Ethan Allen
Leader of the VT militia known as the Green Mountain Boys Helped capture Fort Ticonderoga
Nathan Hale
Rebel caught spying on the British and hanged for his crimes Declared, "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country!"
Thomas Paine
*Author of "Common Sense" and "The American Crisis"
Thomas Jefferson
Wrote the Declaration of Independence
Colonel William Prescott
The commander of about 1,200 militiamen in the Battle of Bunker Hill
"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"
George Washington
1st President of the United States Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution
John Paul Jones
American naval commander in the American Revolution
His ship the Bonhomme Richard defeated The Serapis
" I have not yet begun to fight."
George Cornwallis
British general who surrendered to Washington at Yorktown, VA
Patrick Henry
A leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies.
"Give me liberty or give me death!"
Benedict Arnold
American General who was labeled a traitor when he assisted the British in a failed attempt to take the American fort at West Point.
George III
King of England during the American Revolution
John Hancock
Patriot leader and president of the Second Continental Congress
First and largest signer the Declaration of Independence.
John Locke
English philosopher who argued that people have natural rights: life, liberty and happiness
Marquis de Lafayette
French soldier who served under George Washington in the American Revolution.
Brought well-trained soldiers, guns, and ships to America.
Used his own money to help pay for the American Revolution.
Many locations around Indiana are also named for him!
Loyalist/Tories
Colonist that were loyal to the British King
Those who opposed the Revolutionary War
Patriots
American colonists who fought for independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War
Continental Army
The official army of the colonies
Created by Second Continental Congress and led by George Washington
Mercenaries
Hired foreign soldiers
Green Mountain Boys
Vermont colonial militia Led by Ethan Allen Made a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga
Declaration of Independence
Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries
Declared the United States colonies as free from Great Britain
Parts: Unalienable Rights, Wrongs of the King (longest part), the Right to Break Away
Guerilla Warfare
Type of fighting in which soldiers use swift hit-and-run attacks against the enemy
Olive Branch Petition
An offer of peace sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George III
Blockade
The use of ships to prevent commercial traffic from entering or leaving a city or region
Unalienable Rights
basic rights of the people that may not be taken away Rights like life, liberty and happiness
British Advantages & Characteristics
World's Strongest Army World's Strongest Navy Fighting offensively (on the attack)
Advantages & Characteristics of the Colonists
Strong will to fight (defending home lands) Fighting on their "home front" Aid from other countries
Washington's strategy for winning the war
His plan was to avoid large battles. He hoped to tire out the British.
Philadelphia
Capital of Congress during The Revolution
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort captured by Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys.
An outpost on Lake Champlain
Allowed the rebels to capture cannon for the rebel army
Delaware River
River in eastern New York that flows into the Atlantic Ocean
Settled by The Dutch
Crossed by Washington on Christmas night to attack the Hessians
Independence Day
July 4, 1776
Battle of Saratoga
Turning point of the American Revolution.
Convinced other countries to give the U.S. military support.
It lifted American spirits
Ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River
Showed the French that the Americans had the potential to beat their enemy, Great Britain.
Battle of Yorktown
Last major battle of the Revolutionary War.
Cornwallis and his troops were trapped on a peninsula on Chesapeake Bay
Cornwallis was sandwiched between the French navy and the Franco-American army, who laid siege to the city.
Cornwallis surrendered to Washington October, 1781.
Treaty of Paris 1783
This treaty ended the Revolutionary War.
Returned Florida to Spain.
Britain recognized the United States of American
America got all territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River
Battle of Bunker Hill
First major battle of the Revolutions.
It showed that the Americans could hold their own
Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition
The British suffered many deaths.
After Dorchester Heights was resupplied with cannons, the British fled for Canada
Loyalists v Rebels
Northern colonies like New England tended to be more rebellious
Southern colonies tended to be more loyal to the king
Lobsterbacks/Redcoats
Nicknames for the British soldiers.
Hessians
German soldiers hired by George III
Mercenary (paid) soldiers
Attacked by Washington at Trenton, NJ on Christmas night.
America's Allies
France Spain Prussia
The Turtle
The world's first submarine
Used in naval combat in New York during the American Revolution
Banastre Tarleton
Nickname - "Bloody Ban"
Massacred forces who surrendered to him
British cavalry officer for Cornwallis
General Henry Clinton
Commander of British troops
Wanted to focus on the loyalist southern colonies
Freed slaves who left their masters and fought with him
Governor Bernardo de Galvez
Organizes attack on British posts around the Gulf of Mexico between Florida and Texas
Galvezton, Texas is named for him!
Baron von Steuben
A stern, Prussian drillmaster that taught American soldiers during the Revolutionary War how to successfully fight the British.