L3+Cooper+Marcy

** COLLEGE **** OF EDUCATION ****, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION ** ** LESSON PLAN FORMAT ** Social Studies- E. History E1. Historical Knowledge, Concepts, Themes, and Patterns Grade 9-Diploma- "The Revolutionary Era, 1754-1783" Students understand major eras, major enduring themes, and historic influences in United States and world history, including the roots of democratic philosophy, ideals, and institutions in the world. c. Trace and critique the roots and evolution of democratic ideals and constitutional principles in the history of the United states and the world using historical sources. I will go around to each pair and look over the T-Chart to check for accuracy and help the students fill in missing sections. The students will pass in a script of their pregame report before recording and the teacher will provide feedback. The student will assess their project using the checklist and if they notice things that need to be changed those changes can be made before the project is scored. During different points in the teaching segment students will be checked for their understanding. If all the students have cell phones with texting capabilities then they can text me on a scale from 1-5, 1 being they do not understand and 5 being they really get it. If that is not the case then I'll do a thumb check, thumbs up for understanding and thumbs down if they do not get it. After this assessment I will change my instruction as necessary according to the needs of the students. My students will do quick writes on their blogs either during class or for homework and I'll check those and comment or answer any questions they have. Students will be able to explain the differences between the supplies, men, and organization of both the British Army and colonial militia and create a "pregame report" or a newscast using garage band comparing how the two sides "line up." Technology: Teacher: the Patriot movie, Google Earth presentation, music example, and comment on students' blogs. Students: Laptops for research, blog, find their own music example, and garage band project. Content Area: Math: Ratios to compare number of colonial militia and British regulars to the number of students in a class to make the demonstration. Music: Relating contemporary music to the theme of the topic being discussed. Students will broken into pairs with their spring seasonal partner which were chosen on the first day of school. Students can present the information as a newscast as the breaking headline or the weather report. Students could also be sports analysts on ESPN and as a pre-game or pre-war report, argue using facts to decide who will win the war.
 * UNIVERSITY **** OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON **
 * __ Teacher’s Name __**** : **Ms. Cooper** __Date of Lesson__: 3 **
 * __ Grade Level __**** : 11 __Topic__: ** An Underdog story.
 * __ Objectives __**
 * Student will understand that ** a grassroots, ragtag militia defeated the country with the largest empire in the world.
 * Student will know ** key factual information such as size of British army vs. the size of the colonial militia, the fact that the British had the best navy in the world and the colonists did not even have one, the time it took for orders to come from England and the major battles or turning points in the war.
 * Student will be able to do ** explain the differences between the supplies, men, and organization of both the British Army and colonial militia.
 * __ Maine __****__ Learning Results Alignment __**
 * Rationale: ** This is a major era in American history, winning this war gave us a new place in the world and confirmed the solidity of the beliefs of people in America about democracy.
 * __ Assessment __**
 * Formative (Assessment for Learning) **
 * Summative (Assessment of Learning) **
 * __ Integration __**
 * __ Groupings __**
 * __ Differentiated Instruction __**
 * Strategies **
 * Verbal: ** The presentation of the Google Earth tour.
 * Logical:** The numbers involved (men in the army, distance across the ocean, and supplies) in the content and the demonstration.
 * Kinesthetic:** The demonstration when I break the class physically to compare the odds of each side. (like every 1,000 of people represents 1 classmate)
 * Visual:** The Google Earth view of the distance between the colonies and England and the hook.
 * Naturalist:** The Google Earth view of ocean and terrain.
 * Intrapersonal:** The research and project with a seasonal partner.
 * Interpersonal:** A journal entry about what they think an underdog is and what they learned.
 * Musical:** Students will find contemporary music that reminds them of an underdog story my example will be the soul song form Remember the Titans.
 * Modifications/Accommodations **
 * // I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations. //**

