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Declaration of independence
After the 13 colonies met up for over a year, they were able to see Britain's intentions with America. Britain didn't provide any resources and congress gradually and somewhat reluctantly began to favor independence. It was not until June 7, 1776 when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution declaring the colonies independent that the idea was getting serious.The declaration written by Jefferson included the grievances against George III's government and the way they treated us. -
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island also known as the battle of Brooklyn Heights in New York was the first battle in the American Revolutionary War to take place after the colonies declared independence against the mother country, Great Britain. This battle resulted in victory for the British Army, but this only fueled George Washington, the leader of the Continental Army, to escape and continue the fight against Britain. -
Battle of Harlem Heights
After losing the battle of Long Island, George Washington was confident in winning this battle. As he was writing a letter to the president of the congress, he was notified that the British troops were south to them and his troops fleeted to the scene hoping to get the British troops off guard. They ended up losing a lot of men, but they were successful in defeating the British. This restored public confidence of the American troops and lifted the spirits of the Continental Army. -
Battle of White plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle located in New York and New Jersey. When Washington retreated north from New York, General William Howe landed troops in Westchester County in order to cut-off George Washington's escape route plan. Alarmed by Howe's plan, Washington moved further along stopping at the White Plains, but Howe's troop drove into Washington's soldiers establishing a loss for the Continental Army. -
The Second Quartering Act
The new Second Quartering Act became a part of the group of laws known as the Intolerable Acts, which were created to restore imperial power over the American colonies. The Second Quartering Act applied to all of the colonies and allowed a governor to house soldiers into other buildings if suitable quarters were not provided for them. -
Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania.
The Battle of Brandywine was located in Delaware County Pennsylvania and was lead by George Washington and Generals William Howe and Charles Cornwallis. Howe and Cornwallis split their troops and send them both toward Washington's Continental Army. Washington was caught off-guard as he did not know that they were split and they were forced to surrender and abandon their canons after their horses fell in battle 1,100 men were killed or captured and only 600 British men were killed or injured. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a huge turning point for the American Revolutionaries since the victory in upstate New York. British forces under General John Burgoyne marched from Canada to the west and south in hopes of finding alliances to help them with the battle. The objective backfired when under Generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold, the American troops attacked the British forces at Saratoga and forced them to surrender. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement between the thirteen states and was perceived as the first constitution. The Articles was ratified March 1 1781 and established a central government that consisted of just one body which was a congress. In this legislature, each state was given one vote, with at least 9 votes out of 13 required to pass laws. The problem with The Articles was that it established a weak government and it failed to keep the economy financially stable. -
Franco-American Alliance
After the diplomatic victory of the Battle of Saratoga, the outcome was more rewarding. Surprised by America's victory the French were convinced to join in the war against Great Britain. Although king Louis XVI had no interest in aiding a revolutionary movement he saw it as a chance to weaken it's country "traditional foe" by helping the U.S. The French alliance proved a decisive factor America's independence because it widened the war and forced British to divert military resources from America -
Peace with Great Britain
In 1783 the Continental Congress of the U.S ratified a peace treaty with Great Britain. With this step forward, congress was coming closer to ending the Revolutionary War and on top of that becoming known as an independent nation. This was a huge point for the American colonies because they were finally free from their mother country Great Britain and they were allowed to build a government that was fair and different from the British Government. This alliance was appointed to John Adams. -
Massachusetts Declaration
The declaration of Massachusetts, drafted by John Adams, is one of the world's oldest, functioning written constitutions made. It served as a model for the United States constitution and stated that "all men are born free and equal, and have a certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights..." This document is broken up into four sections including the preamble, frame of government, Articles of amendment, and the declaration of rights.Three years later it was added that slavery was abolished -
Battle of York Town
The Battle of York Town was an unforgettable event in history as George Washington fought in battle to gain independence from Britain. General Cornwallis, the leader of the British troops, was surrounded by the French and American armies forced to surrender to George Washington leading in to a well deserved victory for the Continental Army. After this occasion, it was the last step into gaining the American colonies their justified independence from Great Britain as a whole at last.
