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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the American Revolutionary War. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen mobilized. Many more battles followed, and in 1783 the colonists formally won their independence. The Battle of Lexington was fought on the Lexington town green. -
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The Winter at Valley Forge
In 1777, General George Washington moved the Continental Army to their winter quarters at Valley Forge. By the time they marched into Valley Forge on December 19, they were suffering from cold, hunger, and fatigue. Low morale in the wake of the disastrous Philadelphia Campaign contributed to their poor morale. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
Benedict Arnold was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British side of the conflict. Arnold led the British army in battle against his former soldiers, after which his name became synonymous with treason and betrayal. -
The Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was fought on January 17, 1781. It was part of the campaign in the Carolinas. U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan won the battle. British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton won the surrender. -
The USS Constitution defeats the HMS Guerriere
USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere. The Battle took place on the 19th of August 1812, one month after the war's first engagement between British and American forces. Guerrieere was proceeding to Halifax for a refit, having been detached from a squadron that earlier failed to capture Constitution. -
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The Battle of Baltimore
The battle of Baltimore was one of the bloodiest battles fought during the War of 1812. The battle led to the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," the U.S. national anthem. The city was a center of ship-building and America's third-largest city. -
The Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought in January 1815. It is remembered as one of the conflict's biggest and most decisive engagements. The victory vaulted Andrew Jackson to national stardom, and foiled British plans for an invasion of the U.S. -
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The Election of Andrew Jackson
The 1828 United States presidential election was held from October 31 to December 2, 1828. John Quincy Adams faced Andrew Jackson in a rematch of the 1824 election. Both parties were new organizations, and this was the first presidential election their nominees contested. This election saw the second rematch in presidential history. -
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The Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was one of the bloodiest battles fought by Texans during their struggle for independence from Mexico. The Alamo's 200 defenders–commanded by James Bowie and William Travis held out for 13 days before Mexican forces finally overpowered them. -
Mexico loses California, New Mexico, and Arizona
The Mexican-American War of 1846-1848 was the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. Nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico became part of the United States. When the dust cleared, Mexico lost about one-third of its territory. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union. The secession of South Carolina precipitated the outbreak of the American Civil War in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861. Abraham Lincoln's victory in the 1860 presidential election triggered cries for disunion across the slaveholding South. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1864. Lincoln received only 40 percent of the popular vote but defeated three other candidates. He was the first Republican to win the presidency and the first elected president from a party other than the Democratic Party. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the American Civil War. It was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia. Each side had about 18,000 poorly trained and poorly led troops. The confederate victory was followed by a disorganized retreat of the Union forces. -
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The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the most important battle of the American Civil War. On July 1, 1863, Confederate forces clashed with the Union's Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg. The battle inspired Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," one of his most famous speeches. -
The Treaty at Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle of Appomattox Court House was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Robert E. Lee, before they surrendered to the Union Army of the Potomac. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
On February 15, 1898, an explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship, U.S. Maine, in the Havana harbor, killing 266 of the 354 crew members. The sinking of Maine incited United States' passions against Spain, eventually leading to a naval blockade of Cuba. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
On April 15, 1929, Representative John Linthicum introduced a bill that designated the "Star-Spangled Banner" as the National Anthem of the United States. The Congressman passed away before the end of the 72nd Congress. President Herbert Hoover signed into law the bill that established the current version of the national anthem. -
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Battle of the Philippines
The Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1942 with the main objective of capturing Manila. Admiral Thomas C. Hart commanded the U.S. Navy's Asiastic Fleet in Manila, which consisted of cruisers, an airplane tender, destroyers, and some oilers, along with twenty-nine submarines. Rear Admiral Glassford returned to the United States later that month, leaving Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell to command through the Battle of Bataan.