Absent Students: Students are expected to check the class wiki for any assignments and for class notes even when they are absent from class. Feel free to email me if you have any questions at any time. You are expected to work with your seasonal partners if you have questions about make up work. If problems arise please let me know so those issues can be resolved. Students will create digital presence, a wiki page introducing the ideas and explaining what the garage band assignment was. In other words if a random stranger found the wiki he or she could figure out what the project was about. The students would then embed the pod cast into the page.
 * Extensions **

Type II Technology: Students will find music that connects to the theme of the topic and use it in their garage band product about the important facts of both sides of war. Individual laptops the Patriot movie Google Earth Application Garage Band Application projector and screen T-chart music clip Blog accounts I need the classroom laptops for the research during the cooperative learning activity and for the Google Earth presentation. I need the movie for my hook. I need the 2 applications, one for the presentation and the other for the students to create their final project. I need the projector and screen so the students can see what is on my laptop. The T-chart is for the students to fill out to help them organize the information. The music clip is to give my students an example of what I want them to find for music for their garage band. The students need blog accounts so they can do quick writes and I can give them feedback. Timeline of important information of the Revolution [] information of major battles [] chart with statistics [] content notes battle information [] number of British soldiers [] Soldiers [] number of colonial militia [] Colonial Navy [] Royal Navy [] British supplies [] weapons [] financial situation [] Homework assignment [] Teacher: the Patriot movie, Google Earth presentation, music example, and comment on students' blogs. Students: Laptops for research, blog, find their own music example, and garage band project. Day 1 Quiz over the major events leading to the Revolution 10 mins Hook: Movie clip from the Patriot 10 mins Quick writes on the blog about what it means to be an underdog 10 mins Music clip that reminds student of an underdog ( to be used in the pregame garage band project) 5 mins Demonstration with students about numbers of colonial militia and British regulars 10 mins Google earth tour of the major battles and stats presentation 30 mins Closing remarks 5 mins
 * __ Materials, Resources and Technology __**
 * __ Source for Lesson Plan and Research __**
 * __ Maine __****__ Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale __**
 * // Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development. //**
 * Rationale ** : The class agenda will be posted on the wiki ahead of class so that students will always know what we will be doing and what will follow each activity. This will help students who need to have organization in the classroom. The students that need to move around during class will like the demonstration. These creative students will like the idea of creating their own pod cast and adding effects along with the music. The students that like to work with other people will like this project because they get to work with a partner during all the steps of the process. Students that are more analytic will like researching all the facts and stacking them against each other to decide the odds of which side winning.
 * // • Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory. //**
 * Rationale ** : The facet I use in this lesson is Apply. Students will apply their knowledge of the stats of both sides in the American Revolution by creating a modern day pod cast, a newscast or a sports report that lines both sides up against each other as if for the first time. The students will, by using the facts, predict and give reasons why they believe a certain side will win. This ties into the MLR because this is a major era in American history, winning this war gave us a new place in the world and confirmed the solidity of the beliefs of people in America about democracy. Please see attached content notes.
 * // • Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs. //**
 * Rationale ** :
 * Verbal: ** The presentation of the Google Earth tour.
 * Logical:** The numbers involved (men in the army, distance across the ocean, and supplies) in the content and the demonstration.
 * Kinesthetic:** The demonstration when I break the class physically to compare the odds of each side. (like every 1,000 of people represents 1 classmate)
 * Visual:** The Google Earth view of the distance between the colonies and England and the hook.
 * Naturalist:** The Google Earth view of ocean and terrain.
 * Intrapersonal:** The research and project with a seasonal partner.
 * Interpersonal:** A journal entry about what they think an underdog is and what they learned.
 * Musical:** Students will find contemporary music that reminds them of an underdog story my example will be the soul song form Remember the Titans.
 * Technology:** Type II Technology: Students will find music that connects to the theme of the topic and use it in their garage band product about the important facts of both sides of war.
 * // • Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner. //**
 * Rationale ** : I will go around to each pair and look over the T-Chart to check for accuracy and help the students fill in missing sections. The students will pass in a script of their pregame report before recording and the teacher will provide feedback. The student will assess their project using the checklist and if they notice things that need to be changed those changes can be made before the project is scored. During different points in the teaching segment students will be checked for their understanding. If all the students have cell phones with texting capabilities then they can text me on a scale from 1-5, 1 being they do not understand and 5 being they really get it. If that is not the case then I'll do a thumb check, thumbs up for understanding and thumbs down if they do not get it. After this assessment I will change my instruction as necessary according to the needs of the students. My students will do quick writes on their blogs either during class or for homework and I'll check those and comment or answer any questions they have. Students will be able to explain the differences between the supplies, men, and organization of both the British Army and colonial militia and create a "pregame report" using garage band comparing how the two sides "line up."
 * __ Teaching and Learning Sequence __**** : **

