Colonial History

The Boston Tea Party

• On December 16, 1773 the Boston Tea Party took place
• The colonists were so fed up with the Tea Act and wanted to get King George's attention
• Disguised as Indians, the colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor as protest

The Continental Congress

• The Continental Congress met to discuss the treatment of the colonists.
• If I were one of the colonists, I would vote to wage war against the king because the king had taken it far enough.
• I think that a person who refuses to take a side is worse than a person who goes against you because the people who go against you have a reason to, while the people who refuse to take a side are just being stubborn.
• A patriot is a person who wanted to fight for freedom. Another name for them is the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.
• A loyalist is someone who was loyal to the king and wanted to remain under his rule.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord

• Both took place on April 19, 1775
• 400 Redcoats versus 77 Minutemen
• Called "the shot heard 'round the world" because these were the first battles of the Revolutionary War
• Led to the siege of Boston

Paul Revere's Ride

• Fiction: Paul Revere rode alone. He was helped by a man named Dawes- they went by different routes
• Fiction: " one if by land, two if by sea." Revere told the man to hold up two lanterns to tell Dawes that he had crossed the harbor.

Battle of Bunker Hill

• Held on Breed's Hill (battle was misnamed)
• Militia fortified the hill while they waited for the British to come
• Patriots lost 400 men, British lost 1,000
• Although British technically won, Patriots considered it their win because of British losses
• Patriots low on ammunition; thus "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."

The Declaration of Independence

• Lists why the colonists wanted to break free from the king's rule
• John Hancock first to sign
• Took 17 days to write, then debated for 2 days whether to send to king or not
• Continental Congress passed on July 4, 1776

Differences Between Uniforms

• Colonist soldiers were local militia
• Colonists wore brown and blue because of fabric shortages
• British wore bright red, nicknamed "Redcoats"
• British wore hats to distinguish what place they held in the army

Winter of Valley Forge

• 2,000 died from cold and sickness
• 1,000 huts built, overcrowded
• Damp from rain and snow
• General Baron Von Steuben trained soldiers in person

Washington Crossing the Delaware

• Painted by Emmanuel Leutze in 1851
• Depicts George Washington crossing the Delaware River to ambush the British on Christmas Day, 1776
• Victory for colonists

Benedict Arnold

• Biggest traitor in American history
• Hated by Americans, shunned by British
• Gave West Point Fort to the British
• Felt deep regret- requested to be buried in Continental Army uniform

The Battle of Yorktown

• Final battle of the war
• General Cornwallis signed British surrender on October 19, 1781
• British surrender called Articles of Capitulation