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Benjamin Franklin
January 17, 1706 - April 17, 1790
Benjamin Franklin was a partiotic member of the comittee that wrote and drafted the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Continental Congress, and he helped write the Treaty of Paris 1783 that ended the Revolutionary War. -
George Washington
February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799
George Washington was possibly the most indespensible patriot that participated in the war. He lead the Continental army into many victories against the British army, including the battles of Yorktown and Trenton. He helped write the Declaration of Independance and became the first Unite States president after the Revolutionary War was over. -
Patrick Henry
May 29, 1736 - June 6, 1799
Patrick Henry was an outspoken patriot and opponent of the taxes that England imposed upon the colonies. He fired up angry colonists with his Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death speech, but he was not directly involved in any battles. He supported the idea of independence from England but opposed the formation of the Constitution, and in turn helped improve the Bill of Rights. -
King George III
June 4, 1738 - January 29, 1820
George III was essentially the cause of the Revolutionary War, along with Parliament who passed several unwanted taxes after the Seven Years War. He was involved in every part of the events leading to the American Revolution because he was in charge of the British forces, and made bad decisions that ultimately ended up angering the colonists and drove them to war. He was obviously a Loyalist since he was loyal to himself and his own cause. -
Thomas Jefferson
April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826
Thomas Jefferson was an extremely patriotic member of the First Continental Congress, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, and is considered one of the founding fathers of America. He was assigned to write an explanation for the colonial desire to break away from England by the Second Contintental Congress as a delegate of Virginia. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
The Treaty of Paris was ultimately the agreement that ended the French and Indian War, that cause hatred between Spain, France, and Britain, and led to Britain owning most of the North American land. -
The Sugar Act
Passes on April 5, 1764, the Sugar Act taxed merchants for imported sugar and molasses. This tax led to an increase in smuggling and a growing tension between the 13 colonies and the British government. -
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a rebellious group of patriots that tarred and feathered tax collectors in order to defend colonial rights. They are credited with organizing and carrying out the Boston Tea Party, but their formation is shrowded in secrecy, just as the specific members of the group are. -
The Townshend Act
King George III imposed a very unwanted taxes on glass, tea, paint, lead, and paper all throughout the colonies that stirred on the rebelliousness the cause the colonists to declare independence. Americans began to boycott all British made products, so it was repealed in April, 1770. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord really kicked off the war with the colonial army interceptin the British forces in Lexington before they could reach Concord to seize the Minutemen's weapons. The British killed 8 Minutemen and caused the militia to retreat, but they ambushed the British in Concord. They did not win, but they managed to stand up to the most powerful army in the world, and that was an incredible achievement. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Britain defeated the colonial army in the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts, but the American militia managed to inflict a great amount of damage to the Redcoat army, and it provided the colonists with a significant confidence boost. -
Battle of Saratoga
September 19, 1777 – October 7, 1777
The Battles of Saratoga was considered a big turning point in the Revolutionary War because it impressed the French army enought to help the colonists. After several close losses, the Minutemen forced the British and Hessian army to surrender in Bemis Heights after two costly battles. -
Declaration of Independence
This extremely important document was written by Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress as a list of grievances about the British taxes that were imposed upon the colonies. It was sent directly to the king, informing him that the colonies were finished tolerating infringement upon their rights, and were going to break away from Britain whether the king liked it or not. -
Battle of Trenton
After crossing the Deleware, George Washington led American forces to defeat a garrison of Hessian mercenaries before retreating. This battle helped colonial forces reclaim of the New Jersey area an boost the army's morale. -
Battle of Yorktown
In Yorktown, Virginia, the colonial army led by George Washington with the assistance of the French army defeated General Cornwallis in the last battle of the American Revolution.
