American Revolution, 1775-1781: Lexington to Yorktown | American Independence, US Colonial History
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ม.ค. 2025
- The American Revolutionary War represents the final stage of the colonial period.
Thomas Gage is in Boston, Massachusetts with redcoats in April, 1775. Paul Revere and William Dawes sound the alarm to Lexington.
The "shot heard round the world" occurs at Lexington. The British make it to Concord, Massachusetts, but are attacked by Minutemen.
The British are defeated at Bunker Hill/Breed's Hill.
Rebels secure Fort Ticonderoga in New York. General Knox delivers canons to Washington at Boston. The British abandon Boston.
Benedict Arnold attempts to secure Quebec, Canada. However, the British defend Canada.
Lake Champlain in New York and Vermont becomes the scene of action. General Horatio Gates defends upper New York on the Hudson River. A British force under Burgoyne is captured at Saratoga, New York.
The British under Lord Howe secure New York City in 1776. At the same time in Philadelphia, on July 2, the Continental Congress adopts independence. On July 4th, 1776, Congress approves Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence.
John Dickinson drafts the Articles of Confederation, a governing document for the new United States. States ratify the document.
Washington's Continental Army becomes disciplined by von Steuben at Valley Forge.
General Henry Clinton attempts a southern strategy. Benjamin Lincoln loses Charleston, South Carolina. Savannah, Georgia and Augusta, Georgia are also captured by the British.
However, the Continental Army wins at King's Mountain. British General Cornwallis marches north from Wilmington, North Carolina to Virginia.
France and Spain declare war on Britain. French admiral Comte d'Estaing and deGrasse bring French ships to the war effort. Spain secures portions of British Florida.
Cornwallis becomes trapped in Yorktown, Virginia in October, 1781. He surrenders to the Continental Army under Washington. The French officers Lafayette and Rochambeau are present.
Film by Jeffrey Meyer
I've never seen a clearer account of the Revolutionary War. I finally understand it. No bells, no whistles, no jokes, just history as it happened. Thank you so much!
Thank you for watching!
I think I heard maybe one or two joke in there. Maybe.
Came here to say this same thing: Thank you for the crystal clear account, and for the wonderful mapping! 🙏
Perfect for Millennials
I like whistles.
Another Masterclass in American history. Great job on this presentation
Thank you!
I've still got about 30 minutes left, but I couldn't wait to comment. THANK YOU! It is a shame that the History Channel can't hire you, because they don't do history docs anymore.
Thank you!
Context is everything, and you put everything in context. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
To me (Thank you ) isn't good enough you worked so much to put this documentary together..
Here is your flowers for your hard work...
🌹🌹🌹🍸🍺🍹🍷🥂🍾
Here is your flowers just incase Nori from Drink champ didn't Give you flowers for your hard work and some drinks😘 🍸 🍷🍹🍺🍾🥂
😘🤗🫠
Please don't forget you can't drink and drive you might spill it......😂😂🤭
Don't mind me I'm just laughing to keep from crying...😭😭
i just lost both of my parents 3 months ago then to add more to my misery 💔 my best friend died from a heart attack, and stage 4 kidney disease 😭😭
I didn't even have a chance tell her that
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I met my bestie when I was 17 years old in high school grade 11 we did everything together she always told me that she loves me before we both went to sleep 😴 💤 every night 🌙 😢😢
She left behind 6 children , and left 8 grandkids, and she was married to
her husband of 29 years 😢😢😢
She always was telling me so many jokes she was a comedian frfr.. one time
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then she started telling me jokes about me talking about she's going to Target to buy me some depends 🩲
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Amazing work. Amateur, no music, no gimmicks. Just a chronological account of how things went. A calming voice and a nice satellite map showing everything.
I love it!!!
Thank you, I appreciate the nice comments!
Really outstanding technique. This is an outline for a deeper dive in history.
Thank you!
Thanks for mentioning Gen George Rogers Clark! Too many people don’t know about him and the patriots on the Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Missouri frontier that fought in the Revolution. I didn’t until researching my ancestors 😀 my husband and I have many ancestors that fought, his ancestors were at Lexington and Concord one of mine was at Valley Forge
Kentucky had the greatest per capita number of patriot deaths.
