York Town - October 19, 1781

   The battle of York Town is the final battle of the American Revolution.  This battle ended a three week siege the Americans and French had placed on British forces.  The French fleet prevented the British from receiving supplies by sea, and the shelling on the Patriots and French inland made life miserable for the British.  When a British official finally appeared with a white flag, all shelling stopped and a cheer rose from the Americans and French.  General Washington ordered silence and the British officer surrendered, ending the war.

Surrender on the British officer

Saratoga - October 17, 1777

  Saratoga was the turning point of the war.  This is when the French finally agree to help us.  The British want to crush the rebellion before any foreign forces intervene.  The plan is two British armies would follow rivers into the Patriot/rebel territory, then they would unite and capture Albany, New York.  They believed that controlling the Hudson River would sever the Patriot's rebellion from the rest of the colonies.  With a new commander, General Horatio Gates, the american army took up a defensive position along the Hudson River called Bennis Heights.  They fortified the flood plain and cannon on heights.  This was the perfect spot because the Americans could see and fire at anything in the river valley.  When British General Burgoyne learned the Americans had done this, he moved his army inland to avoid the Americans.  His columns met Gates' army and the British troops suffered many casualties.  General Burgoyne is forced to retreat to a small hamlet called Saratoga.  Gates' army surrounds the British and the British, low on supplies, is forced to surrender.  This victory is what convinced the French to enter the war as allies to the Americans.

This is how the battle of Saratoga played out

Valley Forge - December 19, 1777-June 18,1778

  Valley Forge was a military camp in southeast Pennsylvania.  This is where the colonial army spent the winter.  Starvation, disease, and the cold killed over 2,500 american soldiers in Valley Forge.  About 1 in 3 soldiers had shoes, blankets were scarce, and soldiers were poorly clothed.  General Washington repeatedly asked for help from the Continental Congress but it was unable to provide it.  Finally, 5 congressmen come and inspect the conditions of the camp.  Then they provide supplies and provisions needed for the army.  On February 23, Baron von Steuben, a former Prussian officer, arrives at Valley Forge to begin a training program for the soldiers.  He greatly improves the skill and technique of the army.  On May 6, the continental army celebrates French Alliance at Valley Forge.

This is a picture of Baron von Steuben Drilling troops

Lexington and Concord - April 19, 1775

  Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the american revolution.  It began with a secret plan that British General Gage had.  He would send out regiments of troops to Lexington to capture colonial leaders like Sam Adams and John Hancock, then the troops would go to Concord to seize the gunpowder and ammunition there.  Luckily, there were Patriot spies and friends warned the Patriots about Gage's plan.  As word spread through the towns, minutemen prepared to confront the British.  When 240 British soldiers arrived, they were met by about 70 minutemen.  The British outnumbering the Patriots, killed 7 then moved on.  However when British troops got to Concord, waves of colonial militia stopped them.  When the British were retreating, militia behind the started shooting at the British troops.  This resulted in the death of 73 British soldiers, 174 wounded, and 26 missing.

This is how Lexington and Concord played out

Bunker Hill - June 17, 1775

  The battle of Bunker Hill is a little confusing.  That is because the British won the field, but the Patriots actually won.  This is what happened. Colonel William Prescott takes 1,000 colonial troops to fortify Bunker Hill.  Prescott and other officers decide to pass Bunker Hill and continued to Breed's Hill which is within cannon range of British ships.  The colonists work through the night and make a earthen fort that is 160 feet long and 30 feet high on the hill.  The British generals wake up to the nasty surprise of a fort and 1,000 colonial troops.  At around three o'clock, 2,000 British march up the hill.  The colonial troops hold fire until the British are 150 feet away from them.  The Patriots hold off two charges from the British.  On the third charge, the British troops break through the Patriot lines because of low ammunition. (For each Patriot was given about three bullets, plus the British reload twice as fast as them).  The British won the field because the Patriots retreated, but the Patriots had only 340 men dead compared to the 1,000 British troops that died, therefore, the Patriots won the battle.

