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First Continental Congress
A group of delegates from the 13 North American colonies. They met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. This meeting was in response to the passing of the Coercive Acts by the British. -
Lexington and Concord
These battles were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. A group of Minutemen confronted the redcoats as the made their way toward Concord. A shot was fired and before anyone knew it over 8 Minutemen lay dead. By the time the battle of Lexington and Concord was over, 250 redcoats and 90 Americans had been either injured or killed. -
The Second Continental Congress
A couple of weeks after the start of the Revolutionary War, representatives from the 13 colonies formed the Second Continental Congress. They met on May 10, 1775, also in Philadelphia.This group would serve as an emergency government through the war. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was the secod battle of the Revolutionary War and it also was the bloodiest one. The Redcoats attacked the American militiamen, who were poorly equipped. The Americans did not begin to shoot until the could see " the whites of the enemy's eyes." The battle did not stop until the militiamen ran out of gunpowder. Even though the Americans suffered only 1/2 of the casualties the British had, they still managed to lose. The British won the battle of Bunker Hill -
Washington Takes Command in Boston
George Washington took command of the militas around boston after the American defeat of Bunker Hill. When he was in control, American troops had invaded British Canada to try to capture Quebec, but they lost that battle. Washington then ordered to have cannons in Boston ready for the redcoats. When the Britsh realized their postition was hopeless they dumped thier own cannons in the harbor and sailed to Canada. After this, the American forces took control of the city. -
The Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson and other members of a committee were writing the America's most famous historical document. They wrote that all men are born with certain god-given rights and are created equal. Most importrantly, they wrote that America is independent to form a new, democratic, nation. On July, 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was presented to congress and all the representatives signed their name to the document. -
Crossing the Deleware River
This was the first time Washington and his crew went offensive and tried to catch the British by surprise. The Americans crossed the icy Deleware River and went into New Jersey. As a result of this, American forces went on to win two important battles, Princeton and Trenton. -
Campaign in the Southern Colonies
The Britsih started to fall in the north so the abandoned Philadelphia and captured Savannah, Georgia. They soon captured the whole state and kept going north. The years of 1779 and 1780 were bad for the Americans because they lost a string of defeats in the south. The Americans started to win again, but they could not stop the British from invading Virginia. -
Yorktown, Virginia: The Last Battle of the Revolutionary War
The British led by General Cornwallis had reached Yorktown, Virginia. Washington had found out good news that the French had battled British ships coming to help the enemy's army. this meant that the British were outnumbered and trapped. On top of that, the British were suffering many casualties and lots of financial problems. On October 19, 1781, the shooting stopped adn the British surrendered. This was the las battle of the Revolutionary War. -
Treaty of Paris
Even though there was no conflict, the Revolutionary War did not officially end until September 3, 1783. The Treaty Of Paris was a peace treaty which formally recongnized the independence of the United States of America. America is now an independent nation!