So happy to see real history on TH-cam. Will share. Thanks!
Thank you!
These are great videos!! I have watched just about all of the revolutionary and civil war vids.
Can you do a video on how generals communicated with their units? And maybe how important Calvary was and how it was used in battle? Just two topics that may be interesting.
Thank you for the recommendations. I think those are great topics worthy of discussion.
How polite not to correct me.. Thank you again Jeffrey the Librarian
@@JeffreytheLibrarian
Cool. If you can do that at some point in time, I will be looking forward to it. 👍
A great detailed account of the military actions of the war, along with some of the political developments. Good video!
Thank you!
Fantastic. I could only hope that other history presentations were as clear and concise as yours.
Thank you, friend!
This was extremely detailed. What a story and great narration
Thank you for watching!
What a beautifully detailed account of what was happening (& where) across the world. As this rebellion became an international war, the viewer can see how Indian, French, and then Spanish forces came to weigh on British decision making.
Even as a long student of American revolutionary politics and battles, it's wonderful to see the entire continental aspects laid out in such a masterful tableau.
I only realise now you have other videos of the American continent which I look forward to seeing!
Well done, please keep it up!
Thank you for your nice comments. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for the continuation of our national story!
Thanks for watching.
Bravo Jeffrey! Excellent as usual. Thanks for doing these!
Thank you! I will keep making more.
Excellent! Thanks for these videos, they're all great!
Thank you!
Beautiful presentation. Thank you for your hard work and ability to concisely explain a complicated subject.
Thank you!
Well done! Your videos are so refreshing to watch. Let’s get straight to the point with really effective maps. Keep up the good work. I’ll tell anyone who will listen to check out your work
Much appreciated. Thank you!
Thank you for putting the military capital of the Revolution, Morristown, NJ on the map. Few outside of NJ know of the significance of this area. The Watchung mountains were basically Washington's fort for the entire war and his bulwark against the British doing anything effective out of new york.
The Continental army spent soooooooooooo much time in Central and Northern NJ it's insane.
The entire Jockey Hollow and Morristown encampments (all four of them) were poorly documented and as such the rural areas around Morristown still bear remains of possible encampments. The Continental army also built several stone redoubts (poorly documented) that are still extant...
Also nearby is a complete earthen redoubt from the Middlebrook encampment... one of the only complete original Revolutionary war fortifications in the country.
New Jersey does a really shitty job highlighting it's Revolutionary war history.
At Jockey Hollow a plaque states:
The Jersey troops were relieved by the Connecticut Line, which moved into this area in May. Although the weather had improved, the rations had not. Two hungry Connecticut regiments mutinied here on May 25th, 1780. Washington declared that the mutiny gave him, "infinitely more concern than anything that has ever happened."
Interesting point about NJ not giving its residents and visitors enough information about the War. We can definitely do more. The NJ Historical Society is under the radar to say the least. Today, Trenton is more concerned with... I'll digress. Jockey Hollow is a US National Park not affiliated with the state. Washington Rock in Green Brook is amazing, yet a mere roadside stop. Other sites along The Watchung Ridge which served as lookout points between New York and Philadelphia are not recognized to my knowledge. At Rutgers, I learned that key players in the Revolution were Presbyterian Church members in and around Princeton and New Brunswick. This was over 20 years ago so I've forgotten much, but isn't that the central point of the age old saying, warning us not to forget history, lest we shall repeat it?
An incredible Historical novel full of fascinating Revolutionary War facts and stories is, Bootmaker To The Nation. It largely focuses on the Morristown area and gives credit to one of Washington's greatest assets, a young female horse rider who ran messages for the General because she was among the best riders he had.
George Washington stayed in a house in my small Bergen county town. Lots of history here
This is so well done. I can appreciate the work you put into this, and I have been watching. I'm very visual and your graphics make history very clear. Thank you.
Thank you so much. It is a lot of work, but the end product is worth it. I really appreciate your kind words.
Well done. We enjoyed the presentation. So informative in a condensed time. Great job. Keep them coming.
Thank you!
What a fine production, professional in every way.
Many other events await your fine format.
