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Period: to
American revolution
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Lexington and Concord
During the last months of 1774 general Thomas Gage ordered that 700 British red coats go and destroy a supply of militia weaponry. As the soldiers marched through Lexington and onto concord the minute men who had been warned earlier by Paul Revere that “The British are coming” prepared for a fight. The Americans met the redcoats at Lexington and the red coats easily strolled through with next to any problems. They destroyed the supplies at concord but by this time all other minute men in surroun -
Quebec Military Campaign
Fearing a British attack from Quebec in the wake of the declaration of independence, the Americans determined t launch a pre-emptive attack on the colony. In late 1755 two American armies headed north to attack Quebec. In November 1755 Montgomery’s force defeated the British who withdrew downriver from Quebec. Pursuing the British to Quebec City Montgomery was joined in late December by a second force, commanded by Benedict Arnold, which had marched overland from Massachusetts through bitter win -
General George Washington
The second continental congress formed the Continental Army and made George Washington a general. He started training his 14,000 men. On April 19, 1775, war broke out between the colonies and Great Britain. This was the Battle of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. Washington went on to become the first president of the United States, after the declaration of independence was signed. He is arguably the greatest leader the United States has ever had but their is no doubt that he isn’t the fac -
Loyalists
Loyalists were people who were still loyal to the British crown even throughout the revolution. It is estimated that 1/5 of the population of the American colonies was loyal to the crown. Minority of the loyalists were people in a high ranking job being situated there by the British government. Positions such as governors, tax collectors, judges, and accountants. Majority of loyalists though were poor farmers and artisans who opposed the colonial elites who led the revolution. They accused these -
Patriots
Patriots came from every rank in colonial society. Patriots were people who opposed the British rule in Americana and were in full support of the revolution. Many patriots were lawyers and wealthy merchants who were annoyed at Britain’s trade policies. Patriot leaders were drawn mainly from the wealthy and educated elites, but the majority of the movements members came from the lower classes. There were even some patriots north of the thirteen colonies. There was a group of radical English merch -
Common Sense Published
In January 1776 the Englishman Thomas Paine, a radical journalist who settled in Philadelphia in 1774 publish a magazine know as “common sense”. The purpose was to educate common people living in the colonies about what was occurring in the revolution and what were the causes of it. The pamphlet provided an easy to understand defence of the revolution which sold more than 100, 000 copies each year. Paine’s pamphlet helped forge a common revolutionary identity throughout the colonies. -
General William Howe
Howe was born in Britain and served under general James Wolfe at the battle of the plains of Abraham. He is famous as he was in command of the British forces at the battle of bunker hill. After general Washington secured Dorchester heights Howe ordered an evacuation of forces to Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. In 1777 he sailed to Chesapeake bay. On September 11 he defeated General Washington at the Battle of Brandywine and occupied Philadelphia on September 26th. He again defeated Washington at th -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document written by Benjamin Franklin. The document was intended to be a social contract that connects the government to its people. In exchange for the people obedience the declaration states to protect the peoples freedom. The resolution itself states that the thirteen colonies of America were separate states and no longer part of the British Empire. -
Battle of Princeton
Following his surprise victory at Trenton on December 26, 1776, General Washington decided to use his momentum and grab another victory before entering winter quarters. On December 30, he crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey. In Princeton, General Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lt. Colonel Charles Mawhood. Washington was able to attack and defeat the troops at Princeton and get out before General Cornwallis could arrive with reinforcements. -
Battle of Saratoga
The battle of Saratoga took place in Saratoga New York. This was one of the key turning points in the American Revolution as this was the first battle where the British suffered massive losses, the American stopped the British advance and the French decided to join the war. The outcome of Saratoga as it ended in a draw proved that the Americans had the ability to fend for themselves which inspired the French to join along with the Americans and fight the British. In examination, the losses, for -
Battle of Savannah
The British moved their attention towards the southern colonies believing that the loyalists support would be stronger there. The British led an expedition to take the city of Savannah Georgia. Later when the Americans sought to regain control of savannah they led a small attack on the British. Because savannah was a port it was vital to the Americans that they regain control of it. Eventually, the Americans decided to wait before attacking savannah and waiting for more reinforcements not realiz -
Battle of Charleston
The siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took place towards the end of the American Revolutionary War, after the British began to shift their strategic focus towards fighting in the southern colonies. The British decimated the continental army who was currently under the command of general Washington. Much like other battles the British believe that there was stronger loyalist support in the south and also Charleston was a port that was a strategic location for an attack. -
Colonel Francis Marion
Colonel Francis Marion, also known as the swamp fox was an officer in the continental army wo engaged in combat with the British in the swamps in south Carolina. His tactic of guerrilla style warfare earned him the name “the swamp fox”. Marion first learned his “Indian style” of warfare while fighting the Cherokees in the Southern theater of the French and Indian War. With American Independence in 1776, Marion was commissioned a major in the South Carolina militia. He helped to repulse the Briti -
General Charles Cornwallis
Lord Charles Cornwallis was a British general who fought against the Americans in many different battles during the Revolutionary War. The most important one was the Battle of Yorktown where the British surrendered. Cornwallis was a successful general, but he was unable to defeat the American and French forces, leading to the biggest loss of his career. In August 1781 Cornwallis was in Yorktown waiting for more troops to arrive. By the time the new British troops arrived, the French were ready t -
Battle of Yorktown
When General Cornwallis was trapped in Yorktown by Americans and their French allies, the American and French forces besieged the British garrison. For more than a month the forces fought but Cornwallis eventually realized that relief was impossible and surrendered. Britain still had control of New York but this was a motive to end the British campaign in America. When the British were leaving the garrison they played the song “the world turned upside down”
