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American Revolution
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The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The British were going to attack the colonists. Paul Revere made a plan to hanf two lanterns in the steeple of the old church. If the British were coming by land, he would light one lantern. If they were coming by sea, he would light two lanterns. Paul Revere raced off to warn people along the way to warn them about the British. The British marched through Concord and Lexington. They retreated back to Boston while being shot at by the British. -
The Second Continental Congress
Congress authorized the formation of a Continental Army and they selected George Washington to be the army's commander and chief. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was the second bloodiest battle of the Revolutionary War. It started after the militiamen built a fort at night atop a hill in Charles Town that overlooked the Boston Harbor. In the morning, the British started shelling the fort and Charles Town caught on fire. The war continued untill the Americans ran out of gunpowder. The British were victorious. -
Washington takes command in Boston
A month after the Battle of Bunker Hill, Washington took command of the militias around Boston. When he learned that the king declared war on all the colonies, he gave orders to have many cannons brought in from Fort Ticonderoga. As this was being done, American troops invaded British Canada but were defeated as they tried to invade Quebec. When the cannons were put in Boston, the British retreated back to Canada, but the Americans shortly took hold of it. -
The Declaration of Independence
In the summer of 1776, Thomas Jefferson and other members of a special congressional committee were working on writing the Declaration of Independence. It was presented to Congress on July fourth and all the men in congress signed it. -
Slavery and the New Nation
Slavery was a very controversial issue among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Some of them hated slavery, while some owned slaves. In the Declaration, Jefferson had stated that slavery was "a cruel war against human nature" , even though he and Washington owned slaves. The Continental Congress thought that this issue should be discussed at a differrent time because they were focusing on the war at that time. -
War in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
British soldiers hired German troops, called Hessians, and assembled to attack New York City. The fighting spread to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The next summer, the enemy forces invaded New York and they defeated Washington's army. Then, they took Philadelphia. In New York, General Horatio Gates beat the British twice. This made France Fight on America's side. -
Encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Two months after the fighting at Saratoga, Washington set up his winter encampment in Valley Forge. It became the second largest city in the U.S. The men still suffered sicknesses due to the cold weather, and many of them died. However, the American troops were trained by a German officer named Baron Von Stueben. It helped them become a better army. -
The Campaign in the Southern States
A lot of people were against independence in the southern states. The British took a major military campaign there. The British left Philadelphia, causing warfare to end in the northern states. During 1779-1780, things were very bad for the U.S. because they suffered defeats in the south. -
Yorktown, Virginia
A large force of British troops marched to Yorktown, Virginia. As they waited for Washington and his troops to come, they were also waiting for supplies and more troops to arrive. When Washington reached Yorktown, he had learned that the French shot down the ships coming to help the British and they forced them to turn back. This made it easier for the British to surrender.
