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Battles of Lexington and Concord
These battles started the American Revolution. The British decided that they were going to go to Concord and destroy all of the Americans supplies such as ammunition and weapons and they also went to Lexington to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. These battles are what started major conflict and fighting between the British and American colonists. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was formed because the British didn't address the grievances of the First Continental Congress. This Congress voted to go to war and they made the colonial militias go into continental service. The S.C.C formed the Continental Army, which helped the colonists since they didn't have an army, so it made it to where the colonists could be more prepared to fight against the British during the Revolutionary War. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
This was one of the battles where the British defeated the American colonists. Even though they lost the battle, the colonists were still confident about winning a battle in the future since they had made the British suffer casualties. This encouraged them to keep on fighting against the British until they won and received what they wanted. The US soldiers were told to dig fortifications (ramparts) on Bunker Hill, but they ended up doing it on the wrong hill which was Breed's Hill. -
George Washington
This is when George Washington was appointed as the Continental Army leader. He helped the colonists win victories against the British, giving them more power. He also led them on to gain their independence from Britain. In the end, the colonists won against their enemy all because of Washington and the outstanding leadership he had. -
Olive Branch Petition
This was created because the Second Continental Congress wanted the king to stop making hostile actions until an agreement was made. The king ended up rejecting it and he sent a group of German mercenaries to enforce the king's law. So, the Second Continental Congress wasn't able to make peace with the king, which only made the Revolutionary War continue. -
D.O.I Continued #2
The French and English Enlightenment influenced the D.O.I. because most of the ideas that were included in the D.O.I. came from this. A couple of the main ideas were reason, liberty, justice, progress, happiness, nature, etc. Caused more colonists to fight for their freedoms, which made the American Revolution continue. -
D.O.I Continued #3
Thomas Jefferson was a Founding Father of the Declaration of Independence. He agreed that the colonists should have independence from Britain. If he didn't sign, then there might not have been enough delegates in the Second Continental Congress to draft the D.O.I. -
D.O.I. Continued
John Locke influenced the Declaration of Independence. His ideas on natural rights (life, liberty, and property) were included in the Declaration of Independence which explains why we are still given these rights today since they are in the D.O.I. The idea of Social Contract was also seen in the D.O.I since the Founding Fathers included the idea of popular sovereignty into it. (Jean-Jacques Rousseau) -
Declaration of Independence
Allowed the 13 colonies to break apart from the British and the political connections they had with them. Declared the freedom of the American colonists from the British. Second Continental Congress adopted this. John Locke
French and English Enlightenment
Thomas Jefferson -
Battle of Trenton
This battle was between Hessian soldiers (German soldiers) and the American colonists. Washington's troops went to Trenton and surprised the British garrison at Trenton and the colonists ended up taking 900 or more prisoners from there. This was one of the battles that the American colonists won, so it motivated them to keep fighting against the British until they couldn't fight any longer. It encouraged more colonists to join the Army, meaning that the army now had more people fighting. -
Battle of Princeton
This battle was also between the British and Washington's troops. Washington and his soldiers attacked the British while they were at Princeton, which allowed the colonists to take most of the territory that British had control over in Princeton. This battle encouraged more colonists to become soldiers in the Continental Army. This battle gave American colonists confidence again since they won this battle and made it to where they could stand up to the British now. -
Battle of Saratoga
The British lost this battle against the American colonists. Since the colonists won this war, France saw an opportunity to join into the war as an ally to the colonists, which meant that the colonists now had more support and people fighting against the British. This also meant that the colonists now had more of a chance of defeating the British and gaining their independence/freedom back. -
Valley Forge
Washington's troops didn't have enough food, clothing, or supplies while they were encamped at Valley Forge. Even though Washington and his soldiers didn't have enough, they still made it through the 6 months that they were staying at Valley Forge. The colonists also needed to keep an eye on the British while they were in Pennsylvania. This encampment was only creating the path for the victory that the American colonists were going to take when it came to obtaining their independence. -
Treaty of Amity and Commerce
This treaty promoted trade between France and the U.S. It also allowed them to form a friendship/alliance with France. It recognized that U.S. as an independent nation. Since France was trading with the U.S., the U.S. could have more supplies to fight against the British. They also had another country fighting with them to bring the British down, which meant that they had more of a chance to take them down. The French provided the U.S. with military aid, which was crucial to have during the war. -
Treaty of Alliance
This treaty created an alliance between the French and the Americans. The U.S. would have to help France defend the West Indies and the French would have to help the U.S. in the Revolutionary War. It also stated that neither country could lay down their arms until they won their independence, couldn't conclude peace with Britain without the consent of one another, and that both countries guaranteed the other's possessions in America. With France on their side, the U.S. had more support/power. -
Spain
This was the year when Spain declared war on Britain. The Spanish were an ally of the French. Spain was providing supplies and munitions to the American soldiers, so they could fight the British and be closer to winning their independence from the British. The reason why the Spanish were helping the American colonists was because they wanted to take back the land that they lost to the British. Spain's military helped the colonists win battles against the British. -
Battle of Cowpens (South Carolina)
This battle against the British and the American colonists made the British army retreat. This made the Americans have more confidence that they could win the Revolutionary War. It also caused the British to have less hope in winning the war. The leader of the British troops was Charles Cornwallis and when the Americans defeated them, he decided to go to Virginia. -
Battle of Yorktown (Virginia)
This was the last battle that took place between the American colonists and the British. The French also helped fight in this war. This battle ended with the American colonists winning. It also made the British start making peace negotiations with the colonists. Although the war hadn't ended yet, it made the British want to surrender since they had lost hope in winning the Revolutionary War, so 8,000 British soldiers surrendered. This battle led to the Treaty of Paris being created. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
This treaty ended the American Revolution in 1783. Also, it allowed the U.S. to establish borders and gain western territory, the British now recognized that the American colonists had independence/freedom from them, and Britain had no more control in North America.