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Kentucky Patriots
New Kentucky inhabitants ask for and receive recognition and support in participation in the fight for indepence against Great Britain from Virginia and the Continental Congress. -
Lexington and Concord
Lord Dartmouth orders General Thomas Gage to dissolve Massachusetts minutemen at Concord. However, Paul Revere sends word before the attack, and the minutemen fight the British troops at Lexington first, then Concord. -
Period: to
American Revolution
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Period: to
American Revolution
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Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia. John Adams, a Patriot leader, proposes the formation of the Continental army, which would be led by George Washington. -
Commander in Chief
George Washington is named the Commander in Chief of the Continental army, 2 months after the first battles of the American Revolution. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
3,000 British troops attack American forces at Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill, dislodging the Patriot army in Boston. This battle did show the Patriots tactic of going against the traditional "gentlemen warfare" of the 18th century. -
Britain's Indian Allies
Sometime during the early years of the American Revolution, the Cherokees of the Carolinas, 4/6 of the Iriquois nations in New York, and the Shawnees sided with Great Britain in hopes of regaining land from the colonists. -
Lord Dunmore's Two Armies
Patriots ousted Virginia Governor Dunmore, who in return created a white military and a black military, the Ethiopian Regiment, and promised the fighting slaves freedom from slavery. This serves as a flashback to Bacon's Rebellion and a precursor to the Philipsburg Proclamation, and also furthered the desire for independence. -
Benedict Arnold at Quebec
The Patriots defeat British troops at Montreal, however General Benedict Arnold's troops failed to capture Quebec City, so they withdrew from Canada. -
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
Calling for independence and a republican government, Thomas Paine wrote "Common Sense," which finally tipped the balance between Patriots and Loyalists in the Patriots' favor. -
Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
North Carolina Governor Josiah Martin created a Loyalist military force, but the Patriots soon drove out the army from Moore's Creek Bridge in North Carolina. -
Thoughts on Government
John Adams, a Patriot leader, wrote Thoughts on Government, suggesting the British Whig theory of a mixed government, however adapted to the American government as a three body government. The legislature makes the laws, the executive administers them, and the judiciary enforces them. -
Virginia Declaration of Rights
This document called upon the God given rights of men, one specifically in which all men had the right to go against an unjust government. -
First Virginia Constitution
This constitution described the power of the state government and explained the most basic rights of Virginia citizens. -
The Declaration of Independence
After the loss of Loyalist and anti-independence delegates withdrawing from the Congress and much debate, the Continental Congress approved and signed the Declaration of Independence written mostly by Patriot leader Thomas Jefferson. -
Battle of Long Island
Ordered by Lord North, the British prime minister, to take control of New York City and the Hudson River in order to isolate the New England Partriots, General William Howe defeated Washington's troops at Long Island, where they were trapped and just barely managed to escape to New Jersey, and then to Pennsylvania. -
Constitution of Pennsylvania
The democratic constitution created a uni-cameral legislature with complete authority, no governor, and property ownership no longer as a qualification to vote. All taxpaying men were given the right to vote and hold office. John Adams denounced this constitution. -
1776 Battles
General William Howe's restrained tactics actually helped American troops overcome the first defeats, though these tactics were meant to show the Patriot force's weakness and persuade the Continental Congress to give up. -
Crossing the Delaware
After a humiliating defeat at Long Island, Washington's troops plan a surprise attack on the British. The Patriots crossed the Delaware during the winter of 1776 and attacked the British troops resting at Trenton, New Jersey, forcing the surrender of 1,000 Hessians (highly skilled German soldiers fighting for the British). -
Constitution of New York
Issued property qualifications for voting, essentially excluding 20 percent of men fom electing the assembly, and 60 percent from selecting the governor and the upper house. -
Britain's New Military Campaign
Lord North and his colonial secretary Lord George Germain kept the goal to isolate New England by planning a 3-pronged attack on Albany, New York. General John Burgoyne was to come south from Quebec, Colonel Barry St. Leger and the Iriquois were to converge from the west, and General Howe was supposed to come north from New York City. However, Howe had plans to capture Philadelphia and abandoned the Albany attack instead. -
Capture of Philadelphia
Howe attacks Philadelphia to capture the Patriot capital in hopes that the Continental Congress will surrender, but they flee to the countryside and do not give up. -
Surrender at Saratoga
After weeks of skirmishes between the British forces in New York led by General Burgoyne and the American troops led by General Horatio Gates with the help of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York militiamen, Burgoyne is forced to surrender. -
