The American Revolution: Early Years and Conflict
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THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION
Chapter 6 Section 1
The Early Years
THE OPPOSING SIDES
Once the Colonies declared their
independence, war was
unavoidable
British planned to crush the Patriots
by force while the Patriots thought
that the British would surrender after
they lost 2 or 3 major battles.
The British had the overall
advantage. They had the best army
navy, extremely wealthy, and a
much larger population.
The Patriots were at a serious
disadvantage. They were not well
trained, they were low on supplies
and ammo, and not all Americans
even supported the struggle for
independence.
At least 1 out of 5 Americans were
Loyalists
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN WAR
A lot of Loyalists did not see what all
the fuss was about and why the
colonists wanted independence in
the first place.
Benjamin Franklin’s own son William
Franklin was a Loyalist.
“Neighbor was…against neighbor,
father against son and son against
father, and he that would not thrust
his own blade through his brother’s
heart was called an infamous
villain.” –Norman Gelb
A lot of African Americans were
Loyalists.
Virginia’s governor said that any
enslaved African that fought for the
British would gain their freedom.
A lot of people decided to do this
while others decided to travel to
Canada and were free there. Some
others even went back to a British
colony in Africa.
PATRIOT ADVANTAGES
Americans held their own
advantages during the war.
They were fighting on their own
ground and fought with great
determination to protect it.
The British had to ship their soldiers
over from thousands of miles away.
British relied on mercenaries from
other countries to fight for them.-
Hessians from Germany
Americans fought for their land
while these soldiers fought for
money
Americans had the strongest leader
in George Washington. Few could
match his courage, honesty, and
determination.
RAISING AN ARMY
Americans placed great value on
liberty and personal freedom. They
did not want to transfer from British
Parliament to their own Continental
Congress.
They made it difficult to build a
continental army and raise money
to fight the war.
Militias played an essential role in
the forces. The states were relied
upon to recruit for the Continental
Army
Most men signed up for one year to
fight.
A lot of the officers were veterans
from previous wars or they were
young men who were recruited
from the ranks
Women also fought for the Patriot
forces. Molly Pitcher carried water
while others dressed as men and
enlisted.
PATRIOT DEFEATS AND VICTORIES
Most of the battles involved few
troops. Americans had half as many
soldiers as the British during the
Battle of Bunker Hill
Britain sent over 32,000 troops in just
hopes that the sheer size of the
army under Howe would convince
the Patriots to give up.
The Patriots only had 20,000 troops
but they were determined to fight.
The Continental Army suffered a
serious defeat against the British at
the Battle of Long Island.
Nathan Hale was a famous spy for
the Patriots who said “I only regret
that I have but one life to lose for my
country”
Although the Americans were brave,
they lacked supplies
After the defeat, the British chased
them all the way back into
Pennsylvania.
LOW POINT
In the Winter of 1776-1777, The
Patriots’ cause was near collapse.
The size of the army had dwindled.
Some soldiers completed their
services while others ran away.
Washington hated to think that the
war could almost be over and that
they could lose.
He pleaded with Congress to give
him more troops
He wanted African Americans to be
free if they fought for the Patriots.
The southerners did not want this
because they were scared that if
given weapons, they would revolt
against the owners.
By 1778, African Americans were
allowed to fight for everyone but
South Carolina.
They fought because they believed in
the freedom that the colonies
wanted.
AMERICAN VICTORIES IN NEW JERSEY
The British settled in New York for the
winter and left some in Princeton
and Trenton, New Jersey.
Washington saw this as a chance to
move catch them off guard.
The Americans crossed the icy
Delaware River and attacked the
British in Trenton. They easily
defeated them and then went to
Princeton and attacked them there.
The British observed the attacks as
“A few days ago, the Americans
had given up the cause for lost.
Their late successes have turned the
scale and now they are all liberty-
mad again.”
A BRITISH PLAN FOR VICTORY
The British worked out a battle plan
in 1777. They would take Albany,
New York and control the Hudson
River. This would cut off New
England from the Middle Colonies.
The plan involved a 3-pronged
attack. General John Burgoyne
would lead troops south from
Canada. Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger
would move east from Lake
Ontario, and General Howe would
move north from New York City.
Howe won battles in Sept. 1777 and
Paoli won near Philadelphia.
Their plans were coming together
until they ran into obstacles with
supplies and the American forces
slowed them down.
Burgoyne had to retreat to
Saratoga to get more supplies that
he had lost.
BATTLE OF SARATOGA
Burgoyne faced serious trouble in
Saratoga. He expected British forces
to come help but they never
showed up.
The American forces had stopped
St. Leger’s army and Howe’s forces
were still in Philadelphia.
General Horatio Gates and
American forces blocked
Burgoyne’s path to the south.
Burgoyne found himself surrounded
by a larger army and made a
desperate attack on October 7
th
but the Americans stood firm.
