1775-1789 Eva Montalto

Revolutionary​ ​War​ ​1775-1789 

 

Eva​ ​Montalto 

Battle​ o​ f​ L​ exington​ a​ nd​ ​Concord 

April​ ​19,​ ​1775 

 

The​ ​Battle​ ​of​ L​ exington
and​ C​ oncord​ ​was
arguably​ t​ he​ ​most
important​ b​ attle​ o​ f​ t​ he
American​ ​Revolution
because​ ​it​ s​ ignified​ ​the
beginning​ ​of​ ​it.​ A​ s​ a​
result​ o​ f​ ​growing
tension​ ​between​ t​ he
colonists​ a​ nd​ t​ he​ ​British
because​ o​ f​ T​ he​ B​ oston
Massacre,​ t​ he​ ​Boston
Tea​ ​Party,​ a​ nd​ ​the
Intolerable​ A​ cts,​ t​ he
maddened​ c​ olonists​ ​met
and​ ​formed​ w​ hat
became​ k​ nown​ a​ s​ ​the​ F​ irst​ ​Continental​ C​ ongress​ ​and​ ​issued​ a​ ​ D​ eclaration​ ​of​ C​ olonial
Right.​ ​In​ a​ ddition,​ t​ he​ ​Battle​ ​of​ L​ exington​ ​and​ C​ oncord​ w​ as​ f​ ought​ ​as​ ​a​ r​ esult​ ​of​ a​ ​ l​ eak
from​ ​an​ “​ inside​ ​source”​ ​inside​ t​ he​ R​ edcoat​ a​ rmy.​ T​ hus,​ J​ oseph​ W​ arren​ s​ ent​ t​ wo​ m​ en-
Paul​ R​ evere​ ​and​ ​William​ ​Dawes​ t​ o​ ​warn​ ​locals​ ​of​ ​the​ r​ evelation.​ ​On​ ​the​ ​morning​ ​of​ ​April
19th,​ n​ early​ ​seven​ ​hundred​ B​ ritish​ s​ oldiers​ a​ rrived​ i​ n​ ​Lexington​ a​ nd​ p​ rofoundly
outnumbered​ ​the​ A​ mericans.​ ​A​ B​ ritish​ ​officer​ d​ emanded​ ​that​ ​the​ a​ rmy​ d​ isarm\and​ ​in​ t​ he
confusion,​ s​ hots​ ​were​ ​fired.​ ​To​ t​ his​ d​ ay​ ​it​ i​ s​ u​ ncertain​ w​ hether​ ​the​ ​militiamen​ ​or​ t​ he
British​ ​soldiers​ ​fired​ f​ irst.​ T​ hrough​ ​ongoing​ b​ loodlust,​ ​the​ A​ mericans​ f​ inally​ ​won​ t​ he
Battle.

