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French and English Enlightenment
The ideas of the Enlightenment-inspired both the American and French Revolution. The Revolution was based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Philosophers of the Enlightenment, known as philosophes, favored limited monarchy, freedom of speech, and equality. -
Lexington and Concord
On the night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord in order to seize an arms cache. A shot was fired by one of the Patriot Minutemen soldiers, and this started the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was the governing body of the American colonies from 1775 to 1781. It was founded when the British failed to address the grievances of the First Continental Congress and to organize a Continental Army to fight. This congress issues the Olive Branch Petition and Declaration of Independence. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts. Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost. They gained confidence from this battle because their loss was caused by a lack of ammunition. The colonists believed they would do well fighting against the British army. -
George Washington
George Washington, a leader of the revolutionary movement in Virginia, a former commander of Virginia's frontier forces, and a British colonial army officer, was commissioned "commander-in-chief of the army of the United Colonies of all the forces raised and to be raised by them" on June 19, 1775, by the Continental Congress -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a final attempt by the colonists to avoid going to war with Britain during the American Revolution. It was a document in which the colonists pledged their loyalty to the crown and asserted their rights as British citizens. -
John Locke
John Locke (1632–1704) is among the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. Some of John Locke's ideas were incorporated into the Declaration of Independence. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Thomas Jefferson also drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. -
Declaration of Independence
By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. Although we know Thomas Jefferson as the true author, the Second Continental Congress initially appointed five people to draw up a declaration. The committee included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson. -
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was won by the American forces. The battle pitted approximately 2,400 soldiers of the Continental Army, commanded by George Washington, up against about 1,400 Hessian soldiers commanded by Colonel Johann Rall. -
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton. The British retreated from New Jersey to New York and the colonies had real hope they could win the war. -
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Battles of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point of the Revolutionary War. This was a big defeat for the British because 5,895 British and Hessian troops surrendered their arms. This battle also showed the French American power and this persuaded the French to help the British. -
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Valley Forge
Valley Forge was where the American Continental Army made camp during the winter of 1777-1778. It was here that the American forces became a true fighting unit. Valley Forge is often called the birthplace of the American Army. The Valley Forge encampment proved to be a turning point in the Revolutionary War, testing the mettle of George Washington and his troops and paving the way for their ultimate victory in the war for American independence. -
Battle of Cowpens
After losing several battles in the South, the Continental Army defeated the British in a decisive victory at Cowpens. The victory forced the British army to retreat and gave the Americans confidence that they could win the war. This significant battle also caused the British to lose control of South Carolina and move further north where they would be defeated 8 months later at the decisive Battle of Yorktown in Virginia. -
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Battle of Yorktown
The significance of the conflict was that Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington as French and American forces trapped the British at Yorktown. The British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown ending the American Revolutionary War. -
Spain
Spain's role in the independence of the United States was part of its dispute over colonial supremacy with the Kingdom of Great Britain. Spain declared war on Britain as an ally of France, itself an ally of the American colonies, and provided supplies and munitions to the American forces. The Spanish troops help defeat British soldiers and helped bring the war to a decisive finish. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed by U.S. and British Representatives, ending the War of the American Revolution. Based on a 1782 preliminary treaty, the agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory. The British acknowledged the independence of the United States. The colonial empire of Great Britain was destroyed in North America.