Days Gone By: A Reflection

Whew! What a semester.  You guys have worked so hard and it is an honor to be your teacher.  You have no idea how much I enjoy our time together each day.  I'm looking forward to great things after Christmas.

For this week's blog, please spend at least 30 minutes on www.earlyamerica.com.  Check out the stories, music, videos, documentsim ages etc.  Learn something new.  Remind yourself of thing's we've covered.  In the comments section, list the 20 most interesting things you "discovered" on this website.  This week's blog is worth 100 points.

Yorktown: The End of the Beginning

The war had many twists and turns and eventually Cornwallis found himself trapped at Yorktown.  A French naval fleet off the coast of Virginia and Washington's men, along with Rochambeau's as well, facing him to the west.  The battle lasted ten days and Cornwallis finally waved the proverbial white flag.  This was not the last battle of the war, as many assume, but it was the last major victory for the Patriots and signaled the eventual defeat of the British.  Remember, the British surrendered in October of 1781 and the Treaty of Paris was not finalized until 1783.

For this week's blog, read this article and watch these videos about the British surrender at Yorktown. (FYI: At the end of Part One on YouTube you'll be prompted to "click here for the next part".  Make sure you do that so you can see the entire episode.) Included in the comments section your general thoughts on Yorktown.  Should Cornwallis have surrendered?  Was it a brilliant tactical move by the Patriots or another blunder by the British?