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Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was levied on all paper documents used by American colonists. The act was an attempt by the British to generate money from the colonists, who were upset about taxation without representation. They responded asymmetrically with mob violence to intimidate stamp collectors into resigning. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry. -
Common Sense
Published in 1776, Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain. It was asymmetrical because it used propaganda. -
Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war. This was asymmetrical because it was mob mentality. -
Lexington and Concord
British troops march to Lexington to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock, and Concord to destroy military stores. Paul Revere and Williams Dawes warned the colonists, who sent the British back to Boston under heavy fire and with heavy casualties. It was a symmetrical exchange. -
Bunker (Breed's) Hill
On June 17, 1775, early in the Revolutionary War (1775-83), the British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts. Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost. Although commonly referred to as the Battle of Bunker Hill, most of the fighting occurred on nearby Breed’s Hill. This was symmetrical because it was field warfare. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies,then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. These states would found a new nation – the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence was asymmetrical because the Continental Congress wrote it secretly. -
Battle of Trenton and Princeton
After New York City was captured by the British, the Continental Army was on the edge of defeat. Swift triumphs lead by George Washington in Trenton and Princeton boosted American spirits and attracted more men into the army. This is symmetrical because it was field warfare. -
Battle of Saratoga
The two Battles of Saratoga were a turning point in the American Revolution. On September 19th, 1777 British General John Burgoyne achieved a small victory over American forces led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. Burgoyne again attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on October 7th, but this time was defeated and forced to retreat. The victory convinced the French to enter the war as the colonists' ally. This was symmetrical because it was conventional warfare. -
Continental Army wintering at Valley Forge
Valley Forge was the military camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the American Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–78 during the American Revolutionary War. Starvation, disease, malnutrition, and exposure killed more than 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778. This was asymmetrical action since it was a retreat from battle. -
War in the south/Charleston
The Siege of Charleston was a major engagement fought between March 29 to May 12, 1780 during the American Revolutionary War. The British, following the collapse of their northern strategy and their withdrawal from Philadelphia, shifted their focus to the American Southern Colonies. It is symmetrical because it was a straight forward warfare. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops and French Army troops over a British Army. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American theater, as the surrender prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. It is symmetrical because it was straight forward warfare.
