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Paul Revere's Ride
Paul Revere was a messenger during 1774 and 1775. He was tasked by Dr. Warren to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts with news that British soldiers were stationed in Boston. Paul would ride by horseback to Lexington. Once he was in Lexington, he made his way to Adams and Hancock's stay. Before leaving, he would revitalize himself. After informing them, he left for Concord. Paul was caught by a British patrol. He would be questioned, and released without his horse. He returned to Lexington on foot. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
700 British troops arrived at Lexington and ran into 77 militiamen. A shot rang out, and the commander of the militiamen told them to disperse. Britsh volleys were used; when the smoke cleared, 8 militiamen were dead and 9 were injured. The British arrived at Concord searching for weapons but found very few. They decided to burn them; the fire got out of control. The British would return to Boston but the militia started to attack. The British made it to Lexington, but the militia kept fighting. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
2,200 British soldiers were under the command of Willam Howe and Robert Pigot had marched to Breed's Hill. The leader of the American army was Prescott. The American army opened fire once the British were only a few yards away. The British had to retreat and reform. After the 3rd time of retreating and returning, The British were close enough to be in hand-to-hand combat. The American army had to retreat. Even though the British won, the British suffered ~200 deaths, and ~800 were wounded. -
Creation of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was created because the American colonies wanted Independence from Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the draft. There are four parts to the Declaration of Independence: the preamble, a declaration of rights, a list of grievances, and a resolution. The draft was sent to Congress on June 28th and was adopted on July 4th. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence had the threat of being hanged because it was seen as an act of treason. -
Thomas Paine's writing of "The American Crisis"
Thomas Paine wrote "The American Crisis" because he was in support of the American colonists' independence from Britain. He supported a self-governing America. In "The American Crisis" Paine says that Britain showed its tyranny when it was decided the American colonies had to pay taxes. Taxes on a war the American colonists did not participate in. The only participants were France, Britain, and the Native Americans. Paine thought it was unfair the American colonies had to pay the costs. -
Crossing of the Delaware River
George Washington's goal of crossing the river was to catch the Hessian mercenaries by surprise. The Continental Army camped for a night until daytime, and when they awokened the river was frozen over. That night, they were going to cross the Delaware River. The weather conditions began to worsen. A winter storm had arrived with rain, snow, wind, and hail. The Army had to transport artillery, which made it more tricky. George Washington wanted to give up but went through with the mission. -
Battle of Trenton
After crossing the Delaware River, George Washington was set on Trenton, New Jersey, where the Hessians were. 3 rows of soldiers assembled, and were marching through heavy snow. Washington caught the Hessians by surprise as planned. Andreas Wiederholdt incorrectly said to Johann Rall that the Army had surrounded the area. The Hessians tried to counterattack, but the Army could see all their movements from high ground. The Hessians retreated to a nearby orchard and were forced to surrender. -
Battles of Saratoga
The first battle took place at Freeman's Farm near Saratoga, New York. During this battle, neither the British nor the American troops gained a notable amount of land. German troops would support the British and forced the American troops to retreat. The second battle is at Bemis Heights. Due to limited supplies, The British would attack the American Army. The American Army heard the news and forced the British to withdraw. The British went north for safety but would surrender on October 17th. -
The Battle of Philadelphia
The British wanted to take control of the capitol of Philadelphia. George Washington set defenses along the Brandywine River to protect the route between Baltimore and Philadelphia because British General Howe approached from the Chesapeake River. Washington wanted to force an encounter with the British army. The British army would ambush the American army and force them to retreat. After many failed attempts to regain the capitol by the American army, the British took control of the capitol. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
George Washington decided to camp at Valley Forge because the British were 20 miles away in Philadelphia. Washington wanted to keep a close distance, yet far enough to prepare for a defense. The winter was harsh. Soldiers suffered from starvation, disease, and lack of clothing. Washington made soldiers build huts for shelter and sent out a group of men to forge in the countryside. Despite their efforts, more than 2,000 died. The lack of clothing made at least 3,000 unfit for service. -
Battle of Yorktown
This battle was between the British and American Continental Army, and alongside them was the French supporting the Americans. The British would build temporary fortifications, and the American Army would dig trenches to cause damage to the British and be closer to get more accurate shots. This battle would go on for 3 weeks. On October 17th, the British sent out a drummer boy and a British officer. The officer would wave a white handkerchief and choose to surrender to the American Army. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was made for peace, for Britain to recognize the US as independent, and for geographical boundaries that would allow the US for westward expansion. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay were sent to Paris as peace negotiators. At first, Britain didn't want to recognize the US as independent, which stalled negotiations. The US delegates did not budge. The three US negotiators and David Hartly representing Britain signed the Treaty of Paris on September 3rd, 1783.