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Martha Washington
Martha Washington was the wife of General George Washington, who later became president. She helped keep up morale among the officers in their winter encampments during the Revolutionary War/ -
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams. John Adams frequently sought the advice of Abigail, and their letters are filled with discussions on the politics of the time. -
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The Revolutionary War (Loyalists/Hessians/Patriots)
The Revolutionary War, fought between Britain (Loyalists and Hessians) and rebel colonists (Patriots) marked the beginning of the United States of America. Hessians were German soldiers contracted by England to serve in their military. The war lasted 20 years. -
Treaty of Paris (1763)
Great Britan, France, and Spain all signed the Treaty of Paris after Britain won the French and Indian War. Britain then gained everything east of the Mississippi River. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 prevented people in America from settling anywhere west of the Appalachian Mountains. The main purpose of this was to stabilize relations with the Native Americans. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Acts were laws that made citizens in the colonies provide food and shelter for British soldiers. This is now illegal under the 3rd Amendment to the Constitution. -
Stamp Act
The stamp act was a tax imposed on the British colonies by Parliament.It required many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper in London. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were acts passed by Parliament in order to raise revenue in the colonies. This revenue would be used to pay the salaries of governors and judges so they would be free of colonial rule. -
Boston Massacre (Sam Adams)
The Boston Massacre was a conflict where British soldiers fired without orders into a crowd of people that were heckling a British Sentry. Five people died and six more were injured. The Massacre was at the end of a chain of events started by Samuel Adams, whose circular letter calling for non-cooperation with the British prompted the occupation of Boston by British soldiers, which then led to the Boston Massacre. -
The Boston Tea Party (Sons of Liberty)
The Boston Tea Party was a protest where people, disguised as Indians, threw over a million dollars worth of tea into the Boston Harbor. The act was in defiance of the British tax on tea. The Sons of Liberty, a group of patriots whose goal was to protect the rights of colonists against the British, were the perpetrators of the Boston Tea Party. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were harsh laws passed by Parliament after the Boston Tea Party, specifically targeting Massachusetts. The laws stripped Massachusetts of many of its rights, causing outrage in the Colonies. -
First Continental Congress (George Washington)
The First Continental Congress was a convention of representatives from twelve colonies (Georgia was not present). They met to discuss options for getting Britain back for the Intolerable Acts. George Washington presided over the Continental Congress, and oversaw the signing of the Declaration of Independence. -
Paul Revere
On this date, Paul Revere set out to warn towns of the advance of British Army towards them. His main priority was to protect the town of Lexington. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. They were fought in Middlesex County. -
Common Sense (Thomas Paine)
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine encouraging people in the colonies to declare independece from Britain. It explained the desperate need and advantages for independence. -
Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson) (John Adams)
The Declaration of Independence was a document declaring independence from Britain. It was signed by 56 delegates to the Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson, the representative for Virginia, was the main author of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams helped author the Declaration, and was its primary advocate in the Continental Congress. -
Battles of Saratoga (Benedict Arnold)
The Battles of Saratoga were turning points in the Revolutionary War. They stopped the British advences and turned the War's path around. Another Battle of Saratoga occured on October 7th of the same year. Benedict Arnold spirited the American troops through the second battle of Saratoga and pushed the British back to where they had been at the first battle of Saratoga. -
Battle of Yorktown (Lord Cornwallis)
The Battle of Yorktown was a victory for the Americans and French over the British. It was the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War. When Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army, it marked the end (essentially) of the Revolutionary War. -
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The 1783 Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War. It was considered as "exceedingly generous" to the United States.
