The Yorktown Battle

 George Washington and find out Lord Cornwallis' army was in Yorktown in the late summer of 1781. So the Patriots  raced southward from New York to encounter with the French fleet under Admiral Comte de Grasse in Chesapeake Bay. Washington arrived just in time to surprise the British, who were waiting for reinforcements that never came from either General Henry Clinton or the British fleet.

 The French fleet blocked the bay from Cornwallis while Washington blocked it in land. The British troops passed three weeks of without a way of escaping. Lord Cornwallis' finally surrendered  on October 19, 1781 and this ended the plan of British in the south. The loyalist and Patriot forces in the south had fought a series of savage fights that left both sides bloodied.Cornwallis surrender his army of  over 8,000 men. And send a white flag with a drummer boy to accept their defeat.The surrender occurred while  the British band played The World Turned Upside Down, a tune that underscored the strange turn of events.This battle effectively ended the Revolutionary War with Great Britain, and helped the patriots to begin as a new Country. 

The Paris Peace Treaty of 1783

Even though Cornwallis' army surrender at Yorktown in 1781, little battles between the Loyalists and Patriots occured during the next two years. Finally, in February of 1783 George III issued his Proclamation of Cessation of Hostilities, concluding in the Peace Treaty of 1783. Signed in Paris on September 3, 1783, the agreement also known as the Paris Peace Treaty finally ended the United States War for Independence.

Representing the United States were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, signed the treaty. 

Some terms of the treaty said that, Britain recognized the independent nation of the United States of America. Also that they agreed to remove all of its troops from the new nation. The treaty also set new borders for the United States, including all land from the Great Lakes on the north to Florida on the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. The United States agreed to allow British troops still in America to leave and also agreed to pay all the money they owed to Britain. The United States also agreed not to persecute loyalists still in America and to allow the ones who left to return.

As a summary this are the nine articles that the treaty had: established U.S. boundaries, specified certain fishing rights, allowed creditors of each country to be paid by citizens of the other, restored the rights and property of Loyalists, opened up the Mississippi River to citizens of both nations and provided for evacuation of all British forces.

Financial Aspects of French in the War

France's status as a great modern power was affirmed by the war. Even though French territory was not affected, victory in a war against Britain with battles like the siege in Yorktown in 1781 had a large financial cost which severely degraded fragile finances and increased the deficit in France. Even worse, France’s hope to become the first commercial partner of United States was not realized, and Britain immediately became the United States’ main trade partner. Pre-war trade was kept between Britain and the US, with most American trade remaining within the British Empire. France, despite its financial difficulties, used the occasion of the war to weaken its rival in European and world affairs, Britan. Independence for the colonies would seriously damage the British and create a rising power, the United States, that could be allied with France. Some argue France primarily sought revenge against Britain for the loss of territory in America in the Treaty of Power. French participation reflected the desperate French diplomatic position on the European continent. The Spanish navy was vital to the maintenance of the military initiative by the allies. France was desperate for peace but did not attempt to betray the United States. The French government was overwhelmed by debt maintenance, but war led to the financial crisis. 

Bernardo de Galvez

Bernardo de Gálvez, was born on July 23, 1746, in Malaga, Spain and died on November 30, 1786, in Mexico City.  He was a Spanish military leader and the general of Spanish forces in New Spain who served as governor of Louisiana and Cuba and as viceroy of New Spain.

Gálvez helped the 13 Colonies in their war for independence and led the Spanish armies against Britain in the Revolutionary War, defeating the British at Pensacola and reconquering Florida for Spain. He spent the last two years of his life as viceroy, succeeding his father, who had been viceroy before him. Galveston, Texas and other places are named for him.

Gálvez was born in Macharaviaya, a village in the province of Malaga, Spain, on July 23, 1746. He studied military sciences at the Academia de Ávila and at the age of 16 he participated in the Spanish Invasion of Portu. During the invasion he was promoted to Lieutenant. He arrived in New Spain, then Mexico, in 1762. As a captain, he fought the Apaches, with his Opata Indian allies. In 1770, he was promoted to commandant of arms of Nueva Vizcaya y Sonora, northern provinces of New Spain, and New Mexico.

In 1772, he returned to Spain with his uncle, Jose de Galvez. Later, he was sent to Pau, France with the Cantabria regiment. There, he learned to speak French, which served him well when he became governor of Louisiana. He was transferred to Seville, in 1775, and then participated in the disastrous expedition of O'Reilly. After capturing the fortress that guarded the city, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He then became a professor at the military academy of Ávila.

