Unit 2 Lesson 3: Give me Liberty!

Question 1

What effect did Patrick Henry’s words have on the people?

Answer 1

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry rose from his seat in St. John’s Church to address the displaced assembly. He called for the delegates to form a Virginia militia to defend the colony against what he considered a rising British threat. His impassioned speech helped unite colonists around a new patriotism and cause: independence.

Question 2

Why were clonial milltias uneffective?

Answer 2

By 1775, the thirteen colonies had called up colonial militias that fought in the French and Indian War. Now their colonial assemblies called them to defend against British threats. About 145,000 Americans were enlisted in militias, but they did not all muster, or assemble, to fight at once. Spread across the colonies, they lacked coordinated leadership, resources, and discipline. At the time, Britain had more than 20,000 soldiers in North America, and even more were coming. Britain also had the largest, most powerful navy in the world.

Question 3

The colonists needed a larger and more organized fighting force. What was the Continental Army?

Answer 3

On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army. Several months later, it formed the Continental Navy and the Continental Marines.

Question 4

Describe the sections of the continental army?

Answer 4

• The Continental Army comprised the land forces. It absorbed most of the militias serving around Boston and New York. It also enlisted additional soldiers.
• The Continental Navy comprised ships and sailors who fought for the United States at sea. They largely protected the coasts, attacking British ships and blocking supplies and reinforcements.
• The Continental Marines served as the landing force of the navy.

Question 5

How mant Britsh soilders served in North america?

Answer 5

As many as 50,000 British soldiers served in North America.
* About 20,000 loyalists fought for the British.
* The British navy had 270 ships.

Question 6

Who helped the Britsh durning the war?

Answer 6

They were backed by 30,000 Hessians, German foreign soldiers paid by Britain.

Question 7

Continental Numbers

Answer 7

• As many as 200,000 colonists enlisted in the Continental Army, but 4,000–26,000 soldiers served at one time.
• State militias comprised 145,000 that served at different times in different places.
• More than 60 ships sailed for the Continental Navy, but only 20–30 sailed at one time.
• Hundreds of privateers sailed at different times.

Question 8

British Strengths

Answer 8

• Most soldiers, sailors, and officers were career military who served for years.
• They had professional training and experience.
• Early on, they had superior numbers.
• Despite its debt, Britain had great wealth to pay and supply its forces.

Question 9

Continental Strengths

Answer 9

• Over the course of the war, they mobilized superior numbers.
• They had a large domestic population to provide support.
• They knew the landscape.
• They could rely on housing, food, arms, and other provisions supplied locally.
• They were fighting to defend their homes and families.

Question 10

British Weaknesses

Answer 10

• Reinforcements and supplies had to cross thousands of miles of ocean.
• They did not know the landscape and could not count on local support.
• They were fighting to take lands and enforce laws far from their own homes.
• They had to hold ground while making advances and taking new territory.
• British officials had a far-flung empire to think about and defend.

Question 11

Continental Weaknesses

Answer 11

• Most soldiers, sailors, and officers had limited (if any) military experience.
• For the first part of the war, they lacked much training and discipline.
• Pay and provisioning was inconsistent and often insufficient to meet the needs of soldiers and their families.
• They had thousands of miles of coastline and more than 300,000 square miles of land to protect.

Question 12

Who was General William Howe?

Answer 12

• entered British military in 1746
• participated in North American battles during the French and Indian War
• sent back to the American colonies in 1775
• commanded British forces from 1776 to 1778
  William Howe earned a solid military reputation while fighting in North America during the French and Indian War. Howe argued against the Intolerable Acts in Parliament, but ultimately commanded British forces from 1776 to 1778. As commander, he preferred maneuvering rather than actual battle—he was criticized for this.

Question 12

Who was General Lord Charles Cornwallis?

Answer 12

• entered British military in 1757
• fought in the Seven Years’ War (in Europe)
• sent to American colonies in 1776
• served as Clinton’s second-in-command
  became commander of Britain’s southern army in 1780
  A gifted war strategist and former member of British Parliament, General Lord Charles Cornwallis was a successful lieutenant colonel during the Seven Years’ War in Europe. He was sent to the American colonies in 1776, and became commander of Britain’s southern army in the final battles of the Revolutionary War.

Question 13

Who was General Sir Henry Clinton?

Answer 13

• joined the New York militia in 1745
• joined the British Army in 1751
• served as Howe’s second-in-command until 1778
• commanded British forces from 1778 to 1782
  Henry Clinton was born in modern-day Newfoundland, Canada, to a British admiral who became the governor of New York. Clinton was wounded in the Seven Years’ War in Germany. He earned a seat in Parliament in 1772 but spent years away from Britain fighting in the Revolutionary War.

