ANSWER​ ​GUIDE 
America:​ ​Episode​ ​10 
Revolution​ ​in​ ​New​ ​York 
 
Discussion​ ​Questions​ ​and​ ​Answers

1.​ ​New​ ​York​ ​was​ ​almost​ ​half​ ​loyalist​ ​and​ ​half​ ​revolutionist.​ ​Why​ ​was​ ​it​ ​such​ ​an 
important​ ​city​ ​to​ ​control? 
 
New​ ​York​ ​was​ ​a​ ​major​ ​city​ ​in​ ​the​ ​colonies​ ​and​ ​the​ ​primary​ ​location​ ​for​ ​George 
Washington​ ​and​ ​his​ ​army.​ ​Control​ ​of​ ​New​ ​York​ ​meant​ ​control​ ​of​ ​large 
amounts​ ​of​ ​trade,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​crushing​ ​Washington’s​ ​troops. 
 
2.​ ​What​ ​are​ ​mercenaries?​ ​Why​ ​did​ ​King​ ​George​ ​have​ ​to​ ​use​ ​them,​ ​and​ ​where 
did​ ​they​ ​come​ ​from? 
 
Mercenaries​ ​are​ ​soldiers​ ​for​ ​hire,​ ​often​ ​fighting​ ​for​ ​the​ ​highest​ ​bidder.​ ​The 
British​ ​hired​ ​mercenaries​ ​in​ ​America,​ ​because​ ​there​ ​weren’t​ ​enough​ ​British 
troops​ ​to​ ​control​ ​the​ ​uprising.  
 
3.​ ​Why​ ​were​ ​Fort​ ​Washington​ ​and​ ​Fort​ ​Lee​ ​so​ ​important​ ​to​ ​the​ ​colonials? 
 
Fort​ ​Washington​ ​and​ ​Fort​ ​Lee​ ​controlled​ ​movement​ ​through​ ​the​ ​Hudson​ ​River, 
including​ ​troops​ ​and​ ​supplies. 
 
4.​ ​What​ ​was​ ​it​ ​like​ ​to​ ​live​ ​aboard​ ​the​ ​British​ ​prison​ ​ship,​ ​the​ ​HMS​ ​Jersey? 
 
The​ ​HMS​ ​Jersey​ ​was​ ​dark,​ ​crowded,​ ​and​ ​full​ ​of​ ​disease​ ​and​ ​death.​ ​People 
would​ ​die​ ​and​ ​no​ ​one​ ​would​ ​know​ ​for​ ​days​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​already​ ​awful​ ​smell 
and​ ​lack​ ​of​ ​light. 
 
 
 

©2017​ ​ColdWater​ ​Media,​ ​Inc.​ ​ ​Drive​ ​Thru​ ​History​®​™​ ​All​ ​rights​ ​reserved.
5.​ ​How​ ​did​ ​Washington’s​ ​army​ ​escape​ ​during​ ​the​ ​night​ ​and​ ​early​ ​morning​ ​at 
the​ ​Battle​ ​of​ ​Long​ ​Island? 
 
George​ ​Washington’s​ ​army​ ​used​ ​the​ ​cover​ ​of​ ​night​ ​and​ ​the​ ​miraculously​ ​thick 
fog​ ​to​ ​cross​ ​a​ ​mile​ ​of​ ​river​ ​and​ ​escape​ ​under​ ​the​ ​noses​ ​of​ ​the​ ​British. 

©2017​ ​ColdWater​ ​Media,​ ​Inc.​ ​ ​Drive​ ​Thru​ ​History​®​™​ ​All​ ​rights​ ​reserved.