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The DeWint House is an old structure located in Tappan, NY, built in 1700 with bricks and stones. This structure is named “DeWint” house because its original owner’s name is Patriot Johannes DeWint. Furthermore, George Washington visited the house twice in 1780 for inspection of a redoubt on the Hudson and the execution of Major John Andre. It also served as a headquarters when Washington and General Guy Carleton were discussing the final withdrawals of British troops from NYC.
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The Sugar Act, also known as Plantation Act or Revenue Act, is an act that was passed on April 5, 1764, by the British government. This regulation required colonists to pay tax on sugar goods and permitted British officers to take goods from smugglers. Eventually, this act made colonists displeased and resulted in them protesting.
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The Stamp Act was created on March 22nd of 1765 by the British Parliament. This act forced the American colonies to pay taxes for printed goods such as magazines, newspapers, and other documents; and the taxes were, of course, used to pay off Britain’s national debt. In return, the American colonists began protesting along with intimidating the tax collectors to quit their job. Because the British were taking some damage from boycotts, this act was repealed later on March 19th, 1766.
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The Townshend Act was a series of laws approved by the British Parliament on June 29, 1767. With the passing of the Townshend Acts, the British were able to tax imported goods. The primary purpose of this was for the British to gain money for salaries and national debt from the collected tax. Because the colonists had no representation in the British Parliament, they couldn’t do anything but protest, which the British reacted to by sending troops to Boston.
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On March 5, 1770, a brutal riot occurred at King Street of Boston, widely known as the Boston Massacre. At first, it was just a small brawl on the street between a British soldier and the American colonists. However, the brawl rapidly developed into a bloody, horrifying slaughter, taking away five men’s lives. This event changed many people’s minds because they were upset by this massacre.
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The Boston Tea Party was a protest held on the 16th of December, 1773, in Boston, Massachusetts. This protest was conducted by Samuel Adams and many other American colonists who were against the British extorting taxes on imported goods. The reason behind the creation of new Acts was to pay off their national debt with taxes they collected from the colonies. During this protest, 342 chests of tea that were getting imported into Boston Harbor got dumped into the ocean.
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The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, were a series of laws passed by the British on March 28, 1774. During this time, the growing tension between the colonists and the British made things hostile. For instance, the British would make laws and restrictions, and the U.S. would fight back by protesting. The Coercive Acts included restrictions on trade and let the British obtain more control over Boston, intending to frighten the colonists.
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The First Continental Congress was held on September 5, 1774, in Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia. Other than Georgia, delegates from all 13 American colonies came together that day to discuss their solution against the acts created by the parliament. Some of the things they did were writing a letter to King George III, creating the Declaration of Rights, and also writing the Articles of Association.
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The Battle of Lexington and Concord took place on April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts. The Battle of Lexington was technically a small fight but is meaningful because it was the start of the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Concord occurred at the North Bridge; it began when the British started searching the town for any hidden weapons. The colonists emerged victoriously, and this uplifted the army’s confidence.
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The battle of Bunker Hill occurred on June 17, 1775, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The battle arose when the British were trying to clear out colonial forces and take control of the two hills: Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill. Led by General William Howe, the British had around 2200 soldiers while General William Prescott had around 1200 colonial troops. The battle was won by the British, but they lost hundreds of their soldiers in return.
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‘Common Sense’ is a 47-page long pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, published on January 9th of 1776. The 2 main points he highlighted were the independence of the 13 colonies from Great Britain and the democratic-republic form of government. Although Thomas himself wasn't religious, he used quotes from the Bible to help his religious readers understand better. This argument encouraged more people to start paying attention to the revolution.
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The Declaration of Independence is a document that was published on July 4th, 1776 by Congress. This document declared that the colonies were now independent from Britain. Some important members of the committee that worked on this document are Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson. After revising the first draft altogether, the final version was approved by Congress, creating a new country called the United States of America.
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The United States Flag was designed to represent the united colonies. The flag resolution was passed by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, which Americans celebrate as Flag’s Day. However, the resolution given by Congress was not descriptive enough, so people created many different versions of the flag.
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During the second year of the Revolutionary War, the battle of Saratoga took place on September 19, 1777, in Saratoga, NY. This battle was the so-called “turning point” of the revolutionary war because the colonies gained military support from the Dutch, Spanish, and French against Britain. The battle was led by General John Burgoyne on the British side and Major General John Burgoyne on the American side. Eventually, the British surrendered, and the colonies gained lots of confidence and power.
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On June 28, 1778, the battle of Monmouth began near the Monmouth Courthouse. The start of this battle was not great because of how badly Charles Lee planned the attack, which forced the army to retreat. As a result, Washington had to help Lee with his army, who sent off the British army at last. Even when the war ended, there was not much effect on both sides, and the war continued.
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The Baylor’s Massacre was a surprise attack from the British that took place on September 27, 1778, in where is now River Vale, NJ. The reason why the British army decided to attack was to provoke George Washington and his colonial forces to start a battle with them. Additionally, it was also to distract the colonial force from noticing a raid in the patriot’s base.
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John Andre was a British Major who was a part of a scheme to secure British control over Westpoint, NY. However, a minuteman caught him and told George Washington, who ordered his execution in October of 1780. Born in England, he joined the British Army and got promoted to major in November of 1778. Henry Clinton, the general of the British force at that time, ordered him to take over Westpoint, which would isolate the American-allied French army.
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The article of confederation is a document stating that the original 13 colonies of the US were to join together to form a government. It was adopted in the year of 1777 and wasn’t ratified until March 1, 1781. The author of this document was John Dickson along with the other 12 members of the Second Continental Congress. The purpose of this document was to create a strong government that unites all 13 colonies. This document permitted Congress to raise an army, print money, and make new laws.
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The Battle of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War, took place on September 28, 1781, in Yorktown, VA. Led by George Washington, the colonists surrounded the tobacco port where General Cornwallis’ British army was staying in. The attack was successful, and the American colonies won. In the end, General Cornwallis had to surrender which unofficially ended the revolutionary war.
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The Treaty of Paris is an agreement signed back on September 3, 1783, that ended the American Revolutionary War. Thanks to Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, the treaty was negotiated well with King George III from Great Britain. One of the terms of this treaty was that the British were to officially acknowledge the colonies as a newly independent nation called the United States of America.