Question 14

Who was Major General Horatio Gates?

Answer 14

• led British forces during the French and Indian War
• joined the Continental Army in 1775
• appointed to command the northern army in 1777
• appointed to command the southern army in 1780
  British-born Horatio Gates fought as a British captain during the French and Indian War. He immigrated to the colonies and came to sympathize with colonial complaints. Gates first commanded colonial armies in the north. His leadership in key battles led to his appointment as commander of the southern army in 1780.

Question 15

Who was General George Washington?

Answer 15

• led colonial militia forces during the French and Indian War
• appointed as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress in 1774
• resigned his command after the war
  Virginia-born George Washington became one of the United States’ most famous military leaders. His reputation as a poised colonel during the French and Indian War propelled him to leadership during the American Revolution. He was a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses and became the Continental Army’s first commander-in-chief.

Question 16

Who is Major General Nathanael Greene?

Answer 16

• first commanded Rhode Island army
• served under Washington
• replaced Gates as commander of the southern army
  Born in Rhode Island, Nathanael Greene was an active revolutionist. He became a major general in 1776. He served briefly as quartermaster general before relieving Gates of command of the southern army. His strategy of mobility proved crucial to ending the Revolutionary War.

Question 16

Why did the British battle
Continental forces in New
York?

Answer 16

General William Howe still hoped to contain the conflict. Howe thought the best way to win the war was to cut off the northern colonies from the southern colonies and capture important commercial and political centers. So when the British lost their hold on Boston, they turned to New York—the largest and wealthiest American city.

Question 17

What happened during the Battle of Long Island?

Answer 17

The British Navy already controlled New York Harbor when General Howe landed thousands of troops on Long Island in August 1776. The Battle of Long Island lasted a day. More than 1,400 Americans were killed, wounded, or captured. Devastating defeats there and in later battles left Britain in control of New York City at the end of October. From there, they swept south and west across the countryside, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

Question 18

By the end of 1776 what states did the Britsh gain control of?

Answer 18

By the end of 1776, the British controlled New York and New Jersey. The loss of life and territory devastated the newly independent states and their Continental Army.

Question 19

On the night of December 25, 1776 what was Washington planning to do?

Answer 19

On the night of December 25, 1776, Washington led about 2,400 soldiers in ferries and cargo boats across the half-frozen Delaware River. A fierce snowstorm struck, preventing two other forces from making the crossing to meet them. His goal was to launch a surprise attack on 1,400 Hessian mercenaries at Trenton, New Jersey.

Question 20

What is a mercenary

Answer 20

A mercenary is a soldier who is paid to fight for another country.

Question 21

How did the Battle of Trenton go?

Answer 21

At the Battle of Trenton, Washington’s army defeated the Hessians in less than an hour. They captured 900 soldiers as well as weapons and ammunition. He lost two soldiers to the cold. The Continentals went on to win another battle at Princeton. Though small, the victories renewed the patriots’ commitment to the war, emboldened U.S. forces, and inspired others to enlist.

Question 22

What happened during the summer of 1777?

Answer 22

Then, that summer, the Continentals suffered a crushing loss to the British General John Burgoyne at Fort Ticonderoga in New York.

Question 23

What happened during the september and october of 1777?

Answer 23

In September and October, General Howe’s army won battles at Brandywine Creek and Germantown. This enabled the British to take Philadelphia, forcing the Continental Congress to flee.

Question 24

What was the battle of Saratoga?

Answer 24

General Howe’s decision to capture Philadelphia undermined the larger plan. With his troops occupied in Philadelphia, Howe couldn’t support other British armies led by General Clinton and General Burgoyne. Colonial militias trapped Burgoyne’s troops at Saratoga, New York. The Battle of Saratoga in October 1777 was a major turning point in the war.

Question 25

How did the militia defeat the British at Saratoga?

Answer 25

They encircled their forces.

Question 26

Why was this such a great loss for Britain?

Answer 26

The British surrendered a huge force of 5,000 troops.

Question 27

How did the battle influence the French?

Answer 27

The Americans’ victory convinced the French that they were worth supporting.

Question 28

How did France help USA?

Answer 28

The American victory at Saratoga persuaded France to recognize American independence and form a military alliance in February 1778. France sent gunpowder, money, ships, soldiers, and officers, and fought in key battles alongside American forces. French help would prove crucial in ending the war.

