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The CONTINENTAL CONGRESS meet in Philadelphia to brainstorm how to cease conflict with the English. All of the colonies sans Georgia had representatives. The Congress voted to continue to boycott British goods, and to prepare a militia for battle. Following that, they wrote a Declaration of Rights to give to the king.
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The COLONISTS and the LOYALISTS were left to choose sides. Those who chose England fled the colonies, those who chose America fought for freedom, and the rest of the colonists remained neutral.
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As a way of firing back, the BRITISH tried to disarm the Boston militia. The SONS OF LIBERTY learned of the British plan, and rode on horseback across the countryside warning the PATRIOTS of the British arrival. After the "shot heard round the world", the minutemen (militia) started fighting.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON was sent to command the CONTINENTAL ARMY. KING GEORGE rejected the OLIVE BRANCH PETITION. Meanwhile, COLONEL BENEDICT ARNOLD and ETHAN ALLEN took FORT TICONDEROGA. The British took BOSTON, but GEORGE WASHINGTON drove them out.
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In the beginning, the British had more money, resources, a professional military, and the world's largest navy. The colonists had poorly trained militias and no navy, but they all belived in a cause and were motivated.
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General Washington formed the Continental Army. 230,000 eventually served, and 145,000 Americans joined the militias. The British offered freedom to enslaved Africans if they fought for them, while the CONTINENTAL ARMY allowed free Africans to join. American Indians fought for both sides.
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The Patriots launched an attack on British forts in Canada, but were defeated in QUEBEC.
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THOMAS PAINE wrote a pamphlet called COMMON SENSE that argued for creating independence from GREAT BRITAIN. His words convinced many colonists that the time was right for independence.
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THOMAS JEFFERSON, JOHN ADAMS, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON, and ROGER SHERMAN drafted the Declaration of Independence. This document contained three ideas:
1. All men possess the unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
2. That King George 3rd had violated the colonist's rights,
3. That the colonists had the right and even duty to break away from Great Britain -
The British retaliated to the battle in QUEBEC by driving the Patriots out of New York.
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The CONTINENTAL CONGRESS approved the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. The United States of America was born.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON and 2,400 other soldiers crossed the Delaware River. They surprised the British with a victory in the Battle of Trenton. Washington had another victory in the BATTLE OF PRINCETON.
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France and Spain agreed to help America. The foreign aid was critical, and helped the U.S greatly.
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The harsh winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, killed more than 1/5th of Washington's soldiers. (December 1777 - March 1778)
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In the west GEORGE ROGERS CLARK built a frontier army to weaken the British. He captured British settlements and coerced Native Americans to stay out of war.
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The British had a large navy, so the Patriots attacked individual ships rather than having a large battle. With less than 100 ships, the American navy sank 200 British ships.
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After the southern army was defeated, pattriots continued fighting using guerilla warfare. The army took a blow when Benedict Arnold became a traitor.
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The TREATY OF PARIS is created.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON planned a combined American and French attack on Yorktown. After a few weeks, the British were defeated.
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The TREATY OF PARIS officially ended the war. It set the nation's boundaries and forced the British to recognize the United States of America.
