American Revolution 10714 Overview 1776 1786 British advantages

American Revolution 10/7/14

Overview 1776 -1786 • British advantages: best and wellequipped army and navy • American advantages: native officer corps with a lot of experience, home advantage, spread out population, every colony had patriots

Patriots • Believed in the cause for independence • Continental Army: lead by George Washington • Most fought in the militia because it was close to home • Constantly out of supplies and materials • Lack of discipline from the troops and many deserted • Patriots controlled the government from 17741775

Loyalists/Tories • Believed against independence • Made up the majority in the colonies • Were punished if they did not obey the Patriotpassed state treason acts Punishment were tar and feathering, grand Tory ride • Some fought alongside the British but many did were still on the fence on the whether or not they support being an independent country

Tar and Feathering

Campaign for New York and New England, 1775 • British tactic to cut them off from the rest of the colonies • Washington predicted the strategy and met the British troops up there However they were forced to retreat • Congress was voting on the Declaration • British offered Congress an opportunity to negotiate however they wanted the Declaration repealed

Northern Campaigns, 1777 • American troops prevented Howe and his men to try the cutting off method • Battle of Saratoga proved that Americans can beat their enemy and had a chance to win the war • British occupied Philadelphia instead Continental Congress fled to New York

French Alliance, 1778 • France and Spain wanted the land that they lost however the French was actually willing to fight alongside the colonists while the Spanish never had an official treaty with the American colonists • Treaty of Alliance between France and Americans Agree that neither side would enter an agreement with the British French and British would fight officially • Lord North sent a peace commission that promised to repeal the taxes; colonists declined

War in the South • Lord Dunmore promised freedom to the slaves that were willing to fight on the British side • General Clinton went to Georgia to gain loyalists to fight on the British side and was successful • Slaves also joined the Patriot side as well but only in the north because it was feared that a rebellion would start in the south

Yorktown, 1781 • British continue to take the south while a stalemate continued in the north • Joining of French and English troops in NYC • Washington changed his mind and moved his troops from going to Manhattan to Chesapeake instead • This was a huge success and completely surrounded the British surrendered to the Americans

Peace Talks, 1782 • Peace talks started in Paris with Ben Franklin speaking on behalf of the colonists • America wanted as much land out of the British as possible France wanted to control the negotiation • In the end all four parties signed the final agreed upon copy of the Treaty of Paris in 1783

Map after Treaty of Paris 1783