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CHAPTER 5
The American Revolution
1776–1783
This chapter discusses the challenges faced by both the British and American militaries during the
American Revolution. It also explores the key turning points in the war as France openly got involved
after Saratoga and the war shifted to the south, the effects of the “civil war” on a divided society, the
political impact of the war and the creation of the Articles of Confederation, and the social impact of the
war resulting in increased religious freedom and some improved conditions for African Americans.
Women and Native Americans saw no such progress.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1. Explain the challenges faced by both British and American military leaders in fighting the
Revolutionary War.
2. Identify key turning points in the Revolutionary War, and explain how they changed the direction of
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1. Mobilizing for War
A. British Military Power
B. The Continental Army
C. Native Americans and the Revolution
D. Disaster in Canada
E. Washington’s Narrow Escape
F. A Desperate Gamble
G. Winter in Morristown
H. A Strategy of Evasion
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2. Setbacks for the British (1777)
A. The Campaign of 1777
B. Alliance with France
C. Valley Forge and Stalemate
D. War in the West
E. The War Moves South
i. War in the Carolinas
ii. The Battle of King’s Mountain
iii. The Tide Turns in the South
F. A War of Endurance
G. Yorktown
H. The Treaty of Paris (1783)
3. American Society at War
A. Choosing Sides
B. The Loyalists Flee
4. War as an Engine of Change
A. A Political Revolution
B. Republican Ideology
C. State Governments
D. The Articles of Confederation
E. Expansion of Political Participation
F. A Social Revolution
G. Freedom of Religion
5. Equality and Its Limits
A. The Paradox of Slavery
B. The Status of Women
C. Native Americans and the Revolution
LECTURE IDEAS
1. An excellent way to examine military strategy during the Revolution, the leadership of General
Washington, the experience of American soldiers, and the roles of the redcoats and the Hessians is to
give a lecture on the first full year of the war, which ended with the stunning American victories at
Trenton and Princeton. See the following books:
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2. A lecture on the Loyalists—who they were and why they remained loyal to Britain—can be based on
the pertinent chapters in Wallace Brown’s The Good Americans (1961). Mary Beth Norton’s “The
Loyalist Critique of the Revolution,” in the Library of Congress’s The Development of a Revolutionary
Mentality (1972), argues that the Loyalists, like the revolutionaries, were motivated by Whig thought.
3. For a lecture on the social effects of the Revolution, begin with J. Franklin Jameson’s The American
Revolution Considered as a Social Movement (1926). Frederick B. Tolles revises some of Jameson’s
4. A comparison of the American Revolution with other national revolutions could be enlightening for
students. See R. R. Palmer’s “The Revolution,” in C. Vann Woodward’s (ed.) The Comparative
Approach to American History (1968). John R. Kayser’s “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness:
America’s Modest Revolution” (USA Today Magazine [Society for the Advancement of Education],
July 1990) compares the French and American Revolutions. (Kayser’s article is reprinted in Robert
James Maddox’s [ed.] Annual Editions: American History, 11th ed. [1991].)
5. One grossly neglected aspect of the American Revolution is the contribution made by Spain to the
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES / FLIPPED CLASSROOM SUGGESTIONS
1. The focus of this exercise is to challenge students to think about the advantages and disadvantages
each side faced during the Revolutionary War. Divide the class into two groups, British and American,
2. The winter of 1777–1778 was pivotal for Washington’s still young and poorly trained army. Ask your
students to discuss the state of the army, the contributions of Baron Von Steuben, and the impact of the
3. Although the participants in the American Revolution are often considered exclusively white and male,
students should understand that it affected Native Americans, blacks, and women significantly. Have
them place themselves in the era and discuss how the days’ events might have affected these groups.
Important titles include:
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4. An excellent vehicle for the experience of ordinary Americans caught up in the American Revolution
is the 1985 film Revolution, starring Al Pacino and Nastassja Kinski and directed by Oscar-winner
Hugh Hudson. Although critically panned and obviously flawed, the movie is nonetheless historically
5. A good class project could center on the issues of minority groups in the Revolution. Divide the class
into groups and have each group analyze a different minority—for example, women, blacks, Native
Americans, and so forth. See the following:
• Mary Beth Norton’s Liberty’s Daughters (1980)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Native American participation in European conflicts in North America was not novel at the time of the
American Revolution. Examine the roles of native tribes and discuss what they hoped to receive from
their activity.
2. George Washington’s winter at Valley Forge was a special moment in American history. Examine that
winter and discuss the important developments that helped transform the Continental army.
PRACTICING CITIZENSHIP
This chapter details the contrasting membership and roles of the Patriot militia and the citizen-soldiers of
the Continental army. Then, as today, Americans grappled with the issue of how much or what sort of
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