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First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to resolve the conflict with the English. All the colonies except Georgia sent a representitives. -
Partriots fought for Independence
Patriot Patrick Henry said, " Give me liberty, or give me death."
The Loyalists, or Tories, remained loyal to the crown, and many of them fled the colonies. Many others remained neutral. -
The British are coming
A British general decided to disarm the Boston militia. The sons of liberty learned the British plan. Paul Revere and William Dawes raced on their horses across the countryside. Warning people that the British were coming. -
Second Continental Congress
Representitives for 12 colonies met again in Phiadelphia for the second time. They made plans for the Contenital Army and chose George Washington to command it. -
Fort Ticonderoga was taken
Colonel Benedict Aronld and Ethan Allen took the British Fort Ticonderoga in New York. -
Lord Dunmore's Proclamation
General Washington's first task was to build the Continental Army.
More than 230,000 eventually served, while 145,000 joined the militias. After the British offered freedom to enslaved Africans who fought for them, the Continental Army allowed free slaves to join. -
Aggressive Patriots
Aggressive Patriots launched an attck on British settlements in Canada but were defeated in Quebec. -
Common Sense
Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine. That argued for breaking away from Great Britain. It was written in the style that common people would understand. He convienced many colonist that the time was right for independence. -
Drafted Decerlaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson, with the help of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, drafted the Declaration of Independence. -
Continental Army
The British drove the Continental Army out of New York. -
USA was born
The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. The United States of America was born. -
Battle of Trenton
On Christmas night Washington and 2,400 men crossed the Delaware River. They suprised the British with a huge win in the Battle of Trenton. -
Battle of Saratoga
After the British suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Saratoga, France and Spain agreed to help the Americans. The foreign aid was critical. -
December 1777-March 1778
The harsh winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylavania, killed more than a fifth of Washington's soilders. -
Battle of Vincennes
In the west George Rogers Clark, an explorer and mapper, built a frontier while weakening the British. He captured British settlements and convinced Amercian Indians to stay out of the war. -
Americans VS British
The British had a large navy, so Americans attacked individual ships instead of fighting large battles. With fewer than 100 ships, the American ships sank 200 British ships. Bonhomme Richard defeats Serapis. -
British
As the war shifted South, the British enjoyed several major victories. Even after the southern army was defeated, Patriots continued fighting using guerrilla warfare. But the army's morale took a blow when Benidict Arnold turned traitor. -
Battle of Yorktown
Washington planned a combined American and French attack on Yorktown. After a weeks-long siege, the British were defeated. -
Tready of Paris
Offically ended the war. It set the new nation's boundaries and forced the British to recognize the United States od America.
