Name
Mr. Maite
Class
Date
“Give me liberty or give me death!” exclaimed Patrick Henry in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War was in 1775-1783 between the Patriots and the British, which then caused American Independence. Determination and spirit, fighting on their own land, and help from other countries helped the Americans win the revolution.
To start, the British wanted to cut New England from the middle colonies, which led to the Battle of Saratoga. In early 1777, the British planned to seize Albany, New York, and then have control over the Hudson River so they could cut New England from the middle colonies. They had planned for General Burgoyne to take troops south from Canada. At the same time, Lieutenant Colonel
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Saratoga was the turning point of the American Revolution because they gained allies and support from other nations that ended up helping them win the last major battle and declare independence. After the Battle of Saratoga the Americans gained French allies. Those allies helped them win the final battle. In 1780, French warships in Rhode Island were filled with thousands of French soldiers that were commanded by Comte de Rochambeau. Rochambeau ended up joining General Washington and they both waited for the arrival of the second French ship. Washington planned to attack the British Army base in New York, the French ship never came and both Washington and Rochambeau were able to come up with a better plan to attack the British in Yorktown, Virginia. In 1781, Washington sent Lafeyette and Anthony Wayne to stop Cornwallis in Virginia. Lafayette was able to find out that Cornwallis was in Yorktown. George Washington came up with a new strategy, but kept it a secret. By the end of September, 14,000 American and French troops were against Cornwallis’s 8,000. The French fleet at Chesapeake Bay were able to keep guard and prevent the British ships from helping Cornwallis escape by sea. The British ended up running low on supplies and many were wounded. On October 19th, Cornwallis surrendered his troops. America was able to win the Battle of Yorktown and a treaty was signed soon after. The Americans had gained independence with the help of the French and other