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Endurance and Triumph
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For the United States, independence had been won at considerable
cost. Precise casualty figures will never be known. But many historians
believe that about 25,000 Americans lost their lives in the Revolutionary
War. If correct, this would mean that the war claimed nearly 1 of every
100 people living in the 13 states at the time.
How, and why, had Patriots endured such sacrifice? “Remember offi-
cers and soldiers,” George Washington had once urged his troops, “that
you are free men, fighting for the blessings of liberty.” That simple idea
had proved irresistible.
Text-dependent questions
1. Who took command of the Continental Army’s South-
ern Department after the disastrous Battle of Camden?
2. Why was the Battle of the Capes important?
3. Where was the final major battle of the Revolutionary
War?
Research project
The Revolutionary War officially ended in 1783. But some
historians say the American Revolution wasn’t complete until 1789.
That year, a new federal government began under the United States
Constitution. Read about the Constitution. How, and why, was it
drafted? How was it ratified? Incorporate what you learn into a
timeline.