Mr. Cadenhead - 7Th Grade Social Studies Spring Break - the American Revolution Hip-Hop
Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies –Spring Break - The American Revolution Hip-Hop Poetry Projectp. 1 of 4
Name: ______Date: ______Class #: ______
Spring Break - The American Revolution Hip-Hop Poetry ProjectWrite a 4 stanza poem about the Revolutionary war. Each stanza should have at least 4 verses. Your final poem must summarize at least four sections from thetwo articles below (two from each article) For extra credit, do all sections (Check the box next to the section you are summarizing). Includethree or more of the vocabulary words for each section
You may write your poem on a separate sheet of paper, or use google docs to type it online. All completed papers must be shared with Mr. Cadenhead at . The due date for the completed four stanza poem is Monday, May 2nd.
Article #1: "The American Revolution: From Brooklyn to Yorktown" – Part 1
George Washington’s Humiliation at the Battle of New York (vocabulary: William Howe, Washington, humiliate, Brooklyn, Fort Lee, Delaware, Pennsylvania)
Washington (re) Crosses the Delaware: (vocabulary Morale; Continental Army; desert; Delaware River; Trenton, New Jersey, Hessian)
Washington finds his Right Hand Man: (vocabulary: Alexander Hamilton; organization; discipline; aide-de-camp; Continental Congress; Little Lion)
1777: The Deadly Winter at Valley Forge: (vocabulary: Valley Forge; Philadelphia, Continental Army; encampment; tatters; exposure; typhoid fever; deserted)
The Betrayal of Charles Lee: (vocabulary: Charles Lee; Second-in-command; reputation; cowardice; retreat; John Laurens; duel; point-of-honor)
Article #2: "The American Revolution: From Brooklyn to Yorktown" – Part 2
Things look bad for George and Alex: (vocabulary: ragtag; patriot, Valley Forge, paper money)
The Advantages of the Underdog: (vocabulary: home-field-advantage; landscape; spies; British forces)
France Joins the War: (vocabulary: French-Indian War; Continental Congress; Ben Franklin; Marquis de Lafayette)
Victory at the Battle of Yorktown: (vocabulary: Cornwallis; Navy; Yorktown; Caribbean; siege; surrender) / "The American Revolution: From Brooklyn to Yorktown" - Part 1(adapted by Mr. Cadenhead from multiple sources: 1) “Battles of New York”, ; 2) “The Battle of Trenton – Washington Crosses the Delaware River”, ; 3) “Winter at Valley Forge”, ; 4) “Charles Lee”, ; 5) “Charles Lee”,
George Washington’s Humiliation at the Battle of New York: George Washington won the first battle of the Revolutionary war, driving the British out of Boston Massachusetts in 1775. After that, things did not go very smoothly for General Washington. The British General William Howe humiliated Washington with a decisive victory at the Battle of Brooklyn. However, a dense fog over New York harbor prevented Howe from completely capturing Washington’s army who managed to escape under the cover of darkness, thereby avoiding a defeat that could have ended the war and given the British a total victory. Howe’s army chased Washington out of New York and across the Hudson River to Fort Lee New Jersey. Washington would eventually lead his army clear across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.
Washington (re) Crosses the Delaware: Following the events in and around New York City, the outlook was bleak for George Washington. Morale was low and the ragtag Continental army was forced growing increasingly frustrated. Fewer and fewer people were willing to fight the British and many soldiers tried to desert (quit) the Patriot army. Even General Washington admitted his chances of winning were slim. Washington needed a big victory in order to win the support of his own soldiers. He got his chance on December 26, 1776 (the day after Christmas) in Trenton, New Jersey.
Washington knew the British would not suspect an attack in the middle of winter. In the middle of the night he quietly led his army (including horses and ammunition) in small boats across the Delaware river to Trenton where 1400 Hessian soldiers (German soldiers fighting for the British) were asleep in their beds. By 4:00 in the morning the crossing was completed. Washington attacked and won a total victory over the surprised Hessian soldiers. In the battle, only two American soldiers were killed and five were injured. 896 Hessians were captured and all four Hessian colonels were killed. The victory at Trenton was important because it inspired Americans to continue to support war effort and raised the morale of the army.
Washington finds his Right Hand Man: Alexander Hamilton was a captain in the Continental Army. His troops had fought bravely during the Battle of Trenton and it was during this time that George Washington first took notice of him. Washington was impressed with Hamilton’s organizational skills and discipline. Hamilton’s men were always well fed and well paid; his guns were always properly maintained.