TYVM!
Thank you!
I've been trying to see this in full about 4 times. So much good information and so many interruptions!
This is incredible content! Thank you sir
Thank you!
Amazing breakdown man, easily the most concise and detailed presentation I’ve seen anywhere on the platform. Keep up the great work brother! Your channel is well on its way to blowing up big time, you deserve nothing less. God speed and happy thanksgiving !
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.
@@JeffreytheLibrarian happy to provide some small affirmation of your brilliant work mate. Shared the video to a few people and all basically echoed what I had to say. Such a great idea going about showing the war with key people hightlighted at the bottom and more importantly showing which side held what through out. If I was teaching the topic your video would be the one I’d use to my students to get the best picture with the most detail but not in an overwhelming way. Again, simply brilliant work man. Truly thank you for making it and look forward to everything you have in store for us. God bless !
This is BRILLIANT!
I have been looking for this sort of clear step-by-step analysis for a long time. Thank you.
Thank you for your nice comments!
Great video! I would like to add some forgotten items: English anti-war emotion. All the English were NOT against the colonies NOR for the war.
-1775 letter from a group of merchants and traders in the southwestern port city of Bristol sheds light on the economic concerns provoked by the burgeoning revolution. They wrote to the king to express their concern about the “unhappily distracted empires” and urged him to give the American colonists the freedoms they wanted rather than risk a precious trading relationship.
-1776 Diary by Right Honorable Thomas Townshend that “the Government and Majority have drawn us into a war, that in our opinions is unjust in its Principle and ruinous in its consequences.”
-1780 The Gordon Riots several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. The protest led to widespread rioting and looting, including attacks on Newgate Prison and the Bank of England and was the most destructive in the history of London. Troops had to fire on the rioters. After the first march to Parliament, further riots occurred involving groups whose grievances were nationalist, economic, or political/antiwar, rather than religious. Not merely tea or stamps or newspapers, but even rabbit hair for women's hats was taxed. Ink, paper, all kinds of things were taxed. And these were nuisance taxes because the British didn't want to raise the property tax, but eventually they had to do that, too. And so the war was largely unpopular because it was an economic dent in the British.
-1780, there was unrest, both in Parliament and in the country in opposition for the continuance of the war and in rumblings of domestic reform at home. Even before the news of the disaster at Yorktown reached England, all the ministers in North’s cabinet, save one, Lord Germain, Secretary of State for America and in charge of prosecuting the war, were looking for a way to cut the losses and mediate an end to the war. He, with the backing of the king, still thought the war was winnable.
-1781, that “opinion was that those who could understand were against the American war, as almost every man is now…” read James Boswell’s diary entry.
We Brits referred to it as 'A thumb in the Kings eye' You have to keep in mind that many Brits had family in the colonies and the idea of shedding the ruling classes would bring a grin to any limeys face.
Thanks!
Thank you so much! Your contribution is appreciated!
Great video!! I’ve always loved history, and the American Revolution is one of my favorite wars to read about. Even more so now that I’ve done my family genealogy and discovered a 6th great-grandfather who fought in it! He enlisted a day or two after Bunker Hill, fought at the end of the Quebec campaign, was at the siege of Boston, fought at Trenton and Princeton, then at both battles at Saratoga, went through the winter at Valley Forge, and his last big battle was at Monmouth. He did serve for the duration and was mustered out in 1782. After the war, he married the daughter of a New York Loyalist who didn’t sign the Oath of Allegiance to the Revolution until he was tossed onto a prison ship for three weeks.
I'm gonna fuggin hug you great video
Outstanding presentation! Much appreciated 👏 👏 👏
Thank you!
Thank you for you work and thorough research!!! A+
Much appreciated!
Highly recommend downloading 'The Haldiman Papers' for a very intimate view of 'Loyalist' activity during the 'War of the Revolting Americans', their few defeats and remarkable success. Makes for some remarkable reading & tells stories of good men long forgotten by almost all.
Thank you for a well constructed and presented video.
Thanks for watching!
Really enjoying your videos, started with Mayflower and working through the revolutionary war. I did take American history in college, but never have had it so clearly and methodically explained as in your videos. The use of the maps is especially helpful. I am now quite interested in American History and now have a greater appreciation when I travel to the New England area. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! That means a lot to me!
great, just found your chanel. what a find.
