Independence Hall

On June 7 the issue came to a head. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia stood and put a resolution before the convention. Lee said they should break completely from England. Many delegates were shocked. They decided to vote of this issue on July 1.

A committee to write a Declaration of Independence from England was set up.The committee was made up of :

John Adams	Massachusetts
Ben Franklin	Pennsylvania
Roger  Sherman	Connecticut
Thomas Jefferson	Virginia
Robert Livingston	New York

Ben Franklin was sick that day and stayed home. The other four men went to visit Franklin at his house. They decided that only one man should write the declaration. The others then would look at it after it was written. Thomas Jefferson was given the job because he was a good writer and he was from the South. Jefferson worked on the Declaration of Independence for three weeks. Others liked what Jefferson had written. On Friday the 28 the declaration was read to the Congress.

The Virginia resolution to break with England was brought before Congress. The men argued over the words Jefferson had written. By July 4 the delegates were tired and many were afraid there would be a fight. A vote was taken. Some of Jefferson's words were changed before the voting . A statement against slavery was taken out. That would be for another day. Right now, Independence for America was on the front burner.

The declaration was approved by the Second Continental Congress. Fifty-six men signed the declaration. John Hancock was the first to sign. Anyone who signed, knew they were putting their very lives on the line ! But they were THAT much dedicated to having a FREE PEOPLE AND NATION ! FREEDOM TAKES SACRIFICE !

A large bell rang out to tell the people of Philadelphia the good news. The bell was later called the Liberty Bell.

The Declaration of Independence showed England and other countries that Americans were determined to become a free nation. If the colonists lost the war, all the men who signed the declaration would hang. The document was signed in July 1776 in Philadelphia. It took one year for it to be written.

About one-third of all Americans stayed loyal to the king and to England. They were called Tories or Loyalists.

Famous People

Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale was the first American spy hung by the British during the Revolution. Hale was a schoolteacher from South Coventry, Connecticut. He volunteered to go behind the British lines and obtain information. He passed through their lines disguised as a Dutch schoolteacher. He gathered the information, hid it in the lining on his shoe sole, and was returning to Connecticut when he was captured by the British. They found the information in his shoe, and hanged him for treason on September 22, 1776.

Molly Pitcher Her real name was Mary Ludwig. She followed her husband onto the battlefield where she cooked, washed, and sewed for the men. Molly even brought cool water to them in her pitcher, so the men nicknamed her "Molly Pitcher". After the war, Molly was given a yearly pension of $40.00 from the government in gratitude for her service.

Other famous women of the American Revolution:

 Early Battles

Many of the early battles took place around New York City. Washington's army fought the British on Long Island and lost. They had to retreat first to New York City and then to Pennsylvania and then even farther north.

Fort Ticonderoga

On May 10, 1775 a group of American soldiers from Vermont called the Green Mountain Boys attacked the British Fort Ticonderoga near Lake Champlain. The group was led by Ethan Allen. Allen surprised the British at the fort. Allen called out for their surrender. The commander asked in whose name. Allen replied, "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." The fort surrendered.

Fort Ticonderoga had forty cannons. The cannons were needed in Boston 200 miles away. General Knox sent his men to see if the cannons could be brought back. The men left Fort Ticonderoga on December 17, 1775 and brought the cannons to Cambridge on January 24, 1776.

In March 1776 the cannons were taken up Dorchester Heights, a hill overlooking the Boston Harbor. During the night 2000 people worked to get the guns in place. They built a fake fort to protect them. When the British awakened in the morning they looked at the guns of Dorchester Heights and all 6000 British soldiers sailed from Boston without a fight.

 

  Washington Crosses the Delaware and the Battle of Saratoga

 

In the winter of 1776 George Washington and his men camped in Pennsylvania. On Christmas Eve they crossed the icy Delaware River to attacked a group of Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey. The Germans were celebrating the holiday with strong drinks. They were taken by surprise. The Hessians surrendered themselves with all their weapons and equipment.

Two weeks later Washington led another surprise attack at Princeton, New Jersey and won. By this time the British army was growing weaker and the American army grew stronger. This was a very much needed battle to finally win by America ! Up to now, the Ameicans were losing almost every battle and were out of funds and ammo. And Ben Franklin, who was in France, waiting patiently for word of a win - ANY win - so he had something to present to the French government, in order to get the much needed funds America needed.

On October 1777 the Americans beat a large British force at Saratoga, New York. The French decided to help the Americans by supplying money, arms, and officers after they thought the Americans now had a chance to winning the war. This way France could beat an old enemy - England.

 

 

 

 Valley Forge
& the End of the War

The British army spent the winter of 1778 camped in Philadelphia. Washington's army spent a cold, hungry winter camped at Valley Forge. This was only about 30 miles away from Philadelphia. The American army was short on food and clothing. They had almost no medical supplies. The winter was cold. Many men became sick. Some deserted. Others lost finger and toes to frostbite.

The Americans got money from France. With this money Congress bought guns, ammunitions, clothing, and good food for the men at Valley Forge. Officers from other countries also come to help train the American army.

By the end of the winter the fighting was taking place in all thirteen colonies. In the northwest Gorge Rogers Clark was attacking the British forts along the frontier.

John Paul Jones, a famous American sailor, stated "I have not yet begun to fight!" when asked to surrender. Soon after this the British captured his ship.

In 1780 the Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens were fought.

In 1780 Benedict Arnold, a famous general who helped the Americans win at Saratoga, became unhappy and planned to turn the fort at West Point over to the British. He was found out before this took place.

The main battles were still being fought by Washington..

British soldiers led by General Cornwallis went to Virginia. They wanted to take the American army led by Frenchmen Lafayette Cornwallis. The army camped at Yorktown on the coast while waiting for Britain to ship supplies. The French fleet and the new American navy kept the supplies from getting through.

Washington and his army along with French soldiers marched south from New York to meet Lafayette. The two armies met. They surrounded Cornwallis and his British soldiers. Cornwallis surrendered his army to Washington.

On October 9, 1781 after 6 years the Revolutionary War was over. In 1783 the Americans and the British signed a peace treaty in Paris, France.

America was finally FREE !!!

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