2. October 26, 1774
Created Declaration and
Resolves
Told the King what they
wanted
3. British attempted to
capture Rebel Weapons
and Patriot Leaders
Militias were warned by
Paul Revere and other
riders.
Patriots lost at
Lexington, regrouped,
then won at Concord.
Thispowerpoint will take you quickly through the Revolutionary war, following important battles and events.
The first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26 in 1774. All colonies except for Georgia sent delegates. The colonies weren’t used to working together, but by the end they were able to come up with the Declaration and Resolves. The declaration told the king what they wanted and explained to the colonies the goals of the Congress. The resolves explained the rights of the citizens of the Colonies.
The British wanted to take some weapons stored in Lexington and Concord. They also wanted to arrest important rebel leaders. However, the rebels were warned that the British were coming and decided to fight back. Although they lost at Lexington, they rallied at Concord and defeated the British. This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
The second continental congress met in May of 1775. The most important decision made was to appoint George Washington as Commander of the Continental Army.
In June of 1775, the British wanted to take the Charlestown peninsula north of Boston. The rebels learned of the plans and fortified Breed’s and Bunker’s Hills. When the British attacked, the Patriots put up a good fight, only losing because they ran out of ammunition. Although the British won, they lost many more soldiers and the Patriots gained confidence from the battle.
On July 4, 1776 Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence which formally declared the Colonists’ independence from Great Britain. King George was not happy. He hired Hessian Troops to help defeat the colonists.
The British quickly took New York, and the city burned in the process. The Americans had some wins in 1776 as well. George Washington surprised the Hessian troops and defeated them at Trenton, New Jersey at the end of 1776.
In 1777 the British were forced to surrender after Philadelphia belonged to the British and General Howe. Yet the area surrounding the city, and the Delaware River which flowed past Philadelphia, was controlled by George Washington and the Continental Army. Howe desperately needed to find a way to bring food and supplies into the city. To do so, he chose to attack American-held forts along the Delaware. Fort Mifflin, the focal point of the American Defense, came under an intense bombardment. After three weeks of fighting, the British finally conquered the forts but only after a surprising American defense.
The Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States was concluded at Paris, February 6, 1778 and ratified by Congress May 4, 1778. The treaty provided for a defensive alliance to aid France should England attack, and that neither France nor the United States would make peace with England until the independence of the United States was recognized. The knowledge of the Alliance came to Washington on May Day, 1778.Philadelphia was a difficult place for the British to defend. Now that France was in the war, the city was also vulnerable to attack or blockade from the sea. It was decided to abandon the Quaker City and move British forces back to their base in New York City.The British completed their evacuation on June 18th. An estimated 3,000 Tories left the city with the troops. Within hours, American cavalry arrived in the city.Ready to move against the retreating British, Washington abandoned Valley Forge on June 9 by crossing the Schuylkill River and setting up camp a mile away. He ordered work parties to clean up the old campgrounds, filling the latrines and burying all garbage.The general was waiting for the British to make their move north through New Jersey. And when word came that the Red Coats were gone on June 18th, he followed immediately.Now the Continental Army was ready to fight. Professionalism, confidence and pride marked those who had survived the ordeal of Valley Forge.
Congress guarantees the Floridas to Spain if she takes them from Great Britain, provided the United States should enjoy the free navigation of the Mississippi River.
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution.[1] Its drafting by the Continental Congress began in mid 1776, and an approved version was sent to the states for ratification in late 1777. The formal ratification by all 13 states was completed in early 1781
Neither the loyalists nor the patriots sought to enlist Indian support at this time. Indeed, both sides urged the Indians to remain neutral on the grounds that the disputes were a family quarrel in which the Indians were not concerned. Not until the summer of 1776 did either the Americans or British formally and officially attempt to involve the Iroquois, the most powerful northern nation, on their side.
