BAHAMMM..! I did gooood xD
Why should they control them? Britain has no real power, isn’t able to reach across the ocean, the King’s steely glare can’t meet their eyes. Still bossed about, taxed, and punished.
What would you do if you were the puppets of people you had never even met, your money was taken unfairly, or you were forced to provide food and shelter to a soldier who you don’t know, with money out of your own pocket, never to be repaid. Would you not be angry?
Wouldn’t you rebel?
On December 16th, 1773, the Boston Tea Party occurred. In the dead of night, a group of Rebel colonists boarded the British tea ships docked in the harbor. 342 chests of tea were dumped into the water. Expensive tea, I would imagine. But no matter how expensive the tea, the action taken after-wards still seems a bit drastic.
The Intolerable Acts were set upon the colonists at this time to punish them for what they had done. The Boston Port act closed the port of Boston until the colonists of Boston agreed to pay the East India Company for the cargo aboard the ship. The Massachusetts Government Act made it so that members of the legislature were to be appointed by the King instead of being elected. The Administration of Justice Act states that no royal official that had committed a capitol offense could be tried in Massachusetts. The Quartering Act requires the colonists to provide housing and sustenance for British soldiers, should it be demanded. The Quebec Act changed the government in Canada, disbanding the assembly of representatives and taking away the right of trial by jury.
The creation of the Intolerable Acts caused the colonists to found the Continental Congress. This group gathered to discuss the Intolerable Acts, and the best way to retaliate. They decided that their first action would be to send a redress to King George, saying all violence would cease to be if he canceled the Intolerable Acts. This redress was called The Olive Branch Petition. King George thought this was ridiculous, that they deserved to be punished, and declared them to be in full rebellion.
April 19th of 1775 marked the beginning of the war. The British soldiers left Boston for Lexington, looking for the rebel leaders Samuel Adams & John Hancock, and for Concord after-wards to destroy the Americans weapons and ammunition stores. Fore-warned by the midnight rider Paul Revere, they were prepared. Sam Adams and John Hancock were able to escape to safety, and the militia in Concord was able to hide the majority of their ammo and weapons.
The battle in Lexington was hardly a fight at all. But as it is where the war started, it is very important. Less than 100 militiamen, led by John Parker in the absence of Samuel Adams & John Hancock, against the much larger British army, led by John Pitcairn. Neither thought a fight would actually commence, but someone fired the famous “Shot heard ’round the world”, and this forced the British to attack. Many of the colonists were killed, and those left fled.
After defeating the colonists in Lexington, the British moved on to Concord. Resistance from the colonists was little, and so they raided the town, looking for the hidden weapons. The Americans had congregated on the outskirts of town, waiting for reinforcements to come. Once their forces became large enough, they decided to cross the North Bridge into Concord. The British met them at the bridge, and the Americans defeated them easily. The British commander realized the Americans were too many, and ordered a retreat.
The British retreated to Boston, and the Americans surrounded them on land. This is called the siege of Boston. It lasted two months after the battle of Concord, and the America militia grew to 15,000 men. The British were a mere 6,000 compared to them. During the Siege of Boston, George Washington was made commander-in-chief of the militiamen.
On June 13th, the Americans learned that the British were sending out small groups to occupy the small hills surrounding Boston. The night before they were to go, the colonists took to the hills, building earthworks and preparing to fight. When the British advanced on June 17th, they were surprised to find the hills occupied and defended by the colonists.
The battles took place on Breeds and Bunker Hills. The Americans were able to wreak havoc on the British, even though the British were trained militiamen and the Americans barely had any training. The Americans were able to hold off the British for the majority of the battle, but they eventually retreated. The British had 1054 casualties, compared to the Americans small 367. The British won this battle, as they completed their mission of capturing the hills, but the colonists also had the victory of a great morale boost, as they just learned they could hold their own in a fight against some of the world’s best trained troops.
On July 4th, 1776, one of the most important documents in history was produced. The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration stated that the 13 colonies were seceding from Britain, that they were to become their own country. This cut off any sliver of help anyone from Britain may have been providing, but gained the full support of France. France outfitted the Americans with supplies and even soldiers, and they sent the Marquis de Lafayette, a great commander of theirs.
But all great things come with a price, and this certainly did. The British were able to capture the city of New York. Now they control both New York and Boston, a terrible blow to the colonists. The Battles of Long Island and White Plains went badly for the colonists, but gave the upper hand to the British. But, just before the end of the year, Washington did something amazing, raising the colonists spirits greatly. He crossed the quite frozen Delaware River over-night on Christmas. The next day, very early, they attacked the city of Trenton, forcing a British retreat, and capturing this important fort.
There were many great leaders in the American Revolution, including Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and Henry Knox. Washington, one of the most well-known leaders, was a great commander-in-chief as he had the ability to manage his troops well, encourage them to do the best they had the ability to do, and he was a brave man, able to stand by them and fight along their side. Nathaniel Greene was one of Washington’s most trusted associates, and he had a very successful campaign in the South that was very valuable to the cause. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French general who was very beneficial to the Americans because he rallied French support for them. Henry Knox helped the cause because he was very skilled in artillery. He became the first Secretary of War, overseeing the artillery division of the military. Francis Marion, nicknamed the “Swamp Fox”, while considered a hero, could also be called sadistic as the tactics he used against the British were cruel and resulted in far more casualties than needed.
The Battle of Capes secured the freedom of the Americans, even though no Americans fought in it. The French Admiral de Grasse led the French, and the British Admiral Thomas Graves led the British soldiers in this battle. This two hour long battle commenced at about 4:15 p.m., with both side heavily firing their cannons at each others ships. Six British ships were damaged, 90 sailors were killed, and they had over 200 wounded. The French lost over 200 men, but only two of their ships were damaged. They paused the fighting to assess the damages, and floated about, not firing at one another, until September 9th. The British lost sight of de Grasse, who had begun sailing back to Chesapeake Bay to meet de Barres’ fleet. They now had 36 ships.
The British began sailing back to the bay on the 10th, arriving on the 13th. Graves knew they couldn’t take that many ships, so he ordered his ships to New York for repair, so he could ship reinforcements to Cornwallis in Yorktown. They were unable to complete this task, and Cornwallis surrendered on October 19th. The gain of Chesapeake Bay kept Cornwallis from reinforcements, and established a route for Washington to transport soldiers and supplies. If the French hadn’t triumphed in this battle, American independence may well have been impossible.
the problems not the problem 