American Revolution Part 1 - Lexington to DOI

Lexington and Concord

April, 1775: 70 armed militia face British at Lexington (shot heard around the world); British retreat to Boston, after suffering nearly 300 casualties along the way (Concord)

Common Sense

January 1776: a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation

Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill)

(June 17, 1775) Site of a battle early in the Revolutionary War. This battle contested control of two hills overlooking Boston Harbor. The British captured the hills after the Americans ran-out of ammunition. "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!" Battle implied that Americans could fight the British if they had sufficient supplies.

The Seige of Boston 1775

was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War - British controlled the city of Boston

Declaration of Independence

1776 statement, issued by the Second Continental Congress, explaining why the colonies wanted independence from Britain.

Loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence

Patriots

American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won

Patrick Henry

A fiery lawyer during revolutionary War times. Supporting a break from Great Britain, he is famous for the words, "give me liberty, or give me death!" which concluded a speech in the Virginia House of Burgesses

From the DOI: people have a right to change or remove a government when it infringes upon their rights

"whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,"

From the DOI: people must form new governments that ensure their rights

"and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

The 3 Unalienable Rights that were listed in the Declaration that all humans receive from birth

Social Contract

A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and following its rules.

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence

George Washington

Selected Commander of the Continental Army

Second Continental Congress

Political authority that directed the struggle for independence beginning in 1775.

Battle for New York

was a defeat for the Continental Army under General George Washington and the beginning of a successful campaign that gave the British control of the strategically important city of New York.

Henry Knox

Successfully completed the task of dragging cannon to Boston - General of Artillery

Fort Ticonderoga

Patriots led by Ethan Allen surprise an outpost on Lake Champlain and capture cannon for the Americans