Saratoga through Yorktown

From the Battle at Saratoga to the Siege of Yorktown, there were many battles that tested the Colonist’s morale and their physical strength. The question is, which was more important, maintaining a high morale or winning big military victories?

First, we  should look at Battles that possibly helped boost the colonists morale. The first example is surviving Valley Forge. Although it was an extremely difficult time for the colonists, they were able to use their survival skills and tactics to survive. They faced many, many difficulties, the most common due to starvation, freezing, disease, and the lack of hospitals. This horrible and enduring trip through the winter bonded the colonists together in many, many ways because they felt as if they could survive many things together. Overall, it was a very bonding experience that brought them closer together.

When looking at the battles of the war that were considered huge military victories for the colonists. One standout example is the battle of Saratoga. The battle of Saratoga was considered a turning point in the American Revolution, but primarily because it was such a huge turning point in the war’s outcome. When the British surrendered to the Americans, that was when the war turned around, because the ragtag group of colonists had managed to defeat the great army of the British.

After looking through the evidence for both sides, I believe that it was mostly large military victories that helped the colonists win the war the most. It was because of the big victories that their morale increased, and without the victories their spirits may have been very low. It was important for them the maintain high spirits, but the big battles that they won were more important.

Washington's Leadership

          A good leader is motivational, experienced, a hard pusher, and brave. George Washington was the captain and leader of the American army during the Revolutionary War. I believe that he was a good leader during the events of the war.

          During the Battle of Trenton, there were many moments where Washington was acting like a good leader. He helped to motivate the men when he rode in between both lines and ordered the men to fire. This was a good example of leadership because not only did he bring reinforcements for his men, but he achieved lots of motovation and drove the men forward.

          There was also moments when Washington did not show good leadership. Over the winter, the officers and generals were being fed well, whereas the other soldiers were not. Macaroni Jack was caught for some minor offense, and his punishment was a few lashes from a whip. Before his lashes, he said "brothers, won't you help me?" Washington wanted to prevent any form of mutiny immediately and decided to execute men as punishment. This is not good leadership because instead of disciplining his men, or feeding them, he executed the offenders and cracked down with harsh discipline on the men. They were forced to obey him rather than obey him willingly.

          Overall, after reviewing the first half of the war, I believe that George Washington was a good leader. I believe this because although he was very harsh over the though winter, he was very motivational to the men and used lots of skillful tactics to achieve victories with each coming battle. 

Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence could be considered a break-up letter because, in a way, it was America breaking up with Britain. King George believed that what he was doing in America was a way of protecting the colonies, whereas the colonists saw it a different way. They felt as if they were being controlled against their will and were being oppressed and repressed.

The preamble is similar to the Enlightenment philosophy because it mentions the unalienable rights -- Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It also mentions consent of the governed and the people’s safety and happiness.

A grievance is “a real or imagined wrong or other cause for complaint or protest, especially unfair treatment.” The Americans decided to include them in the Declaration of Independence because it included their claims of the poor behavior they had been receiving from the British. One example of a grievance is when King George forbid them to pass laws until he accepts, and he sometimes became lazy. This was upsetting to the Americans because they had no ability to pass laws on their own. One last grievance is when King George dissolved representative houses against the rights of the people.