Washington asked the 21 year old Hamilton to become his “aide-de-camp” (aka his right hand man) and Hamilton accepted the offer. At first Hamilton’s primary duties involved writing letters to the Continental Congress asking for more money and
ammunition for Washington’s army. Eventually Hamilton began to coordinate the movement of supplies and troops (soldiers) and to help Washington plan war strategy. Hamilton earned the affectionate nickname the "Little Lion" because he was short, intelligent and refused to back down from a fight.
1777: The Deadly Winter at Valley Forge: The winter of 1777 was unusually cold. Washington chose Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, some eighteen miles west of Philadelphia as site of the winter encampment of the Continental Army. The area was far enough away from the British in Philadelphia to discourage surprise attacks. The Continental Army, however, was in bad shape. Of the 12,000 soldiers, many lacked the supplies or clothing to survive the winter and many others were starving at this point. Moisture from rain and melting snow made it impossible for many soldiers to stay dry and allowed for the spread of disease. Furthermore, many soldiers had inadequate supplies of clothing and were forced to endure the winter in tatters and without blankets. Many lacked shoes. Wounded soldiers often died from exposure to the elements. Unsanitary and crowded conditions led to the spread of diseases such as typhoid fever and pneumonia. Over 2,000 people died from such sicknesses. Once again, many soldiers deserted and others began to openly question the leadership of George Washington.
The Betrayal of Charles Lee: Charles Lee was an experienced general who was second in command to George Washington. Lee was widely respected for his military reputation. In June of 1778 Lee led the “advanced guard” (the soldiers who lead an attack) at the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey. Lee's attack was disorganized and he was accused by some of his soldiers of cowardice (becoming scared and running away). After the battle, George Washington confronted Lee on his reason for his retreat. The two men exchanged angry words and Lee’s feelings were badly hurt.
Afterwards, Lee tried to blame his embarrassing performance on George Washington. He sent letters to members of the Continental Congress attacking the character of Washington and urging them to fire him. Colonel John Laurens (a member of Washington’s military “family” and a close friend of Alexander Hamilton), heard about Lee’s “dissing” of Washington and was disgusted. On December 3, 1778, (without consulting Washington) Laurens challenged Charles Lee to a “duel”: a contest with deadly weapons arranged between two men in order to “settle a point of honor”.
"The American Revolution: From Brooklyn to Yorktown" - Part 2Adapted by Mr. Cadenhead from “WAR IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION”, and “MILESTONES: 1776–1783”, ; 5) “Charles Lee”,
Things look bad for George and Alex: George Washington, the leader of the Colonial Army and his right-hand-man Alexander Hamilton, discovered very early in the war that their ragtag band of untrained Patriot soldiers were no match for the might of the British army. In the Battle of Brooklyn, British General William Howe had 32,000 men under his command, nearly twice as many as George Washington. / During the freezing winter of 1776-1777 at Valley Forge, Washington lost so many soldiers to disease and desertion that he sometimes he had only 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers ready for battle. Part of the problem was that Washington and Hamilton had trouble getting supplies or money to pay his troops from the Continental Congress. The Continental congress printed so much paper money that it became almost worthless. Most people living in the 13 colonies would only accept British money as payment for food, clothing or anything else.
The Advantages of the Underdog: The Patriot army had two important advantages over the British forces. First, they were fighting for their own freedom, which often makes people fight harder. Second, they had the “home-field-advantage”. In other words, they knew the American landscape a lot better than the British. Washington used the tricks he had learned from fighting against Indians for so many years during the French Indian war. Washington avoided large battles, instead he had his soldiers hide behind trees and walls and attack the British quickly and disappear into the woods. Washington also used spies to learn about the movement of British soldiers in order to catch them by surprise.
France Joins the War: One of the most important victories of the war did not happen on the battlefield. Many Americans hoped they could convince France to join the war against their longtime enemy England. The French were still angry with England after losing to them in the French Indian war.
The Continental Congress sent Benjamin Franklin to France to try to convince them to make an alliance with America. Franklin’s popularity in France bolstered French support for the American cause. The French loved Franklin whom they saw as a symbol of American simplicity and honesty. In February of 1778, Franklin convinced the French to loan millions of dollars to America and to send guns, ships and soldiers to help fight the war. The French general Marquis De Lafayette fought alongside George Washington and helped win many important victories. Most Americans believed the revolution could never have been won without French help.
Victory at the Battle of Yorktown: Finally, in 1781, the war turned decisively in Washington’s favor. The British General Cornwallis brought an army of 7,200 men to Yorktown, a port in Virginia's tobacco country. He believed his army would be safe there because the British navy controlled the seas and George Washington's army could only attack by land.
But in late September, a French fleet of 3,000 sailors arrived from the Caribbean to assist the army forces under the command of Washington. The total American and French forces of some 16,000 men dwarfed Cornwallis's 7,200-man army cut off any chance of for Cornwallis to escape. His fate became hopeless. Unable to break the siege, Cornwallis surrendered on 17 October. The war was over and the Americans had achieved what many had thought was impossible.
