American

Revolution
George Washington
Virginia soldier, landowner;
commanded Continental Army
Challenges to building army:
- British army formidable
- Continentals: undisciplined
volunteers
- Short on men, supplies, $$
Showed impressive leadership:
reorganized army, secured
equipment and supplies,
trained up army
Continental Army
Christmas 1776: G.W.
led troops across
Delaware River
in surprise attack
on Trenton. Win a
turning point in war
Continental army
spent miserable
winter in 1777-78
at Valley Forge, PA
Low morale, bad housing, little pay, food,
clothing, equipment, diseases
But Washington trained Continentals into capable
infantry

French Alliance

Ben Franklin is the Ambassador to
France & wins their support
for colonists
France: Well fight
Britain till America
is independent;
send money, troops
Britain forced to fight in America and Europe
Marquis de Lafayette: French military leader who led
training at Valley Forge, commanded American troops
America Wins
British General
Cornwallis moves
war South for help
from Tories
(Colonists loyal to
England)
Yorktown: Cornwallis went
to get
reinforcements
Attacked by American army, French navy
Cornwallis surrenders in October 1781
Treaty of Paris (1783)
Ends
Revolutionary
War
U.S. wins:
Independence
from Britain
Boundaries for
new nation:
Atlantic Ocean
to Mississippi
River; from Canada to Florida
Valley Forge: How was it?
Directions:
Each pair gets Doc A & Doc B
One person looks at each Doc and answers
the questions on your own sheet of paper
THIS WORK IS TO BE DONE SILENTLY
You have 15 minutes total to complete this