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John Locke Writes the Two Treatises of Government
In 1689, John Locke wrote the Two Treatise of Government. In this work, Locke argues that a limited constitutional government better protects individual rights. He also argued against the divine right of kings and supported the idea of natural property rights. Many of his ideas later inspired the American Revolution, and quite a few of them were incorporated into the Declaration of Independence. -
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French Enlightenment
The French Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
These battles kicked off the Revolutionary War. Tensions were high between the colonies and Britain, because of unjust acts and taxes. On April 18, couriers were sent out to warn the colonists that the British were coming. Fighting broke out on April 19 with the 'shot heard round the world.' -
Second Continental Congress
The SCC established the continental army on June 14. They did lots of things at different times. They made George Washington Commander in Chief, they sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III, etc. It was a convention of delegates from the 13 colonies. It represented America's first attempt at a representative form of self-government. -
George Washington Becomes Commander in Chief
The Second Continental Congress unanimously voted him to lead the revolutionary army. He officially took command on July 3. The army was poorly trained and struggling. But after 6 years of struggle and setbacks, Washington whipped the army into shape and turned them into a fighting machine before leading them to victory. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 17, 1775, the British defeated the Americans at this battle. However, the Americans inflicted heavy casualties on the British army, and it provided them with a quick confidence boost. After this, Breed's Hill and then Charleston Peninsula fell under British control. This battle proved to be an excellent morale builder for the American troops, and it gave them confidence to keep fighting in the war. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a petition created by the colonists. They were trying to avoid going to war with Britain, so they wrote a petition where the colonists pledged their loyalty and stated their rights as British citizens. In response to this, King George III rejected their petition and declared that the colonists were in an open state of rebellion. -
Declaration of Independence Was Signed
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of this country. It was written by Thomas Jefferson. It announced that the 13 colonies were separating from Great Britain, and it explained why. 56 delegates signed the Declaration, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. This document allowed the Revolutionary war to be seen as a war between two separate countries. It was the first formal announcement to the world that a nation's people could choose their own government. -
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a small, yet still important, battle taking place in New Jersey. When General Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Day, he would go on to win two battles in ten days. This was the first. In this battle, Washington planned an attack on the Hessian garrison. He knew that without action, his army would fail. The Hessian garrison had prior warning, but was still unprepared. Washington and his army defeated the garrison with few casualties to them. -
Battle of Princeton
Cornwallis and his troops arrived on January 2, ready to overwhelm Washington's exhausted men. However, Washington knew better than to engage with them, and Cornwallis knew that Washington would try to escape, but didn't know how. Washington kept the fire going and snuck out around the British. They came upon the rear British guard, and fought them, winning. The result of this was that the Howe brothers retreated to NY. Americans started believing they could win the war. -
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Battle of Saratoga
This battle, which included the fight at Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights, proved to be a turning point in the war. At the Battle of Freeman's Farm, both sides fought for several hours, and neither side was able to gain much ground until Burgoyne forced the Americans to pull back. The British suffered many casualties. The second fight was when Burgoyne, who needed supplies and tried to retreat, ran into and surrendered to our army. This proved to be the climax of the war. -
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Battle of Valley Forge
General Washington's army was camped out at Valley Forge for 6 months, and it proved to be a turning point. Here, he proved his worth and transformed the scrawny army into a well-oiled fighting machine to defeat the British. They built trenches and cabins, and it looked like a little city. A lack of supplies partnered with the cold weather, and rampant diseases made life difficult. However it's referred to as the Birthplace of the American army because in June, the army emerged with confidence. -
France Joins the War
France joined the war in February of 1778, with Britain declaring war on them a month later. Ben Franklin's popularity and persuasiveness led France to join the war. France tipped the balance of the war by providing money, troops, naval support, military leaders, and armament. Their support was critical. France had already had tensions with Britain before the war. Most gunpowder in the war came from France. Both countries signed the Treaty of Alliance, which promised mutual military support. -
Spain Enters the War
On June 21, Spain declared war on Britain. They refused to create an alliance with America, but later signed one with France, creating a sort of reluctant alliance with America. With Spain now entering the war, Britain would have to spread their resources even thinner to accommodate. -
Battle of Cowpens
Major Greene decided to divide Patriot troops in the Carolinas to make the British troops have to fight them on multiple fronts. General Morgan took 1000 of them to fight the British. In response. Britain dispatched Tarleton. During the battle, Morgan's troops decimated Tarleton's army. Tarleton, however, managed to escape. This victory managed to provide an important morale boost for the Colonial Army. -
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Battle of Yorktown
In the summer of 1780, 5.5K French troops arrived to aid the colonial army. By mid-September 1781, the troop arrived at Williamsburg, VA. 2.5K American troops and 4K French troops dug trenches and began their week-long assault against the British on October 9. Colonel Hamilton played an important role as well. Hamilton lost only a few men, and trapped Cornwallis, forcing him to surrender. This brought an end to both the final battle, and the Revolutionary War as a whole. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed in Paris by U.S. and British Representatives, and it effectively ended the Revolutionary War. It recognized U.S, independence and granted them more western territory.Britain wanted to end the expensive war, but at first refused to grant the U.S. independence. However America would not budge on this, so Britain gave in.
