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Benjamin Franklin
One of the leading figures in American history, Benjamin Franklin (lived from 1706 to 1790) was a man of many prcdigious jobs. He was born into a modest family and was given very little education, however, this did not hold him back. He started printing and became very wealthy. From there he took part in many new inventions and experiments. During the revolution, as a patriot, Franklin served in the Second Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. -
George Washington
in 1775, Congress apppointed George Washington (lived from 1732 to 1799) to lead the colonial army, marking him as a patriot. Despite having little experience in leading a large army and losing more battles than were won, Washington's brilliant stratagies led the patriots to gaining independence. These stratagie were very prominent at the Battle of Trenton in 1776 and Yorktown in 1781. Without him America would not have gained its independece. -
Paul Revere
From the beginning, Paul Revere (lived from 1735 to 1818) participated in public affairs. Being a patriot, he is best known for telling officals that the British were on their way to obtain their guns and ammunition. The famous line "The British are coming!" dereived from this event and it became known as the "Midnight Ride." He was able to prevent all hope being lost for the patriots. -
Thomas Jefferson
As one of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson (lived from 1743 to 1826) and had a very impactfull role during the revolution. He believed in the colonies' independence making him a patriot. During the Revolutionary War, Jefferson served in the Virginia legislature and the Continental Congress. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence, one of the most important documents in American history. -
Henry Knox
Henry Knox (lived from 1750 to 1806) was an active member in the colonial (patriot military). Rising in ranks through the military, Knox eventually became the right hand man under George Washington. Knox led the military to many victories including Trenton and Princeton which got the army more militia power. This power played an active role later on and eventually, Knox led the troops to New York to seperate from the British. -
Sugar Act
On April 5th, 1764, the British parliament passed the sugar act. This act taxed colonial merchants to pay a tax of six pence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses. The small taxes imposed like this made colonists angry and the build up of anger led to the revolution. -
Stamp Act
The stamp act was passed by the British parliment on March 22nd 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. The tax was relativly small, but the continous build up of taxes being imposed made the colonists angry. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Acts were a series of acts passed by the British, beginning on June 15th, 1767. These acts taxed imports on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Like the sugar act, these acts also arised anger in the colonists leading to the Revolution. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. A few colonists were mocking the British soldiers and threw snowballs at them. The soldiers reacted by shooting the colonists (thought to have been one shooter). There were five colonist deaths. This started resentment of both sides against each other. -
Boston Tea Party
As anger arised in the coloines from the imposed taxes, the colonists started to protest. One of the events of the protests specifically against the townshend act was the Boston Tea Party that occured on Decmber 16th, 1773.
Samuel Adams led the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This pushed the two sides closer to war. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The Battle was fought in the cities of Lexington and Concord on April 19th, 1775. On this night hundreds of British soldiers marched to Boston in attempt to seize the colonists weapons. However, Paul Revere had already warned the leaders and the colonists were able to hide the weapons before the British arrived. A confrontation in Lexington started off the fighting, and battles followed. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 17th, 1775, early in the Revolution, the British defeated the colonists at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts. Despite their loss, the untrained coloists were given a boost in confidence as they were able to fight the strongest milita in the world. This led to more battles leading to the colonists gaining their independence. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary war. The British had a smalll victory, however, it severly weakened their troops. During this time, the American troops strengthen and from their the American tactics were much stronger. -
Battle of King's Mountain
During the American Revolution, Patriot irregulars under Colonel William Campbell defeat Tories under Major Patrick Ferguson at the Battle of King’s Mountain in South Carolina on October 7th, 1780. Major Ferguson’s Tory force, made up mostly of American Loyalists from South Carolina. Unwilling to surrender, Ferguson led a suicidal charge down the mountain and was cut down in a hail of bullets. After his death many tried to surrender, hoever, were still slaughtered by fronteirsmen. -
Battle of Yorktown
This marked the end of the Revolutionary War. On September 28th, 1981 in Yorktown. George Washington led American troops to victory against the British army. This caused the British to surrender and effectively ending the American Revolutionary War. This meant that America was a free country.
