Revolutionary War
What it was: A war between Great Britain and the 13 colonies. War ended up in colonies favor. Also known as American Revolution How much it cost:14.8 Million dollars How long did it lasted: 1775-1783 Began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19th, 1775. The night before the battles of Lexington and Concord, Paul Revere and William Dawes were sent to warn the colonists of the British attacks. Causes of the Revolution:Economic Problems, Taxation without representation in Parliament, Unfair treatment to colonies. The war began because the colonists were upset over Britain's taxation without representation. How the colonies felt:
Colonists felt that Britain was treating them unfairly. Britain had passed many laws that were unfair to the colonists in an attempt to gain more control over the colonies. Colonists were angered by this, and protested the laws. In 1775, Britain declared Massachusetts was in rebellion. Britain placed troops in Boston to quickly dispose of the rebels. Soon after, the colonists were at war with Britain. Other Info: Without a central government, the colonies were very unprepared for war. The first Continental Congress was made up of delegates from the colonies, and it took on the responsibility of a national government. The Congress appointed George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental Amy. Britain had a much larger and better trained army, but they were at a disadvantage because they had to transport all of their troops and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean. Colonists who wanted independence were called Patriots. Colonists who remained loyal to Britain were called Loyalists. There were many battles. The colonists were extremely disadvantaged in fighting because Britain had the benefit of professionally trained soldiers. Despite this, the colonists were still able to pull through to victory in many battles. The colonists were also able to make allies with other countries, including France. The beginning of the end: Perhaps the most crucial battle in the war was that of Yorktown in October of 1781. In this battle, British general Cornwallis had marched his army to Yorktown where he believed they would be rescued by a British fleet at the port city. However, a French fleet had defeated the British fleet, therefore preventing it from rescuing Cornwallis and his troops. In the meantime, George Washington had marched with his troops to Yorktown, blocking Cornwallis from escaping by land. Thus, the British were trapped. Cornwallis, too ashamed of his defeat, had to send his second in command to surrender for him. After this battle, King George III had lost control of Parliament and, though he wanted to continue fighting, no more major attacks were launched on the colonists. The war was officially ended with a peace treaty called the Treaty of Paris. In this treaty, Britain agreed that it was separate from the colonists, and the colonists received all the land east of the Mississippi River and south of the Great Lakes, not including Florida. Background:
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