10/18/16

Aliya Whitaker
4500 Crown Road

Museum of The American Revolution

101 South Third Street
Philadelphia PA 19106

Dear Rosie Arnold,

My name is Aliya and Im a 16 year old senior at Innovation Tech. Including my project about
the Battle of Yorktown is beneficial to your museum because the Battle of Yorktown was the last
major battle of the American Revolution and I know I can put together a strong project with
accurate information that will attract museum-goers. I know my family, friends and I would be
more likely to go to your museum if it had interactive elements like my project does, such as a
diorama.

The Battle of Yorktown triggered the British surrender in 1781. British General Charles
Cornwallis led 8,000 British troops to Yorktown. They were expecting British ships sent from
New York to help, however, they never arrived. The Battle of Yorktown was the last major
conflict and during this time the British ran out of food and ammunition leading to their
surrender, which ended the eight year long war; therefore America gained independence.

The Battle of Yorktown led to the Treaty of Paris which got its name because it was negotiated
in Paris, France. The Treaty of Paris officially ended the revolutionary war. It was signed
September 3, 1783 and declared independence. The U.S. could now have its own government
and laws. The new nation began to expand and the British made a promise to remove all British
troops. The Treaty of Paris formally recognized the United States as a free & independent
nation after eight years of war.

As a high school student who is not really interested in history, I see the need for your museum
to include this major event from our history in a meaningful, interactive, and fun way to
encourage more students to learn and to help bring more funds to your museum.

Thank you for your time,

Aliya Whitaker
Innovation Tech
awhitaker@innovationtech.us