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General George Washington (Political/Military)
Commander in Cheif of Continental Army (1775–83). Later became the first president of the United States (1789–97).
Washington led his troops into battle on numerous occasions with extreme courage, bravery and great battle strategy. -
King George III (Key figure)
In 1760 George succeeded his grandfather, George II, as king. King George III, after the French and Indian War, had large debts to pay, and thought he could extract the necessary money from the colonies.King George thought the colonists should be dealt with harshly for their dfience and disrespect. Using his profound influence, he pushed through the Townshend Acts, in 1766, taxing many commodity items, which lead to rebellion in the colonies and eventually freedom. (USA) -
General Charles Cornwallis (Political/military)
Cornwallis fought in America alongside the British for several years and returned home. After his wifes death in Februay 1779 he returned to America and took command of the British military in southern colonies. In heavy fighting, Cornwallis won a costly victory, in Guilford. With his army battered, Cornwallis opted to continue the war in Virginia. When he got Virginia had to endure a 3 week long seige, he was forced to surrender his 7,500-man army, effectively ending the American Revolution. -
First Continental Congress (Political)
The First Continetal Congress met in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia and lasted just over a month. All the colonies except Georgia sent delegates. The colonies decided they were united in a determination to show a combined authority to Great Britain, but their aims were not the same at all. New York and Pennsylvania wanted to seek a resolution with England. The other colonies wanted colonial rights but were divided between legislative parity and those who were prepared for seperation. -
Lexington and Concord (Military)
Paul Revere rode to Lexington and alerted Samual Adams and John Hancock. Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two leaders in the Patriot movement, escaped. out of 75 Minute Men(militia who had to be ready to fight at a minutes notice) 8 were killed and 10 injured. While the British soldiers continued on their way to Concord, the people of Concord moved the arms and ammunition to new hiding places in surrounding towns. When the soldiers arrived they were only able to destroy part of the supplies. -
Second Continental Congress (Political)
The delegates of the 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia to discuss their next steps. Several new delegates were present at this meeting including; John Hancock from Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, and Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. George Washington was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Olive Branch Petition (Political)
With the drafting of Olive Branch Petition, the Americans made one last attempt to find a peaceful end to the revolution. It outlined their issues and asked the British government to respond and deal with the issues at hand. King George III of England refused to accept the petition. He believed the Americans to be in rebellion, and believed he could quickly end it with his military force. -
Loyalists (Political/Key people)
Shortly after the American Revolution began people who were loyal to King George III were called Loyalists. Some Loyalists didn't fight because they were not dissatisfied. They may have been wealthy or simply believed that Great Britain was justified in its actions. It is estimated that 15-20% of the white population were Loyalist. -
Patriots (Political/Key people)
Shortly after the revolution began those who wanted a free country that was of, by and for the people were referred to as Patriots. Some famous Patriots are George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Paul Revere. -
Declaration of Independence (Political)
The Declaration of Independence is the most cherished symbol of liberty in the nations history. The political philosophy of the declaration was not new it had borrowed ideals from continental philosophers and John Locke. The declaration was simply a way for all these ideals to be summarized and organized in one document. -
France (Political/military)
France watched for rebellion in America from the days of the Stamp Act, as a means of avenging the injuries the country had received from Great Britain. France was called upon for assistance in 1776. France showed true involvement on February 6th, 1778. -
The Battle of Trenton (Military)
2400 American troops with 18 guns fought 1400 Hessian troops with 6 light guns. The severly injured Colonel Rahl surrendered to Washington. The Americans suffered 4 wounded casualties. The Hessians suffered 20 killed, around 100 wounded and nearly 1,000 were captured. Present at the battle were: two other future presidents James Madison and James Monroe and the future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall. -
Battle of Princeton (Military)
General George Washington led his troop to a victory over General Lord Cornwallis and the British. The casualties were relatively low with only 40 or so per side. The battle showed European powers that Americans were able to confront the British army. General Washington showed himself as a resourceful leader. -
Saratoga (Military)
The British wanted to take control of the Hudson River Valley to cut off New England from the other colonies. The British, under command of Burgoyne would surrender. The surrender had catastrophic consequences. Saratoga proved to be the turning point in the war and key in securing a treaty of alliance with France. France and Spain declared war on Britain and the American effort was galvanized. -
Treaty of Paris (Political)
This treaty officially ended the revolution, and recognized the United States of America as an independent nation. the treaty was signed on September 3, 1782 and ratified on April 17, 1783. Some terms of the treaty included Britain removing all of its troops from America and paying of debt owed to Britain. The treaty also set new borders for the United States including all land from the Great Lakes on the north to Florida on the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.
