The_American_Revolution

The American Revolution According to the French, “We were born free.” Though people may be born free, America was not. In the year of 1774, the Colonists were getting tired of being held under British rule. They could not make their own laws or do what they wanted because of a King that was miles away over sea. They began to revolt. The first step in this revolution was rejecting the authority of the Parliament of Great Britain to govern overseas without representation. They then expelled all royal officials from their positions. All of the colonies had already established a Provincial Congress and started to form individual self-governing states. Although expected and unwanted, the British then sent troops to fight the revolutions in what was starting to become America. Our first act as a “United States” was coming together to fight the British. Colonists from each new state joined together in militias, or groups of ordinary citizens fighting in a war, to protect their self-governance and to drive the troops out. What is called The American Revolutionary War today started on April 18th, 1775. The infamous “shot heard ‘round the world” was shot in an armed standoff between British forces and the local militia, turning the event into the battle of Lexington and Concord. Both of these battles went to the Colonists. They were stunned by their success. Next came the Battle of Battle of Bunker Hill. A part of the Siege of Boston, leaders of the militias heard that the British generals were planning to send out troops to attack the men at night. The Colonists then moved in on the British. The British eventually heard about the move and mounted an attack against the Colonists, starting a battle. This one was not a success though. The win went to the British. Over 800 people were wounded in this battle and 226 were killed. The American Congress did not want to fight forever. They extended the Olive Branch Petition, a petition that affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain. It was rejected though and the Proclamation of Rebellion declared the 13 colonies in rebellion that only action and fighting could fix. The American Revolutionary War continued on. Our next move was to invade Canada, a country also ruled by Britain. We did this in the winter of 1775. At first, Quebec was captured and the invasion was successful until the British moved in strong and defeated our attempts. 1776 brought a new year full of new things for our young country. As fighting continued so did our independence. With a new general, George Washington, leading our armies we forced the British out of Boston and out of our country. We officially declared independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence was written mostly by Thomas Jefferson and was signed by all of the members of Congress who had voted on its wording, ideas, and freedom. Without this document we might still be under British rule today. But with it we live in a country of united sates, and united people.