-
Paul Revere's Ride
MA governor, Thomas Gage, sent British troops to seize
weapons at Concord. (Right to bare arms?) Paul Revere and two others rode to warn colonists. Local militia, minutemen, readied for battle. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
April 19, 1775– British troops arrived in Lexington and
the colonists meet them on a field: someone fired the
“shot heard ‘round the world.” British Redcoats continue on to Concord but are forced
to retreat back to Boston. Their red uniforms made an
easy target for Patriot marksmen. Very bloody retreat for British -
Battle of Bunker Hill
P’s attacked B. at Fort
Ticonderoga (up by Canada)
to seize large supply of
weapons, they win. Back in Boston, Col. forces
get Breed’s Hill to prevent B.
escape. 2,400 B’s vs. 1,600 P’s at the
Battle of Bunker Hill. P’s forced to retreat, but only
after causing more than
1,000 British casualties. Costly (in lives) victory for B. -
The Declaration of Independence
Many colonial leaders agreed with Thomas Paine’s ideas. 2nd Cont. Congress created a committee in June 1776 to
write a document declaring independence. Thomas Jefferson was main author. Declaration of Independence formally announced break
with Great Britain. Was a list of all the wrongs the King had done Approved on July 4, 1776. -
Washington's Crossing
George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, which occurred on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a surprise attack organized by George Washington against the Hessian (German mercenaries) forces in Trenton, New Jersey, on the morning of December 26. -
Battle of Saratoga
B. upset by two quick defeats in New Jersey. B. Gen. John Burgoyne planned to seize
Hudson River Valley to cut off New England. They were crushed by P’s under General
Horatio Gates. Battle of Saratoga in N. Y. was the
turning point of the Revolutionary War. -
Valley Forge
Continental Army was low on supplies. Washington and 12,000 men wintered at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during 1777–78. Suffered through the brutal winter and shortages of
food, clothing, and shelter. Continental Army survived, but 2,000 died of
disease and malnutrition. -
Battle of Yorktown
General Cornwallis moved British forces to
Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.- Continental Army and French troops under
Rochambeau surrounded the B’s. - Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781,
after weeks of fighting. Patriots took 8,000
prisoners–the largest British army in America. - The Battle of Yorktown was the last major
battle of the American Revolution.
- Continental Army and French troops under