Notes

The eventual victory over England left the colonies in need of a new government. The thirteen colonies needed to be united under one government, yet at the same time, remain independent states. The solution to this problem was a government organized under a supreme law called The Constitution. The new government was a democratic republic. Democratic refers to the belief that men are born free and equal. A republic is a form of government in which the people elect representatives to vote for them in the congress.
Vocabulary
claim A piece of land that someone claims as his own.
governor A person appointed by England to be in charge of each colony.
republic Nation where the people elect representatives to manage the government.
territory Land or region.
treaty An agreement between two countries.
The surrender of Cornwallis and his army was the main battle that led to independence. However, the war went on for months before the British government was ready to make peace. Treaty of Paris. The war was growing more unpopular all the time in England. Attempts to draw up a treaty dragged on for more than a year.

The Treaty of Paris, in 1783, finally ended the war. It gave the Americans just about everything they had fought for during the past eight years. The British king acknowledged that the thirteen states were free and independent. He recognized their claim to territory as far west as the Mississippi, as far north as Canada, and as far south as Florida. Not only had a nation been born, it had proved to the world that America was able to defend itself. The colonial government. While the colonies were at war with England, they all worked together for the common good. The central government was the Continental Congress. However, the congress had very little power. The Continental Congress could not raise money through taxes or maintain an army.

In 1781, while the colonies were still at war, a set of rules for governing the nation was written. This set of rules was called the Articles of Confederation. Soon these Articles were found to be unsatisfactory. They did not unite the colonies enough. The government did not have enough power to do what it needed to do.Sarah really missed her father, brother, and friends who were fighting in the war. She was sixteen now. Sometimes she wondered if the war would ever end. Mother had gone to the army camps several times to help with mending and cooking. Mother looked tired these days, and Sarah prayed that the fighting would soon end. They had lost so many good friends.

Yorktown. General Cornwallis and the British army fought their way north to Yorktown. They waited there for the British ships to bring supplies and more men. However, the sails that came over the horizon did not belong to the British navy. They belonged to the French ships. The French ships kept the British navy from reaching Cornwallis. Meanwhile, Washington's troops marched south and, with the French troops, surrounded the British army in Yorktown. The combined French and American forces attacked the British lines. On October 19, 1781, Cornwallis' army had to surrender.