Battle​ o​ f​ B​ unker​ H​ ill  

June​ 1​ 7,​ 1​ 775 

During​ ​the​ ​early​ ​stages​ o​ f​ t​ he
American​ R​ evolution,​ o​ ver​ t​ wo
thousand​ B​ ritish​ ​forces​ d​ ocked​ i​ n
the​ ​Charlestown​ ​Peninsula​ ​and
made​ t​ heir​ w​ ay​ o​ ver​ t​ o​ B​ reed’s
Hill.​ T​ here,​ ​they​ ​were​ ​under​ t​ he
command​ ​of​ G​ eneral​ W​ illiam
Howe​ a​ nd​ G​ eneral​ R​ obert​ ​Pigot
where​ ​they​ ​were​ t​ old​ t​ o​ ​continue​ ​to
march.​ B​ ecause​ o​ f​ ​the​ A​ merican’s
low​ ​supply​ ​of​ a​ mmunition​ a​ nd​ ​gun
supply,​ ​where​ ​they​ ​were​ o​ rdered
not​ t​ o​ s​ hoot​ ​until​ ​they​ s​ aw​ t​ he
whites​ o​ f​ t​ he​ B​ ritish​ s​ oldier’s​ e​ yes-​ ​a​ ​famous​ l​ ine​ s​ till​ k​ nown​ a​ ll​ ​over​ t​ he​ w​ orld​ t​ o​ ​this
day.​ W​ hen​ ​the​ R​ edcoats​ w​ ere​ ​just​ ​feet​ a​ way,​ t​ he​ ​Americans​ ​began​ ​to​ o​ pen​ f​ ire​ ​into​ t​ he
crowd,​ f​ orcing​ t​ he​ ​British​ t​ o​ ​retreat.​ A​ nd​ a​ lthough​ t​ he​ ​second​ t​ ime​ r​ esulted​ i​ n​ ​the​ ​same
loss,​ ​the​ A​ merican’s​ ​low​ a​ mmunition​ a​ nd​ ​outnumbered​ ​troops​ c​ ontributed​ ​to​ ​Britain's
victory.​ ​In​ ​addition​ ​to​ ​the​ ​near​ o​ ne​ ​thousand,​ f​ our​ h​ undred​ ​causalities​ b​ etween​ b​ oth​ s​ ides,
The​ B​ attle​ ​of​ B​ unker​ ​Hill​ a​ lso​ ​proved​ ​both​ s​ ides​ ​strength,​ ​and​ ​the​ t​ ype​ o​ f​ l​ engths​ t​ he
British​ a​ nd​ A​ mericans​ w​ ould​ g​ o​ ​to​ t​ o​ ​get​ w​ hat​ ​they​ ​wanted.​ I​ t​ ​was​ ​one​ o​ f​ ​the​ ​most
gruesome​ b​ attles​ ​of​ t​ he​ ​entire​ A​ merican​ ​Revolution​ a​ nd​ w​ as​ ​completely​ ​avoidable.​ T​ his
was​ ​the​ b​ eginning​ ​of​ a​ ​ b​ loodthirsty​ ​and​ r​ uthless​ ​war​ b​ etween​ t​ he​ ​Loyalists​ ​and​ t​ he
British.

Thomas​ ​Paine’s​ ​“Common​ ​Sense” 

January​ 9​ ,​ ​1776 

 

On​ ​January​ ​9,​ ​1776,​ p​ olitical​ a​ ctivist​ ​Thomas​ ​Paine
anonymously​ ​ ​published​ h​ is​ f​ amous​ ​pamphlet​ c​ alled
Common​ S​ ense.​ T​ hese​ w​ ritings​ c​ hallenged​ t​ he​ ​authority​ o​ f
the​ ​British​ ​government​ ​and​ t​ he​ ​royal​ ​monarchy.​ ​His​ ​words
empowered​ m​ any​ ​and​ ​turned​ t​ he​ p​ ublic​ ​towards
independence​ f​ rom​ ​Britain.​ ​General​ ​George​ W​ ashington
wrote​ t​ o​ ​a​ ​friend​ i​ n​ ​Massachusetts:​ ​"I​ ​find​ ​that​ C​ ommon
Sense​ ​is​ ​working​ a​ ​ p​ owerful​ c​ hange​ ​there​ ​in​ t​ he​ ​minds​ o​ f
many​ ​men.​ F​ ew​ p​ amphlets​ ​have​ ​had​ ​so​ ​dramatic​ a​ n​ ​effect
on​ ​political​ ​events."

This​ ​work​ m​ otivated​ m​ any​ t​ o​ b​ reak​ ​their​ ​ties​ ​from​ B​ ritain
and​ i​ s​ ​considered​ t​ o​ ​be​ o​ ne​ o​ f​ t​ he​ m​ ost​ ​influential​ b​ ooks​ ​of
all​ t​ ime.​ H​ is​ ​writings​ a​ re​ u​ niversal​ t​ o​ ​both​ ​the​ ​rich​ o​ r​ ​poor,
old​ ​or​ ​young​ a​ nd​ m​ an​ o​ r​ w​ oman.​ ​Few​ ​criticized​ ​his​ w​ ork
and​ t​ hose​ w​ ho​ ​did​ ​faced​ ​objection.