Day 2 Quick write about what they remember from the day before 10 mins Finish Google Earth if not done 20 mins Seasonal partner research for facts 20 mins Class time to work on script/garage band 30 or 50 mins

The classroom will be arranged with the desks in twos facing the board. Students will understand that a grassroots, ragtag militia defeated the country with the largest empire in the world. The reason why we are learning about this today is to analyze a true underdog that came out on top. //Students understand major eras, major enduring themes, and historic influences in United States and world history, including the roots of democratic philosophy, ideals, and institutions in the world.// I will display and go over the agenda and goals for the class as soon as the students sit down. My hook is a clip from the movie, the Patriot. I will play the scene where father and his son are looking out of an upstairs window of an abandoned house and the battle is going on across the field. I will also play the scene when the British are looking for the father and the numbers of troops just floods the area. The last clip I will play is the scene of the officers' party. The first clip is to show the demolition of the continental army when they line up in an open field and try to volley with the British regulars. The second clip is to show the number of British troops that can just swarm an area. The last clip is to show the attitude of arrogance the British officers had about the war in general and how they were not worried one bit about winning. **Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailor: Verbal, Logical, and Visual**. 10 mins

After the hook I will explain the purpose of each of the clips. The students will blog a quick write about what it means to them to be an underdog. This is a way I will check for understanding of the basic concept of an underdog. I will then explain that each student will need to choose a contemporary song that reminds them of an underdog story. I will play the soul song from the movie Remember the Titans as an example. To get the students moving, I will do a demonstration with the students. Depending on the number of students each student could represent 1,000 militia or British regulars. I will have the colonial militia on one side of the room and the British regulars line up on the other side. This will give students a better visual as to exactly how different the number of soldiers was. I will then do a Google Earth presentation following an imaginary soldier that started in England and managed to see action in every battle. This will highlight important battles and the statistics behind each. The next day I will have the students blog a quick write about what they learned the class before. I'll finish the presentation if I have not the day before. Then the students will get with their seasonal partner and compile facts from the presentation and other research and fill in the T-chart together. When they have enough facts the partners will work on their script or use class time to learn how to use garage band. Students will know key factual information such as size of British army vs. the size of the colonial militia, the fact that the British had the best navy in the world and the colonists did not even have one, the time it took for orders to come from England and the major battles or turning points in the war. (see content notes) I will check for understanding throughout the presentation. I will also use the quick writes to see where students are in their understanding. Before students move on to write their scripts, I will check their T-charts for accuracy and help them fill in any information. **Equip, Explore, Rethink, Tailor: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Musical, Naturalist, Kinesthetic, Verbal, Logical, and Visual.** 110 mins

Students will collaborate in search of facts to use in their pre-game report. They will partner in twos with their spring seasonal partner. The pairs will fill out the T-chart graphic organizer to organize the information. Students will be able to apply the knowledge they learned and remake the scenario as a modern day sports event or newscast. Students can present the information as a newscast as the breaking headline or the weather report. Students could also be sports analysts on ESPN and as a pre-game or pre-war report, argue using facts to decide who will win the war. Students can use any creative ideas they want in the pod cast as long as they portray the information. I will look over the T-Chart to check for accuracy and help the students fill in missing sections. Students will then make a script of their pre- war report. The students will pass in a script of their pregame report before recording and the teacher will provide feedback. The student will assess their project using the checklist and if they notice things that need to be changed those changes can be made before the project is scored. **Explore, Experience, Rethink, Revise, Refine, Tailor: Intrapersonal, Visual, and Kinesthetic.** a couple of days

