General lord charles cornwallis biography for kids

Charles Cornwallis is probably most well-known for being the British commander who surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

He did have an otherwise successful military career and, before the war, had a good amount of sympathy for the complaints of America's colonists.

Cornwallis was born in London on Dec. 31, 1738, to parents Charles and Elizabeth.

His father was the 1st Earl Cornwallis. Young Charles studied at Eton and then at Clare College, Cambridge.

General lord charles cornwallis biography for kids

General lord charles cornwallis biography for kids video

General lord charles cornwallis biography for kids youtube

What was general cornwallis famous for

What did charles cornwallis do in the revolutionary war

He studied at a military academy in Turin, Italy, and saw his future in the military. He joined the British Army, serving in the Seven Years War for a few years. He was elected to Parliament in 1760 and then succeeded his father in the House of Lords.

Cornwallis opposed the Stamp Act, voting to repeal it, and was one of only five members of the House of Lords to vote against the Declaratory Act, a 1766 statue that reaffirmed Parliament's authority in the American colonies.

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