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America Triumphant: The Siege of Yorktown

America Triumphant: The Siege of Yorktown. Yorktown, Virginia. Yorktown is a small town on the coast of Virginia Cornwallis digs in here and waits for help from Sir Henry Clinton in New York City. General Sir Henry Clinton. While Cornwallis fights it out in Georgia and the Carolinas…

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America Triumphant: The Siege of Yorktown

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  1. America Triumphant: The Siege of Yorktown

  2. Yorktown, Virginia • Yorktown is a small town on the coast of Virginia • Cornwallis digs in here and waits for help from Sir Henry Clinton in New York City

  3. General Sir Henry Clinton • While Cornwallis fights it out in Georgia and the Carolinas… • …He’s crashing in New York… • …Ignoring Cornwallis’ almost daily letters and pleas for help

  4. The Trap is Set • Washington now has the support of the French Navy • He musters every soldier he can find and marches south to Virginia • Greene turns north from the Carolinas • Lafayette and von Steuben close in from the west

  5. The Battle of the Chesapeake • Cornwallis begs Clinton to send ships to get him out of Yorktown while there is still time… • …Clinton promises help and help never comes • By the time the British navy arrives at the Chesapeake Bay, they are soundly defeated by the French • Cornwallis’s last avenue of escape is closed off

  6. The Siege of Yorktown • September 28, 1781: American and French forces surround Yorktown • The American and French cannons begin to bomb Yorktown • The siege lines move closer and closer and finally take the outer British defenses on October 14 • Cornwallis asks for terms on October 17

  7. The Surrender of Cornwallis

  8. The Surrender of Cornwallis • Cornwallis surrenders on October 17, 1781 • Yorktown is the last major battle of the American Revolution…America has won the war • Upon hearing the news of Cornwallis’ surrender, Prime Minister Lord North screamed “Oh God, it’s all over!” • Everyone blames Sir Henry Clinton for the loss • King George wants to keep fighting but Prime Minister North gets kicked out of office in the next election

  9. The Treaty of Paris, 1783 • The Treaty of Paris formally ends the war in 1783 • 1. Great Britain must formally recognize American independence • 2. Great Britain must withdraw all of its soldiers from the United States • The United States gets all the land east of the Mississippi River

  10. The United States, 1783

  11. Toward the Future • Almost all British soldiers withdraw from U.S. territories by the end of November, 1783 • Washington resigns his commission and returns to Mount Vernon on December 23, 1783 • Washington’s resignation stunned Europe: they anticipated Washington becoming a new Caesar • “General Washington, for his resignation, is the greatest character of his age,” George III

  12. Toward the Future • Washington’s resignation is one of the finest moments of his career • By resigning he is stating his intention that America will not be ruled by a dictator or a military commander • But what form of government will rise in America?

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