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Benjamin Franklin served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was very significant in this role, as he helped draft the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation. Due to this, he was chosen by the Continental Congress to be one of its first ministers to France. He also went on to become the first American diplomat. -
Crispus Attucks was a sailor, who was shot and killed in March of 1770 during the Boston Massacre, and became known as the first official casualty of the American Revolution. -
He served in the Continental Army for a large majority of the American Revolution. He was appointed the Major General and Inspector General of the CA, as Washington recommended. He trained troops how to march, use a bayonet, and execute orders on the battlefield. -
During the Revolutionary War, Washington was appointed commander of the Continental Army. He had limited experience in the field of commanding but still led his army to victory at Yorktown and secured Independence of his new nation in 1781. -
King George III played a large role in the American Revolution, he taxed the colonists for tea which made them complain about taxation without representation, he made sure everyone was firm on shutting down their rebellion, and he was uncompromising with the American's needs for Independence from Britain. -
Cornwallis was a British army officer, serving during the Revolutionary War. He's very well known for his surrender at the Siege of Yorktown because it efficiently ended the hostilities and led to peace negotiations between Great Britain and the U.S. -
An early hero in the beginning of the war, Benedict Arnold was a part of the capturing of the British garrison of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. But in 1776, he held a British invasion of New York. -
The French and Indian War, also known as The Seven Years' War, began when French that were located in Canada started building forts along the Ohio River. The colonists, who at the time were still British, saw this as an attack. YouTube -
Molly Pitcher in the Revolutionary War was a huge step up for women in history. At this time, women were looked at as merely property that had to stay home and tend to the house and the children, and this mindset would persist for another 200 years. Molly Pitcher, although she didn't fight the war, she was still crucial. She was said to have carried water back and forth for the soldier and supplying them with medical care, etcetera. -
The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by the British crown at the conclusion of the French and Indian War. It set territorial limits on how far European colonists could settle in America. It was designed to please the Native Americans and created a boundary known as the "Proclamation line". (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vKGU3aEGss) -
When parliament decided that the colonists should help fund the French and Indian War, they implemented taxes on imported goods in England. YouTube -
The Sons of Liberty were a group of instigators who often resorted to threats and even violence in order to intimidate loyalists and enrage the British government. -
This meant that anyone living in the colonies had to house soldiers who needed a place to stay. They were to provide food, housing, and other supplies. This really set the colonists off because it prevented them from getting away from the soldiers after the outcome of the French and Indian War. -
The Stamp Act meant that anything being printed or written in the colonies had to be marked up by a Stamp to show that a tax had been paid. This was implemented to help raise money for the soldiers that were living in the colonies. -
This Act had to deal with trade among the colonies. Taxes were implemented on glass, paint, lead, and tea. In response, the colonists boycotted these goods -
King George III sent troops out to Boston, claiming that it was to protect the British lands won during the French and Indian War. Many colonists weren't happy about this, they didn't like having British soldiers in their city, and one night, shots were fired, killing 5 people in the Boston Massacre. YouTube -
Towns, counties, and colonies from Nova Scotia and Georgia each had their own committee, and they each wrote back and forth to each other in order to express ideas, confirm mutual assistance, and to debate and coordinate resistance to British policy. -
He planned an invasion scheme and he was appointed to command a force that was going south from Canada to split the New England from the rebellion. -
This was a law that allowed British East India Company to sell tea along the colonies for super cheap. This wasn't the most fortunate because the merchants in the colonies couldn't compete with the cheap prices, and they were still paying taxes on tea.
