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Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published at the beginning of the Revolutionary war and it became a big success immediately. Common Sense had the largest sale of any book published in American history. Thomas Paine wrote it in a style that everyone understood. Historians decribe common sense as the most popular pamphlet of the revolutionary era. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. It tells Britain that the people who live in America want a free country. It changed the whole view of the Revolution. At first, the Patriots were fighting for better treatment from Britain, but after the Declaration of Independence, the Patriots fought for new country, for freedom. -
Battle of Brooklyn
The Battle of Brooklyn is the first real battle between the British and American forces. Redcoats under Charles Cornwallis and General William Howe took control of New York and tried to trap the Americans in Brooklyn. General George Washington responded by holding his ground until nighttime and then he retreated under the darkness. It was the first British victory. -
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was fought in Princeton, New Jersey. It was General George Washington against Major General Lord Corwallis. There were 7,000 American soldiers fighting against 8,000 British and Hessian soldiers. The Americans escaped Cornwallis' encircling move and won the war. The victory at Princeton drove the British out of New Jersey, almost for good. -
Paoli Massacre
General Charles Grey and about 5,000 British soldiers launch a suprise attack on a small group of American troops commanded by General Anthony Wayne in what will become known as the Paoli Massacre or the Battle of Paoli. Grey ordered his troops to leave their muskets and just use swords to attack the sleeping Americans in the darkness. -
Battle of Barren Hill
A British force tried to trap a smaller American force under the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette outsmarted the British and found an escape route for his troop to go through that would bypass the British force. The Americans slipped away unnoticed. The British, who failed to bag Lafayette, returned to their retreat from Philadelphia to New York.
