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John Locke
John Locke was born in 1632 and died in 1704. Although he was dead before the American Revolution began in 1775, his role in the Enlightenment of the 18th century played a key role in the American Revolution. His "political philosophy" focusing on natural laws based on human rights began to have an influence on Americans in the 1760s and 70s. These decades of, "revolutionary thought and action," resulted in the American Revolution. He was neither Loyalist nor Patriot--having died pre-Revolution. -
Mary Draper
Mary Draper was born in 1719 and died in 1810. Mary Draper, being of Patriot mindset during the American Revolution, was known to provide food, clothing, ammunition, and hospitality to Patriot soldiers in need. -
George Washington
George Washington (1732-1799), a Patriot and General during the American Revolution, originally suffered many hardships in the war. His troops were poorly equipped, short on supplies, and rarely paid. However, Washington and his troops played a key role in the winning of the Battle of Yorktown. Washington's troops, along with French forces, forced General Charles Cornwallis' large army to surrender. -
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold was born in 1741 and died in 1801. He was not quite either a Loyalist or a Patriot. Arnold was a part of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, stopped the British invasion of New York at the Battle of Lake Champlain, and even played a role in the British surrender at Saratoga. Everything changed, though, when he began to help the British army out of spite for not getting recognition for his efforts. He sold out American troops for money and power. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), in the years before the American Revolution, was one of the many Patriots writing political essays that spoke of conflict between American rights and British authority. He never served in the war, but he used his voice in the community as an advantage to get "the truth" out. He believed in and defended the idea that humans have unalienable rights. Jefferson ended up being chosen to draft the Declaration od Independence. -
Sons of Liberty
The Sons (and Daughters) of Liberty was formed in/around 1765 as a violent secret society with intentions to intimidate tax agents and undermine British rule. The earliest known information has the group based in Boston and New York. It is believed that Samuel Adams was the founder of this society. The Sons of Liberty played a key role in the Revolution by using fear tactics, "mob rule", violence, force, and intimidation to successfully undermine British authority causing a large resistance. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an event that took place near the Boston Custom House on March 5, 1770 when colonists were harassing British guards, and the British guards began shooting into the crowd. They killed 5 people, but were aquitted with the help of lawyer John Adams. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty were furious and began calling this incident a massacre. This caused an increase in "anti-British feeling" in the colonists towards the American Revolution. -
Committees of Correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence, initiated by Samuel Adams in 1772, was a means through which the idea that British officials were not recognizing colonial liberties could be kept alive, discussed, and spread during the American Revolution. The Committees would meet regularly (in their respective locations) to exchange letters about what they thought to be suspicious and/or dangerous British activity. The Committees became intercolonially organized in 1773 by the Virginia House of Burgesses. -
Boston Tea Party
American colonists refused to buy British teas, even after prices/taxes were lowered, because that would be recognizing that Parliment had a right to tax the colonists in the first place. On Dec. 16, 1773 at the Boston harbor, Bostonians (Sons of Liberty) got aboard the British ship carrying tea and dumped 342 chests over into the harbor in protest. Although colonial reaction to this drastic measure was mixed, the defense of liberty behind it amplified the spirit/reason behind the Revolution. -
Intolerable Acts
The punitive Intolerable Acts of 1774 were a combination of 5 Acts (The Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, expansion of the Quartering Act, and The Quebec Act) issued by the angered British government/Parliment after the Boston Tea Party. These acts effected the trade, power, and privacy of the colonists, as well as French Canada as a whole. These Acts just caused more anger in the colonists and more justification towards their fight for independence. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord took place between the march from Concord back to Boston on Apr. 18, 1775. Originally, the British had killed 8 Americans and proceeded on to Concord. After destroying military supplies, the British returned to Boston, but on their way were faced with hundreds of militiamen. 250 British were killed, and the "amateur" Americans won the battle. This was the first battle of the American Revolution. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 was the first true battle of the American Revolution fought between the British and American armies in Boston on Breed's Hill (which was next to Bunker Hill). Both sides had a "victory" of sorts. The British took over the hill, and the Americans successfully killed over a thousand British soldiers. -
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine took place on September 11, 1777 at an outpost at Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania. American troops led by General Washington were defeated by British troops led by General Cornwallis and Howe when the British troops split in two and surrounded Washington. Washington then decided that his troops should abandon the post and retreat. This casued approx. 1,100 American deaths and the loss of their cannon. However, the British, then, stopped pursuing the Continentals. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga took place from Sept. 19 to Oct. 7, 1777 in upstate New York. This battle is considered the turning point of the American Revolution. American forces led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold succeeded in winning this battle. This caused France to join in the fight against Britian, which ultimately led to Americas gain of independence due to the expansion of the war brought on by France. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown took place from Sept. 28 to Oct. 19, 1781 on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay near Yorktown, Virginia. This was the last major battle of the war, and a win for the American troops. Accompanied by the French forces, General George Washington was able to force the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis' British army.
