2. The Final Battle
In August 1781, AMERICAN and FRENCH forces
surrounded the British army at YORKTOWN.
Unable to escape, the BRITISH surrendered in
OCTOBER 1781.
On October 19, the two sides met outside of
YORKTOWN, and 7,000 British soldiers turned
over their weapons to the Americans. The
colonists had WON THE WAR.
5. The Road to Peace
Nearly two years after the war, in September
1783, the two sides signed a peace treaty, the
TREATY OF PARIS.
The treaty included several provisions:
GREAT BRITAIN WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE
INDEPENDENCE OF THE COLONISTS AND
REMOVE ITS TROOPS FROM AMERICAN SOIL
IMMEDIATELY
NEW BOUNDARIES WERE ESTABLISHED
FOR THE US: THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE
WEST, CANADA TO THE NORTH, AND
FLORIDA TO THE SOUTH.
7. Washington’s Farewell
In December 1783, GEORGE WASHINGTON
addressed his troops in a final farewell.
After the war, WASHINGTON retired to his home
at MOUNT VERNON in Virginia, where he
planned to live a quiet life as a farmer with his
family.