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Once parliament allowed the British East India to sell tea along the colonies for cheap prices, merchants in the colonies were unable to compete, and began to boycott the British tea. On December 16th, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves, boarded ships, and poured 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. YouTube -
The Intolerable Act were laws passed by parliament and King George III in response to the Boston Tea Party. They closed off the Boston Harbor until all the money lost during the tea dump was paid back. -
The Colonists were extremely upset with the British government for the laws and taxes without representation. So in September of 1774, reps from all the colonies, excluding Georgia, met up in Philadelphia, where they decided to cut off trade with Britain, and disobey any British laws that stripped away their natural rights, -
In 1774, Parliament passed what was known as the Intolerable Acts in response to the rebellion among the colonies. They closed Boston Harbor and strengthened the power of the royal governor. -
Representatives from the colonies met again in May of 1775 where George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry were all in attendance. They discussed the possibility of breaking off from England, but many people thought this was a bad idea since the colonies had always been protected by England. Instead, Congress decided to write a letter to King George III called the Olive Branch Petition. -
The battle of Lexington and Concord is often referred to as "the shot heard 'round the world", because this was where the first shot was fired. It marked the beginning of the Revolutionary war, with many soldiers, called "minutemen", ready to fight at a minute's notice. -
The Continental Army was created to coordinate military efforts throughout the colonies during the war with the British. The goal of the British was to maintain control over the American colonies. -
This was the first major battle of the Revolutionary War, which overlooked Boston, Massachusetts. The location of this battle held great significance and as the British closed in on the American's, Colonel Prescott advised his men to not shoot until they could see the whites of their eyes, as they were low on ammunition. They listened and the British retreated, but once they closed back in, the American's were too low on ammo, and they had to go into on-hand combat, where the British won. -
At the conclusion of the Second Continental Congress, Congress decided to draft a petition to King George III. This was called the Olive Branch Petition. It asked the King to try and find a solution to the ongoing issues with the British government and its American colonies. Thomas Jefferson drafted the first draft, but it was found to be too aggressive. John Dickinson revised it to gear it more towards peace with England rather than American independence. -
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine which encouraged the colonists to cut all ties with the British government. In this famous writing, he attacked King George III for his unfair treatment and regard for the colonies. He wasn't all from the idea of having one person control everyone else, he thought things would be better if everyone ruled themselves. -
The Hessians, in different terms, were known as "auxiliary forces." They were troops raised by their respective German rulers who contracted with Britain to rent out troops. -
Regardless of the fighting that started, the colonies still thought there was a peaceful way to resolve their issues with England. They tried everything; boycotting, writing letters to parliament, and sent petitions The Olive Branch petition sent to King George III, was denied and even taken offensively. Still, the colonies wanted their independence. They formed a committee to draft what is famously known as the Declaration of Independence. YouTube -
The war was devised on August 22, 1776, but was joined on the 27th. The British intended to divide into three sections and catch the Americans off guard, and it worked. Washington watched as his men sacrificed themselves, and was relieved when a fog fell over the battlefield, covering their escape by boat. The British failed to pursue the Americans, giving them time to devise a strategy. Finally, the battle would end in either victory or death for Washington. -
The Battle of Trenton was won by George Washington and his Continental army in December of 1776. Washington and his troops spent 10 hours at least crossing the Delaware River to surprise the German Hessian troops. Crossing the Delaware became easily more dangerous than it was before, but Washington persisted, although not all his men made it to the shore. Once they reached shore, the Hessian's were unprepared to go to battle with the CA. YouTube -
Taking place in Saratoga, New York, this battle was known as "the turning point of the war". This was because it proved to France that the colonies could be at the British. After the battle, France decided to help out the colonies by sending troops, guns, and ships. In the end, the colonies and France became allies. History channel -
Valley Forge was the location of the camp that the Continental Army was trained under General Washington. Upon going to this camp, the Continental Army was a collection of disparate militias, but by the end, they emerged under Washington's leadership as a cohesive and disciplined war force. When the CA arrived, they were desperately low on supplies. Instead of waiting around, they gained materials and got to work on the camp, but still, many died that winter, but Washington remained loyal. -
As British forces moved out of Philadelphia, the Americans attacked the rear which was under command of Cornwallis. Mistakes were made, and Cornwallis gained the advantage, but Washington arrived and rallied the Americans. He placed the artillery under Greene on a hill, and the Americans had the advantage of firing on the British. Clinton pulled the British out in the middle of the night. YouTube -
This was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in Yorktown, Virginia. The Continental Army, led by General Washington, was able to defeat the British troops led by Cornwallis. In October of 1781, Cornwallis surrendered because the British troops were trapped as they were unable to get the necessary supplies; the French controlled the waterways. YouTube -
Just because the Battle of Yorktown was the last official battle of the war, doesn't mean it ENDED the war. The signing of the Treaty of Paris did. It was signed in Paris by the British and American representatives. The Americans laid out many terms that they expected the British to follow up on signing the treaty, such as American independence from Britain. The British requested that the loyalists who stayed be treated fairly. It took a year to sign the treaty due to their negotiations.