Each partner will assess their project using a checklist. After, they can make necessary changes to make it better before it is scored. I will comment on the students' blogs within 24 hours of the posts. I will check the T-chart during class on day 2 of the lesson. The students will pass in their scripts the next class and I will get the script back to them the next day. They will have a week after I hand back the script to present their garage band to the class. I will then score the projects and hand back the result within a week. Any questions students have they can email me or ask in their blog and I will answer them. This lesson is about how an underdog can come out on top when the opposition does not take them seriously because, according to the facts, the colonists should not have won. This was due to the spirit and strong beliefs of the people and their leaders, which we learned about in the last two lessons. In the next lesson we will learn about the tactics and situations that helped the colonists defeat the British. For homework students have the garage band project. They will also have to read the Treaty of Paris and answer 3 questions. **Evaluate, Tailors: Interpersonal, Verbal, and Visual.** a week
 * Content Notes **

The 13 Colonies, having declared their Independence, had only 31 ships comprising the Continental Navy. To add to this, they issued **Letters of Marque** to privately owned, armed merchant ships and Commissions for **privateers**, which were outfitted as warships to prey on enemy merchant ships. Merchant seamen who manned these ships contributed to the very birth and founding of our Republic.
 * Colonial Navy**

After the Treaty of Paris brought the Seven Years to an end in 1763, it seemed that Britain was covered by an aura of optimism. The war had made them the greatest imperial power in Europe and the navy continued to expand. In 1765, the Navy Board built the 100-gun first-rate ship Victory, which was the first of its kind and widely considered the benchmark ship of the period.[47] In the first half of the eighteenth century the Royal Navy consisted of twenty first and second rate ships, approximately 40 third rate ships and 120 smaller rate ships.[48] By 1775, the Royal Navy had 117 ships of the line and 82 cruisers.[49] France and Spain by comparison had 59 and 64 ships of the line and 37 and 28 cruisers.[50] By these numbers it appears that the Great Britain was a dominant power, however this did not always translate into successes.
 * British Naval Power or Royal Navy**

The war against the American colonies in the period 1776 to the early 1780s would demonstrate the limitations of the Royal Navy and the damaging impact that diplomatic isolation might have on a country like Great Britain.[51] The Seven Years War had left Great Britain without any major European allies.[52] This rendered Great Britain incapable of defeating the American troops on land, despite its naval supremacy. The military and financial aid by both France and Spain made the revolution successful. The 1777 blockade of the revolting American colonies was largely ineffective because of a lack of ships.[53] Britain maintained a naval presence in the North Atlantic to counter French power, which leads to a shortage of ships.[54] The success of enemy privateers took a large toll on the English navy which lost 3386 ships in the conflict which created an economic crisis.[55] This handed Britain a severe blow, however this created a determination to recover and that is exactly what happened.

