After the colonies declared independence from Britain on July 4, 1776, the war for freedom was unavoidable. The British had certain advantages over the colonists: the strongest navy in the world, an experienced, well-trained army, the backing of a wealthy empire, a larger population (8 million in Britain vs.2.5 million colonists). The colonists suffered additional disadvantages: they lacked a regular navy and strong army, weapons were in short supply, they were volunteer soldiers. Also, not all Americans supported rebelling against Britain: they were called "Loyalists, a.k.a Tories" while others remained neutral. But the colonists - known as "Patriots" possessed some strong advantages. They were fighting on their own home ground with great determination to protect it whereas the British were fighting a war in faraway land. The British relied on hired soldiers - called mercenaries - to help them fight. Americans called the mercenaries Hessians as many were from the German region of Hesse. Patriots knew they had a much higher stake in fighting for the freedom of their own land and families than the soldiers hired or sent by the British. The Americans greatest advantage was their leader, George Washigton. The war might have taken a different turn without Washington at the helm. The Second Continenatal Congress established the Continental Army, but depended on the states to recruit or enlist soldiers. After the Battle of Bunker Hill, we reviewed fighting in NY: the Battles of Long Island & Saratoga. By winter of 1776 -77, the Patriots' cause was near collapse. As the need for soldiers grew, some colonies ignore the ban on arming enslaved men and enlisted African Americans in the war. By the war's end, every state except SC enlisted African Americans to fight. On Christmas night, 1776, Washington lead 2,400 troops across from PA, across the DE River to NJ in a surprise attack aginst the British at Trenton and then they moved on to drive the British out of Princeton. In 1777, the British capture Philadelphia, the colonial capital while a group of Patriot soldiers, "The Green Mountain Boys," halted British troop movements in upstate NY and New England. By Oct., 1777, the Patriots defeat British forces in Saratoga, collapsing Britain's plan to separate New England from the Middle Colonies. British General Burgoyne surrenders and General Howe resigns as commander of the British troops in America. Fighting ends at the Battle of Yorktown. John Adams, John Jay & Ben Franklin go to France to negotiate the Treaty of Paris. We reviewed for tomorrow's test.