Question

namelesson 1 summary, continued3. identifying evidence underline the advantages that the patriots had over the british.4. determining central ideas why were colonists afraid to form a strong national government during the war?advantages of the patriotsthe patriots did have some advantages over the loyalists. they were fighting on their own land. in addition, the british had to ship soldiers and supplies across the atlantic ocean.the patriots were also fighting for a cause that was very important to them—their independence. as a result, they had a greater sense of purpose than the british. the british often used mercenaries, or paid soldiers, from germany to fight for them. the americans called them “hessians.” they did not have as much at stake as the colonists who were fighting for freedom.george washington’s leadership was the patriot’s greatest advantage. without his courage and determination, the war could have taken a very different turn.the continental armyafter the declaration of independence was written, the continental congress served as the national government of the colonies. however, the powers of the congress were limited. because it could not raise money by taxing colonists, it could not supply the money needed for the war effort.some members of congress, led by james madison, called for a stronger national government to unite the colonies during the war. many colonists disagreed. they were fighting to free themselves from british rule and did not want to transfer that same power to the continental congress.because there was not a strong national government, the american revolution was really 13 separate wars, with each state fighting for its own interests. this made it hard for congress to raise money and recruit, or enlist, soldiers.many of the soldiers in the patriot army were members of their local militias. they were used to fighting for a short time in their own colony and then returning home. some were farmers who could not leave their land for long periods of time.it was important for the patriots to form a real army whose soldiers could travel outside their home colonies. the soldiers needed to be well trained and paid for their efforts. to meet this need, congress established the continental army.at first, soldiers signed up for a year at a time. although george washington convinced congress to ask soldiers to sign for three-year terms or until the war ended, most still signed up for only one year. it was difficult to find good military leaders for the continental army.

Explanation:

For Question 3:

The text explicitly lists the Patriots' advantages over the British. These include fighting on their own home territory, having a strong personal stake in winning independence (giving them greater purpose), and the leadership of George Washington.

For Question 4:

Colonists feared forming a strong national government because they had just fought to free themselves from the overbearing power of British rule. They did not want to transfer that same level of centralized power to a new national government like the Continental Congress, as they worried it would replicate the oppressive control they had escaped.

Answer:

1. The Patriots' advantages (to underline):

• Fighting on their own land
• Fighting for a critical cause (independence) with greater sense of purpose
• George Washington's leadership

1. Colonists were afraid to form a strong national government because they had just fought to escape the oppressive power of British rule, and did not want to give a new national government the same kind of overbearing authority they had resisted from Britain.