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The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a movement that originated in Europe before making its way to North America as well. The Founding Fathers cited their ideas when founding the United States of America- these ideas being: natural rights that cannot be taken away, consent of the governed, social contract, ordered liberty, separation of power, and separation of church and state. -
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George Washington
George Washington was a general in the Revolutionary War, as well as going on to be the United States' first president. He was delegated to be the leader of the Continental Army, and went on to lead this army to victory against the British. He was an important, if not vital, figure in the Revolutionary War because of his leadership and perseverence leading to victory, as well as becoming the first president of the United States in the aftermath. -
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Paul Revere
Paul Revere was a patriotic silversmith in Boston who is infamous for his midnight ride before the Battles of Lexingon and Concord warning the colonists that the British were on their way to attack. He was crucial to the revolution because of the warning he gave, allowing the colonists time to prepare for the attack. -
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Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was Virginia's 1st and 6th governer. He was also famous for his "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech, and for oppossing the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, leading to the creation of the Bill Of Rights. -
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Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was a writer alive during the Revolutionary War. He went on to write and publish Common Sense as well as The American Crisis, works that called colonists to arms and inspired troops to keep going. If it were not for his pieces of writing and the influence they produced, the American Revolution may have not ended in the colonists' favor. -
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The Seven-Years' War
France thought it owned Central North America, and Britan thought it owned all land between Florida and Canada. France banned the British from the Upper Ohio Valley- in 1753, George Washington went to warn France that it was British land, but an attack on a British fort in 1754 made Washington retreat. Britan defeated France in 1760, and all French-owned land was given up, and Spain- who joined the war and lost- lost Florida. High taxes were put on the colonists since Britan went broke. -
Proclamation of 1763
To protect Native American lands, the Proclamation of 1763 was issued, saying nobody could live West of the Appalachian Mountains. This was met with criticism and anger from the colonists, especially those that were living in the inaccessible land. They got so upset because while they moved to North America for a multitude of reasons, there was one reason that united many: land. By taking away land, tensions that were already there began to worsen, further sparking a call for change. -
The Sugar Act of 1764
The Sugar Act of 1764 was a heavy tax on the purchase of sugar or any product that included it, such as baked goods. This was put into place, among other increases in taxes, because of the tremendous amount of money that Britain had spent on the war. The tax affected both consumers and sellers, as sellers had a harder time securing their wares, and consumers had a harder time buying them. This, along with other tax acts, were met with heavy criticism. -
The Stamp Act of 1765
Much like the Sugar Act of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765 was a large tax placed on the purchase or production of any and all printed materials. As with the Sugar Act, this heavy tax also caused issues for both consumers and buyers. Due to England’s unwillingness to let up on any of these tax acts, tensions and anger began to rise. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts, passed in 1767, were a large tax on a multitude of other products not included in the Sugar Act or Stamp Act. This tax heavily impacted the daily lives of the colonists, seeing as items they used in their daily lives were too expensive for them to buy. With the heavy taxes on nearly every product brought over to and used in the colonies, the people began to be able to buy less and less, leaving people in mainland England confused as to why their product isn’t selling. -
The Boston Massacre
On March 5th, 1770, civilians in Boston tossed snowballs at British soldiers and taunted them, telling them they were unwanted. In response, the British soldiers opened fire on the crowd, leaving five colonists dead in the aftermath. When these soldiers were put on trial, they were eventually found to be not guilty after being defended by John Adams. After the soldiers were allowed to walk free, the colonies became furious at the outcome of the trial, further igniting unrest and anger. -
The Boston Tea Party
After the Tea Act of 1773 was passed, forbidding the sale of any non-British tea as well as heavily taxing British tea, a group of rebels decided to fight back. On December 16th, 1773, the rebel group known as the Sons of Liberty boarded multiple ships and dumped about one million dollars’ worth of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest to the tax. Instead of repealing the tax, however, Britan punished Boston as a whole by sending more troops to stay there and blockading Boston. -
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The Continental Congress
A meeting of politicians from all colonies except Georgia was called to respond to the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party, being the blockade and the increased troops. This meeting was historic because it was the first time in early American history that the colonies banded together and shared their opinions under one voice. In the end, the politicians wrote a petition to the king asking for the heavy taxes, the blockading of Boston, and the occupation of Boston by British troops to end. -
The Battle of Concord
This battle took place right after the Battle of Lexington. When the British advanced to Concord to confiscate the colonists’ weapons, they found nothing as they had already been stashed away. In addition to this, more minutemen had arrived, successfully driving the British out of Concord, leaving many British dead or wounded. -
The Battle of Lexington
The Battle of Lexington was the start of it all- after being warned by Paul Revere that the British were coming, minutemen gathered to face them in silence for some time, until a shot rang out- "the shot heard 'round the world". Nobody knows who fired the shot, but this started the first battle, which was easily won by the British, given their superior gear and larger number of troops. After the battle, the British began to advance towards Concord. -
The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
After hearing the news that Boston had been surrounded by the colonists’ militia, other colonists wanted to take arms as well. On May 10th, 1775, a group of colonists named “The Green Mountain Boys” seized Fort Ticonderoga, which marked the first offensive victory for the colonists’ forces. -
The Second Continental Congress
Unlike the first Continental Congress, all colonies sent representatives to the Second Continental Congress. At this gathering, George Washington was chosen to be the leader of the Continental Army, the colonist’s army. Also, after some debate, they decided to formally declare independence from Britain. -
The Publishment of Common Sense
Thomas Paine wrote and published a piece of writing called Common Sense, which was a 47-page text that further called for American independence from Britan. It was written for the colonists, in hopes that they would join the call for total independence if they hadn’t already been rallying for it. -
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence
In order for France to consider joining forces with the American colonists, the French wanted the colonists to prove that they were serious about pledging themselves to this cause. Therefore, on the fourth of July, the Founding Fathers gathered to sign the Declaration of Independence, a document that cemented their desire for independence in stone. -
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The Battle of Brooklyn
The Battle of Brooklyn, otherwise known as the Battle of Long Island, was the first major battle in the American Revolution after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. After the document was signed, the British army returned to the colonies in present-day Brooklyn, and this battle was a victory for the British, yet they did not catch Washington or his army, who decided to take a strategic retreat. -
The Battle of White Plains
Another battle in the Revolutionary War that ultimately ended in defeat for George Washington and his army. The battle had taken place In White Plains, New York, shortly after Washington and his troops were forced to flee from Brooklyn just months prior, adding to the British streak of victories. -
The Publishment of The American Crisis
As Washington’s army lie with low morale and whittled down to a fraction of the British army, Thomas Paine, the same man who wrote Common Sense, wrote The American Crisis, otherwise known as The Crisis, which was much like its’ predecessor, Common Sense, in the sense that it served to boost Colonial morale and deepen their resolve. It became such a hit that Washington commanded his entire army to read it. -
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The Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a battle in the Revolutionary War that took place in present-day Stillwater, New York. This battle led to the creation of the Treaty of Alliance, which was when France fully and formally joined forces with the colonists. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown took place in Yorktown, Virginia, and was the final blow to British forces during the Revolutionary war. Shortly after their defeat, the British surrender to the Colonists, ending the fighting portion of the war and declaring the Colonists victorious.