Welcome aboard!
This is great! Excellent primer, on America history. When you consider how short our history is, in compared to Europe and Asia, just a couple hundred years, it’s crazy that our schools can’t even teach this much.
Thank you!
I was just looking up your channel yesterday to see if you posted anything new lately. Then today you drop this entire documentary. Oh happy days. Thank you for your work, it means so much to me that you do what you do. Do you have outlets to be to directly support you other than likes, comments, views, and subscriptions??
Thank you so much for your kindness. The two outlets I have now for direct support are the merchandise that appears below the videos or the "thanks" button that is listed under the video (it's often in the drop-down menu next to the "download" button under the video). Thank you again for your kindness.
Thank you for this whole series on the Revolution. It was very complex, but you helped to make it clear.
thanks for watching!
Your stuff is top notch. Thanks!
Much appreciated!
Top ten video on YT. Saved and downloaded for later use.
Thank you!
Thank you for this. It was an excellent presentation.
Much appreciated!
Just in time for the weekend...love it!
Thanks for watching!
The whole conflict in one video. Well done. I’d be interested in your bibliography.
I really enjoyed that. Its always odd to me that Howe seemed content with just sitting in NYC for nearly the entire conflict.
There is suspicion that some of the British generals like Howe were sort of sympathizers. There is question about why Howe didn't just crush Washington at Valley Forge.
Really excellent work!!!
I appreciate it!
Excellent video! I had forgotten about Nathan Hale. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you for watching!
Awesome video! You’ve earned my subscription and like! I’ve been complaining for years about every history peace forgetting or just omitting St. Ledgers part in Burgoyne’s pincher plan to take Albany. Especially the ambush of General Herkimer at Oriskany where Mohawks with the British fired upon other Iroquois that were with General Herkimer, thereby breaking the Great Peace established amongst the Iroquois nations by Hiawatha almost 400 years prior.
The Iroquois campaign in the Revolution is a critical part of the story, and it's often overlooked.
Been waiting for this
I finally got it done. I know it took a while.
Didn't mean it like that lol
This is such a well put together video.
Thank you!
@@JeffreytheLibrarian I hope your channel grows.
Your information is very good, thank you very much. I was wondering if you had more on the age of discovery especially Christopher Columbus.
I have one video called "Age of Exploration" on this topic. Although I will have more to come.
Very nicely done!! Thank you!!
Thank you!
That.. was astounding. I LOOOVED the fact that America’s birthplace started Jamestown, just 15 miles away, in Yorktown, after 174 years, it was finally solidified. 😆 GREAT presentation
Thank you! I love the fact that Yorktown is down the road from Jamestown. Everything gets tied back together.
This presentation was spot on loved it!
Much appreciated!
Such a great recounting of history. Stirring stuff! I'm an ex-pat Brit, been in the US since 1977... as a citizen now for 40 years, I still get a lump in my throat on the recounting of the bravery of the founding fathers and all the Patriots. God Bless America!
Thanks for watching! Somehow Washington pulled it off.
This is a really good video I know it took a lot of time thank you
Thank you! It is a lot of work, but it is worth it!
outstanding video, I can see why they didn't go over the whole war in school, Iam taken by surprised to know how litle i know of this most important event in American History, thank you for your time and energy to do this
Thank you for your nice comments. It was a labor of love.
Love that Fort Mifflin and Mercer got a mention! quietly very important fights, and Fort Mifflin is still around today for visits
I like to include as many local places as possible to make these big events come home.
Awesome video, thanks!
Thank you for watching!
Its easy to forget that Americans fought each other a lot during this war. In many ways, it was our first civil war
That's a great point.
What a great presentation …… maybe your best video….
Thank you!
This is so well researched. Only wished you briefly stated the reasons for the revolution in the first place, as it gives off the vibe that the video is cut off at the start.
Thanks for the feedback. I cover the causes in the previous video, Revolutionary Stirrings, 1763-1775
Great stuff, JtL. 👍
Thank you!
