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Paul Revere’s Ride
Paul Revere’s Ride, rode to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, fifty miles north of Boston, to warn the locals there of an impending seizure. On April 18th, 1775, Revere made the most famous ride of his life, to Lexington, to warn patriot leaders in hiding there. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
In this first battle of the American Revolution, Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a lengthy war to earn their independence. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The patriots were defeated at the Battle of Bunker Hill but proved they could hold their own against the superior British Army. The fierce fight confirmed that allegiance between England and American colonies was no longer possible. -
Thomas Paine’s writing of “The American Crisis”
During the first few months of the American Revolution in 1776, hope for an American victory dimmed as the British won continuous victories over the Continentals. When the rebellion almost seemed lost, Thomas Paine, American soldier and author of "Common Sense," wrote a series of essays, "The American Crisis" to bolster morale among American soldiers and renew hope in the American cause. -
Creation of the Declaration of Independence
the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. -
Battle of Trenton
After crossing the Delaware River in a treacherous storm, General George Washington’s army defeated a garrison of Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. The victory set the stage for another success at Princeton a week later and boosted the morale of the American troops. -
Crossing of the Delaware River
On the evening of 25 Dec. 1776, Washington ordered his troops to gather near McKonkey's Ferry on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. From here a contingent of boats successfully transported troops and artillery equipment over the ice-filled river to New Jersey. -
Battles of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The American defeat of the superior British army lifted patriot morale, furthered the hope for independence, and helped to secure the foreign support needed to win the war. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
General George Washington moved the Continental Army to their winter quarters at Valley Forge. Though Revolutionary forces had secured a pivotal victory at Saratoga in September and October, Washington’s army suffered defeats at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown, Pennsylvania. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution. The British surrender forecast the end of British rule in the colonies and the birth of a new nation—the United States of America. -
Treaty of Paris
This treaty, signed on September 3, 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain, ended the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as an independent nation. -
The Battle of Philadelphia
British and Revolutionary forces clashed at Cooch’s Bridge in Delaware, During this campaign of the American Revolutionary War, months of long marches and fierce fighting ended with Philadelphia occupied by the British and Washington’s army encamped at Valley Forge.