 
 
 

The​ ​Declaration​ o​ f​ ​Independence 

July​ ​4,​ 1​ 776 

 

On​ J​ uly​ ​4,​ ​1776,​ ​the​ ​Second​ C​ ontinental
Congress​ ​met​ i​ n​ ​Philadelphia​ ​in​ t​ he
Pennsylvania​ ​State​ ​House​ a​ nd​ ​approved​ t​ he
Declaration​ o​ f​ ​Independence,​ w​ hich​ b​ roke​ ​the
ties​ ​between​ ​the​ c​ olonists​ ​to​ ​the​ B​ ritish​ C​ rown.
After​ ​declaring​ i​ ndependence​ ​from​ ​Great
Britain,​ t​ hese​ ​thirteen​ ​colonies​ ​formed​ t​ he​ n​ ew
nation​ o​ f​ t​ he​ U​ nited​ ​States​ o​ f​ A​ merica.​ ​The
document​ ​clearly​ ​stated​ ​that​ a​ ll​ ​men​ ​are​ ​created
equal​ ​and​ ​that​ t​ here​ ​are​ c​ ertain​ r​ ights​ ​that
governments​ s​ hould​ n​ ever​ ​violate.​ ​These​ ​rights
include​ t​ he​ ​right​ ​to​ l​ ife,​ ​liberty​ a​ nd​ t​ he​ p​ ursuit
of​ ​happiness.​ ​When​ ​a​ ​government​ ​fails​ t​ o
protect​ ​those​ ​rights,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​not​ ​only​ ​the​ r​ ight,​ b​ ut
also​ t​ he​ ​duty​ ​of​ t​ he​ ​people​ t​ o​ o​ verthrow​ ​that
government.
Although​ T​ homas​ J​ efferson​ w​ as​ ​the​ ​main
contributor​ ​and​ ​author​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Declaration,​ ​he​ w​ as​ a​ ctually​ p​ art​ ​of​ ​a​ c​ ommittee​ c​ alled​ ​the
“Committee​ ​of​ ​Five”​ ​congress​ ​appointed​ t​ o​ ​draft​ ​the​ D​ eclaration.​ J​ ohn​ ​Adams,​ ​Benjamin
Franklin,​ ​Robert​ L​ ivingston,​ a​ nd​ ​Roger​ S​ herman​ w​ ere​ ​the​ ​other​ ​four​ a​ ppointed.​ A​ fter​ t​ he
first​ ​draft​ ​was​ c​ ompleted,​ ​revised​ a​ nd​ e​ dited,​ ​the​ ​final​ ​draft​ ​was​ ​written​ ​and​ f​ ifty-six
delegates​ ​from​ t​ he​ ​continental​ c​ ongress​ c​ ompleted​ ​it​ ​by​ s​ igning​ t​ he​ ​document.

 

