Revolutionary War Quizlet

The Continental army was made up mostly of seasoned professional soldiers.

False ; Unlike the professional soldiers in the British army, these part-time citizen-soldiers, or militiamen, were mostly poor American farmers, laborers, or indentured servants.

The sharpest irony of the American Revolution is that Britain offered enslaved blacks more opportunities for freedom than did the new United States. Identify the different outcomes African Americans faced after the Revolutionary War.

Slaves who had fought for the British were punished for disloyalty. Freed slaves fled to Canada or the British colonies in search of freedom. Slavery was ended in most northern states, inspired by the ideas of liberty and freedom at the heart of the Patriot cause.

Identify the ways in which the Battle of Yorktown was a key turning point in the Revolutionary War.

The French navy helped secure an American victory over the British. The Battle of Yorktown was the final battle of the Revolutionary War.

Before the Revolution, Americans tolerated religious dissent; after the Revolution, many Americans insisted on complete freedom of religion as embodied in the principle of separation of church and state. Identify actions that took place during and following the Revolutionary War that supported this social change.

All states but Virginia eliminated tax support for the church before the fighting was over, and Virginia did so soon afterward. The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom declared that "no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship."

Why was the Battle of Saratoga significant to the Revolutionary War?

It was a decisive victory over the British and showed that the Patriots were capable of winning major battles, and possibly the war. It showed the French that the Patriots were capable of fighting the British, and this would ultimately lead to a military alliance with France.

Describe the newly forming American government.

Most of the political experimentation between 1776 and 1787 occurred at the state level in the form of written constitutions. Most of the state constitutions included a bill of rights that protected freedom of speech, trial by jury, and freedom from self-incrimination

Describe the challenges facing Americans in forming a new national government.

At the national level, the states approved the Articles of Confederation, creating a weak central government and leaving most issues of government to the individual states. Reflecting the republican ideology, the new government deliberately avoided creating a chief executive who could possibly assume the powers of a monarch.

Put in chronological order the events leading up to the end of the Revolutionary War.

British forces seize New York City. George Washington's troops defeat British and Hessian forces at the Battles of Trenton and Saratoga. America and France form a military alliance. British forces focus their attention on the South. American and French forces defeat the British at Yorktown, Virginia.

The Articles of Confederation defined the first government of the United States. Identify the aspects of the Articles of Confederation that demonstrate how it was a reaction to the fears of a monarchy.

No president or chief executive was allowed. Unanimous approval from the states was required to levy taxes on imports. A majority of the states were required to approve measures on war, finances, and the army.

Describe the situations of women and African Americans during and after the Revolutionary War.

Northern states began to free slaves, but southern states did not. Although many women had undertaken nontraditional roles during the war, afterward they remained largely confined to the domestic sphere with no changes to their legal or political status.

Identify the reasons why the Battle of Kings Mountain was a significant turning point in the Revolutionary War.

The British defeat made it very difficult for them to recruit American Loyalists to fight against the Patriots. The Battle of Kings Mountain was a crucial victory for the Americans, as it undermined the British strategy in the South.

Identify the challenges the British military leaders faced during the Revolutionary War.

The Continental Congress gave Washington the power to maintain his Continental army through recruiting soldiers with cash, land, clothing, and blankets. Americans maintained a strong ideological commitment to their belief that tyranny should be resisted and overcome. Washington refused to engage in a large, decisive battle with Britain, instead picking and choosing when to engage the British.

The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War. Identify the territory that became part of the United States as a result of its signing.

The borders of the newly formed United States stretched from the East Coast to the Mississippi River, and excluded Florida.

Identify how the alliance with France contributed to the outcome of the American Revolution.

The support of French troops was central to the American victory. France agreed to fight alongside the Revolutionaries until American independence was won.

Identify the reasons the Loyalists supported the British during the Revolutionary War.

They feared that the Revolution would result in lawlessness. They felt that an independent America could not protect them from foreign enemies as well as Britain could. They believed they were more likely to prosper under British rule.

One of the changes that took place after the Revolutionary War was that American leaders embraced republican ideology. From the leaders' perspective, identify all of the advantages that the republic had over monarchies, such as the British Empire.

limiting powers of the national government elected representatives and legislators more transparency into the political process

Identify the events that took place during the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge that raised the morale of the Continental army.

news of a formal military alliance with France promises of extra pay and bonuses after the war

Describe the advantages of the British and American armies during the Revolutionary War.

In 1776, the British had an enormous and powerful army and navy. The Americans had to create an army—named the Continental army—from scratch and sustain it. To defeat the British, General George Washington realized that the Americans had to turn unreliable citizen-soldiers into a disciplined fighting force and try to wage a long, costly war, wagering that a strategy of evasion, where American endurance was the key, would weaken the British forces' will to fight.

Describe how the Revolution was also a civil war.

The American Revolution was also a civil war because groups of people living in America were fighting for different causes. Families were torn apart as fathers and sons fought on separate sides. Native American societies were also divided as they formed alliances and agreed to fight for either the Patriots or Loyalists. Ultimately, at the end of the war, many of the Loyalists left the newly created United States to flee to Canada, the Caribbean, or other places in the British Empire. The jobs, houses, and land they left behind created new opportunities for the Patriots.

Identify the challenges American military leaders faced from the British during the Revolutionary War.

To aid their war effort, the British hired foreign soldiers (mercenaries). The British Empire sent about 35,000 soldiers and half of its huge navy across the Atlantic to put down the American rebellion. The British recruited American Loyalists, Native Americans, and African Americans to fight on their behalf.

A challenge American military leaders faced in confronting the British military was a lack of supplies, recruits, and experience needed to create an effective military.

True; The American commanders had to create an army and navy from scratch, and with little money. Recruiting, supplying, equipping, training, and paying soldiers and sailors were monumental challenges for the new nation.

When Loyalists departed America after the Revolution, their confiscated property and newly vacated jobs created new social, economic, and political opportunities for Patriots.

True; The confiscated homes, vast tracks of land, and vacated jobs of departing Loyalists created new social, economic and political opportunities for Patriots.

The American ambush at Cowpens was a key tactical victory for the American side, because it was one of the few evenly matched battles won by the Patriots.

True; Throughout the American Revolution, the Americans tended to lose battles, even when they were evenly matched with the British. Cowpens was the most complete tactical victory for the American side. One hundred and ten British soldiers were killed, and more than 700 were taken prisoner.

Identify the ways in which women's roles changed during the Revolution.

Women worked as nurses for solidiers. Women, on occasion, fought in battles.

Identify the examples of the political or social changes that the Revolutionary War inspired.

Workers wanted to remove the elite's social and political powers. Americans insisted on freedom of religion. Voting qualifications were lowered.