"The American Revolution: From Brooklyn to Yorktown" - Part 1(adapted by Mr. Cadenhead from multiple sources: 1) “Battles of New York”, ; 2) “The Battle of Trenton – Washington Crosses the Delaware River”, ; 3) “Winter at Valley Forge”, ; 4) “Charles Lee”, ; 5) “Charles Lee”,
George Washington’s Humiliation at the Battle of New York: George Washington won the first battle of the Revolutionary war, driving the British out of Boston Massachusetts in 1775. After that, things did not go very smoothly for General Washington. The British General William Howe humiliated Washington with a decisive victory at the Battle of Brooklyn. However, a dense fog over New York harbor prevented Howe from completely capturing Washington’s army who managed to escape under the cover of darkness, thereby avoiding a defeat that could have ended the war and given the British a total victory. Howe’s army chased Washington out of New York and across the Hudson River to Fort Lee New Jersey. Washington would eventually lead his army clear across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.
Washington (re) Crosses the Delaware: Following the events in and around New York City, the outlook was bleak for George Washington. Morale was low and the ragtag Continental army was forced growing increasingly frustrated. Fewer and fewer people were willing to fight the British and many soldiers tried to desert (quit) the Patriot army. Even General Washington admitted his chances of winning were slim. Washington needed a big victory in order to win the support of his own soldiers. He got his chance on December 26, 1776 (the day after Christmas) in Trenton, New Jersey.
Washington knew the British would not suspect an attack in the middle of winter. In the middle of the night he quietly led his army (including horses and ammunition) in small boats across the Delaware river to Trenton where 1400 Hessian soldiers (German soldiers fighting for the British) were asleep in their beds. By 4:00 in the morning the crossing was completed. Washington attacked and won a total victory over the surprised Hessian soldiers. In the battle, only two American soldiers were killed and five were injured. 896 Hessians were captured and all four Hessian colonels were killed. The victory at Trenton was important because it inspired Americans to continue to support war effort and raised the morale of the army.
Washington finds his Right Hand Man: Alexander Hamilton was a captain in the Continental Army. His troops had fought bravely during the Battle of Trenton and it was during this time that George Washington first took notice of him. Washington was impressed with Hamilton’s organizational skills and discipline. Hamilton’s men were always well fed and well paid; his guns were always properly maintained.
Washington asked the 21 year old Hamilton to become his “aide-de-camp” (aka his right hand man) and Hamilton accepted the offer. At first Hamilton’s primary duties involved writing letters to the Continental Congress asking for more money and ammunition for Washington’s army. Eventually Hamilton began to coordinate the movement of supplies and troops (soldiers) and to help Washington plan war strategy. Hamilton earned the affectionate nickname the "Little Lion" because he was short, intelligent and refused to back down from a fight.
1777: The Deadly Winter at Valley Forge: The winter of 1777 was unusually cold. Washington chose Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, some eighteen miles west of Philadelphia as site of the winter encampment of the Continental Army. The area was far enough away from the British in Philadelphia to discourage surprise attacks. The Continental Army, however, was in bad shape. Of the 12,000 soldiers, many lacked the supplies or clothing to survive the winter and many / others were starving at this point. Moisture from rain and melting snow made it impossible for many soldiers to stay dry and allowed for the spread of disease. Furthermore, many soldiers had inadequate supplies of clothing and were forced to endure the winter in tatters and without blankets. Many lacked shoes. Wounded soldiers often died from exposure to the elements. Unsanitary and crowded conditions led to the spread of diseases such as typhoid fever and pneumonia. Over 2,000 people died from such sicknesses. Once again, many soldiers deserted and others began to openly question the leadership of George Washington.
The Betrayal of Charles Lee: Charles Lee was an experienced general who was second in command to George Washington. Lee was widely respected for his military reputation. In June of 1778 Lee led the “advanced guard” (the soldiers who lead an attack) at the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey. Lee's attack was disorganized and he was accused by some of his soldiers of cowardice (becoming scared and running away). After the battle, George Washington confronted Lee on his reason for his retreat. The two men exchanged angry words and Lee’s feelings were badly hurt.
Afterwards, Lee tried to blame his embarrassing performance on George Washington. He sent letters to members of the Continental Congress attacking the character of Washington and urging them to fire him. Colonel John Laurens (a member of Washington’s military “family” and a close friend of Alexander Hamilton), heard about Lee’s “dissing” of Washington and was disgusted. On December 3, 1778, (without consulting Washington) Laurens challenged Charles Lee to a “duel”: a contest with deadly weapons arranged between two men in order to “settle a point of honor”.