The American War for Independence How was the Con,nental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?
1. Raise your hand if you have played the game, Capture the Flag. 2. What are the objec?ves and rules of Capture the Flag?
Complete the Preview in your handout on The American Revolu?on: List the three characteris?cs or skills that you think would be most important to look for if you were picking members of a team for the game Capture the Flag. Suppose you have a team of Capture the Flag players who have most of the characteris?cs and skills you listed playing against a team with very few of those skills. Which team do you think would win and why? What other factors might give the team with fewer skills a chance to win?
There are several factors involved in winning a game. Skills and experience are two important factors, but there are many more. In this lesson, you will learn about the two teams that parbcipated in the American RevoluBon. One side had more skills and experience in fighbng wars, but it was not the side that won.
1. Review the objecbve and rules of Capture the Flag 2. When you arrive at the playing field, we ll form teams and we ll play six rounds of the game
Rules: 1. Hide your team s flag 2. Find your opponent s flag and bring it back to your territory 3. One or two handed tagging will place your opponent in jail 4. No pushing or shoving
The diagram shows how we ll set up the playing area. We can use backpacks to mark the four corners of the field. We ll use rope to divide the field in equal halves.
The object of the game is to capture the other team s flag and bring it back to your team s side of the field without being tagged by a member of the other team.
When on your side of the field, play defense and tag members of the other team.
When on the other team s side of the field, play offense and try to capture their flag and bring it back to your side without getng tagged. You may not throw or hand the flag to another teammate.
If you are tagged on the other team s side of the field, you must leave the field immediately and sit next to the teacher. If you have the flag in your hand, you must return the flag first.
If I see you tagged and you do not come out immediately, you will not be allowed to play for the remainder of the game.
Only one student on each team can guard the team s flag, and he or she cannot touch or move the flag. When you hear the whistle, stop playing and return to your side of the field.
Outside, you ll stand in a single line, in order from those with the most experience playing Capture the Flag to those who have never played the game.
The quarter of the class with the least experience will be the Blue team. The half of the class with the most experience will be the Red team... *Except that the player with the most experience will be the captain of the Blue team. The remaining quarter of the class will be the White team.
Outside now refer to game notes on game play
How was the Con,nental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?
SecBon 7.1 Read SecBon 7.1, IntroducBon, in History Alive! Carefully look at the both images. Which army looks be[er prepared for ba[le? Explain.
SecBon 7.1 In what ways was Joseph MarBn an ideal soldier? How did the army in New York compare to the BriBsh army when Joseph MarBn entered the war? What might have enabled the ConBnental army to win the war?
SecBon 7.2 7.3 1. Read SecBons 7.2 and 7.3 and complete the Reading Notes in your handout. Be prepared to share your answers with the class. 2. The Blue team is smaller. It has not warmed up. It hasn t played Capture the Flag as much as the Red team, just like... American forces were smaller and had less training and experience than the Bri,sh.
SecBon 7.2 7.3 REVIEW American Strengths The Americans had patrio?sm on their side; people were willing to give their lives for their country. The Americans received secret aid from the French. George Washington was an experienced military leader who inspired courage and confidence. The war was fought on American soil. The Americans used guerilla warfare tac?cs.
SecBon 7.2 7.3 REVIEW BriBsh Strengths The Bri?sh army had 50,000 soldiers, reinforced by 30,000 Hessian mercenaries, as well as Loyalists, Na?ve Americans, and African Americans. Bri?sh soldiers were well trained and experienced. Bri?sh forces were well supplied with food, uniforms, ammuni?on, and weapons.
SecBon 7.2 7.3 REVIEW American Weaknesses The Con?nental army was small and always short of soldiers. Few Americans were trained for basle. The army was plagued by shortages of guns, gunpowder, food, and uniforms. BriBsh Weaknesses Sending troops and supplies from Britain to North America was slow and costly. The Bri?sh people were not passionate about defea?ng the rebels. The Bri?sh had poor military leadership.
SecBon 7.2 7.3 REVIEW The Blue team is smaller. It has not warmed up. It hasn't played Capture the Flag as much as the Red team, just like... American forces were smaller and had less training and experience than the Bri?sh. The Red team is larger. It has warmed up. It has played the game more than the Blue team, just like... the Bri?sh army was larger, beser trained, and more experienced than the American forces. The Blue captain has experience playing Capture the Flag, just like... George Washington was an experienced general. The White team cheers for the Blue team, just like... the French secretly aided the Americans at the beginning of the war. Half the Red team starts the game far from the field, just like... Britain was far from America and had to ship troops and supplies across the Atlan?c.
SecBon 7.4 Read SecBon 7.4, Great Britain Almost Wins the War, and complete your handout.
SecBon 7.4 REVIEW 1. Many Americans believed that freedom and independence were goals worth fighbng for. 2. The DeclaraBon raised hopes and quesbons for African Americans. They wondered if the words "all men are created equal" applied to them and if independence would bring an end to slavery. 3. The BriBsh, with their greater numbers and superior training, overwhelmed the inexperienced Americans at New York and in other ba[les in 1776.
