Chapter 5 HIST 1301

Valley Forge

1777-1778 was a time of intense suffering and unrelenting cold, hunger, and disease.

William Howe

A British commander-in-chief, he led forces to victory at Bunker Hill, as well as the capture of New York City and Philidelphia, but resigned in 1777 after the defeat at Saratoga.

Articles of Confederation

A draft of the Constitution that legalized the way things had been operating since independence had been declared.

Charles Cornwallis

A leading British general during the Revolutionary War, the surrender of his forces at Yorktown, Va., in 1781 led to the end of the war.

Daniel Morgan

A veteran of the invasion of Canada and the key victory at Saratoga, his guerilla tactics led to his greatest success when, while commanding half of the Continental Army in the South, his force crushed the British at Cowpens.

Marquis de Lafayette

A young French aristocrat, he volunteered for the Revolutionary cause, becoming a close friend to George Washington and, ultimately, a patriotic hero both to Americans and to his fellow countrymen.

Battle of Yorktown

Began on September 28. The American and French troops closed off Cornwallis's last escape route and began bombarding the British with cannons. This lasted 3 weeks, before they ran out of food, and started suffering from widespread disease. On October 17, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered.

1781

British invasion of South turned back t Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse; Washington forces Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown, Va. (October); Articles of Confederation Ratified; Continental Congress becomes Confederation Congress

1780

British take Charleston, S.C.; Patriots defeat Loyalists at King's Mountain

1777

Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga

State Constitutions

Charters that define the relationship between state and local governments and individuals, also protectijg their rights from violation by the national government.

Republican Ideology

Citizens vote on all major decisions affecting them.

Citizen-Soldiers

Civillians summoned from their farms and shops to defend their communities.

1776

Congress votes for Independence, declaration issued (July); British defeat Washington at Long Island (August); Americans score victory at Trenton (December); States begin writing new constitutions

1778

France recognizes U.S. (February); Clark's militia defeats British in Mississippi Valley; American forces defeat Iroquois Confederacy

Nathanael Greene

George Washington's most competent general, he outmaneuvered the British Army during its Southern campaign, causing its fateful retreat to Yorktown for supplies and rest.

Hessians

Germans who served in the British armies

Comte de Grasse

He commanded the French fleet that defeated the British navy off the coast of Virginia in 1781, helping make the decisive American victory at Yorktown possible.

Fredrich Von Steuben

He inflated his importance as a former Prussian military mand but he proved valuable in bringing tight military discipline to the Continentla Army during its winter at Valley Forge.

Battle of Saratoga

Lasted 3 weeks. Gates's army surrounded the British forces, cutting off their supply lines.

Battle of Trenton

Near dawn, the Americans surprised 1,500 sleeping Hesians, attacking them from three sides. Only 500 escaped, and only 2 of Washington's men were killed.

Benedict Arnold

This American general served valiantly in victories at Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga, as well as the invasion of Canada, but, stung by what he saw as slights, made his name synonymous with "traitor" by conspiring unsuccessfully to hand over to the British the fort at West Point, N.Y.

Horatio Gates

This American general was credited with the key victory at Saratoga in 1777, but later conspired to replace George Washington as commander. He suffered a humiliating military rout at Camden, S.C., in 1780 that ended his carreer.

John Burgoyne

This general led 6,000-man British force south from Canada to cut off New England from the rest of the rebelling colonies, but he was defeated in two battles at Saratoga and surrendured his force. The American victory convinced the French to support the revolution.

1783

Treaty of Paris signed

1786

Virginia adopts Statue of Religious Freedom

Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom (1786)

Written by Thomas Jefferson. Declared that "no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever" and "that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion."