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American Revolution
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First Continental Congress
more info The First Continental Congress was a direct response to the Coercive Acts. Delegates from the Thirteen Colonies met in Philadelphia in September 1774. Despit their intolerance with British Rule they still decided agaisnt complete independence. The Congress monitored colonists' loyalties to observe if they were agaisnt Britian or for Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
More Info General Thomas Gage sent 700 Redcoats on the evening of April 18, 1775 to destroy weapons stored at Concord. Paul Revere became notified of this plan and rode from Boston to Lexington and to Concord to warn the minutemen of the Redcoats. At Lexington British soldiers fought a group of minutemen and won. They then went to Concord to destroy the gunpowder. On their way back minutemen killed many redcoats. -
Army of the Continental Congress
More InfoCongress decided that the colonists needed an actual army to be able to defeat the British Army. Washington argued for an army under control of officers appointed by Congress. Many of the Men enlisted had little to lose as they were poor and unmarried. Joining the army meant having food, a wage, and a grant of land. However, in 1777, the army faced the problem of desertion. Food & money were low. The army brought freedom. -
Olive Branch Petition
More Info Congress still wanted to peacefully resolve things with Britain. To do this they sent the Olive Branch petition to London seeking to restore peace. This was ignored by Britain and Britain responded with more restrictions on taxes. In August 1775 King George III declared that the American colonies were in open rebellion. -
Second Continental Congress
More Info The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia again in May 1775. Even though militia were laying seige to the redcoats in Boston, they were still hesistant to defy the King. They saw that they had little hope for a peaceful resolution so they began recruiting soldiers from the colonies to aid Massachusetts. George Washington was appointed the head of the new Army of the Continental Congress which was funded by France. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
More Info This was the first major battle of the war. The British charged the Americans head on three times. The first two failed but the third time the Americans ran out of ammo. Even though the redcoats won, they did so at over 1 000 casualties. Washington arrived with reinforcements in 1776 and the redcoats had to abandon Boston. -
King George III
More Info On August 1775 King George the third declared that the American colonies were in open rebellion and called on his loyal subjects to find traitors and bring them to justice. King George rejected the Olive Branch Petition and instead opted to increase the restrictions on the colonies. This was what led to an actual war. -
Quebec Military Campaign
More InfoThe Americans decided to attack Quebec in 1775. Two American armies headed north. The first of these Armies led by General Montgomery defeated the British at Montreal. The British had to retreat downriver to Quebec. Montgomery pursued and a second army led by Benedict Arnold joined him. The two armies Attacked Quebec city on New Year’s Eve but the British pushed the Americans back and killed Montgomery. -
Benedict Arnold
More InfoBenedict Arnold was one of the heroes of Saratoga but he was then caught doing illegal dealings and was court-martialed. He defected to the British side. He was also at one point trying to surrender West Point to the British for a reward but was discovered before he could do it. He did manage to escape and that is how he joined Britain. Due to his actions, he was branded a traitor. -
Common Sense Published
More InfoThomas Paine published Common Sense in 1774. It was a pamphlet that defended the revolution. It sold easily and fifteen per cent of the male population owned a copy. It was a criticism of monarchies that only protected the rights of themselves and not of their citizens. Paine said that King George was responsible for the injustices inflicted on the colonies. Jefferson would later develop this argument in the Declaration. -
Declaration of Independence
More InfoThe Declaration of Independence is the document written by Thomas Jefferson declaring independence from Britain. It was approved on July 4, 1776. Its assertions that “all men are created equal” were ground breaking at the time. It also criticized King George for enslaving Africans. This is hypocritical of Jefferson who had slaves himself. -
Trenton
More Info On December 25, 1776 Washington led a successful attack on Trenton, New Jersey, defeating the Hessian forces there. After the War, Trenton was briefly the nation’s capital. -
Princeton
More Info Washington claimed victory at Princeton. This victory was during Washington’s crossing of Delaware. General Howe had to come up with another plan now that he could no longer just march into upstate New York. This attack renewed colonists’ faith in the revolution. -
Saratoga
<ahref='http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/93saratoga/93saratoga.htm' >More Info</a>Most of the victories earned by America were due more to the incompetent British command and less to the efforts of Washington and his troops. General Howe moved south into Pennsylvania and defeated the Americans at Brandywine Creek and Germantown. In September 1777, Howe captured the capital of Philadelphia. Howe should have moved north from New York, not south. -
Colonel Francis Marion
More Info Colonel Francis Marion was known as the Swap Fox for his use of guerrilla warfare. He led a group of militia that successfully attacked the British. He primarily attacked in the Southern front. Like Camden.
