Independence
The American Revolution was the entirety of this unit. We conversed over the causes of the war, the war itself, the American heroes who contributed to the war and what they did to fight for their independence.
Causes of the American Revolution
- The French and Indian War - The French and Indian War, also known as the 7 Years War, was a fight between France and England. They were fighting over the Ohio River area, and it turned into a war that lasted for seven years. France allied with the Native Americans, and Britain made America fight with them. France won due to Britain's poor fighting style.
- The Proclamation of 1763 - This stated that American's couldn't socialize with the Native Americans and drew a line between their territories. However, the colonists ignored it which angered England.
- The Sugar Act - England put a tax on sugar which made the colonists mad. The Americans stopped using British items and started smuggling sugar, which didn't help their situation.
- The Writ of Assistance - A search warrant that permitted British soldiers to search anyone's property without cause at any time.
- The Stamp Act - England put a tax on stamps by making a stamp necessary for any sort of official document. The colonists created their own stamp to make fun of Britain. They also came up with the saying, "No taxation without representation."
- The Quartering Act - This forced the colonists to house British soldiers, even against their will.
- The Declaratory Act - This act stated that the King George III could do anything he wanted, and it also repealed the Stamp Act.
- The Townshend Acts - England put a tax on glass, tea, and paper. The colonists were very angry, they boycotted all British items and this led to even more smuggling.
- The Boston Massacre - Americans were throwing snowballs at British soldiers because they were angry they lost their jobs. The soldiers got angry and one of them fired a bullet killing a black man, Crispus Attucks. Things got out of hand and by the end of the whole incident, the British had shot five people.
- The Gaspee Affair - The Gaspee was a British ship whose purpose was to stop American's from smuggling. The Sons and Daughters of Liberty trapped the ship, and kidnapped the crew.
- The Tea Act - England put a tax on Tea. As an act of rebellion, America started drinking coffee. This was the birth of Starbucks. Just kidding, Starbucks was introduced WAY later in history.
- The Boston Tea Party - A group of Americans dressed as Native Americans and dumped over one million dollars of tea into Boston Harbor.
- The Intolerable Acts - Britain punished the entire city of Boston for the Boston Tea Party. America was told to "Submit or Triumph." This led to the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
- The Quebec Act - England gave the French Canadians in the Quebec territory all of their rights. This upset the Americans because that is what they have been asking for.
The American Revolution
The first two battles of the American Revolution was the Battle of Lexington and the Battle of Concord. Being a new country, America didn't have a very great army. They sent Paul Revere, and William Dawes to warn the other colonies that the British were coming. This is where "The Midnight Ride" comes from. Along the way, both men were caught and didn't make their routes all the way. We lost this battle.
The next battle was fought on Bunker Hill. During this fight, the colonist militia kept on shooting the lines of British soldiers all at once, so they couldn't dodge it. Their dead or wounded bodies would roll down the hill and become an obstacle for the British. Eventually, the American's ran out of ammunition and had to retreat. England thinks they won this battle because we retreated, however, we killed twice as many British soldiers than they did American men.
A lot of colonists wanted to stay with Britain which inspired Thomas Paine to write Common Sense. It was a pamphlet and it talked about taking responsibility for your decisions as well as why we were fighting the war. This convinced two thirds of America to become our own country. We signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, making this Independence Day.
General George Washington decided that America needed to win a battle. He decided to attack the Hessions in the Battle of Trenton on Christmas Day. Betsy Ross, a Daughter of Liberty, partied with the Hession generals and got them all drunk and out of sorts. That is when General Washington attacked. At least 1,120 Hessions were killed, wounded, or taken captive. Only four America's were hurt in this battle.
In Valley Forge, General Washington brought the army with him in the middle of winter. By February of 1788, there was 4,000 soldiers without shoes, 500 horses had died, and at least 2,000 men had died.
In Yorktown, Virginia, George Washington had another plan. He was going to make the British generals think he was about to attack in New York. When the British generals had moved into New York to defend against the attack. The American and French soldiers now had the opportunity to trap British General Cornwallis and they succeeded. Cornwallis surrendered his army on October 19, 1781.
The surrender was also in Yorktown, Virginia. America forced the British to surrender their flags, weapons, and the land of course. The British had to walk for nearly a mile in between parallel lines of American soldiers. Cornwallis claimed he was "sick" and couldn't attend the surrender and made his second in command, O'hara, surrender. O'hara, tried to surrender to French leader Rochambeau, Rochambeau pointed to Washington. Then Washington pointed to his second in command, General Lincoln. Then we became the first free country.
The first two battles of the American Revolution was the Battle of Lexington and the Battle of Concord. Being a new country, America didn't have a very great army. They sent Paul Revere, and William Dawes to warn the other colonies that the British were coming. This is where "The Midnight Ride" comes from. Along the way, both men were caught and didn't make their routes all the way. We lost this battle.
The next battle was fought on Bunker Hill. During this fight, the colonist militia kept on shooting the lines of British soldiers all at once, so they couldn't dodge it. Their dead or wounded bodies would roll down the hill and become an obstacle for the British. Eventually, the American's ran out of ammunition and had to retreat. England thinks they won this battle because we retreated, however, we killed twice as many British soldiers than they did American men.
A lot of colonists wanted to stay with Britain which inspired Thomas Paine to write Common Sense. It was a pamphlet and it talked about taking responsibility for your decisions as well as why we were fighting the war. This convinced two thirds of America to become our own country. We signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, making this Independence Day.
General George Washington decided that America needed to win a battle. He decided to attack the Hessions in the Battle of Trenton on Christmas Day. Betsy Ross, a Daughter of Liberty, partied with the Hession generals and got them all drunk and out of sorts. That is when General Washington attacked. At least 1,120 Hessions were killed, wounded, or taken captive. Only four America's were hurt in this battle.
In Valley Forge, General Washington brought the army with him in the middle of winter. By February of 1788, there was 4,000 soldiers without shoes, 500 horses had died, and at least 2,000 men had died.
In Yorktown, Virginia, George Washington had another plan. He was going to make the British generals think he was about to attack in New York. When the British generals had moved into New York to defend against the attack. The American and French soldiers now had the opportunity to trap British General Cornwallis and they succeeded. Cornwallis surrendered his army on October 19, 1781.
The surrender was also in Yorktown, Virginia. America forced the British to surrender their flags, weapons, and the land of course. The British had to walk for nearly a mile in between parallel lines of American soldiers. Cornwallis claimed he was "sick" and couldn't attend the surrender and made his second in command, O'hara, surrender. O'hara, tried to surrender to French leader Rochambeau, Rochambeau pointed to Washington. Then Washington pointed to his second in command, General Lincoln. Then we became the first free country.
What would you do to fight for your independence? Since I haven't been forced into the position I don't exactly know what I would do. I would like to think I could be strong and contribute to the war like Betsy Ross, but who knows, I could be a coward and try to side with Britain. I think that I would be too rebellious to do something like that though, so maybe I'd participate in little acts of rebellion like the Boston Tea Party. If we all fought for our independence like we did in the American Revolution, we probably wouldn't feel the need to conform to the current fads. This would benefit our community and society as a whole because less bullying would occur and young adults would be able to find who they are a lot earlier in life.