-
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The first battle of the American Revolution. The British marched to Concord in order to take an American arms depot. On the way, they passed through Lexington where the British and Americans opened fire on each other. The Americans were forced to retreat to Concord where they waited for the British to arrive. When the British arrived in Concord, the Americans were prepared and forced the British to retreat. Picture: http://americanrevunit.blogspot.com/2010/05/battle-of-lexington-and-concord.htm -
Second Continental Congress
This is the date that the Second Continental Congress first met. Click on the Second Continental Congress timespan to learn more. Picture: http://www.ducksters.com/history/continental_congress.php -
Period: to
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress routinely met during this timespan. During these years, the Continental Congress became the national government until the Articles of Confederation was created. In addition, throughout the continuous meetings, the Olive Branch Petition was created, the Declaration of Independence was created, the Continental Army was created and George Washington was assigned Commander-in-Chief, and the Marine Corps was established. -
Declaration of Independence
At the start of the Revolution, colonists were fighting the British for their rights. By 1776, colonists had changed their purpose to wanting independence from Britain. The second Continental Congress formed to vote on the issue; with independence in favor, Thomas Jefferson, among others, was tasked to writing a document to state their intentions of becoming a new nation. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776
Picture: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/DeclarInd.html -
Battle of Trenton
This battle was a famous victory for the Americans under the command of Gen. George Washington. Starting with the famed crossing of the Delaware River the morning of Christmas and attacking a Hessian camp late Christmas night. The battle only took 45 minutes to overtake the camp of drunken Hessians. This was a very encouraging victory for the American forces and a chance to gain some sorely needed guns and ammunition. Picture: http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-trenton.htm -
Battle of Saratoga
The turning point of the war where France was persuaded to enter the war on the side of the Americans after this American victory. The entrance of France in the war was beneficial to the Americans due to the increase of supplies and troops. Picture: http://www.landofthebrave.info/battle-of-saratoga.htm -
Winter at Valley Forge
December 19, 1777 marked the beginning of the long winter at Valley Forge, Click on the time-span from 19 December 177 to 16 June 1778 for more details. Picture: https://sites.google.com/a/middletownk12.org/ztc-agency/places-you-will-visit/stop-3 -
Period: to
Winter at Valley Forge
The Army under Gen. George Washington had to stay in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania for the harsh winter of 1777-78. The conditions were horrible: the soldiers had little clothing, food, bad health, and low ammunition. During the winter, the French Baron von Steubon arrived and taught the men how to be orderly and well trained soldiers. This winter was important due to the advancements in military style for the Continental Army and the new ability of this army to successfully fight the British. -
French Alliance
This alliance between France and the U.S. was ratified by Congress May 4, 1778 after the Battle of Saratoga which convinced the French to join the war on the side of the Americans. This treaty was a defensive alliance to aid France in Britain decided to attack and that neither the French or the U.S would make peace with Britain until they recognized the independence of the U.S. Picture: https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=73018 -
Articles of Confederation Adopted
The Articles of Confederation was a written document that established the unity of the 13 colonies by a federal government. Main traits were a weak central government, no ability to tax states, and no executive branch established. States rights included interstate trade and making their levying their own taxes. Picture: http://soe.unc.edu/hoh/module.php?id=77 -
Battle of Yorktown
The defeat of the British forces under General Cornwallis that led to the end of major battles in the American Revolution. The American and French forces worked together to trap Cornwallis on the coast and soon recieved a surrender from the famed British General. Despite the obvious victory, there were still some small skirmishes between the British and Americans until the Treaty of Paris. Picture: http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-yorktown.htm -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was the official end of the American Revolution. In this treaty, Britain recognized the United States as a nation and agreed to remove its troops from North America. The boundaries were set for the U.S. from the Great Lakes to Florida and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi river; the United States was also held accountable for paying all existing debts to Great Britain. Picture: http://www.davidrwagner.com/signingoftreatyofparis.htm
