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George Washington
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 and died on December 14, 1799. Throughout his life, he played major roles in the American Revolution. As a patriot, he served as commander of the Continental Army. Because of his efforts, he held together the colonial forces against the British and helped the colonsts win the challenging, drawn out war for independence. -
John Hancock
John Hancock was an influential merchant prior to the American Revolution. He was born on January 23,1737, and died on October 8, 1793. Because of his wealthy status, Hancock was elected to the colonial legislature in 1766. As a patriot, he was involved in many key events including the signing of the Declaration of Independence- where he notably signed his name larger than everyone else- and was President of the second continental congress (1775-77). -
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was an American Patriot who is best known for his pamphlet, "Common Sense," (1776) which was the first pamphlet to urge the American people to declare independence. This one pamplet sold over 150,000 copies, and managed to convince thousands of people to join the fight for colonial independence. Besides his "Common Sense" papers, Paine also wrote the "Crisis Papers" in order to boost the morale of Washington's soldiers. Paine was born on February 9, 1737, and died on June 1809. -
Lord Cornwallis
Lord Cornwallis was a Loyalist who served in the British army. He managed to successfully lead his army to several victories that included battles at Brandywine, New York, and Camden. While he did have many victories in the Revolution, he was forced to surrender at Yorktown on October 8, 1781, giving the colonists a major win. Cornwallis was born on December 31, 1738 and died on October 5, 1805. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson is arguably on of the most important patriots of the American Revolution. Jefferson is infamously known for serving in the second continental congress, the Virginia House of Delegates, and was elected as the Governer of Virginia and the third President of the U.S. The most important thing he did in his life was to write the Declaration of Independence, where the colonists declared their independence from Britain. He lived from April 13, 1743, to July 4, 1826. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a conflict in Boston, Massachusetts, that was initiated by several colonists who threw snowballs and sticks at a squad of British soldiers. Because of this, the soldiers shot out into the crowd of colonists, and killed five people, including Crispus Attucks. After the Massacre, John Adams defended the soldiers, but his cousin Samuel Adams denounced it as a "massacre" and managed to create bad feelings toward the British. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a series of acts created by the British Parliament in retalliation of the Boston Tea Party (1773). These acts had several parts, which included the Coercive Acts (Port of Boston closed, Massachusetts government was given less power, accused royal officials are tried in Britain, and British troops are housed in colonial homes) and the Quebec Act (gave Quebec a civil gov't ). The creation of these acts only served to create colonial distrust of the British Parliament. -
FIrst Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 6, 1774. This meeting consisted of 12 of the 13 colonies (not Georgia) where each colony sent delegates to create a rudimentary colonial government in response to the British Coercive Acts. This event was important because it set up a precedent of how the colonies could create its own government that was separate from Britain. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord was fought in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Bay and is formally known as the battle that started the war with the "shot heard 'round the world." This battle was on April 19, 1775. Although the colonists did lose this battle, it was significant because it began to give the colonists confidence in their ability to defend themselves and possibly win the war. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was a battle that was fought on June 17, 1775 in Massachusetts on Breed's Hill (near Boston). The winner of this battle was, once again, Great Britain. Although the colonists suffered from the loss, where the British gained the control of Bunker Hill, this battle served to give the coloinsts a much needed confidence boost that would eventually help them to defeat the British. It also made people realize that the war was going to be drawn out and expensive. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document that formally declared the independence of the colonies from British rule. It was mainly written by Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia, but John Adams and Benjamin Franklin also assisted him. It had many fundamental ideas including that all men are created equal. The document had five parts (introduction, preamble, 2 body paragraphs, conclusion). The document was very important because it basically initiated the start of a new country unlike any other -
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine was on September 11, 1777. It was fought at Brandywine Creek in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. This loss was lead by General George Washington as the British managed to surround the colonial army and capture or kill 1,100 men. Along with that, Britain managed to gain control of Philadelphia, where congress was being held. The main significance of the battle was that the British captured Philadelphia and continued to press on. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was fought from September 19 to October 7, 1777 at Saratoga, New York. This battle had two parts. The first (September 19) initially had Britain dominating over the colonies, but later in the battle (October 7) the Colonists were able to defeat the British who were then forced to surrender. Because of this victory, the war reached it's "turning point" and the French thus joined the colonists in their attempt for independence. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the most important battle of the revolution lasting from September 28, to October 19, 1781. This event occured in Yorktown, Virginia where the combined colonial and French forces overpowered the British, resulting in a colonial victory. This was the final battle of the war in which the colonists gained their much sought after independence from Britain. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
The Treaty of Paris (1783) was the treaty that effectively ended the Revolutionary War. This treaty (signed in Paris, France) was written by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and David Hartley. It made Britain recognize the colonies as its own independent country, set the border all the way to the Miss. river, give Americans fishing rights off of Canada, and ensure that the colonists paid their debts to loyalists off. The treaty was important because it signified the end of the Revolution