George Roger Clark

George Roger Clark born on November 19, 1752 he was a soldier from Virginia and had the  highest rankingas the  American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky that then was part of Virginia militia throughout much of the war. Clark is best known for his celebrated captures of Kaskaskia and Vincennes , which greatly weakened British influence in the Northwest Territory. Because the British ceded the entire Northwest Territory to the United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, Clark has often been hailed as the "Conqueror of the Old Northwest."
Clark's military achievements all came before his 30th birthday. Afterwards he led militia in the opening engagements of the Northwest Indian War, but was accused of being drunk on duty. Despite his demand for a formal investigation into the accusations, he was disgraced and forced to resign. He left Kentucky to live on the Indiana frontier.Clark spent the final decades of his life evading creditors, and living in increasing poverty and obscurity. He was involved in two failed conspiracies to open the Spanish-controlled Mississippi River to American traffic. After suffering a stroke and losing his leg, Clark was aided in his final years by family members, including his younger brother William, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Clark died of a stroke on February 13, 1818.

Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson was born on the 17th of December, 1760 her parents were Jonathan and Deborah Bradford Sampson. She had seven more brothers and sisters.
With the Thomas family, she gained a good education. She often learnt from the books lying around the house and would go along with the Thomas’ sons to school. There she learnt a lot. She would also do work around the house. She had grown to become very interested in the politics of the time.
When she turned 18, she could not serve as with the Thomas household. But she lived with them for 2 more years, and worked as a weaver and a teacher at the local school.
In 1782 she enlisted as Robert Shurtlieff and became a part of the Light Infantry Company of the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment. She was tall, and strong as the rest of the men. She had the strength enough for the job. She fought in several encounters while in the army. In July 1782, she was hit by a musket ball in her thigh and got cut in her forehead. She left the hospital after her head wound was treated so that her secret would not be revealed. She then removed the musket ball with a penknife and sewed the wound herself. Her leg never healed fully but her secret was safe. In 1783 she served as a waiter for General John Patterson.
During the same year, she came down with a fever and was taken care of by a doctor called Barnabas Binney. He discovered her secret, but did not reveal it. He took her to his home where his wife and daughters took care of Deborah.

In September 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and Dr. Binney sent Deborah to George Washington with a note. Her secret was finally out but George Washington never said anything. She received an honorable discharge and was sent back home with money to cover her travel fare.

Continental Army

The Continental Army was an amy formed by the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. It was established as a resolution of the Continental Congress to revolt in military efforts against the rules of Great Britain.Itg was mainly controlled by militias and troups that were lead among their colonies. George Washington was the cheif of all this army in the Revolutionary War.

Most of the army dissolved in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris that ended the war. The remaning units were probably the nucleus of what became the Army of the United States.

George Washington's Presidency

As a president, Washington took over in New York in a sutile way. In a way to accomodate the excecutive power to inspire future presidents. He youred around the 13 states to get to know each of them.

He was reelected president in 1792, it was a year of crisis since he had personal conflicts within his gabinet about the war between France and England. He seeked peace with Great Britain. So they could start close commercial ties with them. His acceptance of the 1794 Jay's Treaty, settled outstanding differences between the United States and Britain but Democratic-Republicans viewed it as a surrender to British demands, reviving revolution against the president.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of America and he also was a leading plitical thinker. He was born in Shadwell in Albemarle Country Virgina. He graduated form the William and Mary college, and studied law and administrated a landed state that he inherited from his father. In 1769 he was already known as a political issues writter. Jefferson wrote some of the instructions for the virginia delegates in the First Continental congress, and also helped in the Second Continental Congress. But he is mostly known for writting the Declaration of Independence.
 He was sent to France as America's diplomatic representative, and he came back until the French Revolution started. In 1789, he  became the United States' first secretary of state. During the Washington administration, he was like the most important point of the Democratic-Republican forces. Then in 1796, he became vice-president in the John Adams administration. And then he became president of the United States from 1801–1809.
There are many good things to say about thomas Jefferson. He was the greatst intellect president of the United States, he also loved to have knowledge about many subjects, he also was a musician, writer, and philosopher, he new several languages, and was also a naturalist. He liked to get into scientific studies which some of them reulted as good benefits.Jefferson was the inventor of the swivel chair and the dumbwaiter. He developed plans for public-school  and also worked to establish religious toleration and freedom by eliminating the tax support of the Anglican Church in his home state.

