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Paul Revere's ride on April 18, 1775, was a mission to warn colonial leaders and local militias of the impending movement of British troops, which led to the first battles of the American Revolution. While the ride is famous due to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, the true story is more complex, involving a network of patriots -
Paul Revere and other riders warned the colonial militia of British troops marching to seize military supplies. Confrontations in Lexington and Concord followed on April 19, 1775, marking the start of the Revolutionary War. The British retreat after failing to find the supplies proved that the colonists could effectively resist. Revere's ride and the battles became powerful symbols of armed colonial resistance. -
In 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence. This document formally explained why the American colonies were separating from Britain, asserting that all individuals possess natural rights. After debate and revision, the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776, marking the birth of the United States. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill, fought on June 17, 1775, was the first major battle of the American Revolution and occurred during the siege of Boston. Though the British army ultimately won the battle, the fierce resistance from the colonial militia inflicted heavy casualties, proving to the Americans and the world that they were a formidable fighting force. The encounter took place on the Charlestown Peninsula in Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston. -
In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote a series of pamphlets, The American Crisis, to boost morale for the struggling Continental Army. His powerful, plainspoken words encouraged soldiers and the public to persevere during a difficult time in the Revolutionary War. Famously beginning with "These are the times that try men's souls," his essays were a vital tool for re-energizing the fight for independence. -
On Christmas night in 1776, General George Washington led his Continental Army across the treacherous, ice-choked Delaware River. After a series of devastating losses, this high-risk surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey, revived the American Revolution's morale and secured a crucial victory. -
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, following General George Washington's famous and perilous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. It was a critical victory for the Continental Army, which had been suffering from a series of demoralizing defeats during the American Revolutionary War. -
The Battles of Saratoga were a decisive American victory in 1777, consisting of two engagements in upstate New York. Following a flawed British strategy to divide the colonies, General John Burgoyne's army was weakened and ultimately surrendered to American forces. This crucial victory convinced France to ally with the Americans, providing essential support that became a major turning point in the war. -
There was no single Battle of Philadelphia during the American Revolution. Instead, the city was the primary objective of a larger British military operation known as the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777–1778. After several battles and skirmishes in the surrounding areas, British forces occupied the city, which was the seat of the Continental Congress, but their victory was short-lived. -
he winter encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, from December 1777 to June 1778, was a defining episode of the American Revolutionary War. While no battles were fought there, the brutal conditions of the encampment tested the endurance of General George Washington's army and ultimately forged it into a more disciplined and resilient fighting force. -
The Battle of Yorktown, fought in Yorktown, Virginia, from September 28 to October 19, 1781, was the final major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. The decisive victory by a combined force of American and French troops sealed American independence by securing the surrender of a large British army. -
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States. Negotiated by American statesmen Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, it formally recognized the United States as a new and independent nation.