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Paul Revere's Midnight Ride was a warning given to colonial militia that British troops were advancing from Boston to get military supplies in Concord and arrest patriot leaders in Lexington. They alerted the colonial militias by riding ahead of the British and signaling with lanterns, it led to Battles of Lexington and Concord. First military engagements of the American Revolution. The event helped because it mobilized the colonists and marked the beginning of the war for American independence. -
On the night British troops marched from Boston to seize an arms cache in Concord, Massachusetts. Riders including Paul Revere, spread the alarm, alerting the minutemen that the British were coming. The British continued to where they were met by hundreds of determined militia members. The colonial forces engaged the Redcoats at the North Bridge it led to a brief, chaotic skirmish that left several Americans dead. Outnumbered and running low on ammunition, the British column retreated to Boston. -
The colonial forces successfully repelled two British attacks from the fortified Breed's Hill,but were forced to retreat after a third attack broke their lines and ran out of ammunition. Even tho British captured the hill, they suffered heavy casualties (over 1,000 casualties), while American losses were around 450 casualties. Even tho the American militia lost, it proved that they could fight effectively against the British, it also demonstrated that the fight for independence was the beginning
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By 1776, after conflict had begun, many delegates in the Congress moved from finding reconciliation to demanding independence.
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry proposed a solution for independence before the Congress.
A committee of five men, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, were tasked with drafting a document. Jefferson primarily drafted the Declaration, incorporating ideas from documents like the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. -
This was a low point for the Army, which had a string of defeats and had been forced to retreat. Many soldiers contracts were set to expire at the end of the month, George Washington feared his army would melt away. Thomas Paine, who was with Washington's army during the retreat, began writing the American Crisis essay and had it published. Recognizing the power of Paine's words, Washington had the essay read aloud to his weary shivering, troops and convinced many to stay for one more month. -
On Christmas night in 1776, Continental Army commander George Washington led approximately 2,400 troops across the Delaware River in a snowstorm to launch a surprise attack on Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey. This attack resulted in a decisive American victory at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, which bolstered American morale, captured vital supplies, and set up for further victories at the Battles of Second Trenton and Princeton, influencing the outcome of the American Revolution. -
General George Washington's Continental Army crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night and launched a surprise attack on Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey. The one sided American victory resulted in the capture of nearly 1,000 prisoners and supplies with minimal American casualties. The battle was significant for boosting American morale, attracting new recruits, and reviving the revolutionary cause after a series of defeats, served as a major turning point in the American Revolution. -
The Philadelphia Campaign was a series of battles during the American Revolution in which British forces successfully captured the American capital but failed to achieve a decisive victory. The campaign's events, including major engagements at Brandywine and Germantown, the brutal winter encampment at Valley Forge, and the British withdrawal, proved to be a turning point in the war by securing France as a crucial American ally. -
The Battles of Saratoga were a decisive American victory that forced the surrender of a major British army, the turning of the American Revolution by convincing France to enter the war as an American ally, which provided financial and military aid. The American victory led to the surrender of nearly 6,000 British troops. It marked the first large scale surrender of a British army in the Revolutionary War. Burgoyne's surviving troops were forced into captivity. -
The Winter at Valley Forge was the encampment in Pennsylvania where they endured harsh conditions, disease, and starvation. Washington Army consisted of 11,000 troops set up at Winter camp at Valley Forge. The soldiers faced extreme cold, snow, lack of food, blankets, clothing, and shoes. The poor living conditions led to outbreaks of deadly diseases that caused a significant number of deaths. General George Washington and troops and Camp followers were involved and endured the harsh conditions. -
The Battle of Yorktown was a decisive American French victory that trapped the British and secured American independence. Led by George Washington and supported by a large French force and French fleet,the Franco American forces army in Yorktown, Virginia,preventing British reinforcement and forcing a surrender. This final military victory convinced Great Britain to negotiate peace, leading to the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and the official recognition of the United States as an independent nation. -
The Treaty of Paris, signed formally ended the American Revolutionary War and established the United States as an independent nation by recognizing its sovereignty and setting borders. Negotiated by the U.S. representatives with Great Britain, the treaty granted the new nation territory west of the Mississippi River and confirmed fishing rights. Its significance lies in its recognition of the United States, enabling westward expansion, which was crucial for its future development and identity.