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Battle of Lexington/Concord
This battle started the Revolutionary war. Tensions were building up between the colonists and the British. Hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby concord. Paul Revere and the other riders spread the news and the militia men began moving to stop the British army. The battle began and the British retreated due to the heavy fire. -
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga was run by the British since 1759. It was overrun on May 10, 1775, in the morning with a surprise attack by the Green Mountain Boys who were under Ethan Allen, and assisted by Benedict Arnold. The artillery that they seized there was moved to Boston by Henry Knox to use against the British. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place in Charlestown, Massachusetts. It was one of the most important wars of the American revolution. The battle was called the Battle of Bunker Hill, but it mainly took place on Breed's Hill. Due to the battles before, the Colonial Militia had surrounded Boston. People alerted the Americans that the British were planning to control and rule the hills around Boston, in order to keep the Boston harbor open to British ships bringing in supplies and troops. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine published his pamphlet “Common Sense,” which was originally published anonymously and was showing his arguments in favor of American independence. When Paine wrote “Common Sense,” most colonists praised the British. Paine changed the colonists’ opinion when stating “Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe.” -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a document that announced the separation of the thirteen American-British colonies from Great Britain. The Congress unanimously voted and had concluded that the Colonies have the right to be Free and Independent States. The document also includes the complaints against the king, people have rights that cannot be taken away, and delegates signatures at the bottom. -
Battle of Long Island
The British Army successfully moved against the American Army led by George Washington. The battle was part of a British plan to gain control of New York which would isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. Washington’s defeat almost led to the surrender of his entire army, but he was able to escape and continue the fight. -
Washington Crosses the Delaware
General George Washington and one of his troops crossed the Delaware River. They planned to have three separate river crossings but only one made it across. They started a surprise attack on German forces in New Jersey but almost didn’t because they were behind schedule and were missing his troops from the other two river crossings. -
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a small but hard battle. It took place in the morning when Washington and his army were leaving the Battle of Long Island. Washington and his army defeated a lot of British soldiers but had to retreat. -
Battle of Princeton
A week later after the Battle of Trenton, Washington and his army returned to Trenton and attempted to bring the British forces south, and then at night they attempted to take over Princeton. The victory gave the colonists most of the control over New Jersey and even improved the confidence of the army. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga resulted in the surrender of the British Army General. Benedict Arnold also helped with this process. He felt that he didn’t get the recognition he deserved, so he became a traitor and helped the British army. The victory of this war helped the colonists gain a lot of confidence. -
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Winter at Valley Forge
Winter at Valley Forge was the camp that American army made during the winter. The army stayed here because it was close to Philadelphia and gave them the protection, they needed to survive the winter. It was also the place where the fighting forces unified. -
Treaty of Amity and Commerce/Treaty of Alliance
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce showed that the United States was its own independent nation and it encouraged trade between France and the America. The Treaty of Alliance provided a military alliance against Great Britain, which meant that independence for the United States would be fought for and the French could capture the British west indies. -
Battle of Charleston
The Battle of Charleston was the worst defeat for the Americans as they lost so many soldiers and embarrassed themselves. The British captured more than 3,000 American soldiers and a lot of equipment, they only lost 250 soldiers. Since South Carolina was a deeply divided state, the British being there let loose a ton of violence of a civil war upon the population due to the loyalists. -
Battle of Springfield
The Battle of Springfield happened when the British tried to invade New Jersey for the last time. The British attempted to attack George Washington in Morristown. They were able to advance at first but eventually him and his army failed and were forced to retreat. -
Battle of Camden, SC
The Americans chose to start a battle with the British. The illness going around gave the British an advantage in troop numbers, therefore the British were very aggressive. It resulted with about 2,000 Patriots killed and even taken as prisoners. The British General Gates was removed from command and replaced by Nathanael Greene. In the end, the British took the victory. -
Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was was located on the northern border of South Carolina. This slowed Lord Cornwallis’s plan to invade North Carolina. Around 600 British soldiers died and only 72 American soldiers died. The Americans took the victory and it was a huge turning point in the war. -
Battle of Kings Mountain
General Cornwallis invaded North Carolina and had troops go to the settlements on the lower slopes of the Alleghany Mountains to get recruits since there were a lot of loyalists. Mountain Men living in the area agreed due to threats from the British. The Americans found the British soldiers camping on the top of King's Mountain. Within an hour they killed and/or captured every British soldier that was camped on the mountain, causing them to retreat from North Carolina. -
Battle of Yorktown
During the Battle of Yorktown the American army pushed through the see and trapped a major British army on a peninsula at Yorktown, Virginia, which forced them to surrender. The siege ended all of the military operations in the American Revolution. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War. John Adam, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin, negotiated the peace treaty with King George III, the king of Great Britain. In the Treaty of Paris, the British formally gave the United States its independence and gave up most of their territory east of the Mississippi River to the United States. This resulted in the size of the United States doubling and clearing a path for westward expansion.