Battle​ ​of​ S​ aratoga 

​ ​Sep​ ​19,​ ​1777​ –​ ​ O​ ct​ ​7,​ ​1777 
 

Fought​ ​less​ ​than​ ​three​ ​weeks​ a​ part,​ ​the​ t​ wo
battles​ ​in​ t​ he​ B​ attle​ o​ f​ S​ aratoga,​ f​ ought​ i​ n
New​ ​York,​ w​ ere​ t​ he​ d​ efining​ ​moments​ o​ f​ ​the
American​ R​ evolution.​ G​ eneral​ J​ ohn
Burgoyne​ ​was​ a​ ttempting​ t​ o​ ​invade​ N​ ew
England​ f​ rom​ ​Canada​ w​ ith​ t​ he​ g​ oal​ ​of
isolating​ ​New​ E​ ngland​ ​from​ ​the​ ​rest​ ​of​ t​ he
United​ S​ tates.​ A​ fter​ s​ wiftly​ ​capturing​ F​ ort
Ticonderoga,​ ​the​ B​ ritish​ a​ rmy,​ u​ nder​ t​ he
command​ o​ f​ G​ eneral​ ​John​ ​Burgoyne,​ ​calmly
marched​ ​south,​ g​ iving​ ​the​ A​ mericans​ ​time​ ​to
regroup​ a​ nd​ p​ repare​ f​ or​ ​the​ B​ attle.​ ​In​ ​support
of​ ​the​ A​ mericans,​ G​ eneral​ G​ eorge
Washington​ s​ ent​ B​ enedict​ A​ rnold​ a​ nd
Daniel​ ​Morgan​ f​ rom​ t​ he​ ​Hudson​ ​Highlands.
They​ b​ uilt​ G​ ates’s​ ​men​ ​to​ a​ bout​ ​sixty-five​ ​hundred​ m​ en.​ ​On​ t​ he​ m​ orning​ o​ f​ S​ eptember
19th,​ t​ he​ ​British​ a​ rmy​ a​ ttacked​ ​and​ t​ hen​ ​attempted​ a​ gain​ o​ n​ O​ ctober​ ​7th,​ ​where​ t​ hey​ ​were
defeated​ a​ nd​ ​forced​ ​to​ r​ etreat​ b​ ack​ t​ o​ t​ he​ ​town​ ​of​ ​Saratoga.​ ​Gates's​ a​ rmy​ h​ ad​ ​surrounded
them​ ​and​ t​ hey​ h​ ad​ t​ o​ ​surrender.​ ​Thus​ ​began​ t​ he​ ​turning​ ​point​ ​of​ t​ he​ ​American​ ​Revolution
due​ t​ o​ t​ he​ s​ ole​ ​fact​ ​France​ ​had​ ​finally​ ​agreed​ ​to​ h​ elp​ t​ he​ ​Americans.

France​ ​Allied​ ​With​ ​American 
Colonies​ ​February​ ​6,​ ​1778 

The​ U​ nited​ S​ tates​ n​ ever​ w​ ould
have​ ​won​ ​the​ R​ evolutionary​ W​ ar
without​ t​ he​ h​ elp​ ​of​ ​the​ F​ rench,
and​ ​on​ ​February​ 6​ ,​ ​1778,
Benjamin​ F​ ranklin​ ​was​ i​ n​ ​France
signing​ ​the​ ​Treaty​ ​of​ ​Amity​ a​ nd
Commerce​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Treaty​ ​of
Alliance.​ ​The​ T​ reaty​ o​ f​ A​ mity
and​ C​ ommerce​ r​ ecognized​ ​the
United​ S​ tates​ a​ s​ a​ n​ i​ ndependent
nation​ a​ nd​ p​ romoted​ ​trade
between​ ​France​ a​ nd​ ​America.​ O​ n​ ​the​ ​other​ h​ and,​ ​the​ T​ reaty​ ​of​ A​ lliance​ ​made​ t​ he
fledgling​ U​ nited​ S​ tates​ ​and​ F​ rance​ ​allies​ ​against​ G​ reat​ ​Britain​ d​ uring​ ​the​ w​ ar.​ T​ he
French​ ​went​ b​ ack​ ​the​ U​ .S.​ ​in​ ​its​ m​ ilitary​ ​efforts​ ​until​ t​ he​ U​ .S.​ h​ ad​ ​full
independence​ f​ rom​ G​ reat​ ​Britain.​ ​After​ ​that,​ t​ he​ t​ reaty​ r​ equired​ F​ rance​ a​ nd​ t​ he
United​ ​States​ t​ o​ w​ ork​ ​together​ ​on​ ​any​ p​ eace​ a​ greement.