SecBon 7.4 REVIEW The Blue team was told that they would get a prize if they win. This increases their mo?va?on, just like... the Declara?on of Independence increased the mo?va?on of many Americans to fight and win the war. Because they have more experienced players, the Red team is almost able to steal the Blue flag, just like... the Bri?sh, with more numerous and experienced soldiers, almost defeated the Americans in 1776. One Blue player is told he or she might not get a prize, even if the Blue team wins. That player must decide whether to stay on the Blue team or switch to the Red team, just like... African Americans were not sure whether figh?ng for independence would assure them either equal rights or the end of slavery. They had to decide whether to fight on the American or Bri?sh side.
Before we conbnue, we re going to watch, The Crossing Homework in Google Classroom: Write an account of the BaSle of Trenton from the point of view of the Hessians in which you seek to briefly explain their loss to Washington's forces.
SecBon 7.5 Read SecBon 7.5, Pep Talk and Surprise Victories, and complete your handout. Mr. Hunt gave the Blue team a pep talk and encouraged them to keep fighbng, just like... Thomas Paine s pamphlet The Crisis encouraged Americans to hold onto their beliefs, even during hard,mes.
SecBon 7.5 REVIEW 1. The message of Paine's The Crisis was to remind Americans that real patriots hold onto their beliefs, even in hard Bmes. 2. Washington had his troops cross the Delaware River on Christmas night and take the enemy by surprise early the next morning. 3. Victories at Trenton and Princeton showed that the Americans could beat the BriBsh and their allies, which greatly boosted American morale.
SecBon 7.6 Read SecBon 7.6, The Tide Begins to Turn, and complete your handout.
SecBon 7.6 REVIEW 1. Washington avoided large ba[les that might put his army at risk. Instead, he fought a defensive war designed to Bre out the BriBsh. 2. Aher the Ba[le of Saratoga, the French become allies of the Americans, and Spain also entered the war against Britain. 3. Baron Friedrich von Steuben of Prussia drilled the American soldiers and turned them into an organized fighbng force. The Marquis de Lafaye[e of France used his own money to buy clothing for the soldiers.
SecBon 7.6 REVIEW Mr. Hunt tells the Blue team they do not have to capture the Red flag to win. Instead, they must keep the Red team from capturing all the Blue flags, just like... Washington told Congress that he would fight a defensive war to try to?re out the Bri?sh. Mr. Hunt has one volunteer from the White team join the Blue team, just like... some Europeans, like von Steuben and LafayeSe, aided the American cause. Mr. Hunt tells the Blue team that if they can hold on for one more round, they may receive help, just like... a_er the American victory at the BaSle of Saratoga, the French became allies of the Americans. Mr. Hunt has one volunteer from the White team join the Blue team, just like... some Europeans, like von Steuben and LafayeSe, aided the American cause.
SecBon 7.7 Read SecBon 7.7, The War Moves South, and complete your handout. Mr. Hunt adds a third Blue flag. This makes it harder for the Red team to win, just like... Successful American hit-and-run tac,cs in the South made it even more difficult for the Bri,sh to win the war.
SecBon 7.7 REVIEW 1. Americans in the South used guerrilla tacbcs, like hit-and-run raids, against the BriBsh. 2. The ConBnental army Bred out the BriBsh in the South and eventually forced them to retreat to Yorktown, where they were defeated. 3. French troops and warships helped the Americans to trap the BriBsh army at Yorktown.
SecBon 7.7 REVIEW Mr. Hunt adds a third Blue flag. This makes it harder for the Red team to win, just like... successful American hit-and-run tacbcs in the South made it more difficult for the BriBsh to win the war. The White team enters the game to help the Blue team, just like... the French sent troops and warships to help the Americans defeat the BriBsh at Yorktown.
SecBon 7.8 Read SecBon 7.7, The War Ends, and complete your handout. By the end of Round 6, many members of the Red team don t want to play anymore, but some do, just like... aier Yorktown, many Bri,sh were ready to accept, though King George did not want to accept defeat.
SecBon 7.8 REVIEW 1. Most BriBsh people accepted the defeat at Yorktown, but King George did not want to accept defeat. 2. Three key provisions of the Treaty of Paris were (1) Britain recognized the United States as an independent country; (2) Britain handed over territory from the AtlanBc Coast to the Mississippi River; and (3) the United States agreed to return all rights and property taken from Loyalists during the war. 3. The American RevoluBon helped inspire revolts against European rule throughout South America. The Americans also influenced the French RevoluBon.
SecBon 7.8 REVIEW By the end of Round 6, many members of the Red team don't want to play anymore, but some do, just like... aher Yorktown, many BriBsh were ready to accept defeat, though King George did not want to accept defeat. At the end of the game, the Blue, White, and Red captains shake hands. The Blue and White teams receive their prizes. The Red captain hands over the Red flag. The Blue team promises to be nice to the Red team, just like... At the end of the war, the Americans, French, and BriBsh signed a treaty in Paris. In the treaty, the United States received its independence. The BriBsh handed over territory to the Americans. The Americans promised to respect the rights and property of Loyalists.
Next reading: African Americans in the RevoluBon (leads to a revolubonary war newspaper project)