An American Crisis

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An American Crisis

Author: William M. Fowler Jr.
Publisher: Walker & Company
Copyright: 2011
Pages: 352
Cover Price: $ 26.00

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Most people believe the American Revolution ended in October, 1781, after the battle of Yorktown; in fact the war continued for two more traumatic years. During that time, the Revolution came closer to being lost than at any time in the previous half dozen. The British still held New York, Savannah, Wilmington, and Charleston; the Royal Navy controlled the seas; the states--despite having signed the Articles of Confederation earlier that year--retained their individual sovereignty and, largely bankrupt themselves, refused to send any money in the new nation's interest; members of Congress were in constant disagreement; and the Continental army was on the verge of mutiny.

William Fowler's An American Crisis chronicles these tumultuous and dramatic two years, from Yorktown until the British left New York in November 1783. At their heart was the remarkable speech Gen. George Washington gave to his troops camped north of New York in Newburgh, quelling a brewing rebellion that could have overturned the nascent government.

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Background Information

Wilmingtno, founded in 1638, is the largest city in Delaware. New York City at the mouth of the Hudson River is the largest city in America. The Yorktown campaign allowed the French and American forces to combat the British on land and sea and eventually force the surrender of General Cornwallis in 1781. Charleston, South Carolina, was the center of secession sentiment before the Civil War and the place where fighting began. The Articles of Confederation were drawn up during the American Revolution to define the national government, but were too weak to achieve their goals and were replaced by the US Constitution. The Continental Army was a poorly paid, under-equipped force that fought the British and gained American independence during the Revolution.