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John Locke
John Locke was an English philosopher who brought with him teachings of liberty, freedom, and natural rights that we are born with and that cannot simply be taken from us. With his teachings, specifically in the Second Treatise, many people during this time began to think very deeply about their freedoms and liberties during this time. His teachings most likely had an impact on the Americans who wanted to be independent from Britain due to their rights being virtually taken from them. -
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The French and English Enlightenment
During the Age of Reason, enlightenment was being brought to the citizens of both the French and English, with many familiar names such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Voltaire bringing about many different ideas which went almost completely against what the world had been operating on in the past, with many remarks about freedoms, liberties, changes to government, and plenty of other system breaking ideals which most likely had an impact on the decision of America to part from Britain. -
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Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was a very important figure in the Revolutionary War, serving as one of the Founding Fathers, a writer of the Declaration of Independence, and even serving as the third president of the United States in his time. -
French Involvement at the Beginning of the Revolution
France inadvertently became part of the Revolutionary War when they secretly shipped supplies to the Continental Army which had just been formed on June of 1777. France was a longtime enemy of Britain, so any damage they could do to Britain's chances of coming out victorious would be fine with them. -
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George Washington
The Continental Congress committed George Washington as the Commander in Chief for the Revolutionary War, and he served this role throughout the war until the end, doing so much for his country that he was urged to become the president in 1789, to which he agreed and served as president faithfully and to the best of his ability until 1797 when he resigned from office to allow someone with a fresh mindset to take leadership of the new country. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were some of the first military engagements between Britain and the colonists in the beginning of the Revolutionary War, fought in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge. The British ended up standing victorious at the end due to their advanced weapons and experience. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from the 13 colonies to discuss plans on the war, self-governance, and the option of extending an olive branch to the king to possibly avoid the Revolutionary War. This was one of the first steps towards self-government for the United States as well. -
Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place during the Siege of Boston in Charleston, Massachusetts, where a bloody fight ensued, however yet again Britain took the win in this fight. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a last ditch effort by the colonists to avoid a war with Britain. The petition was signed by Congress and pledged the loyalty of the colonists to the crown, with the request that the king protect the rights of the colonists as British citizens. It was not the most popular choice in Congress, with members like John Adams being left infuriated but signing anyways, however this did not appease Britain in the end. -
The Original Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the proclamation of America to Britain that they would no longer live under and abide by the oppressive rule of the crown and Britain. The Declaration also held the beginnings of self-governance and the signatures of all the Congress in a statement that they would no longer put up with the tyranny they had faced for so many years. -
Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a small, but nonetheless important battle which took place in Trenton, New Jersey and was won by George Washington and his unit, who defeated a British garrison in Trenton and won the battle. -
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Battles of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga took place during the second year of the Revolutionary War, with the Continental Army taking home a decisive win against the Britain, severing supply routes and soldier deployment routes for Britain and making it a lot more difficult for British leaders in the area to do much of anything. -
Princeton
The Battle of Princeton took place in Princeton, New Jersey. George Washington and his unit rose victoriously from this battle and multiple other battles that had happened in the days before, showing that America could in fact beat Britain and boosting the morale of America as a whole. -
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Valley Forge
Valley Forge was the third of eight winter encampments set up by George Washington in an attempt to keep his soldiers in areas of interest and ready to fight so that he did not lose his foothold in the war, but disease, hunger, and climate took its toll on the soldiers and cannibalism, sickness, and death reigned over Valley Forge. -
Spanish Involvement
After about five years of the Revolutionary War being fought, Spain decided it would join alongside its allies in France, who was an ally of America, and fight against Britain by sending supplies to the Continental Army, supplying the troops and doing any damage they could to Britain's chances of winning the war as well. -
Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement between British and Continental soldiers near Cowpens, South Carolina in the battle for the Carolinas. The Continental Army earned yet another victory over the British in this fight. -
Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the final and most decisive battle between the British and the Continental Army, taking place in Yorktown, Virginia, and lasting from September 28 to October 19, 1781, when British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his army surrendered to George Washington's American forces and its French allies, it was more than just a victory over a single unit or area, this surrender marked the beginning of the surrender of Britain and the beginning of independence for America. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed by both American and British representatives, marking the end of the Revolutionary War, the beginning of independence for America, and a significant amount of western territory for America.