Ch 6, Sec 1-The Early Years

Early Ideas about the Revolutionary War in July 1776

Britain Colonists

•Quick War•Crush the colonists by military force

•Quick War•British soldiers would give up and leave if they lost a few battles

Advantages for each countryBritain Colonists

•Powerful/bigger army/navy•More money•Bigger population (8 million to 2.5 million)•Had Gen. Cornwallis leading the troops

•Home field advantage•Inspired by a cause•Had militias to fight•Had Gen. Washington leading the troops

Disadvantages for each countryBritain Colonists

•Fighting on foreign land•some soldiers forced into• military-not very loyal•Used mercenaries called the Hessians from Germany to fight-not very loyal•Some soldiers lacked motivation to fight•Had to ship soldiers/supplies to the fight

•Did not have a regular army/navy•Had very little military experience•Bad training•Not a lot of weapons/ammo•Militias only fought for short periods of time•Not all people were Patriots

Should I be a loyalist or a patriot?• People went back and forth on the issue

throughout the whole war• Some chose sides depending on what army

was closest to them at the time• Split families up when members took different

sides

Who were the loyalists?

• People that stayed with King George III• Known as Tories• 1/3rd-1/5th of colonists• Most lived in the Carolinas and Georgia

Reasons to stay with the king

• Feared him/consequences for rebelling• He offered jobs• Wanted to stay in the Anglican Church• They didn’t understand why people were so

upset with the king’s actions

Who were the Patriots?

• People who rebelled against the king• 2/3rd-4/5th of the colonists• Lived mostly in the middle colonies/northern

colonies

Reasons to break away from the King

• Had more negative contact with the British troops

• Received the biggest consequences from the king

• Taxation without representation• Unfair laws/treatment by the king/parliament

African Americans in the war• Loyalists wanted their support• Were promised freedom for joining the British

cause• Some were freedom and others were sent to

Canada and to the British colony of Sierra Leone in Africa

Big Problem

• Colonists did not trust a strong, centralized gov’t

• Continental Congress had little power • Congress could not make citizens fight in the

war or raise money to pay for it

Raising an army• Colonists needed state militias and a regular

army• Started the Continental Army but had the

states recruit soldiers for it• Soldiers could sign up for 1 yr, 3 yrs, or for the

whole war

Role of Women• Women came with their husbands for the war• Used as spies, cooks, nurses, and for laundry• Margaret Corbin-fought in her husband’s place

after he died in battle• Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley) gave

water to troops in battle• Deborah Sampson- dressed up like a man and fought

Early Battles• Mostly won by the colonists• Small fights with less then 2,500 troops on

each side• Britain sent Gen. Howe over with 32,000

troops to attack NY

Battle of Long Island

• 32,000 British troops vs. 20,000 Continental Army troops

• Aug 2014 in NY• Colonists ran out of supplies• Colonists were pushed out of NY to Pennsylvania

New Problem

• By the end of 1776, most of the soldiers in the Continental Army served their time and went home

• Other soldiers went AWOL• Running out of soldiers

African Americans save the day

• Gen Washington asked for slaves to be allowed to fight• States ignored the ban against using slaves• South Carolina is the only state to not allow slaves to fight• 5,000 slaves joined the war• Some joined to get paid• Others ran away to fight for their freedom • Rhode Island was the first colony to have an all black

unit

Colonial victories in New Jersey

• British army remained in NY• British had two army camps in NJ• Most armies did not fight during winter

time• Gen. Washington attacked the bases in

Trenton and Princeton on Christmas 1776• Colonial army won both battles

British Plan for 1777

• Needed a new war plan after early defeats by the colonists

• Split the colonies in two at the Hudson river• Separate the New England and Middle

Colonies with 3 large armies coming together• British soldiers defeated and took over

Philadelphia-one of the last major colonial cities in the North

British plan failed• Gen. Howe remained in Philadelphia and refused to meet up at the Hudson• Gen. Burgoyne’s moved too slow and his route was destroyed by colonists• Green Mountain Boys forced British troops who

were looking for food/supplies to retreat• Benedict Arnold led several successful battles in

NY• Gen. Gates forced Gen. Burgoyne to surrender at

Saratoga