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The Battle Of Lexington and Concord
Br. General Gage devised a plan to march his forces from Boston to Lexington to capture rebel leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock, then moved to Concord to sieze a supply of gun powder being used by the Colonials. But he lost the element of surprise when American spies leaked the information on the assult to the Colonial Malitia. When the British arrived at Lexington they found 70 miltia men waiting for them. No one knows who shot first but it would be known as "The shot heard round the world". -
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War Start To Finish
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Adoption Of The Declaration Of Independence
On July 4 1776 the second continental congress adopted the Declaration Of Independents. The Declaration Of Independence was the document that formally delcared the 13 colonies indedependent from the British Empire. The document was formally drafted by future US President Thomas Jefferson. -
The Battles Of Saratoga
There were 3 battles of Saratoga, the first is also known as The Battle Of Freemans Farm. During the battle the Colonials held the british Advance. After linking up with Colonials from Albany, The Americans surrounded the British. On October 17th the British commander surrendered. These battles are important becasue it showed the French that supporting the Americans could be very beneficial. -
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was a Colonial camp site during the winter of 1778. During this time the Colonial Army sufferd through many hardships including smallpox and frost bite. This was a major factor in the war because all the Colonials had to do was hold out for the winter, they traded fighting The British for fighting mother Nature. This time is notable for the untilization of smallpox vaccines. -
1779
For this I chose to do the entire year of 1779 because this was at the time that it seemed America was losing the war. After the burning of Farfield and Norwalk the Colonials were in bad shape. They decided to go on the offensive and retake land that had been captured. The offensive fell flat on its face with events like the Tappan Massacre and the loss at Savannah, to make matters worse one of the coldest winters in histroy had arrived. This showed that the Americans would not give up easily. -
French Arrive
On July 11 the french Navy arrives to aid the Colonial forces. This marked the beginning of the end for the British Forces in North America. I chose to add this because of that radical affect it had on the war. -
Ratification of the Articles of Confederation
The Ratification of the Articles Of Confederation marked the date all 13 colonies unified as one country to fight the British. It was drafted by 13 people chosen by the 2nd Continental Congress. This is extremely important because if the colonies hadn't unified, than the revolution would have failed almost instantly. -
The Siege Of Yorktown
On september 28th, 1781 the British Amry had been cornerd in the city of Yorktown. With the French Navy blocking the escape from the sea the British had no where to run. On October 19th 1781 Lord Cornwallis accepted the terms of surrender ,although armed hostilities continued the American War of Independence was essentially won. -
Signing Of the Treaty Of Paris
The American Revolution ended with the signing of the Treaty Of Paris in 1783. The treaty marked the end of all Armed conflict between America and Great Britain. This is vital in the rise of the United Sates as a major power. They now are a country of there own and are free to trade with who ever they choose. But the problem remains of finding a style of government that pleases all 13 colonies.