Faced with a 3,000-mile line of communication across the Atlantic Ocean, Britain ensured that its soldiers were reasonably well equipped and never starved. Because shipment of many commodities from Britain was deemed impracticable, the army resorted to local sources for fresh food, fodder, and transportation. Although British logisticians performed significantly better than their American counterparts, their shortcomings had a much greater impact on the course of the war. The undying hope of the British Government that its army could subsist locally in America stemmed, in part, from the success the British had during the Seven Years' War (known in North America as the French and Indian War) from 1756 to 1763. Most of the support for the army during that conflict had been acquired locally, and shipment of supplies from Britain was limited. The Treasury had organized a system of subcontractors throughout Canada (then French) and the colonies, and had not even appointed a Commissary General. During the Revolutionary War, conditions were quite different. The enemy was more determined, and the British overestimated both the amount of loyalist support and their own ability to cultivate it. At the beginning of the war in New England, acquiring subsistence locally (by foraging) was impossible once the rebels laid siege to the British garrison in Boston. After the main British army occupied New York in the summer of 1776, hopes that the troops could live off the abundant farmlands of New Jersey and Long Island were soon crushed. Foraging parties sent into eastern Long Island met with resistance and ended up consuming more supplies than they could gather. George Washington's Christmas counterattack at Trenton, New Jersey, in 1776 ended all British hopes of gathering supplies from New Jersey farms. The logistics battle really began in earnest as a result of the British defeat at Trenton. After the British occupied Philadelphia a year later, their logistics situation looked promising at first. Pennsylvania farms were bountiful, and the British hoped to find abundant loyalist help, but again that support dried up. The continuing hope that enough provisions and supplies could be procured within the colonies must have stemmed, in part, from the belief held by many in the British Government and Army that it was only a matter of time before the rebels came to their senses and returned to British rule. Flour was needed for making fresh bread, and other grains and vegetables were important to the soldiers' diet. Fresh meat, however, outranked nearly all other foodstuffs. Units in the field went to great lengths to obtain fresh beef, pork, mutton, poultry, and other meats. The policy of paying individuals for captured cattle was only one procurement method. In one instance, British soldiers reported subsisting on alligators and oysters, complemented by Madeira wine they found on a shipwreck off the South Carolina coast. Probably of equal significance to meat (at least to the infantryman) was alcohol. Copious amounts of porter were shipped initially, but eventually a spruce beer brewery was established in the colonies. At the discretion of the commander, soldiers were authorized one pint per day in garrison and two pints per day in the field. Fresh ingredients in the beer were thought to offset the likelihood of contracting scurvy. Rum also was available, from the West Indies, and was rationed at two quarts for every six men. The rum presumably was used to purify drinking water, but it certainly was abused to some degree. British efforts to subsist locally could have been more successful if they had developed a coherent strategy to use loyalist support. Loyalists in the colonies accounted for perhaps half the population and were typically conservative, cautious, and pacifist. Many of the more fundamental religious sects were largely loyalist, or at least neutral. They were not ideal conscripts for military service, but they could have served as a greater source of logistics support. The army repeatedly misjudged not only their character, but also the overall amount of popular support for the Crown in a given area of operations. The army was not able to resupply its troops solely from Great Britain, and that possibility was never seriously considered by the Government. The army could not sustain itself strictly with what it obtained locally, either, but a proper balance was never achieved. The formidable logistics hurdles, coupled with the inconsistent and inefficient civilian hierarchy, ensured that whatever momentum British generals were able to generate would be extremely difficult for them to maintain. Battles
 * British Supply lines**
 * Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775:** After the Boston Tea Party, an event that shook the very roots of British colonization in America, the Americans joined forces from the thirteen colonies and occupied Bunker Hill, terrain that overlooked [|Boston City], on June 16, 1775. General Gage led the British military against the Americans. Even though the British were victorious, the loss of life and ammunition was huge. Nevertheless, this was just a taste of what was yet to come.


 * Battle** **of New York, 1776:** In 1776, the British recaptured New York from the Americans. They forced the American army led by [|George Washington] to retreat from Long Island and lower Harlem. It was only on the White Plains that the Americans were able to contain the British forces. However, the outcome was the retreat of the Americans to New Jersey, while New York fell into British hands.


 * Battle** **of Bennington, 1777:** British commander Burgoyne sent a force, west of the Connecticut River to seize supplies, while Lieutenant Colonel Fredrich Baum headed towards Bennington. John Stark led the American forces and the British battled against the American forces and makeshift fortifications. The result was a bloody battle that claimed many lives and left either side with a number of casualties.


 * Battle** **of Monmouth, 1778:** When the British withdrew from Philadelphia, General Washington carefully followed them and near the Monmouth Court House attacked the train of supplies. The fight between the British and American forces reinstated strength within the common-man army led by General Washington, when the General single-handedly led his troops.


 * Battle** **of Camden, 1780:** Horatio Gates commanded a force of 1,400, which was strengthened by patriot troops from North Carolina and Virginia. British General Cornwalis met the American forces at Camden, with 3,000 men. When the Carolina line fell, it resulted in the crumbling of the American forces, who were forced to retreat.


