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Loyalists
Loyalists were colonists in the Americas that were loyal to Great Britain, even in the Revolutionary War. -
Patriots
The Patriots were the people that were against Britain in the Revolutionary War. They wanted to be their own country, and fought to break away from the British Empire. -
Abigail Adams
Abagail Adams was the wife of the second president of the United States: John Adams. Aside from supporting her husband (perhaps giving him strength to run a country), she was also a big enforcer of women's rights. -
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Revolutionary War Events
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Treaty of Paris (1763)
This was the treaty that ended the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War. Since the French were defeated, they had to hand over all the land they had conquered in North America (minus a few islands in the Caribbean). This included a part of Canada, the Ohio River Valley, and the Mississippi River Valley. French people living in America could now also not vote, run for office, go to universities, and had to pay more taxes then other colonists. -
Proclamation of 1763
This was a proclamation made by King George III after the French and Indian War. It prohibited colonists/settlers from going past a line that spread across the Appalacian Mountains. Its purpose was to take control and organize the new land obtained from the French. -
Stamp Act
This Act was the first direct tax that Parliament gave the colonists. It required that a stamp be placed on every sold piece of paper, as proof that you had purchased it. The stamp costed money, and had to be placed on newpaper, playing cards, marriage liscences, and more. -
Quartering Act
This act reduced the costs of taking care of British troops. It commanded the colonists to house British troops and provide for their needs. This included housing, beds, clothes, and food. -
Townshed Acts
The Townshed Acts:
1. New York Restraining Act
2. Revenue Act of 1767
3. Indemnity Act
4. Commissioners of Customs Act
5. Vice Admirally Act
Part of the reason for the Townshed Acts were to punish the colonists for not being completly "loyal" to the Quartering Act. -
Boston Massacre
Tensions between British troops and Colonists were high because of the taxes, and a fight broke out between a few people and a few troops in Boston. A crowd gathered, and began pelting the troops with whatever they could find. When it started to get out of hand, Captain Tomas Preston ordered them to fire into the crowd, resulting in three people dead. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was where a bunch of patriots, disguised as Indians, took over a British tea ship and threw all the tea overboard. This was in retaliation to high taxes brough on by the British, including the Tea Act. -
Sons of Libery
This was a group of Patriots that worked to protect the rights of the colonists (non-loyalists). They were the ones who rebelled against the taxes, especially the Tea Act, by causuing the Boston Tea Party. -
Intolerable Acts
These acts were made to restore order over the colonists after the Boston Tea Party. They included Boston Port Act, Quartering Act, Administration of Justice Act, and the Massachusetts Government Act. -
1st Continental Congress
The colonists decided to take matters into their own hands after the Intolerable Acts. They made their own Congress in secret. The first meeting was in Philadelphia, and representative from every colony except Georgia were present. One of the first things they did was write a declaration of colonial rights and send it to London. -
Paul Revere
When Paul Revere heard of the British coming to seize the supplies in Concord, he rode throughout the land warning people that "the British are coming!" This is known as Paul Revere's Midnight Ride. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
A army of British troops were marching through Lexington on their way to Concord to capture the rebel's supply of weapons. In Lexington, there were townspeople with guns that were trying to stop them from continuing. The order was to not fire unless fired upon. Then a random shot was fired (its source unknown) and it was considered the first shot of the Revolutionary War. The patriots were outnumbered, but did kill many British troops. -
Thomas Paine
Tomas Paine was a Patriot and an author. He wrote one of his most famous books, Common Sense, to try to motivate people to fight for their country. He was an enforcer of patriotism. -
Declaration of Independance
This document stated that the thirteen colonies were now free from British rule, and were no longer apart of the British Empire. Though, at the time they were still in the Revolutionary War. -
Sam Adams
Samuel Adams was a Patriot, fighting for America to be its own country. He was also one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, meaning he helped (and signed) making the Declaration of Independance, which stated that America was free from Great Britain. -
John Adams
John Adams was a Founding Father and a Patriot. This means that he helped make the Declaration of Independence, and fought for America to be free from Great Britain. He was also, later on, the second president of the United States. -
Thomas Jefferson
Aside from being the third president of the United States, he was also a Founding Father. Perhaps the most important one-he was the author of the Declaration of Independence. -
George Washington
Along with being the first President of the United States, George Washington also worked to free America from Britain. He was a Founding Father and a General, fighting in battles that included the Battle of Yorktown and the Battle of Trenton. -
Hessians
Hessians were German soilders that worked in the colonies under British rule. In the Battle of Trenton (lead by George Washington on the Patriot side), a lot of the people Washington took as prisoners of war were Hessians. -
Battles of Saratoga
This was known as the "turning point" of the war. There were two battles (18 days of one another) and each one was in Saratoga, New York. British General Burgoyne's plan was to divide New England from the Souther Colonies, He was intercepted by Patriot troops, and Burgoyne had to surrender. -
Martha Custis Washington
Martha Washington was the wife of George Washington. When George Washington was stationed at Valley Forge, Martha Washington followed him. She was great moral support for him, and the soilders. She visited the sick and was very helpful and kind. -
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold was originally fighting on the Patriot's side in the Revolutionary War as a general. When he was passed over for promotion by the Continental Army, he switched to the British side. -
Battle of Yorktown
British General Cornwallis and his troops were waiting for supplies in Yorktown, Virginia. Patriot General George Washington had a plan to surround and battle General Cornwallis, while a French fleet was blocking the exits from the seas. In the Battle of Yorktown, Cornwallis was ordered to surrender, resulting in the Patriots winning the war. -
Lord Cornwallis
Cornallis was a general who fought in the last battle of the Revolutionary Wary (Battle of Yorktown) on the British side. He was awaiting supplies in Yorktown when he was surrounded by George Washington's troops and French fleets. He was forced to surrender, ending the war. -
Treaty of Paris
After the last battle of the Revolutionary War (Battle of Yorktown). the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending it. It was signed in Paris, France. It stated that now America was its own country, and could not be controlled by Britian any longer.
