The American Revolution: Detailed Explanation

Contributed by:
Steve
This booklet provides valuable information about American Revolution which refers to the world war and also depicts participation in the war, consequences, impacts, and different aspects.
1. Written by: Greg Clevenger
2. First Continental Congress
• 56 Delegates
• Included George
Washington, Patrick Henry
and Sam Adams
• Direct response to
Intolerable Acts
• Met in Philadelphia – 1774
3. Colonists Agreed To:
• Boycott British
goods
• Arm themselves and
form militias
• Appeal to the king
4. King George III Refused To:
• Allow American
colonist
representation in
Parliament
• No respond to
colonists’
complaints and
official grievances
King George III
5. “The Shot Heard Round the World”
• American colonists
stockpiled weapons
in Concord,
Massachusetts
• 800 British troops
marched through
Lexington on the
way to Concord
• Paul Revere: “The
British are coming!”
6. The Armed Militia
• Known as “Minutemen”
• 70 Minutemen on the Village
Green
• Known as the Battle of
Lexington and Concord
• Uncertain which side fired
first
• 50 Americans killed and 45
wounded or missing
• 65 British killed and 208
wounded or missing
7. Second Continental Congress
• Decided to officially
separate from Britain
• Committee selected to
draft the reasons for
separation
• Thomas Jefferson
selected to write
document
• Met in Philadelphia
8. The Declaration of Independence
• Written by
Thomas Jefferson
• It is the “Birth Certificate
of the United States”
• Document listed rights
and grievances against
King George III
• 4 parts
1. Preamble
2. Declaration of rights
3. List of Grievances
4. Resolution
9. Key Quotes in the Declaration
• “We hold these truths to
be self evident: that all
men are created equal”
• “That they are endowed
by their creator with
certain unalienable
rights”
• “That among these are
life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness”
Locke
10. The Declaration of Independence
• John Hancock first to
sign in large print
• Anyone who signed it and
was caught would be
hanged
• “We must all now
hang together, or most
assuredly we will all
hang separately." Hancock
—Benjamin Franklin
11. Choosing Sides
• Patriots – Supported the
Revolution
• Loyalists – Americans
who supported the King
• Red Coats/
Lobsterbacks – British
Army
12. What Happened to those who Signed?
• Five were captured by
the British, though
eventually released
• Approximately 12 had
their homes ransacked
and burned
• One lost his son in the
Continental Army
• Several suffered wounds
in various battles
13. Revolutionary Armies – The British
• British Army most powerful in world
• Also well-equipped with weapons
• Highly trained and
disciplined for war on
land or high seas
14. Revolutionary Armies
• Americans shot more
accurately
• British carried three days
provisions
• British gear weighed
about 100 pounds
15. Revolutionary Armies – The Americans
• Revolutionary Army knew
lay of the land
• Used weapons appropriate
for landscape
• Wore pieces of different
uniforms
• Brown army clothing
16. British Advantages
• Well-equipped
• Disciplined
• Strongest navy
17. American Advantages
• Accuracy of the rifle
• Knowledge of the land
• Guerilla warfare tactics
• Superb command
18. British Soldier Quotes
• British soldiers faced new
challenges
• “Damn those Americans.
They will not stand and
fight.”
• “Settle your affairs at
home before leaving for
The Colonies; you
probably won’t be coming
back again.”
Single click the speaker icon
to hear the clip >>>>
19. Military Leaders—American
• George
Washington:
Commander of
Americans Forces
• Nathanael Greene:
Top Strategist
• Henry Knox:
Artillery Expert
• Benedict Arnold:
Commander under
Washington
20. British Leaders
• General Charles
Cornwallis
• General John Burgoyne
• Benedict Arnold
• William Howe
• All considered America
one of the worst places
to serve
21. Other Key Players
• France, Spain, Germany and Poland
• Hessian mercenaries from
Germany
• The Marquis de Lafayette:
Frenchman who
supported American
cause
• Huge percentage of
American gunpowder
came from France
Marquis de Lafayette
22. The War at Sea
• Approximately 3,000 men
enlisted—America made
13 Frigates
• Most, if not all, were
destroyed or captured
• Colonial Navy authorized
by Continental Congress
October 13, 1775
23. Major Battles
• Fort Ticonderoga
• Bunker Hill
• Trenton
24. Fort Ticonderoga—1775
• Key strategic
location in New
York
• Ethan Allen and
about 125 Green
Mountain boys
attacked fort
25. Ticonderoga
• The Fort was taken without firing a shot
• British officers and women and children were
captured
• Cannons were taken from Ticonderoga to Boston
• Henry Knox:
American Army top
artillery commander
• Major hero of
American Revolution
26. Battle of Bunker Hill - 1775
• Bunker Hill located near Boston
• Red Coats
victorious in third
charge
• Americans ran out
of ammunition
• Moral victory for
American Army
27. Bunker Hill
• Costliest battle for British during whole war
• British casualties 1,054
• American casualties 441
• British began to get nervous
• Washington
took command
of the army
two weeks
after this battle
28. Bunker Hill Famous Quote
“Don’t fire until you see
the whites of their eyes.”