 * Battle** **of King Mountain, 1780:** British Major Ferguson and his 1,200 militia were stopped by forces from Virginia and [|South Carolina] atop King's Mountain. The wooded hill offered the patriots a better chance to get back at the militia. However, the defenders and militia fell in large numbers.


 * Battle** **of Cowpens, 1781:** General Washington selected General Greene as the Commander of the southern forces. Greene split the army and sent General Morgan to western South Carolina to face British menace. Cornwallis responded via Colonel Tarleton and around 1,000 soldiers. Morgan deployed his soldiers in three lines. The wild American cry was met with bayonet attacks.

Just as the British dragoons counter attacked the Americans, Washington's cavalry appeared. Morgan turned his militia men toward the battle even as the final line of British troops fought and Tarleton thought that they had won the battle. As Morgan ordered his troops to fire, Americans militia approached from the left. The British were faced by Washington's cavalry from the right and the Battle of Cowpens came down in history as a classic victory.


 * Battle** **of Hobkirk's Hill, 1781:** Greene led his men along Hobkirk's Hill's pine-covered ridge. Lord Rowden led the British against the Americans. However, fleeing Continental soldiers destroyed the morale and integrity of the defensive line, leading to a British victory.


 * Battle** **of Eutaw Springs, 1781:** General Greene's army faced that of Colonel Stewart at Eutaw Springs, northwest of Charleston. On September 8th, the American troops advanced, but floundered when plundering the camp. The counter attack forced an early retreat. Nevertheless, by this time the British were weakened in supplies and men.


 * Battle** **of Yorktown, 1781:** General Cornwallis arrived in Yorktown and prepared a naval base. General Washington joined French forces and surrounded the British army. Another victory for the Americans!

After the Yorktown defeat and the resignation of Prime Minister Lord North in March 1782, the revolutionary war in America came to an end. The Treaty of Paris was signed on 3 September, 1783. It was ratified on January 14, 1784, by the Congress of the Confederation. November 25, 1783 saw the last of the British troops leaving New York City.

The Redcoats had more than enough troops, 50,000 with those sent from Britain plus close to 30,000 German mercenaries, professional soldiers who were paid to come fight with Britain (Evans, 15). They also had an alliance with the Indians from the French and Indian War, but that did not provide much help because the Indians didn't come out of the back country. That left the British forces with lots of men fighting an ocean away from home, which means they had to be somewhat conservative in battle. If they suffered a great loss, it would take close to 5 weeks to send the first of more troops, and even longer to get the full army back in shape. They were also far away from weapons and food, and even farther as they moved into the interior of the colonies.
 * British Regulars**