Question 28

who was Marquis de Lafayette?

Answer 28

A young French aristocrat, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, or the Marquis de Lafayette, had joined the Continental Army in 1777 and become a close advisor and friend to General Washington. However, France had not offered official military support.

Question 29

How did Spain help USA?

Answer 29

In 1779, Spain, too, joined the war against Britain, though it did not recognize American independence until 1783. Spanish reinforcements aided American forces in the west and along the Gulf Coast. They won key victories in Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida that prevented Britain from gaining a foothold to attack from the west. They also kept British naval forces busy in the Caribbean.

Question 30

How did Baron von
Steuben help the
Continental Army?

Answer 30

Help arrived in the form of the Prussian officer Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. Baron von Steuben was an experienced military man. He implemented a thorough training program for Washington’s disorderly and discouraged troops. First, he drilled a small corps of soldiers. Then, he had them train others. His system of drills and discipline transformed the Continental Army into an organized force capable of standing up to the professional British and Hessian soldiers.

Question 31

Why was disease
dangerous to the
Continental troops, and
what did General
Washington do to fight
disease?

Answer 31

Smallpox epidemics broke out in Boston, Philadelphia, Quebec, and other cities, and plagued the army throughout the war. The disease spread so rapidly among closely quartered, weary troops that Washington ordered every soldier be inoculated, or vaccinated. It was the first known mass military inoculation. He sent immune soldiers to occupy infected cities, and barred people from affected cities from approaching army encampments. Quarantines were used to reduce the spread of disease.

Question 32

How did the war effect US citzen food?

Answer 32

The war slowed food production and trade. Fewer people were available to work in the fields and move goods. British and U.S. American troops often seized what they wanted from homes and businesses, and even destroyed crops and livestock. Blockades made it hard for supplies to reach people. These conditions led to scarcity and inequitable distribution of goods. Many merchants stockpiled food and raised prices.

Question 33

How did the
Revolutionary War lead to
food riots?

Answer 33

In cities where people were especially hard hit, women organized groups to pressure merchants to lower prices. They broke into shops and bakeries to seize food. Such actions sometimes erupted into riots. Historians have documented as many as 14 food riots in Boston and more than 30 across the states.

Question 34

How did the war increase inflation?

Answer 34

Scarcity was made worse by another problem. To pay for the costs of the war, the Continental Congress authorized the printing of Continental currency. However, without enough gold and silver to back the currency, notes had little value. This led to rampant inflation, or a rapid rise in the cost of goods. States began passing laws to control prices, but inflation and debt remained key issues for the new government of the United States.

Question 35

Why did the British move
their fighting to southern
states?

Answer 35

Following the British loss at Saratoga, General Howe resigned, and Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton took command of British forces. British officials turned their attention south. They believed loyalists, enslaved African Americans, and Native American allies in the southern states would give them the upper hand.

Question 36

Why did The brtish capture Savanah the capital of Gerogia and Charleston?

Answer 36

The British captured Savannah, then the capital of Georgia, in December 1778. As hoped, many loyalists and enslaved African Americans joined their ranks. From there, they pushed north. In April 1780, a British force of 8,000 soldiers besieged American forces in Charleston, then the seat of state government as well as the South’s most important commercial center. Six weeks later, the city fell.

Question 37

Why is the Battle of
Yorktown important?

Answer 37

It marked the ending of the whp;e war

Question 38

how did the Battle of yorktown go?

Answer 38

A combined French and American force of 16,000 men swarmed the peninsula in September 1781. General Washington raced south from New York with his now-disciplined army. The Marquis de Lafayette and French General Comte de Rochambeau followed with their French troops.

Meanwhile, the French navy—led by François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse—sent one force to block the British from entering the Chesapeake Bay and another into the bay to surround the port. The British navy couldn’t get to Cornwallis, and Cornwallis couldn’t get out.
In October 1781, the American forces began the battle for Yorktown. They laid siege to the city for eight days. Vastly outnumbered, Lord Cornwallis surrendered on October 19. The Battle of Yorktown had ended, and with it, the war.

Question 39

What happned right after the war?

Answer 39

In 1782, Britain’s military forces began to evacuate the states while American diplomats Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay started peace negotiations in Paris. The three men had helped win French and Spanish support for the United States during the war. Jay proved instrumental in winning peace terms from Britain.

Question 40

What was the Treaty of PAris?

Answer 40

Officials from Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. It was ratified by the Continental Congress and King George III in early 1784. The treaty recognized the independence of the United States. Britain concluded separate treaties with Spain and France.