Chapter 6, Lesson 4

THE FINAL YEARS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: WHY DOES CONFLICT DEVELOP?
Victory at
Yorktown
 British carrying on with their campaign down South,
but key events happening up North
 French warships came and brought thousands of
soldiers to help Americans
 When second fleet of French arrived, Washington
planned to attack the British army in New York
 That opportunity never came because the troops never
arrived, but a better opportunity came to attack at
Yorktown
Washington Leaves for Virginia

~1781-Washington sent Lafayette and Wayne to stop Cornwallis and they

were able to pin down Cornwallis’s troops on a peninsula in Yorktown.

~While that was going on, Washington got word that the French troops he
had been waiting for were heading to Chesapeake Bay to join the fight
against Cornwallis. So he and Rochambeau decided to head to Yorktown and
attack there. (Washington kept this a secret-even from his own troops-
because he didn’t want it to get back to the British.)

~The troops marched 200 miles in 15 days and the British didn’t have any
idea until it was too late to do anything about it.

~The British at Yorktown were going to be attacked by three forces-

Lafayette’s troops, Washington and Rochambeau’s army, and the French
fleet of ships.
A Trap at Yorktown
 Washington’s plan worked perfectly.
 14,000 American and French troops stood
against Cornwallis’s 8,000 troops
 The French fleet kept guard at Chesapeake
Bay so the British ships couldn’t get in and
help Cornwallis escape by sea
 American and French forces began a siege-
they blocked off British supply and escape
routes
 They hoped the British would surrender
 Victory Over
Cornwallis
 The British ran low of supplies and
many soldiers were wounded or
sick
 Alexander Hamilton led an attack
which captured key British defenses
 On October 19 Cornwallis
surrendered
 Patriot troops took 8,000 prisoners
and 200 guns
 https://youtu.be/c1Es5fpRBAw
Independence Achieved
~Even after the victory at Yorktown, the fighting still went on.
~The British still controlled Savannah, Charles Town, and New York, however the victory at Yorktown
convinced the British that the war was too costly to pursue.
~Americans and British sent delegates to Paris to work out a treaty. The American Congress approved the
first draft of the treaty in April 17, but the final draft wasn’t approved until September 1783.
~By that time, Britain had also made peace with France and Spain
~The treaty was called The Treaty of Paris and under this agreement:
*Britain promised to recognize the United States as an independent nation, would withdraw all
troops from American territory, and gave American fishing rights to the waters off the coast of Canada.
*United States promised to pay British merchants what they owed and return property that had
been taken back to the Loyalists.
A Conspiracy Against Congress
 Since so many months passed between the end of the fighting and
the treaty being signed, Washington refused to take troops out of
New York just in case something happened.
 However, many of the soldiers believed they were owed pay from
Congress and when this pay didn’t come, the soldiers grew angry.
 They sent a letter to Congress stating if their demands weren’t
met, they would use force against Congress.
 Washington knew this would be dangerous for the new nation
because their newly established nation would be destroyed.
 He gave a speech to his soldiers asking them to be patient. Then
he urged congress to meet their demands.
 Both sides agreed and Washington was able to end the threat to
the new nation.
Washington Returns Home
 In November 1783, the war truly ended when
the last of the British troops left New York
 Washington gave up his command and the
soldiers returned home
 In December, Washington turned in his
resignation and returned to his home in Mount
Vernon, Virginia where he planned to live
quietly with his family.
Why the Americans  1. Fought on their own land

Won  British had to move troops and supplies across the

ocean which made it harder for them to get
reinforcements
 Americans knew the land better-they knew where
to ambush and were experts at wilderness fighting

 2. Help from other countries: Mostly France and

Spain-gave money, soldiers, military guidance,
weapons
 3. The war was a people’s movement: its outcome
depended on the determination and spirit of all
Patriots