The​ B​ attle​ o​ f​ Y​ orktown 

Sep​ 2​ 8,​ ​1781​ –​ ​ ​Oct​ 1​ 9,​ 1​ 781 
 

​ ​This​ v​ ideo​ i​ llustrates​ a​ n
overview​ ​of​ ​the​ ​events​ t​ hat​ l​ ead
up​ ​to,​ ​occurred​ ​during​ ​and
happened​ a​ s​ ​a​ r​ esult​ ​of​ t​ he
Battle​ ​of​ ​Yorktown.​ ​Some
seventeen​ t​ housand​ ​troops
under​ ​the​ ​command​ ​of​ ​George
Washington​ b​ egan​ t​ he​ s​ iege
against​ ​British​ ​ ​General​ C​ harles
Cornwallis​ h​ is​ a​ rmy​ ​of​ ​nine
thousand​ i​ n​ Y​ orktown,​ ​Virginia
on​ t​ he​ ​morning​ o​ f​ S​ eptember
28,​ 1​ 781.​ ​The​ ​video​ e​ xplains
Washington’s​ p​ lan​ ​of
bombardment​ a​ nd​ ​attacking​ t​ he​ ​British,​ ​and​ s​ hows​ ​how​ ​they​ s​ uccessfully​ e​ xecute​ ​it​ w​ hen
General​ C​ ornwallis​ s​ urrenders​ a​ fter​ b​ eing​ s​ urrounded.​ T​ his​ b​ attle​ w​ as​ s​ ignificantly​ t​ he
final​ ​major​ b​ attle​ o​ f​ ​the​ A​ merican​ ​Revolution​ ​and​ ​was​ t​ he​ ​victory​ t​ hat​ w​ on​ ​the​ ​War​ ​for
Independence​ ​because​ o​ f​ t​ he​ F​ rench​ a​ nd​ ​American​ ​victory.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-yorktown-begins

Treaty​ ​of​ P​ aris  

1783 
 

September​ ​3,​ ​1783-​ t​ he​ ​day​ t​ hat
changes​ ​the​ c​ ourse​ o​ f​ h​ istory.​ ​This
video​ i​ llustrates​ h​ ow​ t​ he​ s​ igning​ ​of
the​ ​Treaty​ o​ f​ ​Paris-​ w​ hich​ w​ as
negotiated​ ​between​ ​the​ U​ nited​ ​States
and​ ​Britain,​ e​ nded​ t​ he​ R​ evolutionary
War​ ​and​ ​acknowledged​ ​America’s
independence.​ ​The​ ​Continental
Congress​ ​put​ t​ ogether​ a​ ​ ​team​ o​ f​ f​ ive
to​ n​ egotiate​ ​the​ t​ reaty​ ​in​ ​Paris.​ T​ his
committee​ i​ ncluded​ J​ ohn​ A​ dams,
Benjamin​ F​ ranklin,​ ​John​ J​ ay,​ T​ homas
Jefferson,​ a​ nd​ ​Henry​ L​ aurens.​ ​The​ ​Americans​ r​ ealized​ t​ hat​ ​they​ ​could​ ​get​ a​ ​ b​ etter
deal​ d​ irectly​ f​ rom​ L​ ondon,​ ​so​ J​ ohn​ ​Jay​ ​told​ ​the​ B​ ritish​ ​that​ ​he​ w​ as​ w​ illing​ t​ o​ ​negotiate
directly​ ​with​ ​them,​ c​ utting​ ​off​ F​ rance​ ​and​ S​ pain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7ii4avbdfY

