Chapter 6 The American Revolution (1776-1783)

Lesson 2 The War Continues

After Saratoga

• Saratoga was a turning point, Patriot victory now seemed possible
• European nations, especially France saw that the Americans might actually win
• Ben Franklin went to Paris, France to seek French support
• The French had previously given to the Americans secretly, but were not their allies until after Saratoga

France

• After Saratoga, France openly announced their support of the United States
• February 1778- France and the US worked out a trade agreement and an alliance
• France declared war on Britain
• Also sent money, equipment, and troops to aid (help) the Patriots

Spain

• Other European nations helped as well, mainly because they hated the British
• Spain did not recognize American Independence, but still declared war on Britain in1779
• The Spanish governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez raised an army
• This army forced the British out and captured forts at Mobile and Pensacola
• This diverted British troops from other fronts of the war

Winter of 1777-1778

• Howe and the British spent the winter in comfort in Philadelphia
• About 20 miles west, Washington set up his camp at Valley Forge
• Washington and the army endured terrible suffering
• Lacked food, clothing, shelter, and medicine
• Washington’s biggest challenge was keeping the army together

Valley Forge

• Due to snowstorms and damaged roads, it was hard to get supplies in
• The Continental army build huts and gathered supplies from the countryside
• Volunteers, including Martha Washington, made clothes and cared for the sick
• Washington said no army had ever suffered “such uncommon hardships” with such “patience and fortitude.”

Joseph Martin at Valley Forge

• Joseph Martin, a young private from Connecticut wrote;
• “Most of the men lacked blankets, shoes, and shirts.”
• Martin made a pair of rough moccasins and later wrote
• “The only alternative I had, was to endure this inconvenience and go barefoot, as hundreds of my companions had to, till they might be tracked by their blood upon the rough frozen ground”

More of Valley Forge

• Many men deserted (left without permission)
• Some officers resigned
• The army was falling apart
• With strong determination, the Continental Army survived the winter
• Conditions improved and new recruits joined
• “The army grows stronger everyday”
• April 1778, Washington told the troops of the alliance with France
• The Army celebrated with a religious festival and a parade

Help From Overseas

• Among the leaders at Valley Forge was a French nobleman- the Marquis de Lafayette
• Lafayette offered his help to Washington and became a trusted aide to him
• Others also helped the American cause including polish engineer Thaddeus Kosciusko and cavalry officer Casimir Pulaski

More Help From Overseas

• Prussian officer Friedrich von Steuben helped drill the Patriot troops at Valley Forge
• Taught the soldiers military discipline
• Turned the ragged group into an effective fighting force
• Spaniard Juan de Miralles befriended the Patriot leaders and loaned money to the cause
• Other Europeans who had recently moved to the United States joined the Patriot cause
• Even with help, the Continental Army still needed large amounts of money to continue to fight the war

Money Problems

• Getting money to finance the war was a major problem
• Continental Congress had no power to raise money through taxes
• Some money came in from the states and other countries, but much more was needed
• Congress and the states printed hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of paper money
• There was not enough gold or silver backing them and they lost value
• This led to inflation
• No one would take the money and Congress stopped making them

Changing Attitude

• Ideals of liberty and freedom inspired the American Revolution
• These same ideals caused some women to question their place and treatment in American society
• Judith Sargeant Murray argued that women’s minds are as good as men’s
• Therefore women should also get an education
• Abigail Adams also stood up for women’s interests

Hopes For Equality

• The ideals of the Revolutionary War led some white Americans to question slavery
• Governor Livingston of New Jersey asked the legislature to free all enslaved people in the state
• Livingston said slavery was “utterly inconsistent with the principles of Christianity and humanity”
• Many other states attempted to end slavery
• The issue (matter) of slavery would remain unsettled for many years

Treatment of Loyalists

• Thousands of Loyalists fought for the British
• Some spied on Patriots
• Many fled the colonies
• Those that remained faced difficult times
• Shunned by neighbors
• Became victims of mob violence

Britannia offers solace and a promise of compensation for her exiled American born Loyalists.