"Common Sense" By Thomas Paine

A book that caused such a big impact for british but especially for The American colonies was "Common Sense" written by Thomas Paine on January 1776. Since the moment it was published it was immediately the best seller in both, colonies, and British. Because of it, Paine became internationally famous. This book is considered one of the most influential things that helped the American Revolution to occur, it is also one of the most brilliant pamphlets ever written in the English language. The main plot of the book was to explain, or to blame the british monarchy for the unfair things they were doing in the colonies.

The things written in these book helped to encourage the colonies to write their declaration of independence. Most of the ideas of the book were added in the declaration. Paine didnt realize that the book also got a world wide impact, because all the rights that he described the coloies wanted, were also the rights every single person in the world wanted to have.

Some of the things Paine argud in his book were that that was a good time to separate from England of the size of the colonies and their own capabilities, also he explained how America could build an army as strong as the british. He recommended of making better America´s security and prosperity in trade, because now the could trade with any country they wanted to.Paine also argues that America is sufficiently small  to be united now. So as you can see this book helped people to fight for their rights, and defend the place were they were living.

Loyalists

Americans now refer to The War f Independence as the Revolution but it may also be considered a civil war. Their nicknames was "Tories", they took manners into their own hands and armed themselves as well as the patriots. Loyalists were 20% of the white population in the colonies.

Educated people, both loyalists or revolutionaries agreed with John Locke's theory of human rights and an ordered government. Yet they both criticized Britain's actions towards them. What differed loyalists was that they wanted peaceful ways to protest against England and violence only led to tyranny. They did not support independence since it would lower the economic rate since colonies would be cut off the British mercantile system.

Loyalists came in all shapes and sizes. Some were farmers and artisans. While others were British officers, that not surprisingly, stayed loyal to the crown. Others were slaves, Native Americans, and indenture servants that came from Germany since King George III had a German origin.

The Paris Peace Treaty forced Congress to give most of the Loyalists land back. Such as the heirs of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. Many Loyalists left the Americas such as George Franklin, son of Benjamin, and John Copley the most famous painter of the time.

Shot heard around the World

John Hancock

He was born in Braintree, Quincy, a January 12 of 1737. He was an orphan an was adopted by a wealthy merchant. He graduated from Harvard College in the area of business ay the age of 17. He went to England in England and witness the coronation of King George III. In 1763, his uncle died and he inherited a great piece of land in New England. 

He returned to New England and was involved with revolutionary politics and used its great social influence to revolt it. He and Samuel Adams convened in a Provincial Congress to govern Massachusetts without the current general, Thomas Gage, knowing about their activities. They started to stockpile arms and ammunitions to prepared for the war against the British.

Later he wrote the Declaration of Independence and has the most recognizable signature on the document. In the 1790s he was elected Massachusetts governor. He later died October 8th 1793.

The Firts Continental Congress

The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphias Carpenters Hall on September 5, 1774. The idea of this meeting was advanced a year earlier by Benjamin Franklin, but didnt to gain much support until after the Port of Boston was closed because of the Boston Tea Party.

Twelve of the 13 colonies were included. Georgia didnt wanted to be a part of it; they were facing attacks from the restive Creek on their borders and desperately needed the support of regular British soldiers.
The Congress, which continued in session until late October, did not get independence but they did wanted to be more united and to make British know what they were capable of..

Some of the most prominent figures of the era were among the 55 delegates in attendance, including George Washington, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Jay and John Dickinson.

They were mostly people of social standing and made their livings from trade, farming and the law. Many were initially unknown to one another and vast differences existed on some of the issues, but important friendships flourished. Frequent dinners and gatherings were held and were attended by all except the spartan Sam Adams.

Intolerable Acts

The government spent a lot of money on troops and equipment for Massachusetts. British merchants had lost money on  spoiled, and destroyed goods shipped to the colonies. The revenue generated by the Townshend duties, in 1770, amounted to less than £21,000. On March 5, 1770, Parliament repealed the duties, except for the one on tea. That same day, the Boston massacre set a course that would lead the Royal Governor to evacuate the occupying army from Boston, and would soon bring the revolution to armed rebellion throughout the colonies.
In 1174 after the French and Indian War the British Government decided to reap greater benefits from the colonies. The colonies were pressed with greater taxes without any representation in Britain. This eventually lead to the Boston Tea Party. In retaliation the British passed several punative acts aimed at bringing the colonies back into submission of the King. In Whiche the following acts were created.
Boston Port Act, Administration of Justice Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Quartering Act,Quebec Act.