Constitution​ R​ atified  

1788 
 

In​ ​order​ ​to​ r​ atify​ t​ he
Constitution,​ N​ ew
Hampshire​ ​becomes​ t​ he
ninth​ a​ nd​ ​last​ n​ ecessary
state​ t​ o​ ​needed​ t​ o​ ​ratify​ ​the
Constitution​ ​of​ t​ he​ U​ nited
States,​ ​thereby​ ​making​ t​ he
document​ t​ he​ l​ aw​ ​of​ t​ he
land.​ ​Until​ t​ he​ n​ ew
Constitution,​ ​the​ ​country​ w​ as​ g​ overned​ b​ y​ ​the​ ​Articles​ o​ f​ ​Confederation.​ T​ he
document​ w​ as​ ​tailored​ t​ o​ ​a​ ​newly​ ​formed​ ​nation​ ​made​ ​of​ s​ tates​ ​acting​ a​ s
independent​ ​countries,​ ​and​ ​it​ ​became​ ​clear​ ​that​ A​ merica​ ​needed​ a​ ​ m​ uch​ ​more
stabilized​ ​and​ ​centralized​ g​ overnment.​ T​ he​ ​intended​ p​ urpose​ ​of​ ​the​ C​ onvention
was​ ​to​ a​ mend​ t​ he​ ​Articles​ o​ f​ ​Confederation,​ ​but​ ​after​ c​ areful​ c​ onsideration​ ​ t​ he
outcome​ w​ as​ ​a​ ​proposal​ ​to​ c​ reate​ ​new​ ​form​ ​of​ g​ overnment.​ A​ ​ ​couple​ ​months​ ​later
on​ S​ eptember​ 1​ 7,​ ​1787,​ t​ he​ ​convention​ c​ oncluded​ ​the​ s​ igning​ t​ he​ C​ onstitution.​ T​ he
framework​ ​of​ t​ he​ C​ onstitution​ ​is​ ​contained​ i​ n​ t​ he​ ​Preamble​ ​and​ ​states​ t​ he​ ​purpose
of​ ​the​ ​document​ w​ hich​ i​ s​ s​ till​ i​ n​ t​ he​ ​government​ ​to​ ​this​ d​ ay.

 
Bibliography 

 

“Bunker​ H​ ill​ ​Monument.”​ N​ ational​ ​Parks​ ​Service​,​ U​ .S.​ ​Department​ o​ f​ ​the​ ​Interior,
www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/bhm.htm​.

History.com​ S​ taff.​ ​“Battle​ o​ f​ ​Bunker​ ​Hill.”​ ​History.com​,​ ​A&E​ T​ elevision​ ​Networks,​ ​2009,
www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battle-of-bunker-hill​.

History.com​ ​Staff.​ “​ Battles​ o​ f​ ​Lexington​ ​and​ C​ oncord.”​ H​ istory.com​,​ A​ &E​ ​Television
Networks,​ ​2009,
www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-lexington-and-concord​.

Thomas​ ​Paine​ S​ ociety.​ ​“Common​ S​ ense.”​ ​Thomas​ ​Paine​ S​ ociety,​ ​ ​2017,
www.thomaspainesociety.org/common-sense.​

“United​ S​ tates​ ​Declaration​ ​of​ ​Independence.”​ W​ ikipedia​,​ W​ ikimedia​ ​Foundation,​ ​24
Nov.​ ​2017,​ ​en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence

Smith,​ T​ roy.​ ​“Battle​ o​ f​ ​Saratoga.”​ ​George​ ​Washington's​ ​Mount​ ​Vernon,​
www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/battle-of-saratoga/​.

Wilde,​ R​ obert.​ ​“The​ ​Role​ ​of​ F​ rance​ ​in​ ​the​ ​American​ R​ evolutionary​ W​ ar.”​ ​ThoughtCo​,
www.thoughtco.com/france-american-revolutionary-war-1222026.​

“Battle​ ​of​ Y​ orktown​ B​ egins.”​ H​ istory.com,​ ​ A​ &E​ T​ elevision​ N​ etworks,
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-yorktown-begins​.

“U.S.​ ​Constitution​ ​Ratified.”​ ​History.com,​ ​ ​A&E​ T​ elevision​ N​ etworks,
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-constitution-ratified​.