Chapter 6 the War for Independence, 1774-1783

Chapter 6

THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

1774–1783

Chapter Summary

Chapter 6 offers the student a survey of the final conflicts that led the American colonies to declare independence from Britain, the ensuing military conflict, and the terms of the peace treaty that granted them freedom. The topics discussed include the last failed attempts at resolution of the conflicts between the colonies and Britain; the accomplishments of the Second Continental Congress, including the adoption of the Declaration of Independence; the military history of the War for Independence; the nature of the peace agreement ending the war; and the impact of the war on American society.

I. From Rebellion to War

A. Contradictory British Policies

B. Mounting Tensions in America

C. The Battles of Lexington and Concord

II. The Continental Congress Becomes a National Government

A. The Second Continental Congress Convenes

B. Early Fighting: Massachusetts, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Canada

C. Independence

D. The Loyalists

III. The Combatants

A. Professional Soldiers

B. Women in the Contending Armies

C. African American Participation in the War

D. Native Americans in the War

IV. The War in the North, 1776–1777

A. Britain Hesitates: Crucial Battles in New York and New Jersey

B. The Year of the Hangman: Victory at Saratoga and Winter at Valley Forge

V. The War Widens, 1778–1781

A. The United States Gains an Ally

B. Fighting on the Frontier and at Sea

C. The Land War Moves South

D. American Counterattacks

VI. War and Society, 1775–1783

A. The Women’s War

B. Effect of the War on African Americans

C. The War’s Impact on Native Americans

D. Economic Disruption

VII. The American Victory, 1782–1783

A. The Peace of Paris

B. The Components of Success

VIII. Conclusion

Learning Objectives

After a careful examination of Chapter 6, students should be able to answer the following:

1. Why did tensions between the colonies and Britain escalate so rapidly between 1774 and 1776?

2. What were the key differences between the British and American forces?

3. How did the American forces survive the military setbacks of 1776?

4. Why did the French enter the War on the American side?

5. What was the social impact of the War for Independence?

6. What were the key factors in the American victory in the Revolutionary War?

CHAPTER 6: THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE, 1774–1783

Multiple Choice

FROM REBELLION TO WAR

1. Who headed the Massachusetts Committee of Safety in 1774?

2. The Committee of Safety:

3. The Conciliatory Proposition pledged not to tax the colonists if they:

4. Gage and his troops were given orders to arrest John Hancock and whom on April 18, 1775?

5. Paul Revere worked as a:

6. The first American casualties of the Revolutionary War were killed in:

7. Who dubbed the first shot fired in Lexington the shot “heard round the world”?

THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS BECOMES A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

8. The Second Continental Congress was held in:

9. In its early days, the Second Continental Congress did all of the following, EXCEPT:

10. At the start of the Revolutionary War, who commanded militia forces from Massachusetts?

11. Fort Ticonderoga was located at the southern end of:

12. What document asserted American patriots would “die freemen, rather than live as slaves”?

13. John Adams of Massachusetts nominated George Washington as commander in chief of the army because:

14. In March 1776, the British evacuated their troops from Boston and moved to:

15. Thomas Paine:

16. The American forces that traveled through Maine to attack Quebec were led by:

17. The pro-independence pamphlet Common Sense was written by:

18. The first resolution in the Second Continental Congress that called for independence was introduced by:

19. Who composed the first draft of the Declaration of Independence?

20. Congress first voted in favor of independence on:

21. In the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” the third element was originally:

22. During the Revolutionary War, loyalists made up about ___ percent of the colonial population.

THE COMBATANTS

23. German mercenaries were called what by the Americans?

24. The Newburgh affair was defused by:

25. Early in the war, some royal officials sought to recruit black slaves into the loyalist forces with a promise of:

THE WAR IN THE NORTH, 1776–1777

26. During the late colonial period, the headquarters of the British Army in America was in:

27. Which battle took place the day after Christmas, 1776?

28. Whose nickname was “Gentleman Johnny”?

29. After what battle did General Burgoyne surrender to the Americans?

30. Who received the British surrender at the Battle of Saratoga?

31. After the Battle of Brandywine Creek, General Howe spent the winter in:

32. The Continental Army spent the winter of 1777 in:

THE WAR WIDENS, 1778–1781

33. Who led American efforts in Paris to gain French support?

34. The leader of what nation suggested European powers form a League of Armed Neutrality?

35. England went to war with which country to prevent it from joining the League of Armed Neutrality?

36. Which of the following was not a British settlement in the Mississippi Valley in 1778?

37. What was the last major military engagement in the North of the Revolutionary War?

38. British and Indian attacks against Kentucky in 1777 were directed from:

39. At which battle in Georgia did a Whig militia decimate a loyalist militia in 1779?

40. The military key to the lower South was:

41. Which battle represented the worst American defeat of the Revolutionary War?

42. Colonial General Horatio Gates suffered a defeat at:

43. The 1780 battle at Kings Mountain took place in which colony?

44. Before attacking Cornwallis in Yorktown, the Continental forces faked preparations for an attack on:

45. General Cornwallis surrendered to American troops after a final defeat at:

WAR AND SOCIETY, 1775-1783

46. England established which African colony for ex-slaves?

47. Over the course of the Revolutionary War, prices in America:

THE AMERICAN VICTORY, 1782–1783

48. The peace negotiations at the end of the Revolutionary War took place in:

49. Who was the British Prime Minister during the Revolutionary War peace talks?

50. What was Spain’s most important goal in the Paris peace talks?

51. America’s negotiators at the peace talks ending the Revolutionary War included all of the following EXCEPT:

52. In the Paris peace agreement,

53. Who controlled Florida in the aftermath of the 1783 Treaty of Paris?

54. Some historians say that, besides Washington’s leadership, the most crucial reason for the American victory in

Chronology

55. Which of the following Revolutionary War events happened first?

a. Spain declares war on Britain

b. Battle of Princeton

c. Newburgh “Conspiracy”

d. Franco-American alliance

56. Which of the following Revolutionary War events happened last?

a. Battle of Guilford Court House

b. Fall of Charleston, South Carolina

c. Fall of Savannah

d. Beginning of runaway inflation

Short Essays

57. Why was the American victory at Saratoga particularly important?

58. Why did the Americans’ fighting style give them an advantage over British forces?

59. How did the writings of John Locke influence the Declaration of Independence?

60. How did the war lead to inflation in the colonies?

Extended Essays

61. Analyze Washington’s leadership during the war. What qualities made him especially well-suited for his role?

62. What role did marginalized groups (e.g., blacks, Indians, etc.) play in the war for both sides? Were any of these groups left better off after the war ended?

63. Analyze Benjamin Franklin’s role in securing American independence.

64. What role did printed media play in generating support for the independence movement?

65. Why was the much larger and better-supported British military defeated?