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British troops, sent to seize colonial weapons and arrest revolutionary leaders, clashed with local militia in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
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the colonial forces inflicted heavy casualties on the British, proving their ability to stand against the British army.
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The Olive Branch Petition, a document expressing the colonists' desire for reconciliation with Great Britain, was ultimately rejected by King George III.
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was a pamphlet that advocated for American independence from British rule. Its publication had a profound impact, galvanizing public opinion and significantly contributing to the momentum towards the American Revolution.
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officially declared the 13 American colonies independent from Great Britain. This act severed political ties with the British Crown and marked the formal beginning of the United States as a sovereign nation.
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was a surprise attack by the Continental Army led by George Washington against Hessian German mercenaries fighting for the British forces stationed in Trenton, New Jersey.
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established a "league of friendship" between the thirteen American states, creating a weak central government.
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a devastating defeat for the American Continental Army led by General Horatio Gates against the British forces under Lord Charles Cornwallis.
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was a decisive victory for the Continental Army and their French allies against the British, effectively marking the end of major land battles in the American Revolutionary War.
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The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, formally ended the American Revolutionary War, recognizing the United States as an independent nation.
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the drafting of the United States Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation. The convention addressed the weaknesses of the Articles, particularly the limited powers of the federal government.
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three out of every five enslaved people would be counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation.
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It resolved a major conflict between large and small states regarding representation in the federal legislature.
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it officially replaced the Articles of Confederation as the framework for the United States government.
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the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution were ratified, guaranteeing fundamental rights and limiting government power.