On October 17, 1777, General
Burgoyne surrendered and the
British plan had failed. General
Howe resigned as commander of
the British. He was replaced by
General Henry Clinton.
The American Revolution began with the Colonies declaring independence, leading to a war where Patriots faced many challenges against the better-equipped British forces. Loyalists, including African Americans, played complex roles in the conflict. Despite disadvantages, Americans had strengths like fighting for their land and strong leadership, ultimately valuing liberty and forming militias to fight for personal freedom.
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Presentation Transcript
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Chapter 6 Section 1 The Early Years
Once the Colonies declared their independence, war was unavoidable The Patriots were at a serious disadvantage. They were not well trained, they were low on supplies and ammo, and not all Americans even supported the struggle for independence. British planned to crush the Patriots by force while the Patriots thought that the British would surrender after they lost 2 or 3 major battles. At least 1 out of 5 Americans were Loyalists The British had the overall advantage. They had the best army navy, extremely wealthy, and a much larger population. THE OPPOSING SIDES
A lot of Loyalists did not see what all the fuss was about and why the colonists wanted independence in the first place. Benjamin Franklin s own son William Franklin was a Loyalist. Neighbor was against neighbor, father against son and son against father, and he that would not thrust his own blade through his brother s heart was called an infamous villain. Norman Gelb A lot of African Americans were Loyalists. Virginia s governor said that any enslaved African that fought for the British would gain their freedom. A lot of people decided to do this while others decided to travel to Canada and were free there. Some others even went back to a British colony in Africa. AFRICAN AMERICANS IN WAR
Americans held their own advantages during the war. Americans fought for their land while these soldiers fought for money They were fighting on their own ground and fought with great determination to protect it. Americans had the strongest leader in George Washington. Few could match his courage, honesty, and determination. The British had to ship their soldiers over from thousands of miles away. British relied on mercenaries from other countries to fight for them.- Hessians from Germany PATRIOT ADVANTAGES
Americans placed great value on liberty and personal freedom. They did not want to transfer from British Parliament to their own Continental Congress. They made it difficult to build a continental army and raise money to fight the war. Militias played an essential role in the forces. The states were relied upon to recruit for the Continental Army Most men signed up for one year to fight. A lot of the officers were veterans from previous wars or they were young men who were recruited from the ranks Women also fought for the Patriot forces. Molly Pitcher carried water while others dressed as men and enlisted. RAISING AN ARMY
The Continental Army suffered a serious defeat against the British at the Battle of Long Island. Most of the battles involved few troops. Americans had half as many soldiers as the British during the Battle of Bunker Hill Nathan Hale was a famous spy for the Patriots who said I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country Britain sent over 32,000 troops in just hopes that the sheer size of the army under Howe would convince the Patriots to give up. Although the Americans were brave, they lacked supplies The Patriots only had 20,000 troops but they were determined to fight. After the defeat, the British chased them all the way back into Pennsylvania. PATRIOT DEFEATS AND VICTORIES
He wanted African Americans to be free if they fought for the Patriots. In the Winter of 1776-1777, The Patriots cause was near collapse. The southerners did not want this because they were scared that if given weapons, they would revolt against the owners. The size of the army had dwindled. Some soldiers completed their services while others ran away. Washington hated to think that the war could almost be over and that they could lose. By 1778, African Americans were allowed to fight for everyone but South Carolina. They fought because they believed in the freedom that the colonies wanted. He pleaded with Congress to give him more troops LOW POINT
The British settled in New York for the winter and left some in Princeton and Trenton, New Jersey. Washington saw this as a chance to move catch them off guard. The British observed the attacks as A few days ago, the Americans had given up the cause for lost. Their late successes have turned the scale and now they are all liberty- mad again. The Americans crossed the icy Delaware River and attacked the British in Trenton. They easily defeated them and then went to Princeton and attacked them there. AMERICAN VICTORIES IN NEW JERSEY
The British worked out a battle plan in 1777. They would take Albany, New York and control the Hudson River. This would cut off New England from the Middle Colonies. The plan involved a 3-pronged attack. General John Burgoyne would lead troops south from Canada. Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger would move east from Lake Ontario, and General Howe would move north from New York City. Howe won battles in Sept. 1777 and Paoli won near Philadelphia. Their plans were coming together until they ran into obstacles with supplies and the American forces slowed them down. Burgoyne had to retreat to Saratoga to get more supplies that he had lost. A BRITISH PLAN FOR VICTORY
Burgoyne faced serious trouble in Saratoga. He expected British forces to come help but they never showed up. Burgoyne found himself surrounded by a larger army and made a desperate attack on October 7th but the Americans stood firm. The American forces had stopped St. Leger s army and Howe s forces were still in Philadelphia. On October 17, 1777, General Burgoyne surrendered and the British plan had failed. General Howe resigned as commander of the British. He was replaced by General Henry Clinton. General Horatio Gates and American forces blocked Burgoyne s path to the south. BATTLE OF SARATOGA
