American Revolution

First Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

• Delegates from the Thirteen Colonies were not happy with the Coercive Acts that the British imposed upon them in April of 1774
• In response, these delegates met in Philadelphia, PA, in September, 1774 for a Continental Congress
• Included: Samuel Adams and John Adams, George Washington and Patrick Henry
• The Congress were to discuss what was to be done in response, and eventually issued a formal Declaration stating that the British Parliament had violated their colonial rights

Loyalists

Sep 6, 1774

• Not everybody living in the thirteen colonies were against British rule; about 500,000 individuals remained loyal the crown throughout the revolution.
• Some of these men were royal officials, tax collectors or governors. Some were ministers belonging to the Church of England
• The majority of loyalists were poor farmers and artists who opposed the colony members that led the revolution. Minority groups (such as German settlers) supported the Loyalists
• Loyalists took big risks in the war

Patriots

Sep 7, 1774

• Patriots were members of the thirteen colonies who wanted independence as a solution to British rule. Patriot leaders were mainly from wealthy and educated families, but the majority of Patriots were mainly lower class
  o Some famous Patriots included Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and many other elite members of the various thirteen colonies o Many rich Virginia planters supported the Patriot cause (i.e., George Washington)

Lexington and Concord

Apr 18, 1775

• As a response to the daring actions of the Committee of Safety, General Thomas Gage, the British governor of Massachusetts, decided to act
• April 18, 1775, Gage sent 700 British soldiers to seize weapons stored in the town of Concord, MA. Paul Revere, a well-known Boston patriot, rode overnight from Boston to the town of Lexington and on to Concord to warn men belonging to colonial militia groups (minutemen) of the oncoming British.
• Conflict in these towns made it unsafe for British troops

Army of the Continental Congress

Jun 14, 1775

• Led by General George Washington, the Continental Army believed that local militia men could fight and defeat the British
• However, most of the men who enlisted were poor and unmarried with no land
• They had little to lose
• Harsh weather conditions, lack of supplies and illness made fighting very hard, and almost 30% of the 100,000 men deserted under Washington’s leadership
• The Continental Army ensured the Colonial victory in the revolution and brought a sense of unity in the country

General George Washington

Jun 14, 1775

• He was the first President of the USA (1789 – 1797) and was a prominent military and political leader of the colonies from 1775
• The Second Continental Congress elected him as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and was an important factor in the writing of the Constitution in 1787
• He became the first president by unanimous choice, and is often regarded as the “father of the country”
• He maintained neutrality in the wars raging in Europe and won American acceptance

Second Continental Congress

Aug 10, 1775

• May, 1775, the members of the first Continental Congress met once more in Philadelphia for a second Continental Congress.
• Most of the delegates did not want to defy the king, but John Adams felt that they did not cut out Britain completely
• After the events at Concord & Lexington, Congress realized they needed to act quickly to protect MA and began recruiting soldiers from the different colonies
• George Washington was appointed as the head of the new Continental Army

American Revolutionary War: Road to Independence - Farah Mannan

Period: Sep 5, 1775 to Sep 3, 1783

A brief overview of the major components of the American Revolutionary War

Quebec Military Campaign

Sep 7, 1775

• The Americans were afraid of a possible British attack from Quebec after the Declaration of Independence in 1776, so they were determined to have a military strategy that allowed them a defensive strike on the British
• They wanted control over British troops in Canada before 1776
• General Richard Montgomery led the first strike in NY (September, 1775). He and his troops eventually moved to Montreal, where Montgomery defeated them in November, 1775
• Was a very harsh American defeat (weather)

Benedict Arnold

Dec 12, 1775

• Benedict Arnold was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the heroes who fought in the battle of Saratoga, and was a leader of the failed Quebec campaign of 1775
• He was appointed commander of Philadelphia following the victory at Saratoga
• He planned to surrender his NY military base to the British, however he was caught and fleed to Great Britain
• Became known as a traitor in America

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

• The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress that announced the thirteen colonies regarded themselves as independent states, no longer part of the British Empire
• Thomas Jefferson was to compose the original draft of the document, under John Adams’ recommendation
• In essence it was a formal explanation of why Congress voted for independence against Great Britain, more than a year after the American Revolutionary war
• July 4 is their Independenc Day

Battle of Princeton

Jan 3, 1777

• The battle of Princeton was a battle led by General George Washington in Princeton, New Jersey
• George Washington rebuffed a British attack in Trenton, and soon afterwards evacuated his troops and circled Lord Cornwallis’ army to attack their barracks at Princeton
• This was the last major military conflict in the New Jersey campaign during the war
• It was an American victory that rose morale amongst the troops
• More men began to enlist after this battle

Battle of Saratoga

Sep 19, 1777

• The battle of Saratoga was often referred to as the turning point of the American Revolution
• The battle was fought for 18 days in Saratoga, New York, and the objective of the British was to divide New England from the southern colonies
• General Howe was supposed to move his troops south from Quebec, but stubbornly went south to Philadelphia instead
• His failure to advance north from NY left British forces vulnerable and weak, leading General John Burgoyne to surrender in October

Charleston

Mar 29, 1780

• The battle of Charleston was one of the worst military sieges in the south
• It was a major battle that took place near the end of the American Revolutionary War
• The British began shifting their focus towards the southern colonies
• The battle lasted about six weeks and the Continental Army surrendered a staggering 5,000 troops to the British
• Little mercy was shown on either side, and it was one of the more savage battles throughout the war
• Charleston remained in British control

Battle of Yorktown

Sep 28, 1781

• The battle of Yorktown was an American victory against the British led by General George Washington, with assistance from the French forces
• They were facing Lt. General Lord Cornwallis in Virginia
• For over a month, American and French forces attacked the British barracks
• Cornwallis realized that relief was impossible and surrendered to Washington
• It was a huge boost to American confidences at the time, and helped disheartened American soldiers regain their faith in Washington

Treaty of Paris

Sep 3, 1783

• In early November of the previous year, British and American military reached an agreement without the knowledge of the French
• Britain recognized America’s independence and promised to withdraw its troops from the Northwest
• It gave America all the land south of Canada and north of Spanish Florida
• It made the USA larger and richer than any European power
• In return the American government stopped seizing Loyalist land
• France was shocked by this betrayal but could do nothing about it