THE EARLY YEARS OF THE WAR

WARM-UP (IN PAGE 138 TOP)• Describe the

weather and the men’s clothing & physical condition in the painting.

• How might physical hardship affect a soldier’s loyalty & ability to fight?

General Washington & his troops in their winter camp at Valley Forge

VOCABULARY (IN PAGE 139)Vocabulary

TermDefinition Illustration

MercenaryBayonetPrivateerGuerrillas Pacifist Republicanism

SET-UP CORNELL NOTES (IN PAGES 140-141)

Title: The Early Years of the War

Essential Question: How well did the British & American war strategies work during the beginning of the war?

AMERICANS DIVIDED

Patriots• ‘Merica!!!

• New England & Virginia had lots of Patriots

Loyalists• Supported the King

• Large cities, New York & the South had lots of Loyalists

• Many worked for the British government or were clergy for the Church of England

NATIVE AMERICANS

• Some fought with the British and others with the Patriots

• Many feared they would lose their land if the British lost

AFRICAN AMERICANS• Slave owners initially feared

their slaves would revolt if they were given guns to fight so they were not allowed to enlist

• After the British offered freedom to any slave willing to fight, many ran away in hopes of gaining freedom

• Once the British began using African American soldiers, the Continental Army enlisted 5,000 African Americans

CREATING AN ARMY• The Continental Army

never numbered more than 17,000 men

• Men were inexperienced & the army was short on supplies

• Women followed their husbands into the battlefield and cooked, did laundry & nursed sick or wounded soldiers Deborah Sampson

WASHINGTON’S STRATEGY

• While the British wanted a big win to force an American surrender, Washington wanted only to survive • Washington knew he

couldn’t win a major battle yet so he just wanted to avoid a crushing defeat

WARM-UP (IN PAGE 138 BOTTOM)

• Many Loyalists worked in which type of jobs?• Many Loyalists worked as…

• Why did the Continental Army not enlist African Americans in the beginning?• The Continental Army did not enlist African Americans in

the beginning because…• How many African Americans joined the

Continental Army?• There were _______ African Americans in the Continental

Army during the Revolutionary War. • How did women contribute to the war effort?• Women contributed to the war effort by…

BRITAIN’S STRATEGY• The British Army wanted to

take the Hudson River Valley to cut off New England to other states

• Three armies would meet in Albany, New York

• General John Burgoyne would lead a force south from Canada

• Lt. Colonel Barry St. Leger would lead his army from Lake Ontario down the Mohawk Valley

• General Howe was to follow the Hudson north from New York City

BRITAIN’S STRATEGY

• The three men and their armies never met in Albany, New York• General Howe tried to

capture Washington in Pennsylvania (Battle of Brandywine) and later in Germantown • The British won both

battles but failed to capture Washington

BATTLES ALONG THE MOHAWK

• Benedict Arnold led an army up the Mohawk River hoping to chase the British away • He tricked the British

into thinking they were outnumbered and they retreated leaving behind their camp