Can you please make a video from 1781 leading up to the American Civil War!? I’m about 7 hours in on American history thanks to you! 😂 Awesome Videos! Thank you!
Thank you! More to come. I'm working on a colonial period one now, but yes, I will continue on with the post Revolution soon.
These videos are gold. ❤From Finland 🇫🇮
Thank you, friend!
Brilliant overview!
I appreciate it!
Wow this was amazing !
Thank you!
Jeffrey, I'd love to see you do a walkthrough of Ultimate General: Civil War or the American Revolution one.
That would be fun. I have played the Civil War game. There was a game back in the 90s called Robert E. Lee: Civil War General that was great, too.
Excellent Presentation!
Thank you!
Excellent. Thanks.
Thank you for watching!
Long form Is awesome
Thank you
It kept getting bigger and bigger.
Excellent video. I'd never heard of Joseph Brant before. He was a pretty tough nut to crack for the early Americans. Any thoughts on a documentary regarding the peace process from 1781-1783?
Yes, sir! I am going to continue chronologically. The next video in this series will be the 1780s.
Excellent videos on the Revolution:)
But I was hoping so much in April 1776 you would have been able to squeeze in the Halifax Resolves in NC being sent to the Continental Congress;)
Thank you for posting! Another great video of our history!
Have you ever considered Sherman’s campaign in the Carolinas?
Thank you! Yes, I will get to each part of the Civil War. We will get to Sherman.
Amazing video.
Thank you!
22:35 Campbell and Sullivan are maiden surnames of 2nd great grandmothers of mine.
41:47 Thank you for talking about Fort Mercer, it’s an often overlooked and forgotten important area in the Revolutionary War and the reason why Southern New Jersey was able to resist the British occupation as long as they did.
I try to get as many towns and forts in as I can, because so many people live near these interesting places and have no idea the role they played.
Fun fact: in November 1777, the Marquis de Lafayette defeated a British force in Gloucester City, NJ. It’s called the Battle of Gloucester (1777)
this is a great video btw, but based on the way you're telling it i mean i feel like the british couldve gone on? They still held onto New York after all those years as well as several major southern cities, I don't really understand how they saw the battle of yorktown as a large enough defeat to warrant surrender
This is just super. It should form the spine of a national curriculum on the subject - because it organizes the geography and time line so succinctly they can be covered in a couple of classroom hours or as a homework assignment. That would free up teachers to focus on interesting social topics of their choosing, such as what the term "all men" might have meant in a place like Philadelphia at a time like 1776.
Lol
Thanks for watching!
Oh our government wouldn’t like that. It might undo the garbage they have been force feeding our kids for the 25-30years
This was a great one over the world brief of this time period. But I wish you would do one a little more detailed covering the time period 17Oct1781 until the Treaty of Paris of 03Sept1783. There were still lots of local conflicts and actions going on.
I will cover the treaty in the next video on this timeline. I thought about getting to the treaty, but the video was so big. The process will be covered in the future.
@JeffreytheLibrarian Many thanks. But please cover as much as possible all the little scrapes in the South that Nathaniel Greene had to clean up and the residual loyalist action in the North.. Hit on Privateering, which was still a biggie, post 17Oct1781.. You have a great channel. Keep up the good work.
Really well done.
I appreciate it!
1:23:32 Just a heads up, the British surrender at Kut in 1916 was larger than that of Yorktown…
Within 15 secs I knew I found my sleep time video! And I say that with the most respect!
Thank you!
Jeffrey's videos focus on the tactics of each little military movement but forget about the motives and the strategies behind the revolution
The motives are covered in the previous video, "Revolutionary Stirrings, 1763-1775."
@@JeffreytheLibrarian the serial videos which abut each other by year do not mention nor focus on ongoing motive. The fact that the American revolution was the first in modern history and got its revolutionary ideas and thoughts from the French, as well as the importance of the French helping the Americans during their struggle to win over the British are not even touched upon. These deserve at least a mention albeit brief.
A topic often ignored by yt gamers is supply/logistics challenges.
I think that will be a great topic for your research abilities.
That's a great idea. I do intend to do supply in the future.
