Download - The american revolution
From 13 Colonies to One Nation
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Patriots• Wanted
independence• Willing to fight
for freedom
Loyalists Wanted to remain
part of England Were willing to
fight to remain tied to England
THREE MAJOR AMERICAN OPINIONS GOING INTO THE
WAR
The Middle Had no real opinion Didn’t fight for either side Over time, this group shrank
The British began sending soldiers over to enforce
their rules.
Paul Revere and friends rode out in the middle of the
night to warn everyone.
The first battles were in Lexington and Concord, two
towns in Massachusetts. These battles actually
proceeded the Declaration of Independence.
FIRST FIGHT
Things did not go well for the Americans at first.
America lost important battles like the largest
battle of the war, the Battle of Brooklyn Heights.
American prisoners were placed on boats during the war. Many died when in
prisons.
THE WAR’S BEGINNING
Saratoga was a month long fight between the British and the Americans.
America was losing at first, but over time enough Americans arrived and the Americans won the battle.
Considered the turning point of the war.
France agreed to help America after the battle.
BATTLE OF SARATOGA
The Marquis de Lafayette (French) became one of
Washington’s major supporters
German states and Spain also sent assistance to the colonies after the Battle of
Saratoga.
Other European countries wanted the chance to help beat England, which was
the most powerful country in the world at the time.
INTERNATIONAL AID
Surprisingly, more battles occurred in South Carolina than in any other
colonies.
Famous South Carolina Battles: Cowpens and King’s Mountain
Most of the fighting in South Carolina occurred between loyalists and Patriots.
Francis Marion led his army in guerilla fighting with British soldiers.
BATTLE IN THE SOUTH
Americans learned to fight, and specifically how to fight the British, in the French-
Indian War
Americans knew the land better than the British
Americans had other countries helping them
Americans were farmers and hunters
The British were trained soldiers.
The British had the best equipped army
The British hired German mercenaries to help them
America
Britain
ADVANTAGES OF EACH SIDE
The British, led by Lord Cornwallis, surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown. A
French fleet blocked their escape from the town, while the American and French soldiers
beat them in the battle.
BATTLE OF YORKTOWN