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In the late 1700s, the relationship between
Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in
North America began to crumble.
Eventually, the colonies rebelled, and after
a war that lasted eight years the colonies
became an independent country - the United
States of America.
We call this war the American Revolutionary
War.
After the French and Indian War - also known
as the Seven Years' War - which ended in 1763,
Great Britain was in debt.
They needed a way to make more money, and
British Parliament decided to tax the North
American colonists.
The colonists were unhappy about this, as
before they had been mostly left alone by
the British government.
Also, the colonists did not have any representatives
in Parliament.
They argued that it was unfair to impose taxes
on someone without representatives to vote
for or against it on their behalf.
The colonists said that taxation without representation
was tyranny, a cruel and unreasonable system
of government.
This attempt to tax the colonies was unsuccessful,
but it kicked off years of hostility between
the colonists and the British.
In 1770, British soldiers opened fire on colonists
in Boston, killing five men, in what came
to be called the Boston Massacre.
In 1773, to protest restrictions on the sale
of tea in the colonies, a group of colonists
dressed as Native Americans and dumped an
entire shipment of tea into Boston Harbor,
an event now known as the Boston Tea Party.
Afterwards, British Parliament passed a group
of laws designed to punish the colonists and
regain control of the colonies.
These laws were so harsh that they are known
as the Intolerable Acts.
In the fall of 1774, the first Continental
Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Representatives from almost every colony asked
King George III to stop the Intolerable Acts,
but they were ignored.
By April 19th, 1775, the first shots were
fired in small battles at Lexington and Concord,
Massachusetts.
The Revolutionary War had begun.
When the colonists realized that there was
going to be a war, the Continental congress
met for the second time and appointed George
Washington to be the commander of the Continental
Army.
The first major battle of the war was called
the Battle of Bunker Hill.
The British had taken control of Boston and
they wanted to occupy more territory.
Thousands of American militiamen gathered
to fight the British soldiers - also known
as the redcoats, for the red coats of their
uniforms.
Although the British eventually won the battle
so many of their soldiers were killed or injured
that they realized defeating the colonists
would be a very difficult task.
Not long after this battle the Second continental
congress sent another letter to King George
III called the Olive Branch Petition.
The colonists wanted to make peace.
They hoped that they could remain British
subjects but have their rights recognized.
King George refused even to read the letter
and instead declared the colonists traitors
in a state of open rebellion against the British
Empire.
After this, the colonists became angry with
King George.
They realized that he did not care about them.
They decided to announce that the colonies
were an independent country, free of British
rule, and in charge of their own government.
Thomas Jefferson, along with Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman
wrote a document to explain why they were
doing this.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress
adopted this document, called the Declaration
of Independence.
In the months that followed, the war went
badly for the Americans.
British forces won several important victories
and captured thousands of American troops.
As winter set in, the small American forces
were losing hope.
Something had to be done!
On December 25, 1776, George Washington took
his men across the icy Delaware River into
New Jersey, and launched a sneak attack that
resulted in the capture of nearly 1,000 enemy
soldiers.
This dramatic victory at the Battle of Trenton
inspired the American forces to fight hard
again!
1777 brought more successes for the Americans.
The first major American victory of the war
took place in the fall when the Americans
defeated the British in the Battle of Saratoga.
In a second battle a few days later, British
forces surrendered.
France had been helping the Americans secretly
against its longtime rival, Great Britain,
but these victories convinced the French to
show their support openly.
France recognized the United States as an
independent country and formed an alliance,
sending money, material, and soldiers that
would be needed to win the war.
This did not signal the end of the hardships
for the American forces, however.
That winter they camped at Valley Forge, where
they suffered from cold and hunger.
Many of the soldiers did not even have shoes
to wear and protected their feet from the
snow by wrapping them with rags.
This could have been the end of the Revolution,
but the troops endured until more supplies
arrived, and they were able to prepare to
fight again.
The last great battle of the Revolutionary
War took place around Yorktown, Virginia.
British forces under General Cornwallis were
camped there, waiting for British ships to
come with supplies and reinforcements - but
the French navy stopped them from making it
through.
General Washington, with combined French and
American troops, surrounded the city cutting
off any chance of retreat for the British.
For eleven days, the Americans attacked the
city with cannonfire day and night.
When the British realized that no help was
coming, they surrendered to George Washington
on October 19th, 1781.
This undeniable victory was the beginning
of the end for the war in the United States.
Over the next year, British troops withdrew,
and on September 3rd, 1783, the Treaty of
Paris was signed.
This treaty negotiated peace begween Great
Britain and the United States, officially
ended the war, and recognized the United States
of America as a new, independent nation.
The Revolutionary War was long and bloody,
but it marked a turning point in history.
Today, the day the colonies declared their independence is celebrated in the United States on the fourth of
July - as Independence Day!
I hope you enjoyed learning about the American Revolutionary
War today.
Goodbye till next time!
