1 / 12

The American Revolution

The American Revolution. Winter at Valley Forge. British general Howe spent the winter in comfort in Philadelphia. Washington set up camp at Valley Forge . Washington endured a winter of terrible suffering, lacking decent food, clothing and shelter.

dnava
Download Presentation

The American Revolution

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The American Revolution

  2. Winter at Valley Forge • British general Howe spent the winter in comfort in Philadelphia. • Washington set up camp at Valley Forge. • Washington endured a winter of terrible suffering, lacking decent food, clothing and shelter. • Washington's greatest challenge at Valley Forge was keeping the army together. • Most men lacked blankets, shoes, and shirts. Some made shoes from scrap cowhide.

  3. Winter at Valley Forge • Men deserted, or left without permission, while at Valley Forge; some resigned. • Somehow the army survived the winter and conditions gradually improved. • Troops built huts and gathered supplies. • Martha Washington made clothes for the troops and cared for the sick. • In April 1778, the troops learned of the alliance with France. • This raised the spirits of the troops.

  4. Help From Overseas • A French nobleman, Marquis de Lafayette, spent the winter at Valley Forge. • Lafayette was excited to join the Patriot cause and offered his services to General Washington. • He became a trusted aide to Washington. • Thaddeus Kosciusko and Casimir Pulaski from Poland helped the Patriot cause. • Friedrich von Steuben, a former army officer from Germany, also came to help Washington.

  5. Help From Overseas • Von Steuben turned the ragged Continental Army into a more effective fighting force by drilling and teaching the army discipline. • Juan de Miralles, a representative of Spain, urged Spain, Cuba, and Mexico to send financial aid to the colonies. Miralles lent money to the Patriot cause.

  6. Money Problems • Raising money to finance the war was a major problem because the Continental Congress had no power to raise money through taxes. • To pay for the war, the Congress and the states printed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of paper money. • These bills quickly lost their value because the amount of bills in circulation grew faster than the supply of gold and sliver backing them.

  7. Money Problems • This led to inflation, which means it took more money to buy the same amount of goods. • Congress stopped issuing the paper money because no one would use it. • The Americans had no other way to finance the fighting of their war for independence.

  8. Life on the Home Front • With thousands of men away in military service, women took over the duties that had once been the responsibility of their husbands or fathers. • Other women ran their husbands’ or their own businesses.

  9. Changing Attitudes • The ideals of liberty and freedom that inspired the American Revolution caused some women to question their place in society. • Judith Sargeant Murray argued women’s minds are as good as men’s. • Girls should get as good an education as boys. (At this time girls received little schooling.) • Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, also championed women’s interests.

  10. Treatment of Loyalists • Thousands of Loyalists fought with the British against the Patriots. • Some spied on Patriots. • Many Loyalists left American during the Revolutionary War. • Loyalists who stayed were often shunned or victims of mob violence. • Active Loyalists could be arrested and tried as traitors.

  11. Hopes for Equality • Many white Americans began questioning the act of slavery. • Some religious groups voted to condemn slavery. • From the beginning of the war African American soldiers fought for the American cause. • Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania attempted to end slavery in their stated but eh issue of slavery would remain unsettled for many years.

  12. CQR1: Who is Baron von Steuben?CQR2: What is one major event that took place during the winter stay at Valley Forge?CQR3: How did the troops react to the training by Baron von Steuben?CQR4: There was talk of relieving Washington from his position. Do you think that would have been a good idea?

More Related