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October 1774 The First Continental Congress
In October of 1774, the 13 colonies were experiencing a lot of trouble. The reason to this trouble was because of unfair taxation, lack of representation in British Parliament, and the restriction of colonial freedoms. One-third of the colonists really wanted independence from Britain. So, that October the 1st Continental Congress was meeting ans was warning perople to be prepared to fight if American liberties were not restored. -
March 1775 Early the Next Year
In March of 1775 the sitiation grew worse. The king declared the colony of Massachusetts to be in open rebellion. He commanded that Boston's main patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock be arrested for treason. A little after this occured soldiers were ordered to seize American weapons and gunpowder being stored in the town of Concord, Massachusetts. -
Lexington & Concord: Outbreak of the Revolutionary War
The morning of April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Massachusetts 70 armed minutemen confronted the redcoats as they marched toward Concord. No one knows who fired the first shot, but when it was over 8 minutemen were laying dead on the floor. The British troops continued onto Concord but when they reached the old North Bridge more fighting occured and they returned to Boston. When battle of Lexington and Concord was over, 250 British soldiers and 90 Americans were either dead or wounded. -
The Second Continental Congress Begins
A few weeks after the outbreak of the war, representatives fromthe 13 colonies formed the 2nd Continental Congress. It would serve as an emergency government throughout the war. While the 2nd Continental Congress was just beggining at the statehouse in Philadelphia, the war was spreding. As American fighters in the colont of New York captured Fort Ticonderoga aremed militias took up positions in the hills of Boston. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was the 2nd battle of the war. This battle was the bloodiest battle of the Revolutionary War. In the morning, the British began sheelling the fort from ships in the harbor & from land batteries in Boston, Soon Charles Town was burning. The battle continued until the militiamen ran out of gunpowder. In the end the redcoats suffered twice as many casualties as the Americans, but the British still managed to win. -
Washington Takes Command in Boston
Exactly a month after the American defeat at Bunker Hill, General Washington took command of the militias around Boston. His plan was to drive the redcoats away from the city if Britain refused to accept America's offer of peace. When he learned that the King had declared war on all the colonines, Washington went into action. Washington's troops were waiting for snow to move the cannons other American troops invaded British Canada but were defeated when they tried to capture the city of Quebec. -
The Cannons are Brought in
By March of 1776 the cannons were in Boston. There were 12 pointed directly at the enemy. Realizing their position was hopeless, the British dumped their own cannons into the harbor. Them they sailed off to saftey in Canada, After that occured American forces took control of the city. -
The Declaration of Independence
During the summer of 1776 the Declaration of Independence was being written by Thomas Jefferson and other members of a special congressional committee. The Declaration of Independence is America's most famous historical document. The United States of America was born her. Within the walls of the State House of the Colony of Pennsylvania, on the fourth of July 1776 the Declaration of Independence was presented to Congress. -
George Washington Attacks on Christmas Night
This battle was known as "The Battle of Trenton." This battle occured because George Washington came up with the plan to attack on Christmas Night. He knew the redcoats would be celebrating and not worrying about being attaked. With the element of surprise on his side he won this battle. This occured when he crossed the icy Delaware River and went to New Jersey to attack. -
The Battle of Yorktown: The Last Battle of the Revolutionary War
By October of 1781 a alrge force of British troops led by General Cornwallis had reached Yorktown, Virginia, where the last battle of the Revolutionary War was to be fought. When Washington arrived to Yorktown he learned news that a French Fleet had battled the ships coming to help the enemy's army and forced them to turn back. On October 19, 1781 the shooting stopped & the British surrendered. Thought the war didn't officially end until 1783 when a peace treaty was approved.
