Rebellion
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Rebellion
What is this?
“Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance or the most abject submission.”
-George Washington
This quote comes from General George Washington, the leader of the Continental army in the American Revolution. The war started with growing tension between the 13 Colonies and Great Britain. There are many significant battles in the war. We can also know how powerful the rebels really were. They had many names for British soldiers. The American Patriots are a lot more important and interesting then you would think.
What started the Rebellion?
Great Britain passed laws known as the intolerable acts. These include the Tea act and the Stamp act.
The tea act was when the British made it so that only people could buy British tea, not their own, American tea. People hated this.
The Stamp act was when the British taxed all paper objects,so you needed to pay for a stamp to own the paper.
another event that the Americans didn’t like was the Boston Massacre. This is when people were rioting at 8 soldiers and they fired into the riot. 5 died. The most well known death was Crispus attucks, who was a former slave who worked in the Boston Harbor.
The most well known sign of rebellion in response to the tea act is the boston tea party. This was when patriots dressed up as indians and dumped millions of today's money in the Boston Harbor. In response to the tax-related acts, patriots tarred and feathered tax collectors.
What were some great battles?
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War. The Americans won both. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge, near Boston.
The Battle of Lexington was a very small fight. You could hardly call it a battle, but it's important because it's where the Revolutionary War started. When the British arrived, there were only around 80 American militiamen in the town. They were led by Captain John Parker. They were up against a much larger British force led by Major John Pitcairn. Neither side expected to actually fight, but in the midst of the confusion a gunshot went off forcing the British to attack. That was either stupid or too much ambition to fight. Some of the colonists were killed and the rest fled. The gunshot was the first shot of the American Revolution and the start of the war. It was called the "shot heard around the world" by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem,Concord Hymn. No one is actually sure if it was an American or British soldier who fired the shot. I think that it was British. Now let's move on to Concord.
After the Americans fled from Lexington, the British marched to the city of Concord. When they first got to Concord, they met little resistance and began to search the town for the militia's hidden stash of weapons and munitions. The Americans had retreated to the outskirts of Concord and observed the British from other side of the North Bridge. as the Americans waited, more and more local militiamen arrived making their forces stronger and stronger. The Americans decided to cross the North Bridge back into Concord. They defeated the British troops at the North Bridge, giving the Americans renewed confidence. The Americans were a lot more dedicated, which I think is helpful.
Soon the British commander, Colonel Francis Smith, realised that the American militia resistance was rapidly growing and it was time to retreat. Once the British decided to retreat, they began the long march back to the city of Boston. The Americans continued to gain forces and continued to attack and harass the British during their retreat. By the time the British reached Boston they had lost 73 men and 174 were wounded. The Americans lost 49 men and 41 were wounded.
another significant battle was the battle of Bunker Hill, which was fought early in the Revolutionary War. The British defeated the Americans at the Battle. It took place on June 17, 1775 in Massachusetts. Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost. The name is not accurate, because most of it was fought on Breed's Hill. The purpose of the battle was for the British to gain more ground on the Americans.
These were two significant battles early in the revolutionary war. Try to imagine if you were an American and/or a British soldier. See what it was like from both points of view.
Subtopic #3: Great Britain vs. US: How Powerful?
Great Britain probably had more manpower than the US. They had better supplies. They also had about ⅔ of the indians on their side. They were a good army.
But the US had some tricks up its sleeve too. For example, Great Britain had to obey battle formations so they were out in the open. US had battle formations, but they also went stealth. They could sneak attack. They knew their terrain much better than Great Britain.
They also were fighting for a cause: freedom. a man fighting for a cause is a lot more powerful than a man just obeying orders from a king. Even some British soldiers accepted this.
Fun Facts about Rebellion:
- a bad name for British soldiers is “Redcoats”
- Most people don’t know that most of the colonists were neutralists.
- Colonists in America wanted independence from England.
- The American Revolution, also known as the Revolutionary War, began in 1775.
- British soldiers and American patriots started the war with battles at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
- The colonies wanted England to have no control over them.
- For ten years before the war actually started, there was a lot of tension between England and the colonies.
- George Washington, a former military officer and wealthy Virginian, was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.
- Members of the Continental Congress wrote a letter to King George of England outlining their complaints and declaring their independence from England.
- On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, in which the colonies declared their independence from England
- The war ended in 1783, and the United States of America was born.
Conclusion
You have read about how the seed was planted for the war. You have also learned 3 significant battles early in the Revolutionary war. You then read about the strength of both armies. You should've learned a lot. The war was a huge event. There is a lot more to it than this report. It is very right that the Americans won the war. The British should have seen the war and it’s outcome coming. They should have noticed how the Americans really wanted to be independant.
Think about it
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What do think would happen if George Washington was not the leader of the Continental army?
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