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Battle of Lexington and Concord
The morning of the 19th, 240 British troops arrived in Lexington and came upon 70 militiamen on the Lexington Green waiting for them. A bullet whizzed through the air and became known as the "shot heard 'round the world". While marching towards Concord, they were thwarted by militiamen and retreated towards Boston. New waves of American militia intercepted them and shot from behind trees and fences, killing about 125 British soldiers. -
Bunker Hill
Under orders from Artemas Ward, American troops moved out of their camp to enchrench themselves on Bunker Hill, a rise overlooking Boston. By mistake they went to Breed's Hill, which was closer to the British position. Major General William Howe led the British troops up the hill, thinking that the Americans would retreat, but he was wrong. The Americans waited until the British were 15 paces away to ire. Many British troops were killed or wounded, and the rest retreated down the hill. -
Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress convened on July 1. On the 2nd, 12 out of 13 colonies adopted Richard Henry Lee's resolution for independence. The revision of Jefferson's declaration continued on the 3rd and the morning of the 4th. The Congress adopted the declaration that day, although the document was not signed until August 2. -
Battle of Saratoga
On September 19, General Burgoyne attacked and Benedict Arnold led an infantry into the woods to block a British flanking column. The British took the ground, fortified the camp, and waited for reinforcements. On October 7, Burgoyne attacked again. Arnold led an attack that captured strong key points and forced the British to retreat to Saratoga, where they became surrounded by militiamen. Ten days later, Burgoyne surrendered. -
Franco-American Alliance
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce recognized the United States as an independent nation and encouraged trade between Frnce and America and the Treaty of Alliance provided for a military alliance against Great Britain with the condition that France would be permitted to conquer the British West Indies. The French naval fleets were absolutely necesaary in the defeat of the British. -
Articles of Confederation
Members of Congress realized that they should have written rules for how they were organized. Under these articles, states remained sovereign and independent with Congress as a last resort. Congress also had the power to make treaties and alliances, maintain armed forces, and coin money. The centrail government did not have the power to levy taxes and regulate commerce which caused issues that were to be address at the Constitutional Convention. -
Treaty of Paris
The British agreed to recognize American independence as far west as the Mississippi River, while Americans agreed to honor debts to British merchants from before the war and to stop persecuting Loyalists. -
US Constitution
The final text of the constitution was finished in September and George Washington was the first to sign it on the 17th. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the constitution, which approved the document. Rhode Island was the last to ratify the constitution on May 29, 1790. -
Bill of Rights
To Antifederalists, the seperation of powers was not enough against the threat of government tyranny. They wanted more protection taken up by the Congress as soon as it met. The adoption of the Bill of Rights was a victory-in-defeat of Antifederalists.
