Lesson 21: The Victory at Yorktown and Washington as President
In larger histories, you will read of the many battles of the Revolution and of the sad sufferings of Washington's soldiers, who were sometimes obliged to march barefoot, leaving tracks of blood on the frozen ground. Sometimes a soldier had to sit up by the fire all night for want of a blanket to cover himself with. There were not many people in this country then, and they were mostly farmers, with but little money. They were fighting against England, which was the richest and strongest nation of that time. But after a while, France sent men and ships to help the United States finish the war.
The Revolutionary War lasted about seven years in all. A great victory which Washington gained when the war had lasted more than six years really finished the struggle.
General Cornwallis, the same whom Washington had fooled when he slipped out of Trenton, had won several victories over American troops in the Southern States. But he could not subdue the people, who were always ready to rise up again when he thought he had conquered them. Cornwallis marched northward from Carolina into Virginia, where he did a great deal of damage. Washington was at the North watching New York, which was occupied by English troops. He thought if he could capture the fine army which Cornwallis commanded in Virginia he might end the war.
So, making every sign that he was going to attack New York, in order that soldiers might not be sent from New York to join General Cornwallis, Washington marched at the head of the American and French armies toward the South. On the way, he visited his home at Mount Vernon for the first time in six years.
Soon, Cornwallis and his army were shut up in Yorktown, as Washington had once been shut up by Cornwallis in Trenton. But Cornwallis was not allowed to escape as Washington did. Troops were sent all around him like a net to keep him from getting away, while the French ships in Chesapeake Bay stopped him from getting any help by way of the sea. The fighting about Yorktown was very severe, and the most splendid courage was shown by both the American and the French soldiers in charging the redoubts. The English fought with the greatest stubbornness on their side.
During the assaults Washington stood where he could see the bravery of the troops. One of his aides told him that it was a dangerous place for him to be in.
"If you think so you are at liberty to step back," said Washington.
Presently a musket ball struck a cannon near him and rolled at his feet. General Knox grasped Washington's arm, and said, "My dear general, we cannot spare you yet."
"It is a spent ball. No harm is done," answered Washington.
Finding he could no longer resist, Cornwallis surrendered, and the war virtually closed by the taking of Yorktown. The people of England had never liked this oppressive war, and the next year the English government felt obliged to acknowledge the independence of the United States.
Washington did not seek to make himself a king or a ruler over the country he had set free. When his work was over, he gladly gave up command of the army, and went back to become, as he said, "a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac." While all the world was praising him, he went to work again taking care of his lands and crops at Mount Vernon, with the intention of never leaving his home for public life again.
But the people soon found that their government was not strong enough. Each State was almost a little country by itself, and the nation Washington and others had fought so hard to set free seemed about to fall into thirteen pieces. So a convention was called, to meet in Philadelphia in 1787, five years after the close of the Revolution. This convention, of which Washington was the president, made a new Constitution, which should bind all the States together into one country under the rule of a President and Congress.
When the new Constitution had been adopted, it became necessary to choose a President. Everybody wanted Washington to leave his fields and be the first President. He was elected by almost all the votes cast.
At that time, the capital of the country was New York. There were no railroads or telegraphs, so a messenger had to be sent from New York to Mount Vernon to tell General Washington that he had been chosen as the first President of the United States. As the general traveled to New York, the people turned out everywhere to do him honor. They rode by his carriage, and they welcomed him with public dinners in the towns. When he got to Trenton, out of which he had marched to escape from Cornwallis and fight the battle of Princeton, he found the bridge over which he had marched that night beautifully decorated. A triumphal arch had been erected by the women of Trenton. As the President passed beneath it, girls dressed in white sang a song of victory and strewed flowers before him.
When he reached Elizabethtown Point, there was in waiting for him a handsome large barge. In this he was rowed by thirteen master-pilots dressed in white, and six other barges kept him company. The whole city of New York welcomed him with every possible honor. On the 30th of April, 1789, he took the oath of office in the presence of a great throng of people.
Washington was again elected President in 1792. He refused to be elected a third time, and after publishing a farewell address to the country, he left the presidency in 1797. He died at Mount Vernon in 1799.
Lesson 21: The Victory at Yorktown and Washington as President
Directions
Study the lesson for one week.
Over the week:
Read and/or listen to the story.
Review the synopsis.
Study the vocabulary terms.
Complete the enrichment activities.
Answer the review questions.
