Chapter 6 "The American Revolution"

freedom

African Americans fought on both sides of the war in the hope of gaining __________.

Battle of Saratoga

British tried to attack from three directions, but were cut off and suffered timing and supply problems, so colonial General Gates had time to build forces and the British surrendered in that battle. Therefore, Spain, Poland, and France decided they'd help the colonists, and the win lifted Patriot spirits and showed Britain the colonists were capable of winning. This is considered the Turning Point of the war.

Battle of Princeton

Colonial soldiers lit campfires and left camp, and when the British soldiers entered the camp to attack, the colonists surrounded them and won that battle.

Nathan Hale

Connecticut officer/spy who was caught and condemned to death. He said, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

Florida

In thanks for help from Spain, the colonies returned ___ in 1783.

Battle of Trenton

On Christmas 1776, George Washington read "The Crisis" to his soldiers to boost morale and then crossed the Delaware for a surprise attack, which caught the British soldiers and German mercenaries unaware, leading to a colonial win.

George Washington

One of the main Patriot generals of the Revolutionary War and our first president.

France and Latin America

The American Revolution soon inspired similar revolutions in what two areas?

Charles Cornwallis

The British commander who brought the fighting into the south.

Valley Forge

The winter of 1777-1778, where colonial troops led by Washington were not sufficiently fed, clothed, or housed, and they became sick and had to eat their own shoe leather while British soldiers only 22 miles away spent the winter dancing at balls. Colonists tried to collect and send supplies and food to support their troops.

white male property owners

The words "all men are created equal" really only applied to ___________.

George Rogers Clark

Virginia militia man sent to strike British forts beyond the Appalachian mountains in 1778, which caught the British by surprise and they surrendered to the colonists.

Lord Charles Cornwallis

When this British general moved his troops onto the Yorktown peninsula, it allowed his troops to be cut off. The French ships cut off escape by sea. French troops and American troops cut off escape by land. This led him to surrender, so the Battle at Yorktown was the last battle of the Revolutionary War. It ended on October 19, 1781.

Yorktown

With the help of the French naval fleet blocking British escape by sea, on October 19, 1781, the British surrendered to the colonists at _________.

Thaddeus Kosciusko

a Polish engineer who took charge of building fortifications at West Point.

Casimir Pulaski

a Polish soldier who trained the Patriot cavalry.

Friedrich von Steuben

a Prussian soldier, considered the best in Europe, who helped train Patriot troops to defeat the British.

Bernardo de Galvez

a Spaniard Louisiana governor who secretly provided money and weapons and gave ships safe refuge. He also attacked British forts on the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.

grievance

a complaint. The third section of the declaration of independence lists our complaints against King George III and is the largest of the four sections.

alliance

a formal agreement between two powers to work toward a common goal.

resolution

a formal statement of opinion

traitor

a person who betrays his or her country or cause and helps the other side. The man in this picture, Benedict Arnold, is famous for this.

privateer

armed civilian ships that had their government's permission to attack enemy ships and keep their goods.

Thomas Paine

author of "The Crisis" and "Common Sense"

John Paul Jones

commanded the American ship Bonhomme Richard against the British Serapis, and though his ship was wrecked, he said, "I have not yet begun to fight."

guerrilla

fighters who work in small bands to make hit-and-run-attacks

Marquis de Lafayette

high ranking French officer in Washington's army.

Richard Henry Lee

introduced the Virginia Resolution in the Continental Congress to support independence, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Sir William Howe

one of the main British generals in 1776 who led the first attacks and wins and began pushing the colonists back toward Pennsylvania.

continentals

paper money

Treaty of Paris

peace talks began in Paris in 1782 and were approved April 15, 1783, when Britain recognized America's independence, a little more than 8 years after "the shot heard round the world."

civilian

people not in the military

Natural Rights

rights that we are born with and that are inalienable (others can't take away). This is the second section of the Declaration of Independence.

enlisted

signed up for duty

Factors in American victory

skilled leadership, geography, help from other countries like France and Spain.

mercenary

soldiers who are paid to fight for a country other than their own.

Nathanael Greene

southern Patriot general in South Carolina who split his army with General Morgan and won the Battle of Cowpens.

Frances Marion

the Swamp Fox, led his men through swamps to attack British forces using guerrilla tactics.

Declaration of Independence

the document that stated the reasons for our breaking away from England, and in the fourth section, declared our independence, that we are free and independent states. July 4, 1776

preamble

the first section or introduction of the Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson

the main writer of the Declaration of Independence and our 3rd president.

cavalry

units of troops on horseback.

Common Sense

written by Thomas Paine and convinced the American people that it was only common sense to leave Britain.