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Lexington and Concord
Schoolhouse Rock Video
The Battles of Lexington and Concord signaled the start of the American Revolutionary war on April 19, 1775. The British Army set out from Boston to capture rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington as well as to destroy the Americans store of weapons and ammunition in Concord. The colonists were warned however, by riders including Paul Revere, that the British Army was approaching. -
Bunker Hill
Click Here for more details!Boston was being besieged by thousands of American militia. The British were trying to keep control of the city and control its valuable sea ports. The American forces heard about it and went to defend the hills. Although the British won the hill and the battle, they paid heavy costs with so many soldiers dying, including many officers. This gave the Americans courage to know that they could stand up to the British in battle. Many more colonists joined the army after this battle. -
Declaration of Independence
Click here for more details!the Second Continental Congress appointed a committee of five men to write a Declaration of Independence from British Rule. Those five men were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson wrote the first draft. Thomas Jefferson's work was approved on July 4, 1776. -
Saratoga Campaign
Click here for more details!Turning point of the Revolutionary War in that it convinced France to enter the war on the side of the Americans. The American victory convinced France that America really did have a chance of winning. Soon thereafter, French money and supplies (and eventually, troops and ships) were making their way to America. The end had begun. -
Siege of Charleston
Click here for more details!British victory in the first few months of 1780 that gave Britain control of much of the Southern colonies. Charleston was an important port and strategic center for the Southern Continental Army, nearly all of which surrendered at Charleston. Under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln, the Americans held out as long as they could, then surrendered to the British, commanded by General Henry Clinton. -
Battle of Cowpens
Click here for more details! Decisive American victory that turned the tide of the war in the South. American forces met British forces near cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781. Outnumbered and ill-prepared, the Americans nonetheless won the day with a fierce bayonet charge that resulted in a mass surrender. This victory convinced the overall British commander, to look northward, a decision that would ultimately lead him to Yorktown. -
Battle of Yorktown
Click here for more details!The Battle of Yorktown was the last great battle of the American Revolutionary War. It is where the British Army surrendered and the British government began to consider a peace treaty.