Synopsis
America had little money for a war, while England was the richest country of the time. Consequently, American soldiers suffered terribly during the Revolutionary War, marching on bare bloody feet and sleeping in the bitter cold with no blankets. America was helped by France, who sent troops to fight with the Americans. The war officially lasted seven long years. The battle at Yorktown was a decisive battle that led to the end of war. British General Cornwallis had won several victories in the south and was now in Virginia. General George Washington pretended to launch an attack against the British in New York, while marching down to Virginia to take General Cornwallis by surprise. The Americans surrounded Cornwallis and his troops, and the French ships blocked the sea path. Cornwallis eventually surrendered, and Washington took Yorktown. When the war ended, Washington returned to his farm at Mount Vernon, thinking himself finally retired from public life. However, Washington was called to lead a constitutional convention in Philadelphia, where he and others wrote the American constitution that called for the thirteen new states to bind together under the rule of a President and a Congress. Washington was chosen to be the first President and was re-elected for a second term. He refused to be considered for a third term. He finally retired to Mount Vernon, where he died at the age of 67.
Vocabulary
Aide: An officer who conveys the orders of a general. Spent Ball: A ball that has almost stopped moving. Barge: A large rowboat. Oath of Office: A sworn pledge to perform the duties of an office. Constitution: A written plan of government which tells how and by whom laws shall be made and carried out, what kinds of laws can be made, and what laws cannot be made. Convention: A meeting or gathering. President: The head of state of a republic, a representative democracy and sometimes a dictatorship. Congress: A legislative body of a state.
Enrichment
Activity 1: Narrate the Story
Narrate the events aloud in your own words.
Activity 2: Study the Story Picture
Study the story picture and describe how it relates to the story.
Activity 3: Study Mount Vernon
Study Mount Vernon, George Washington's Virginia plantation, which still stands today.
Note the Potomac River in the foreground.
Activity 4: Complete Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Art
Click the crayon above. Complete pages 43-44 of 'American History Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Art for Third Grade.'
Activity 5: Study the One-Dollar Bill
Study the one-dollar bill.
Who appears on the one-dollar bill?
Why is it fitting that he appears on the ONE-dollar bill?
Activity 6: Read the Preamble to the Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the highest law of the United States. Read the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Review
Question 1
Were the American soldiers well-equipped during the Revolutionary War?
1 / 9
Answer 1
No, some soldiers did not even have shoes or blankets.
1 / 9
Question 2
Which country sent troops to America to help fight the Revolutionary War against the British?
2 / 9
Answer 2
The French sent soldiers to help the Americans fight the Revolutionary War against the British.
2 / 9
Question 3
Which decisive battle featured in the lesson helped to end the Revolutionary War?
3 / 9
Answer 3
The battle of Yorktown helped to end the Revolutionary War.
3 / 9
Question 4
Who were the two leading generals in the battle of Yorktown?
4 / 9
Answer 4
On the British side was General Cornwallis. On the American side was General George Washington.
4 / 9
Question 5
Who won the battle of Yorktown and the Revolutionary War?
5 / 9
Answer 5
The Americans won the battle of Yorktown and eventually the war against the British.
5 / 9
Question 6
What did George Washington and others draft in Philadelphia to bind together the thirteen states of America?
6 / 9
Answer 6
George Washington and others wrote the American constitution in Philadelphia.
6 / 9
Question 7
What two ruling structures were established in the constitution?
7 / 9
Answer 7
The President and the Congress were established in the constitution.
7 / 9
Question 8
Who was chosen to be the first President of the United States?
8 / 9
Answer 8
George Washington was chosen to be the first President of the United States.
8 / 9
Question 9
Why wasn't George Washington elected President for a third term?
9 / 9
Answer 9
George Washington refused to be considered for a third term.
Were the American soldiers well-equipped during the Revolutionary War?
No, some soldiers did not even have shoes or blankets.
Which country sent troops to America to help fight the Revolutionary War against the British?
The French sent soldiers to help the Americans fight the Revolutionary War against the British.
Which decisive battle featured in the lesson helped to end the Revolutionary War?
The battle of Yorktown helped to end the Revolutionary War.
Who were the two leading generals in the battle of Yorktown?
On the British side was General Cornwallis. On the American side was General George Washington.
Who won the battle of Yorktown and the Revolutionary War?
The Americans won the battle of Yorktown and eventually the war against the British.
What did George Washington and others draft in Philadelphia to bind together the thirteen states of America?
George Washington and others wrote the American constitution in Philadelphia.
What two ruling structures were established in the constitution?
The President and the Congress were established in the constitution.
Who was chosen to be the first President of the United States?
George Washington was chosen to be the first President of the United States.
Why wasn't George Washington elected President for a third term?
George Washington refused to be considered for a third term.
References
'Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Charles Stuart. (1797, {PD-old-auto-1923})' Wikipedia. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gilbert_Stuart_Williamstown_Portrait_of_George_Washington.jpg. n.p.
A First Book in American History
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