First continental congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting that took place with the delegates from 12 out of the 13 colonies. The delegates met from September 5,1774 through October 26, 1774. They meet inside of the Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the beginning of the American Revolution. They met there because of the Intolerable Acts which the British Parliament used against the colonists. The Intolerable Acts penalized the people of Massachusetts because of the Boston Tea Party. The Congress had 56 delegates. Georgia refused to send a delegate to the congress because they wanted help from the British. The Georgia colonists were having trouble with the Native Americans and did not want the British to get mad. At the congress they talked about including an economic boycott with the British trade. They asked King George III to hear what they had to say, but it was not successful.
Lexington and concord
The colonists and the British began to fight battles on April 19,1775 which started the revolutionary war that lasted from 1775 through 1783. The colonist began to resent the British rulers especially the colonists from Massachusetts. The Redcoats (also known as the British solders) went in the hundreds and marched from Boston to Concord. They went to try to steal the colonists weapons. Paul Revere alerted the colonists that the Redcoats were coming. When they got to Lexington, they started to fight. The British began to flee because the colonists were using a lot of fire power. There were many more battles after that and in 1783 the colonists finally won their independence.
the second continental congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting with delegates of the 13 colonies. At this meeting the delegates declared that the American Revolution had begun. The colonists asked for a second congress also known as the Second Continental Congress. In the Second Continental Congress they met to talk about creating a militia (also known as an army). The colonist wanted each colony to have their own militia. The Congress was in charge of getting the war organized. The Congress acted like the government that would become one day the United States of America. At the Congress new arrivals such as Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Hancock of Massachusetts. John Hancock was elected to be president of the Congress on May 24th. At the Second Continental Congress Georgia finally decoded to send a delegate.
Battle of Bunker hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775 at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. It was named after Bunker Hill in Charleston, Massachusetts. The leaders of the colonial army began to gather in Boston when they found out that the British were planning to send solders to surround the city, the colonial army sent 1,200 troops to Bunker Hill. By the next day the British found out that the colonial troops knew about their plan of attack and decided to attack them that day. The colonist ran out of gun powder and the British took control of the Peninsula. Even tough the British won that battle they had lost more soldiers than the colonists. The Americans realized that even though they didn't have any experience in war they could still fight as equals with the British army.
common sense
Common Sense is a pamphlet that was written by Thomas Paine in 1775 through 1776. The pamphlet talked about reasons why Great Britain should give the 13 colonies their independence. The writing in this pamphlet was very clear and detailed. It wanted to convince the British people of the reason why America should be free. It was published without an authors name in 1776. The pamphlet was read out loud in many different meeting places. This book circulated and has sold more books than any other book in American history. You are still able to purchase the pamphlet today.
Advantages and disadvantages for both armies
Some of the advantages that the British had was that they were rich so they could purchase necessities and could hire troops very easily. They also had experienced troops and military leaders. The British had many more troops than the American soldiers in almost every battle. Some of the disadvantages was that they were about 3,000 miles away from their home country. It was hard for the British to communicate with each other because of the long distance from America to Great Britain. The fact that they wore the red uniforms made it easier for the Americans to shoot at them.
The advantages of the American army were that they were familiar with the land unlike the British soldiers. The Americans really wanted to win so they could gain their freedom. They were also defending their families. Some of the American disadvantages were that the Americans didn't have a lot of money and resources to fight. they also did not have soldiers that were experienced in fighting a war because they were mostly all farmers. The addition the Americans had very little ships.
The advantages of the American army were that they were familiar with the land unlike the British soldiers. The Americans really wanted to win so they could gain their freedom. They were also defending their families. Some of the American disadvantages were that the Americans didn't have a lot of money and resources to fight. they also did not have soldiers that were experienced in fighting a war because they were mostly all farmers. The addition the Americans had very little ships.
early defeats
In the early stages of the war in 1775 even though the British had military victories like the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Americans felt that they had won moral victories. The colonists felt this way because they were able to kill many soldiers in spite of the British's mighty military force.
Battle of Trenton
General George Washington's army crossed Delawares cold river on Christmas day in 1776. In the battle of Trenton General Washington defeated the Hessian who were a great opponent. General Washington had to withdraw. A week later they returned to Trenton to push the British army south. This victory greatly improved their moral and united the American army and militias.
battle of saratoga/ french involvment
There were two battles in Saratoga that were fought apart in the fall of 1777, this became the turning point in the American Revolution. On September 19th the British won a small but a very painful victory over the American forces by British General John Burgoyne. Although the British troops had lost a lot of soldiers they decided to attack the Americans again on October 7. Fortunately for the American troops they were able to force the British to retreat. This was a great victory for American forces who were lead by horatiogates and Benedict Arnold. The British General surrendered 10 days later. After the Americans won the French government made a decision to get on the side of the Americans. The French felt that the American cause for wanting their independence from the British made sense and they became an alliance.
battle of yorktown
At the Battle of Yorktown General George Washington had a force of 17,000 French and American troops that went into battle against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis, who had 9,000 troops at Yorktown. This became the most important battle of the Revolutionary War. The Patriots got lucky when a French fleet departed St. Domingue and headed towards the Chesapeake Bay in Yorktown. Just as the British chose to go to Yorktown, George Washington realized that this was the time to plan his attack. He ordered the French and the American army to block Cornwallis's escape from Yorktown by land, while the French navy blocked Cornwallis's escape by sea. After 3 weeks of constant fighting day and night Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field of Yorktown on October 17, 1781. This ended the war for Independence.
The treaty of paris
The Continental Congress named 5 people to negotiate a treaty with the British. The 5 Patriots that were named were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens. Although the ones who were actually able to go to Paris and negotiate the treaty were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay. Henry Laurens was captured and ended up in jail int he Tower of London. Thomas Jefferson didn't leave the United States in time to make it to Paris. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 became the agreement between the United States and Great Britain which ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American Independence.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Tony Webster