1. According to Morgan, what was the colonists’ greatest asset in their fight with the British? The British seemed not able to run the country, they were incompetent. They were no better at running a war than they were at running the continent. The British leaders were not good at running the country or war.
  2. How did the colonial population divide over who to support in the war (and how did this change over time)? In the beginning 1/5 or 20% of the population was on the side of England. In the beginning of the war all the royal governors ran away except for in Georgia.
  3. What, according to Morgan, were “the two factors which were to weigh heavily in determining the outcome of the war”? What evidence does he use to support his argument? England sent mediocre or so so military leaders to defeat the Americans. Americans had 150 years to defend themselves against Indians and the French they had guns and they knew how to use them. There weren’t enough English forces they were hopelessly outnumbered by the Americans and even though they won some battles eventually Americans outnumbered them and they won
  4. Why were the French reluctant to become formal allies of the colonials? What event persuaded them to sign a formal treaty of alliance? France was afraid to give anything more than money because they did not want to go to war with Great Britain and that the Americans could be shown that they could win. The French saw the beating George Washington took on Long Island and was worried. France likes Benjamin Franklin and respected him. February 1778 Benjamin Franklin told France that they could win and French leader Vergennes was worried that England and the United States could get back together and that is not what France wanted to see. February 1778 France signed to treaties one of Amity And Commerce where France recognize the US and the two countries agreed to help each other commercially. The other treaty it signed was one of alliance the second treaty gave the Americans a promise that if war should break out between England and France as a did the following June 1778 that it would help the United States it also said that the Bermuda Islands and any part of North America east of the Mississippi belong to the US also if they talk or any part of Canada France would recognize the land as part of the United States. The US had to promise that they would have no separate peace with Great Britain France wanted the US to give up the West Indies.
  5. How, specifically, did the French help the colonials in fighting the British? May 2, 1776 Louis XVI of France gave about $185,000 so the Americans could buy emissions or guns. They also persuade Spain to put in an equal amount. France wanted revenge against England and the money they got from France allow them to finance the war America was not an industrial country yet and they couldn’t produce what they needed to win the war. France also talked Spain into helping them and now England would have to fight on several fronts to protect themselves. France sent men and ships to assist the Americans directly. France sent 6000 soldiers under Comtrde Rochambeau and a fleet of 17 ships, they also sent 28 boats under Adm. De Grasse which was good because the Americans did not have an 80
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  6. What happened at Yorktown and why was it significant? English general Henry Clinton moved to strike the South of the United States because the French Navy ships were not large enough to rulebook whole Atlantic Ocean. Gen. Clinton from England was able to go after coastal towns in Georgia and South Carolina in 1779 he got Georgia and May 1780 Charleston South Carolina and he continued south Gen. Cornwallis from England had American troops attack him quickly and then run away and then attack them again and then run away and it divided the troops North and South and George Washington figured out he had a chance to isolate Gen. Cornwallis and with the aid of the French they closed in on Yorktown from both land and sea and won.
  7. THE BATTLES: Record information regarding:
    • Battle of Long Island August 26, 1776 in the Battle of Long Island English had 30,000 men. Washington also had as many men but Washington was not sue being a military leader. England’s General Howe followed a rulebook and it made him not a very good leader of the Armed Forces for England.
    • Battle of Trenton General Howe pushed Gen. Washington across the Delaware River but stopped and didn’t pursue them anymore because it was winter. December 25, 1776 in Washington figured out that they were going to stop the winner Washington’s army attack them and captured 1000 Hessians.
    • Battle of Saratoga General Burgoyne of England came from Canada down to New England to cut it off from the rest of the colonies. There were many English troops in New York and the general in charge General Howe should have sent the English troops up to help that he didn’t instead he tried to take over the city of Philadelphia and that left the Americans an opportunity to fight the British. October 17, 1777 Burgoyne surrendered to the Americans
    • Battle of Yorktown the last battle the words over October 17, 1781 with the aid of the French, the French had to soldiers to every one American soldier there, Gen. Washington closed in on Yorktown from land and sea at the same time and the French fleet of ships outnumbered the British and they forced English general Cornwallis to surrender his army of 7000 men