The Continental Army had no money, and had bad soldiers (few soldiers). The [|Continental Congress] raised eight companies of soldiers, each numbering 120 men. These companies were made up entirely of cripples, invalids, blind men, and men missing arms and legs. But, they were fighting on there own land, for their own land, and for freedom. And, they had a great leader. They got supplies by stealing them from the British. It was commonly believed by soldiers of the British army that the colonial militia consisted of low-quality soldiers who came from the dregs of society. They believed that the militia would not have the strength or organization to match the British War Machine. They were mistaken. In fact, the soldiers of the colonial militia included doctors, teachers, and young boys who contributed greatly to the war effort. Often, the ranks of the colonial militia were filled by average citizens. Soldiers of the Revolutionary War came from all walks of life and different ethnic groups. Some were native-born colonists, some British immigrants, and some were freed black slaves. A majority of the men were Scotch-Irish, as seen in the Pennsylvania regiments. The average soldier of the militia served alongside Rangers, Highlanders, Iroquois Indians, and British regulars. Much of the British regular army was recruited from the lowest social classes. The enlisted were often petty criminals, beggars, common laborers or subsistence farmers. Because the British officer’s own troops often consisted of these types, they were more than willing to believe the same about the colonial soldier. British officers showed contempt for both the colonial enlisted soldiers and colonial officers alike. While it was true that many of the militia came from the lower social classes, more than a few were from middle class families. A soldier’s social status and civilian occupation depended greatly upon where he was recruited. Soldiers who came from Pennsylvania were usually laborers. The American colonies had both strengths and weaknesses in terms of undertaking a revolution. The colonial population of well over two million was nearly one third of that in Britain (McCusker and Menard, 1985). The growth in the colonial economy had generated a remarkably high level of per capita wealth and income (Jones, 1980). Yet the hurdles confronting the Americans in achieving independence were indeed formidable. The British military had an array of advantages. With virtual control of the Atlantic its navy could attack anywhere along the American coast at will and would have borne logistical support for the army without much interference. A large core of experienced officers commanded a highly disciplined and well-drilled army in the large-unit tactics of eighteenth century European warfare. By these measures the American military would have great difficulty in defeating the British. Its navy was small. The Continental Army had relatively few officers proficient in large-unit military tactics. Lacking both the numbers and the discipline of its adversary the American army was unlikely to be able to meet the British army on equal terms on the battlefield (Higginbotham, 1977). In addition, the British were in a better position than the Americans to finance a war. A tax system was in place that had provided substantial revenue during previous colonial wars. Also for a variety of reasons the government had acquired an exceptional capacity to generate debt to fund wartime expenses (North and Weingast, 1989). For the Continental Congress the situation was much different. After declaring independence Congress had set about defining the institutional relationship between it and the former colonies. The powers granted to Congress were established under the Articles of Confederation. Reflecting the political environment neither the power to tax nor the power to regulate commerce was given to Congress. Having no tax system to generate revenue also made it very difficult to borrow money. According to the Articles the states were to make voluntary payments to Congress for its war efforts. This precarious revenue system was to hamper funding by Congress throughout the war (Baack, 2001). It was within these military and financial constraints that the war strategies by the British and the Americans were developed. In terms of military strategies both of the contestants realized that America was simply too large for the British army to occupy all of the cities and countryside. This being the case the British decided initially that they would try to impose a naval blockade and capture major American seaports. Having already occupied Boston, the British during 1776 and 1777 took New York, Newport, and Philadelphia. With plenty of room to maneuver his forces and unable to match those of the British, George Washington chose to engage in a war of attrition. The purpose was twofold. First, by not engaging in an all out offensive Washington reduced the probability of losing his army. Second, over time the British might tire of the war. Frustrated without a conclusive victory, the British altered their strategy. During 1777 a plan was devised to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies, contain the Continental Army, and then defeat it. An army was assembled in Canada under the command of General Burgoyne and then sent to and down along the Hudson River. It was to link up with an army sent from New York City. Unfortunately for the British the plan totally unraveled as in October Burgoyne's army was defeated at the battle of Saratoga and forced to surrender (Ketchum, 1997). With the victory at Saratoga the military side of the war had improved considerably for the Americans. However, the financial situation was seriously deteriorating. The states to this point had made no voluntary payments to Congress. At the same time the continental currency had to compete with a variety of other currencies for resources. The states were issuing their own individual currencies to help finance expenditures. Moreover the British in an effort to destroy the funding system of the Continental Congress had undertaken a covert program of counterfeiting the Continental dollar. These dollars were printed and then distributed throughout the former colonies by the British army and agents loyal to the Crown (Newman, 1957). Altogether this expansion of the nominal money supply in the colonies led to a rapid depreciation of the Continental dollar (Calomiris, 1988, Michener, 1988). Furthermore, inflation may have been enhanced by any negative impact upon output resulting from the disruption of markets along with the destruction of property and loss of able-bodied men (Buel, 1998). By the end of 1777 inflation had reduced the specie value of the Continental to about twenty percent of what it had been when originally issued. This rapid decline in value was becoming a serious problem for Congress in that up to this point almost ninety percent of its revenue had been generated from currency emissions.
 * Colonial Militia**
 * British Military Advantages **
 * British Financial Advantages **
 * Military and Financial Factors Determine Strategy **
 * Saratoga **
 * The American Financial Situation Deteriorates **
 * Reflection: **