Skills used
Using scale to measure distance
Materials Needed
Globe in Horizon Ring Mounting
Lesson
Not all of the fighting in our country's Revolutionary War was done in America. Though small, the colonies had a navy, and some of the naval conflicts of the war took place far from the shores of America. One of the most famous sea battles of the Revolutionary War involved the United States ship Bonhomme Richard, commanded by Captain John Paul Jones, and the British warship Serapis.
John Paul Jones was a Scot that sailed for the United States from a French port in a donated French ship that had been renamed to honor Benjamin Franklin. His encounter with the Serapis took place in the North Sea where he had been raiding English ports and shipping. Though the Bonhomme Richard was lost, the Americans won the battle and captured the Serapis.
Find the North Sea on your globe at 55N/3E. What is the large country just to the south and southeast of the North Sea? (1.) ________________________ What large country joins Germany on the west? (2.) _______________________ What large country joins France on the south?(3.) _____________________
Germany, France, and Spain, were all allies of the colonists near the end of the war. Look at the geographical relationship of these countries to England. As you can see, in addition to having to support large armies and long supply lines for the battles in America, England had her hands full with conflicts in her own backyard.