
  • Create a song using the information
  • Write a story using the information