Battles and more

American Revolution

Battles of Lexington and Concord1st battles of the

war; (“The shot heard ‘round the world”)

Battle of Saratogaturning point of the

war; France joined the colonists after this victory, tipping the scale

Battle of Valley ForgeEnduring the winter at

Valley Forge – after suffering several defeats, Washington took his army to Valley Forge for the winter of 1777. There the men were trained and became more of a professional army (rather than militias). The winter was harsh and men suffered from starvation and frostbite.

Battle of Yorktownsurrender of

Cornwallis brought end of war

Declaration of IndependencePreamble:"We hold these Truths to be

self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."

Grievances:Taxation without

representationKing has absolute powerColonists not allowed to

speak out against the King

Quartering Act forced colonists to house troops

Allowed homes to be searched without warrants

No trial by jury of peers

Important Dates1775-1783-

American Revolution1776- Declaration

of Independence1783- Treaty of

Paris

Unalienable rights- fundamental rights or natural rights guaranteed to people naturally instead of by the law. Examples in the Declaration of Independence- Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.

Civil disobedience- the process of defying codes of conduct within a community or ignoring the policies and government of a state or nation when the civil laws are considered unjust. Examples of civil disobedience include nonviolent actions such as boycotts, protests and refusal to pay taxes.

Other things you need to know

Loyalists vs. Patriots vs. NeutralsLoyalists – These were colonists who remained loyal to

the British monarchy and disagreed with the Declaration of Independence

Patriots – The colonists who favored separating from Britain and becoming their own independent nation).

Neutrals – There were those who remained neutral who chose not to take sides.

Articles of Confederation- Writing the Articles of Confederation – occurred at the Second Continental Congress (1776), created a new form of government for the independent colonies, included one branch – a Congress including one representative from each of the former colonies

Other things you need to know