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The American Revolution
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The Boston Massacre
British troops fired directly into a group of colonists standing on the street. More than 400 colonists surrounded the troops, throwing sticks, ice and rocks at them, as well as cursing them. -
The Boston Tea Party
Men disguised as Indians sneaked onto tea ships coming from England and threw 342 cases of tea into the harbor, as well as pouring tea into the sea over the course of three hours. The raiders destroyed 90,000 pounds of tea, worth thousands of dollars. -
The Intolerable Acts
These new laws were so harsh that the colonists called them the Intolerable Acts;
1. Closed the port to Boston.
2 and 3. Increased the powers of the royal governor, abolished the upper house of the Massachusetts legislature, and cut the powers of town meetings.
4. Strengthened the 1765 Quartering Act. -
The Shot Heard Round the World
Five miles from Concord in Lexingrton, 77 minutemen were waiting for the Bristish to arrive. The British told the minutemen to go home, but they refused. A shot rang out -nobody knows who fired it- but it became the first shot of the American Revolution. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Americans surrounding Boston were not trained soldiers, so nobody knew if they would stand and fight against the British troops. The first British attack failed, as well as the second. The third attack succeeded, only because the Americans ran out of ammunition and had to retreat. The British won, but more than 100 were either killed or wounded. -
The Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independance is divided into three main parts; the first section states general ideas about the government and society. The second section contains a list of complaints for the king. The third section states that colonies are "free and independemt states . . .and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britan is, and ought to be totally dissolved." -
Battle of Saratoga
THe British forces were to drive toward Albany, New York from three directions. This plan ran into trouble immediantly. The Americans had 6,000 men ready to fight when the British attacked. After suffering, the British surrendered on October 17, 1777. The victory ended the British threat to New England and it destroyed the hopes of an easy victory for the British. The battle also helped to convince Europeans that Americans -
Battle of Yorktown
This was the final battle. Cornwallis moved his troops to the Yorktown peninsula while Washington rushed toward Virginia with American and French troops and Cornwallis found himself in a trap. After three weeks he had no choice but to surrender.
