american revolution phase 1 (1775-1776)

Lexington

70 minutemen showed up, warned by Paul Revere and William Dawes, and lost the battle after an unknown shot

Concord

British were sent to capture the arsenal, minutemen turned them back

Fort Ticonderoga

Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys go to capture the fort and win

Breed’s and Bunker Hill

Built to attack British in Boston, redcoats try to capture the forts and won because of the colonists’ low ammunition (British still lost many more men)

Washington’s army

-low on ammunition & gunpowder (nine shots at first)

-each colony’s militia was different and trained differently

-most men were only signed up to fight for 1 year

-most were unhygenic, unprepared, and untrained

Olive Branch Petition

Written by John Dickinson in the 2nd CC and sent to the king, saying all hostilities would end if given autonomy in the British empire; king rejects in October

Dunmore’s Proclamation

John Murray, VA’s royal governor said that AA who fought with the British would be freed

Henry Knox

-1/25/1776, Knox sends 20 guns to Washington; many seized at Ft Ticonderoga

-took the highest ground around Boston and prepared for an offensive against the British in Boston

Dorchester Heights

British General Howe did not have enough men to capture Dorchester Heights, and peacefully left because if not, he would burn Boston

British evacuation from Massachusetts

-by 3/17/1776: British left Boston with 9k British soldiers, 2k loyalists, and over 150 ships

-by July 1776: 33k troops and 400 ships under Richard Lord Howe

Declaration committee

John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston