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Martha Custis Washington
The only signifigant thing about Martha was that she was married to George Washington, the first President of America. Also, she traveled a lot with George during the war, besides going to Philadelphia. Also, before marrying George, she was married to Colonel Daniel Parke Custis in 1750, but her husband died after her fourth child was born, sometime in 1757 or 1758. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
This treaty finally put a stop to the Seven Year War. France lost all land in North America to Great Britain, but kept the West Indian Islands of Grenada. -
Proclamation of 1763
This proclamation was signed by the King of Britain after the French and Indian War. This established four new colonies, and also said which lands were the Indians and the English. -
Abigail Adams
She married her third cousin, John Adams, which later became the second President of America. When the British fired on Boston's harbor, the continental army asked for weapons. On the plus side, the got guns, but on the down side, they didn't get any amo. Luckily, Abigail helped immensely with this and melted all the steel and silver in her house and made bullets for them. Also, she was one of the first to try to do something about women's rights. -
The Stamp Act
This was an act that imposed taxes on the colonists to help repay the dept British had from the French Indian War. The colonists resisted and there were large mobs that tried to intimidate stamp collectors. This worked and Parliament repealed the act in 1776 -
The Quartering Act
This act forced colonists to house British soldiers barracks, and if there wasn't any room, then they had to find some in local inns, ale houses, or stables. British soldiers took this to their advantage and kicked colonists out of their homes, which was later said they could only stay in public places. -
Intolerable Acts
These were a series of laws that were put into action by King George III after the Boston Tea Party. There were five altogether: The Quartering Act, The Massachussets Government Act, The Boston Port Act, The Administration of Justice Act, and the Quebec Act. -
Sons of Liberty
These were a group of workers and tradesmen who helped stand up against the Stamp Act. Benjamin Edes and John Gill helped by recruiting some 2000 or so men. Their first widely known act was the hanging of Andrew Oliver. They later burned down Fort Hills and Oliver's property and then stoned his house. -
Townshend Acts
Taxes were put on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea to try and raise 40,000 euros a year for the adminstration of the colonies. This caused the colonists to become hostile again, as they did during the Stamp Act. -
Sam Adams
Sam Adams was a political leader leading up to the Revolutionary War. He did many things to help lead to the start of the Revolutionary War like being a member of the Massachusetts legislature, a protestor of the Stamp Act and an organizer of the 1767 non-importation agreement. He also formed the Sons of Liberty with the help of John Hancock. -
Boston Massacre
This was a street fight between Patriots and a group of British soldiers. The Patriots weren't armed with guns, but with sticks and stones, and still the British soldiers shot at them and killed several before the Patriots retreated. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was when a group of Patriots in Massachusettes got fed up with all the laws that the British had put on them and threw 342 boxes of tea into the harbor. Lead by Sam Adams, they dlisgused themselves as Indians, went on the ship, and threw all the imported tea away. -
1st Continental Congress
All colonies, except for Gerogia, met at Carpenter's Hall from September 5, to October 26, 1774.The only problem was each colony wanted different things. Some wanted to unite with Britain again and some wanted complete independence. They finally came to an agreement that basically enforced resistance to Great Britain and keep communication open. This went into effect on December 1st, 1774. -
Paul Revere
Paul is most popular by his midnight ride throughout as many towns as possible, warning them that the Redcoats were coming. He had some help by people such as William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott. Also, after they warned Lexington, they rode down to Concord, Massachusettes, where they were arrested by the British, but was able to escape. -
Lexington and Concord
Even though were many things leading up to this war, like the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, and Townshend Act, this was the official battle that started the Revolutionary War. The militamen were outnumbered 77 men to 700, and it was a bloody battle. -
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Loyalists and Patriots
There were two main groups during the Revolutionary War in the colonists. On was the Patriots, who wanted independence and freedom from Great Britain. The other group were Loyalists, or people who sided with Great Britian and didn't want to become their own country. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine's book, Common Sense, was published on this date. This was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britian. This book ultimately changed the way teh colonists looked upon Great Britain and their relationship with each other. -
Thomas Paine
Thomas was very important because of his book Common Common Sense. This book was about the American independence from England. Also, he wrote The American Crisis which inspired the Army. -
Declaration of Independence
This basically said that the colonists wanted to be independent from Britain and that every man was equal and therefore had the right to be free. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the one who wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. He was elected for President in 1800, which made him the third President of America. During the Revolutionary War, Jefferson served in the Virginia egislature and the Continental Congress and was governor of Virginia. He was also Vice President under John Adams. -
Hessians
Germany helped Britain a lot during the Revolutionary War. The country that helped the most was Hesse-Cassel. Since this was the most popular one, all the Germans who fought in the war were called Hessians, even if they weren't from Hesse-Cassel. They served for Britain in exchange for payment, but only the king got real money. The soldiers usually just got their daily dose of bread. After the war, about 5,000 Germans stayed in America for a better life -
Benedict Arnold
There is only one signifigant battle that made Benedict Arnold a hero. This was the Battle of Saratoga. Here, he defended the fort by fending off the British soldiers. This cost him to hurt his left leg, so he couldn't use it for a couple of months. This is about nearing the end of his loyalty to America, and was his one of his greatest battles. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga started on September 19 and ended on October 17. The more significant fight in this was on October 7. This was the one between Benedict's soldiers and Burgoyne's side. This was one of the few battles that Benedict's bravery and genius as a general shone out. -
Lord Cornwallis
Corwallis was an outstanding gerneral for the British. Even though he lost at the Battle of Yorktown and ultimately lost the Revolutionary War for the British, he was still one of their best generals. After his loss in Yorktown and the end of the war, Cornwallis went to India and became Governor General. -
Battle of Yorktown
This was the last and final battle between Britain and the colonies. Three countries were fighting, The Americans, The French, and The British. General Cornwallis (British) had made an unauthorized move, which was a mistake. He was sent back to the Chesapeake Bay. They had been followed by some Americans, who sent the word to Washington. This was how the British were surprised attacked at Yorktown. -
Treaty of Paris-1783
This treaty stated the end of the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and America. It also mentioned America's independence. It was signed September 3rd, 1783. -
George Washington
He became commander of the Continental Army in 1775. He was a great leader in the war, even if he didn't win more of the battles than he lost. One of his important times in history was after the war, when he became the first American president. He was elected because of his great leadership n the war. -
John Adams
John Adams became the second president of America on March 4, 1797 after Geroge Washington resigned when offered his third term. His term started in 1735 and ended in 1826, Also, John Adams signed the Declaration of Independence.