That was the first thing I thought of. How did they ever manage to keep so many men, women, and children supplied in the field? They must really have been marching and fighting on almost nothing.
Excellent job.
Excellent video. So much I didn't know.
In my hometown of Philadelphia, there's a house (in Germantown) that has holes from musket balls from the battle fought there. I wonder: Are there other locations that still have evidence with the scars of battles from the Revolutionary War? I think history becomes real when people are able to see and touch what actually occurred.
Boston, Massachusettes is named after Boston, England and Massachusettes is named after an Agawam ( an Algonquian Native American Tribe ) Chief Massasets.
Seeing that Concord is so far inland, makes me question why there would ever be "two if by sea..."?
One thing I’ve always pondered is if we hadn’t rebelled against our mother country, would they have ended slavery and repatriated the Africans back to Africa?
Great presentation. My only disagreement is that I believe the Battle of Brooklyn (aka Battle of Long Island) was the biggest. Funny thing is that I grew up and went to school in that section and the Battle was hardly mentioned
*this really speaks pride to my American heart*
And shout out to Spain and the Netherlands also. I always knew the French helped us but I had no idea Spain and Netherlands did too. Not at all as much, but still deserves major props
USA definitely had some serious help from allies.
Best down to the details explanation 👌🏽But two things I was looking for is after the towns, cities and colonies of America when and how where each of the actual individual states made before the United States?
you don't need to state that you're zooming out or in, it can be clearly seen
I CANT BELIEVE your opening account. No mention that PR's ride was to warn Adams and Handcock AND provoke the Brits with that shot, same plan Adams had used in Boston for years, but didn't get away with it thanks to his sober brother.
I got to get the whole war in a single video. In the future I can drill through the details on Revere.
I wonder how the 2nd American Revolution will be told and by whom?
As soon as I hear Paul Revere really didn't go on his poetic ride, I gotta comment. Hopefully we get to hear the actual version of American history not the tall tales passed on to us. I do wonder why we as a culture feel we must lie about it. A bunch unscrupulous businessmen wanted the land to the east, land The Crown had said was off limits and illegally purchased large swaths of it for themselves. This was indigenous lands that was being sold. Of the scoundrels was a tall, quiet, unassuming man that liked to wear his military uniform to traitorous meetings. Shockingly he was offered the job when it came up to rebel against his now former employer as he took the job as head of the Revolutionary Army. If he didn't make sure the traitors won, he of course would have been punished for breaking the law.
I do wish more history was done in that manner instead of "down and trodden-on farmers to heroes against a mighty war machine and overbearing ruler". To refer to the traitors as "patriots" already assumes a version of history is to be told plus it is so overused and misused by the undeserving as of late. With that said, I realise my fellow countrymen won't appreciate this, King George actually measured and contributed to the information on the transit of Venus.
Taxation without permission was just an excuse. It was changed to "taxation without representation" when we became a representative democracy. Just another alteration to our history.
A couple other titbits. Franklin didn't fly the kite to determine that lighting was a big static charge, likely done in France with a pole and a wine bottle, obviously. He wrote and I severely paraphrase, that England will always be better with the American Colonies at her side. Seventeen years later he had changed his mind.
The scoundrel from above, yes Washington. Fathered multitudes of slave children by the raping of women and never released not a one slave upon his death. Sure he returned to the capitol, if you could call it that, with a victorious army and relinquished command. What other General has ever done that but he did just ensure he wasn't going to jail in winning the war.
Edit, almost forgot. The Liberty Bell, not battle damaged, that is how you repair a poor casting. That is all it was. Just more lies.
Why did Burgoyne surrendur 41:25 ? Why doesn't he just march back north?
I believe he had been encircled and was vastly outnumbered. He had no other options.
His troops ,and all the wives, children, and camp followers (which was very large ), were so short on supplies that he couldn't maintain them. That Hessian defeat in it's bid for supplies was a desperation move. The American forces had slowed his way south every way they could, felling trees and blocking roads. And, as Jeffery points out, the delay had given the Americans a chance to substantially increase their forces.
I wondered the same thing. Fort Ticonderoga was still held by the British at that time.
Thank you for such a clear and concise explanation of the American Revolution.
(Defund Higher Education!!)