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The British Redcoats and Minutemen fight at Lexington and Concord. This battle was the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
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The Second Continental Congress meets in Philidelphia. This is where the colonists decided to create the Continental Army. George Washington would be the supreme commander of the army.
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Washingon was to serve without pay. He leads the Continental Army through the entire war.
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The Americans had a superior military position than the British, but the British decided to attack anyways. The British sent waves of soldiers up the hill towards the Americans, but the Americans kept shooting causing the British to retreat down the hill. The British eventually took control of the hill due to lack of ammunition the Americans had. The British did suffer many casualties due to the inferior military position.
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letter to mother This letter from Peter Brown accurately states how the Americans weren't prepared for the attack by the British.
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Colonel Richard Richardson led a group of patriots to attack a stationed Loyalist group camped in Indian territory. The Army had to march through several feet of snow to reach the destination and snow also rained upon the soldiers as they were returning home, dumping two feet of snow on the tired soldiers.
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Thomas Paine's Common Sense is publlished. The pamphlet challenged British aurhority and royal monarchy.
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Decleration of IndependenceThe Decleration of Independance is drafted, signed and copied. The DOI was sent to different states in the colonies and read aloud in Philadelphia.
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The Virginia Decleration of Rights was drafted by George Mason.
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George Washington miscalculated the British Redcoats' experience. He lost the battle and retreated so his Army wouldn't get killed.
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The British take control of New York.
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Colonel Williamson's patriots were attacked by the Cherokees at Coweecho River, NC. The Patriots were at a inferior position to attack and the Cherokees were later forced to retreat becasue they ran out of gunpowder. This was also known as the black hole.
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Benedict Arnold led the first American Navy attack on lake Champlain. The position of the American Soldiers was in a narrow strait. The Americans were defeated but they did stall the British from reaching the upper Hudson River valley.
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George Washington crossed the Deleware River and defeated the Hessians at Trenton, NJ. The victory provided encouragement for the American Army that the needed.
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Washington wins at Princeton, NJ clearing it from British control.
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The Cherokees were sued for peace and lost most of their land east of the mountains.
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Continental Congress adopts the official flag for the United States of America. It had thirteen white stars representing the thirteen colonies in a blue field representing a new constellation.
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Lafayette was a good friend of Washingtons and had a high ranking of French nobility. He came to America to aid the Americans without pay.
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The British Redcoats forces the patriots back to Oriskany, NY. The British then had to retreat causing a draw. No one one, but suffered many casualties.
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American militia won the battle against the British under General Stark.
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The British retreat from the fort after they hear that Benedict Arnold was coming.
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British troops attack the Americans with bayonetes. The British killed the entire settlement camp of Paoli. The British also stabbed the Americans that tried to surrender and burned them.
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The Americans attacked Germantown, but due to what Washington called "bad luck, not bad skill", the Americans were forced to retreat.
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The Continental Army lived in brutal conditions where the weather was harsh and food was scarce. The Army was under Washingtons orders to stay at Valley Forge.
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The United States signed an alliance with the French. This alliance meant that the French would help the Continental Army fight Great Britain. The French had a navy that the Americans lacked. The French already greatly disliked Great Britain, so this treaty of Alliance would allow them to declare war on them officially.
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Von Steuben was a French discharged captain who came to Valley Forge to train the Continental Army. He was training without pay and only spoke French. He dressed the soldiers, taught them close range combat, and situated the living quarters better. He introduced Bayonets and had the soldiers practice using them. He taught the soldiers to march and shoot. He arranged the huts in rows and had the latrines and cooking quarters in opposite sides of the camp. The Army went from rebels to trained men.
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The British Abandon Philidelphia and move to New York.
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The British Redcoats occupy Savannah. This event is also the first event of the Southern Campaign.
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The Americans successfully surprise attack the British outpost in NJ.
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This winter was considered the harshest winter of the 18th century.
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This battle was a major turning point in the Revolutionary War because the British were unable to recover from it. The Americans defeated the British in Cowpens, SC under General Daniel Morgan.
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Cornwallis gets surrounded on land and sea by the Americans and the French. He then surrenders at Yorktown, VA.
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The United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris.
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The British forces evacuated New York and Brooklyn, the last British troops to leave the colonies.
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