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The first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to resolve the conflict with Great Britain.
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Colonist were left to choose sides, weather it was on the Patriots side who fought for independence or the Loyalists who remained loyal to the crown.
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A British General decided to disarm the Boston militia known as the minute men.
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Representatives from 12 of the colonies met in Philadelphia for the second Continental Congress.
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Colonel Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen took the Brithish Fort Ticonderoga in New York.
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At the beginning the British had the advantage with more money, more resources, a professional military, and the worlds largest navy. The colonists had poorly trained local militias and no navy. But the British were fighting citizens who believed in a cause.
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The British offered freedom to any enslaved Africans who fought for them.
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Agressive Patriots launched an attack on British settlements in Canada but were defeated in Quebec.
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Thoma Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense that argued for breaking away from Great Britain.
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Thomas Jefferson, with the help of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, drafted the Declaration of Independence.
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The British drove the Continental army out of New York.
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The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.
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Washington and 2,400 soldiers crossed the Delaware River.
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After the British suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Saratoga, France and Spain agreed to help the Americans.
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The harsh winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, killed more that a fifth of Washingtons soldiers.
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George Rodgers Clark, an explorer and mapper, built a frontier army while weakening the British. He captured British settlements and convinced American Indians to stay out of the war.
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The British had a large navy, so Americans attacked individual ships rather than fighting large battles. With fewer than 100 ships, the American navy sank 200 British ships.
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The American army took a blow when Benedict Arnold turned traitor.
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Peace negotiations began in 1781 and ended in 1783.
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Washington planned a combined American and French attack on Yorktown. After a week-long seige, the British were defeated.
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This treaty officialy ended the war. It set the new boundaries and forced the British to recognize the United States of America.
