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Period: to
Revoluntionary War
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The Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia
Times had taken a sharp turn for the worse. Lexington and Concord had changed everything. When the Redcoats fired into the Boston crowd in 1775, the benefit of the doubt was granted. Now the professional imperial army was attempting to arrest patriot leaders, and minutemen had been killed in their defense. In May 1775, with Redcoats once again storming Boston, the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. -
American forces under Benedict Arnold fail to seize Quebec
Benedict ArnoldBenedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. Arnold was one of a number of Benedict Arnolds including an early governor of Rhode Island and his father. Arnold's mother was Hannah Waterman King, a wealthy widow, before her marriage to the elder Arnold. The family fortunes were well for a while, however some poor business deals caused some financial problems for the family. Arnold's father turned to the local taverns for solace. Arnold attended school at Canterbury. While -
Paine's "Common Sense" published
Published in 1776, Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain. -
The Virginia Declaration of Rights
A declaration of rights made by the representatives of the good people of Virginia, assembled in full and free convention; which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of government. -
British General Howe lands at Head of Elk, Maryland
n late July 1777, a 265-ship armada under General Howe's command finally arrived at the Head of Maryland's Elk River. 17,000 soldiers aboard the ships had endured a debilitating six week journey originating at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, across from Staten Island, New York. Howe had hoped to complete the trip much faster than he did. He didn't. In Maryland, he hoped to find a legion of Loyalists ready to fight with the British. He didn't.