French Aid
The Compte de Vergennes, the French foreign minister, successfully persuades King Louis XVI to form an alliance with the Patriots and supply them with military necessities. -
Retreat to Valley Forge
With General Howe occupying Philadelphia, Washington and his men retreat 20 miles to Valley Forge, where morale and supplies hit a low point. Baron von Steuben, a former Prussian military officer, is appointed as the inspector general for the Continental army and institutes a drill system while also building the army into one more professional. -
Treaty of Alliance
The United States and France officially enter an alliance in which neither nation can sign another peace without the means of benefit to the U.S. It also stated that the U.S. would recognize all French conquests in the West Indies. -
Lord North's Desperate Act
For fear of U.S. independence, Lord North persuades Parliament to repeal the Tea and Prohibitory Acts and withdraw the authority to tax the colonies. This offer is met with Patriot rejection, as the colonies are already supported by the French and want their independence. -
Sir Henry Clinton
General William Howe returns to Great Britain and is replaced by Sir Henry Clinton. -
Spain Joins the Fight
Spain declares war against Great Britain and supports the Patriots in the revolution, in desire of regaining British Florida and the Gibraltar fortress located on the Mediterranean Sea. -
Philipsburg Proclamation
In an effort to protect themselves from losing the booming agricultural colonies of Viginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, Great Britain issued the Philipsburg Proclamation, ensuring that all slaves who fleed their Patriot masters and fought for the British would earn freedom, protection, and land. -
Occupation of Savannah
After a seaborne attack led by Sir Henry Clinton, the British gained control over Savannah, Georgia. -
Massachusetts Constitution
Mostly written by John Adams, this constitution raised property qualifications for voting and holding office and placed most of the power in the hands of the mercantile elite. -
Surrender of Charleston
Clinton forces the surrender of Charleston, South Carolina, and Lord Charles Cornwallis takes control of British forces in America. -
French Troops Arrive in U.S.
The European aristocrat the Marquis de Lafayette, who was republican, persuaded King Louis XVI to send General Compte de Rochambeau to America, and the French troops arrive at Newport, Rhode Island, threatening the British forces holding New York City. -
Camden Defeat
Cornwallis defeates Horatio Gates at Camden and Cornwallis takes control of South Carolina, where many slaves fled behind British enemy lines. -
King's Mountain
The Patriot militia quickly defeats colonial Loyalists at King's Mountain, South Carolina. -
Commander of the Southern Army
George Washington gives the position of commander of the Southern army to Nathanael Greene. -
Cowpens
General Daniel Morgan defeats British Colonel Tarleton at Cowpens, South Carolina in guerilla warfare. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, which was the first U.S. constitution, are adopted. -
The Traitor
General Benedict Arnold comes from New York to the York Peninsula to support Cornwallis against Lafayette. -
Cornwallis Surrounded
The French West Indian fleet arrives in the U.S. and takes control over Chesapeake Bay, while Washington marches General Rochambeau's army from Rhode Island to Virginia, surrounding Cornwallis. -
British Surrender
Cornwallis, unable to recieve reinforcement or escape, surrenders at Yorktown, Virginia. -
Resignation
Lord North resigns from being British prime minister after the American victory. -
Treaty of Paris of 1783
Great Britain and America sign the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain recognizes American independence and gave Americans access to the trans-Appalachian west. Great Britain did not give anything to their Indian allies. -
Treaty of Versailles 1783
Signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain, Great Britain made peace with the other two nations. Spain received Florida, but not the Gibraltar fortress. France also gained Tobago in the Caribbean, but this was a small reward for their economic efforts in the American Revolution. -
Ordinance of 1784
This ordinance stated that new territories could become states as their populations grew. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
Instituted a rectangular-grid system of surveying with a minimum price of $1 per acre. -
Shay's Rebellion
Farmers oppressed by financial crisis in Massachusetts were led by Daniel Shay in an armed rebellion against the Massachusetts courts. -
The Philadelphia Convention
Lasting several months, this convention was held to adjust the Articles of Confederation and decide the political future of the U.S., adopting both the Virginia and New Jersey plans in the Great Compromise, and the 3/5 Compromise. -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Created the territories that would become the states of Ohio, Inidana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, prohibited slavery and funded schools. -
The Constitution
The Constitution, which stated that the congressional legislation was the supreme law of the U.S., was written and proposed. It would take effect when it was ratified by nine of the thirteen states. -
The Federalist
85 essays written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton to defend the Constitution, supporting practical republicanism. They stated that the power would be divided between the president, a bicameral legislature, and a judiciary. -
Ratification
After much debate between the Federalists, and Anti-Federalists, the Constitution is ratified, including a Bill of Rights.