This is an example of how the battle played out

Intolerable Acts - March 31 - June 22, 1774

The Intolerable Acts also called the Coercive Acts included four acts, the Boston Port Bill, Massachusetts Government Act, Quartering Act of 1774, and the Quebec Act.  These acts fell mainly upon Boston, angered by the Boston Tea Party.  The Boston Port Bill closed Boston Harbor until the money that the Boston Tea Party was returned.  The Massachusetts Government Act forbade town meetings without approval.the Administration of Justice Act protected British officials charged with capital offenses to go to England for trial.  The Quartering Act gave colonial governors the right to request unoccupied buildings to house British troops.  The Quebec Act removed all the territory and fur trade between Ohio and the Mississippi River.

These are the Acts

Boston Tea Party - December 16, 1773

The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the taxes on tea.  It was lead by the Sons of Liberty and happened on December 16, 1773.  Because the Patriots new that once the tea was unloaded onto american soil, they would have to pay the tea tax, so the Patriots refused to let the British unload the tea.  In the morning, the Patriots boarded the ships and threw more than 92,000 pounds of tea or $1,700,000 worth of tea into the Boston Harbor.  The Boston Harbor was later shut down because the tea started to smell. Other than the tea, nothing except a padlock and the tea was damaged.  The padlock was replaced the next day.  Nothing was smuggled, the ships weren't sunk and the crew wasn't hurt.  This was the first organized rebellion that the Patriots had made.  This rebellion however, infuriated the British and was a major step toward the revolutionary war.

Boston Tea Party

Boston Massacre - March 5,1770

  The Boston Massacre was a street fight that happened on March 5, 1770 between a Patriot mob and British soldiers.  The British's presence was becoming hated in Boston.  It started when 50 Boston citizens attacked a British sentinel.  His commander, Thomas Preston, called in more soldiers to help.  Thomas Preston never gave the order to fire for the first shot was involuntary.  One soldier was attacked, his musket then fell on the ground and discharged.  All the while, with Patriots behind them yelling "Fire, damn you Fire!" taunting the soldiers to fire.  The British of course then started firing fearing for their own lives, even though their commander was in front of them.  Three Patriots are killed.  Later, the British are put to trial and are defended by John Adams, second president of the United States, he is a Patriot, but he believes that the country cannot be founded upon lies.  John Adams wins his case and the British are set free.

This cartoon was made by Paul Revere and shows the British seemingly massacring helpless Patriots.  This is an inaccurate cartoon.

  This cartoon is more accurate because it shows Commander Preston telling his men to stop firing and the Patriots attacking the British soldiers.

Townsend Acts - 1767

  The Townsend Acts were a series of acts that  and began in 1767 and are named after Charles Townsend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.  One of the acts was the Townsend Revenue Act that heavily taxed glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea.  These taxes raised £40,000 a year for the administration of the colonies.

This is Charles Townsend, the Townsend acts are named after him.

Stamp Act - 1765

  The stamp act was placed on any thing that was printed and was passed in 1765.  For example, if you wanted to print a sheet of paper you would have to pay a nickel to get the King's stamp on it.  This include almanacs. pamphlets, insurance policies, licenses, playing cards and all legal documents.  Merchants threatened boycotts, and protests started a new group called the sons of liberty.  Once again, the "Acts" actually lowered the taxes by almost 50%, but the colonists were mad because they could no longer smuggle or get out of the taxes anymore, they were enforced.

This is an example of the seal that you would have to get every time you printed  a piece of paper.

Sugar Act - 1764

  The Sugar Act happened in 1764 in which the British Parliaments planed to get colonist to pay more taxes using a method called "Taxation Without Representation" so the colonist couldn't speak out against it.  This was a major problem for people like George Washington who was one of the largest whiskey brewers in the colonies and whiskey needs sugar. The first person to take a stand against this act was James Otis.  The "Acts" actually lowered the taxes by almost 50%, but the colonists were mad because they could no longer smuggle or get out of the taxes anymore, they were enforced.