The Boston Tea Party

The colonies didnt want to pay the levies required by the Townsend Acts, because they thought they had no obligation to pay taxes imposed by a Parliament in which they had no representation. So the  Parliament decided to stop taxing  with the exception of a duty on tea. In May of 1773 Parliament had a clever plan. They gave the struggling East India Company on the importation of tea to America. Additionally, Parliament reduced the duty the colonies would have to pay for the imported tea. The Americans would now get their tea at a cheaper price than ever before. However, if the colonies paid the duty tax on the imported tea they would be giving Parliament's right to tax them. Tea was like a must to have in colonial life  it was assumed that the colonists would rather pay the tax than deny themselves the pleasure of a cup of tea.
The colonists were not fooled by Parliament's plan. In Boston, the arrival of three tea ships ignited a furious reaction. The crisis came  on December 16, 1773. A mass meeting at the Old South Meeting House that morning resolved that the tea ships should leave the harbor without payment of any duty. A committee was selected to take this message to the Customs House to force release of the ships out of the harbor. The Collector of Customs refused to allow the ships to leave without payment of the duty. The committee reported back to the mass meeting and a mess erupted from the meeting hall. It was now early evening and a group of about 200 whopping war chants, the crowd marched two by two to the wharf, descended upon the three ships and dumped their offending cargos of tea into the harbor waters.
Most colonists applauded the action while the reaction in London was swift and vehement.

The Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a colonist who was  throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, to British soldiers who defended themselves with their guns. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry.
The Colonists didnt want the British troops to spend so much time in the colonies. The problem began when about 50 citizens attaked a British soldier. A British officer, Captain Thomas Preston, called in additional soldiers, who were also attacked, so the soldiers fired into the mob, killing 3 colonists. A black sailor named Crispus Attucks, ropemaker Samuel Gray, and a mariner named James Caldwell, and 8 others.
The colonists made a meeting was called demanding the removal of the British and the trial of Captain Preston and his men for murder. At the trial, John Adams and Josiah Quincy II defended the British, leading to their  release.
The Boston Massacre was a signal event leading to the Revolutionary War. It would soon bring the revolution to armed rebellion throughout the colonies.

John Adams

Short Biography:
John Adam's was born October 30 and was the image to the enlightment of republicanism. He is still considered one of the fathers of the founding of the US. He lead the US to independence and was the second president of the same country. He lived in Massachusetts and promoted the American Revolution. He had the idea of a Peace Treaty with Britan. He was George Washignton's vicepresident.

During his government he had a war with France and defeated Jefferson Republicans. He was defeated
by Thomas Jefferson in reelections and went back to Massachusetts. He and his wife, Abigail, raised
their children in politics and they are now called the Adams political family. His son John Quincy, was sixth president of the US. He is recognized for being successful during his goverment.

Famous Quotes
Fear is the foundation of most governments.

Genius is sorrow's child.

Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.

Here is everything which can lay hold of the eye, ear and imagination - everything which can charm and bewitch the simple and ignorant. I wonder how Luther ever broke the spell.

Patrick Henry

Important Facts:

1. Born May 29, 1736 in Hanover County, Virginia
2. Protested against British tirany
3. He was a symbol of American struggle for liberty
4. Served in Virginia's House od Burgueses and Continental Congress
5. He was a 5-term governer of Virginia
6. Died June 6, 1799 at Red Hill Plantation, Virginia

Short Biography:

• He was a lawyer, patriot, orator, and participant in every aspect on the founding of the US. Henry at firtst tried merchandizing and farming but failed. Then he went into the lawyer career and was accepted to practice in 1760. Three years later his reputation was made when he won a case named the Parson's Cause defending farmers. Later he created bills against the British laws. To his surprise many colonies adapted these bills as their own. From then on, he was idolized and became a hero to all revolutionaries.

Famous Quotations:

"Fear is the passion of slaves."

"Give me liberty or give me death."

"I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience."

"I know no way of judging the future but by the past"

"I like dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

"The great object is that every man be armed."