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The 1st Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates in Philidephia, Pennslyvania. The delegates had two primary accomplishments. One was to tell the colonists to boycott British goods. The second was to provide for a Second Continental Congress. The 1st Continental Congress disbanded in October of 1774. -
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride
British military leaders learned that the town of Concord, Massachusetts was stock-piling weapons and wanted to seize them. They thought they kept their plan secret but spies in Boston found out and sent riders out, including Paul Revere to warn Concord and nearby cities. After warning Lexington, Paul Revere was captured by the British only a few miles from warning Concord. Samuel Prescott finished Revere's ride and warned the town of Concord. -
Battle at Lexington
At dawn on April 19th, British troops marched to Lexington. 70 minutemen waited for them who were instructed not to shoot unless they were fired upon. Suddenly, a shot fired out. Still to this day no one knows what side fired the bullet. After only a few minutes of fighting at Lexington, 8 minutemen were dead and 10 were wounded. Unable to keep the British at bay, the troops marched onward to Concord. -
Battle at Concord
After defeating the minutemen at Lexington, the British continued their march to Concord. Their mission was to seize the colonists' hidden weapons. The colonists had over 400 men willing to fight the British. Despite the large British army, the colonists were able to defeat them. Their victory inspired the colonists to believe that they could secure their indepence. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
A troop of 2,400 British soldiers advanced toward Breed's Hill where over 1,600 colonists waited, ready to attack. As the British climbed up the hill, miltia members waited until they were close in range. However they soon ran out of ammuniction. Although the British won, they still lost almost double the number of Patriot soldiers. -
Dorchester Heights
To try and drive the British out of Boston, General George Washington had to get more ammunition and weapons. To do that he and the other miltia members transported captured cannons from Fort Ticnderoga to Boston. Washington moved his army to Dorchester Heights where the colonists could overlook Boston. They positioned the cannons and troops. The British general, William Howe, knew that his troops would have to retreat when they saw the cannons. The Patriots won back Boston. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The British general, John Burgoyne, wanted a British victory and decided to push through New York and cut off New England from all the other colonies. To accomplish this, he would have to invade from Canada, recapture Fort Ticonderoga, and sweep into Albany. He did take Ticonderoga and headed towards New York. On their way, the Patriots attacked. Near Saratoga, Burgoyne found himself and his troops surrounded and was forced to surrender. -
The Battle of Yorktown
Towards the end of the war, the Patriots were almost out of food and supplies. With 16,000 soldiers, the Patriots decided to surround Yorktown, Virginia were the British were. The British troops only had about 7,200 men.The Patriot's French allies seized Chesapeake Bay. For weeks, the two groups fought one another and the Patriots were weakening the British. The British general, Charles Cornwallis, send a white flag of surrender on October 19, 1781. The American Revolution was over.
