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The French and Indian War Ends
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Royal Proclamation of 1763
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The Sugar Act
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The Stamp Act
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The Townshend Acts
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The Boston Massacre
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The Tea Act
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The Boston Tea Party
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The Intolerable Acts
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The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, the famous 'shot heard 'round the world', marked the start of the American War of Independence. Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence -
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
The capture of Fort Ticonderoga was the first offensive victory for American forces in the Revolutionary War. It secured the strategic passageway north to Canada and netted the patriots an important cache of artillery. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The leaders of the colonial forces besieging Boston learned that the British were planning to send troops out from the city to fortify the unoccupied hills surrounding the city, which would give them control of Boston Harbor. In response, 1,200 colonial troops under the command of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. During the night, the colonists constructed a strong retaliation on Breed's Hill, as well as smaller fortified lines across the Charlestown Peninsula. -
Common Sense
Common Sense is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. -
Siege of Boston
The siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town of Boston, Massachusetts Bay. Both sides had to deal with resource, supply, and personnel issues over the course of the siege. -
Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement and founding document. Enacted during the American Revolution, the Declaration explains why the Thirteen Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer subject to British colonial rule. With the Declaration, these new states took the first step in forming the United States of America and formalized the American Revolutionary War, which started April 1775. -
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island was an action of the American Revolutionary War at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New York. The British defeated the Americans and gained access to the strategically important Port of New York, which they held for the rest of the war. It was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, and in troop deployment and combat, it was the largest battle of the war. -
The Day Washington Crossed the Delaware
George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River was the first move in a surprise attack organized by George Washington against Hessian forces, which were German auxiliaries aiding the British, in Trenton, New Jersey. Planned in secrecy, Washington led a column of Continental Army troops from today's Bucks County, Pennsylvania across the icy Delaware River to today's Mercer County, New Jersey, in a logistically challenging and dangerous operation. -
The Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle. After General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton the previous night, Washington led the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian auxiliaries garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, two-thirds of the Hessian force were captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. The battle significantly boosted the Continental Army's waning morale, and inspired re-enlistments. -
The Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War. General Cornwallis left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lieutenant Mawhood in Princeton. General Washington of the Continental Army decided to attack the British in New Jersey before entering winter. He crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey. Washington advanced to Princeton by a back road, where he pushed back a smaller British force but had to retreat before Cornwallis arrived with reinforcements. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The American defeat of the superior British army lifted patriot morale, furthered the hope for independence, and helped to secure the foreign support needed to win the war -
The Winter at Valley Forge Begins
General George Washington moved the Continental Army to their winter quarters at Valley Forge. Though Revolutionary forces had secured a pivotal victory at Saratoga in September and October, Washington’s army suffered defeat after defeat. The rebel capital, Philadelphia, fell into British hands. By the time the army marched into Valley Forge on December 19, they were suffering not only from cold, hunger, and fatigue, but from low morale in the wake of the disastrous Philadelphia Campaign -
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce, and the Treaty of Alliance
France and the fledgling United States of America signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris, France. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce recognized the United States as an independent nation and promoted trade between France and the United States. The Treaty of Alliance created a military alliance against Great Britain, stipulating American independence as a condition of peace. The treaty also required France and the U.S. to concur in any peace agreement. -
End of Valley Forge
the effects of winter finish -
Battle of Charleston
The siege of Charleston was a major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town. The British, following the collapse of their northern strategy and their withdrawal from Philadelphia in 1778, shifted their focus to the American Southern Colonies. After approximately six weeks of siege, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, commanding the Charleston garrison, surrendered his forces to the British. It was one of the worst American defeats of the war. -
Battle of Springfield
The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War in Essex County, New Jersey. After the Battle of Connecticut Farms had foiled the British, they decided upon a second attempt. Although the British were initially able to advance, they were ultimately forced to withdraw in the face of newly arriving rebel forces, resulting in a Continental victory. The battle effectively ended British ambitions in New Jersey. (home-field advantage lol) -
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis routed the numerically superior U.S. forces led by Major General Horatio Gates about four miles north of Camden, South Carolina, thus strengthening the British hold on the Carolinas following the capture of Charleston. -
Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, as part of the campaign in the Carolinas (North and South). The battle was a turning point in the American reconquest of South Carolina from the British. -
Battle of King's Mountain
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took place south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. the Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot. The battle has been described as "the war's largest all-American fight" -
The Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined force of the American Continental Army troops. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American region, as the surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of Great Britain and representatives of the United States, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and state of conflict between the two countries. The treaty set the boundaries between the British Empire in North America and the United States of America, on lines "exceedingly generous" to the latter. Details included fishing rights and restoration of property and prisoners of war. It was the last action of the Revolutionary War.