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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
700 British arrived at Lexington and met 77 militiamen. A shot was fired but it is unknown whom it was from. Then colinists took over a British controlled bridge in Concord. Then a new fight broke out at Lexington with new Redcoats. -
Fort Ticonderoga
Ethan Allen teamed up with Benedict Arnold and lead their militaimen to takeover British controlled Fort Ticonderoga. It was a sneak attack at dawn. It was the first colonist victory in the war. -
Second Continental Congress
The meeting was held in Philadelphia. The Continental Congress tired to create an offical army to fight the British. This army was possible because of the victory over Fort Ticonderoga. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
General Howe and General Gage lead 2,200 British troops to Breed's hill. They were met by 1000 militiamen. The British climbed the hill but the colonists shot first and caused a retreat. The British ended up using hand to hand combat and forced the colonists to retreat. -
Common Sense is Published
Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called "common sense." This encouraged Americans to join th fight. This pamphlet was one of the most influencail pamphlets of all time. -
The Declaration of Independence
The break away from Britain was brought up at the Continental Congress by Richard Lee. It was originally postponed but a draft was to be made by five men. This later became the Declaration of Independence. -
The Battles of Trenton and Princeton
George Washington lead his armies across the Delaware on Christmas day. At Trenton, Washington divided up his men and surrounded the Hessians. Then on January 3, Washington sent two different groups that were defeated by British ranks but Washington and the rest of the army managed to win the battle. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
Winter at Valley Forge was very harsh. There was very little food and it was very cold. To keep the men together, Washington made threats like whippings and shootings of those who misbehave or desert. Von Steuben taught the men valuable military skills at the end of the winter. -
Articles of Confederation
It was created out of need because of the war. It was the first constitution of the United States. There were six drafts of it. -
The Battle of Yorktown
Washington lead an army of 17000 colonists and French against a British force of 9000 lead by General Cornwallis. It has been called the most important battle of the war. Washington used the colonists on land and the French navy to surround the British. Cornwallis surrender three weeks later. -
The Treaty of Paris
These negotiations were made after Lord North and the British surrendered. The negotiations were made by Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and Benjamin Franklin. The treaty granted American independence. It also granted American fishermen to the Grand Banks off of Canada.