—Israel Putnam
29. Battle of Trenton—1776
• Surprise attack the day after Christmas
• Washington crossed the Delaware
• Approximately 1000 German soldiers fighting
for the British captured
30. Trenton & Princeton
• American
casualties were
four
• German leader,
Colonel Rall
mortally wounded
• Washington
cleared British
from central New
Jersey
31. More Significant Battles
• Saratoga
• Winter at Valley Forge
• Yorktown
• Were blend of
successes and failures
for American Army
32. Battle of Saratoga – 1777
• The turning
point of the war
• The biggest American
victory at the time
• Approximately 5,000
British surrender to
Washington
33. • After the American Battle of Saratoga – 1777
victory France changed
its policies.
• Feb. 1778 France and
American formed an
alliance
• France declared war on
Britain the next month
• Spain declared war in
1779
• Bernardo de Galvez
chased British troops out
of Louisiana and Florida.
34. Valley Forge – 1777-1778
• American Army out of
food and clothing
• Valley Forge briefly a
refuge
• Supplies ran out and
many died
• Washington appeals
to Congress for help
• Low point for
American Army
• Any deserters are shot
35. Valley Forge – 1777-1778
• Marquis de
Lafayette joined
Washington as an
aide
• Friedrich von
Steuben drilled the
troops teaching
them military
discipline
36. Battle of Yorktown—1781
• French blockade aided
this final battle
• Escape for the British was
impossible
• British General Cornwallis
faced American forces
approximately twice his size
John Paul Jones
37.
38. Yorktown
• Approximately 8,700 British troops surrendered
• Pinned in by
American and
French Naval
fleets
• General Benjamin
Lincoln accepted
the surrender
sword
• British bands played “The World has Turned Upside Down”
39. The Treaty of Paris
• 1783: The Treaty of Paris
officially ends the
Revolutionary War
40. The Treaty of Paris—1783
• Officially ended the
American Revolution
• Set many geographic
borders, including U.S.
and Canada
• Florida was returned to
Spain
• British merchants must
be paid for lost items
• Loyalists must be paid for
lost property
41. The Aftermath:
• Penalties inflicted on
Loyalists
• Some Loyalists were
“tarred and
feathered” and put
on ships bound for
Canada or Great
Britain
42. The Articles of Confederation
• Written by John Dickson in 1777
• Ratified in 1781
• Governed Americans in 1781-1787
• Paved way for new Constitution
43. Articles of Confederation Video
Single click screen
to view video:
44. Strengths
• Wage war
• Issue money
• Sign treaties (make peace)
• Set up post offices
• Appoint ambassadors
• Settle conflicts between states
45. Weaknesses
• NO President (Executive)
• NO Army
• NO Courts (Judicial)
• NO Taxing Power (monetary problems)
• No power to enforce laws (regulate trade)
• States were sovereign
• One vote per state regardless of population
• 9/13 states to pass a law
• 13/13 states to amend (make changes)
46. Effects/Results/Outcomes
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
– Set up rules for statehood once 60,000 people
– Outlawed slavery in new states (Northwest territories)
– Free education in new states
47. Effects/Results/Outcomes
Shays Rebellion
• Led by former Continental army captain
Daniel Shay
• Farmers wanted government to stop taking
their land
• Formed an army that attacked local militias
• Made Americans frightened of more
uprisings.
• Showed that the Articles could not protect
them.
48. Concluding Thoughts
• Eight years
• Timeless impact
• Subject of countless
plays and films
• Maker of heroes
• Birth of a nation