The Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War was the beginning of the Nation we know today as the United States of America. This war was fought, so that America would be a separate state, and would no longer be controlled by the British. This war was the most important war in all of history.
The war began when the Continental Congress met to ask for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts, but King George rejected the request. This led the colonists to prepare for war by training and stockpiling weapons. These preparations were heard by the British, so they decided to stop the colonists in Concord, Massachusetts. Paul Revere and William Daws were both warned that the British were coming, so they told the colonists. In Lexington, the militia gathered and a shot was fired, which was the “shot heard around the world”. This shot started a little skirmish, and we still do not know whether the colonists or the British fired the shot. After Lexington, the British traveled 17 miles to Concord, where they found weapons and destroyed cannons. The militiamen gathered across the Northern Bridge and waited for the British to leave, but when they saw smoke rising from their city, they marched back towards it. These militiamen were suddenly fired on by British soldiers, and the fight began. The British were forced to retreat, and this fight began the siege of Boston.
The siege of Boston included the battle at Bunker and Breeds Hill. The colonists heard leaked news about the British planning to take control of the hills, so they went overnight and dug in earth works and setup defenses on these hills. The Battles of Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill only lasted a few hours, but these battles were important because both the colonists and the British were victors. The British were victors because they accomplished their goal, capturing the hills. The colonists also won because they realized that they could hold their ground against the best trained troops in the world. In these battles the colonists only suffered 367 deaths, but the British suffered 1,054 deaths.
In 1775, The Olive Branch Petition was an attempt to work out an early peace treaty with Britain, but was rejected by King George the third. The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776, which separated the United States from Britain. During the winter of 1775-1776, Benedict Arnold led his army to several victories to the north. He captured Fort Ticonderoga without a fight, supplying the Continental Army with some artillery. Arnold and his men fought through the province of Quebec, capturing ships and supplies. The Battle at Valcour Island on Lake Champlain proved that the colonists could withstand a fair fight in naval battles against the British.
In 1776 the British regained their power, even though the colonists had an amazing start to the war. They returned the control of Boston, took New York after several battles, and eventually took Philadelphia. The only accomplishments for the colonists during this time were the back-to-back victories at Trenton and Princeton in late 1776. Trenton took place the day after Christmas, and occurred after Washington had his men cross the frozen Delaware River at night, and they were able to surprise the troops at Trenton. Trenton and Princeton were fantastic victories, but the transition in the war was Saratoga. At the battle of Saratoga 5,700 British troops surrendered to Major General Horatio Gates.
The British focused on the south in 1778, and were successful in controlling Savannah and Charlestown, and won a big victory at Camden. Horatio Gates was replaced by Greene due to the loss at the Battle of Camden. Greene and his men forced Cornwallis to travel lightly, and wore down the British army due to their lack of supplies and reinforcements. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse forced the British to retreat to Yorktown, where they were defeated by the French in the Battle of the Capes. The Treaty of Paris was signed, and declared the United States to be a separate nation in 1783. The United States had control of all the lands in North America to the east of the Mississippi and south of the Great Lakes, but Florida was still held by the Spanish.
The Revolutionary War would not have been so successful if not for the extraordinary leadership of outstanding generals. George Washington was a fantastic general, and was known for encouraging his army. He had several setbacks, but still improved as a general. Marquis de Lafayette was a young French ambassador and served in the Continental and the French Armies, and was a general in Washington’s army. Hennery Knox was in command of what became the artillery division in the army. Baron von Steuben was a Prussian who served as Washington’s Inspector General. Horatio Gates was remembered for losing the Battle of Camden, and riding away from his army to save his life. Francis Marion, also known as the Swamp Fox, is remembered for his guerilla fighting tactics he used in the Revolutionary War. All these generals played an important role in the success of the Revolutionary War.
The Revolutionary War was fought to make the United States a free and separate country. The battle resulted in the United States becoming a strong independent country. Thanks to the Revolutionary War the United States today and always will be remembered as the strongest country in the world.

Parliament Overreach

Parliament Overreach

As a delegate in the Continental Congress, we have come together to consider options in dealing with our grievances against the Parliament. The Parliaments taxation acts have led to a mighty government at the expense of the citizens. These acts have caused rebellions and a poor economy among the citizens.
Mercantilism was the cause of most of the taxation acts imposed on the colonies. In Britain, the Parliament and the merchants became partners to increase their power and private wealth. The Parliament forbid the trade with other nations, leading the citizens to smuggle goods in and out of the colonies. Britain searched for colonies to control, and once under their control, the colonies were manipulated to trade only with Britain. Mercantilism policies caused friction leading to the American Revolution.
The Stamp Act was the most foolish out all of the acts. This act required all legal documents, newspapers, and pamphlets to be printed on water marked paper. The Parliament required most paper materials to be printed on this paper because it was taxed. This had a negative affect on lawyers and the press, but these two could easily persuade the colonists to rebel against this tax. The citizens boycotted this act leading the Parliament to repeal it under the Declaratory Act of 1766. Under the Declaratory act Parliament retained the same authority, allowing them to pass laws that were binding on the American colonies. This would become unacceptable to the citizens.
The Molasses act taxed any sugar coming from the French West Indies to the American colonies. The Sugar act, like the Molasses act, taxed sugar, but was more forceful on collecting the tax. The Townshend act taxed tea, glass, lead, paper, and paint. This angered the citizens, and they began forming underground groups. One of the groups, The Sons of Liberty, was a resistance group which began to spread throughout the colonies.
The solution to all these intolerable acts is to have citizens like the Sons of Liberty stand up against the Parliament. We need colonists to overthrow this rich aggressive government, so unacceptable taxes cannot be imposed on the colonists. The colonists need representation in the judicial branch to enforce fair laws that will benefit both citizens and the Parliament. The Parliament can no longer bribe or manipulate these officials to their benefit only.
The colonists must take back control of the colonies. The colonies can no longer be ruled by an out of control Parliament. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, I will fight to regain control and put a stop to the intolerable acts imposed by an overreaching Parliament.

A Bad Day

A Bad Day

A terrible day that I experienced was the time that I fainted. This in fact was the worst day I have had, all the stress, confusion, and illness, it was unbearable. The rushed ambulance ride to the hospital, and all the worries going through my head, what a terrible time. I still remember the confusion on my parents and everyone else’s face, and how strange and terrifying this situation was.
It all started on a gloomy Saturday morning, we were waiting in line for autographs from some college football players. I did not have much to eat for breakfast, so I was feeling ill. A half an hour passed and this feeling was getting worse every minute, so I told my parents I was not feeling well. Afraid I was going to vomit, they took me over to a patch of grass, where I collapsed. I woke up on the floor of some building I did not recognize, where my parents and a lady I did not recognize called for an ambulance. My hearing and sight were fading in and out and I was not responsive.
The ambulance arrived in less than five minutes. I was put on a stretcher, and I still remember the banging of the stretcher wheels on the side walk. They set me in back of the ambulance, where a lady kept me calm. While driving to the hospital, the paramedics put an i.v. in my arm and asked me all kinds of questions. Frightened and nervous, we finally arrived at the hospital. The paramedics took me out of the back of the ambulance and hurried me into the hospital. My family and I were rushed into a room where the doctor checked me and asked us questions. The nurse took a lot of blood to test, and in about an hour, the doctor to returned with the test results. Fortunately they found my blood sugar and potassium levels were low, so they gave me some liquid to drink and I was able to go home and rest.
I handled that moment with uncertainty, and failed to remember that God would protect me. I was confused at what was happening and where I was. I thought in my head t that something devastating had happened to me, but in reality everything was fine. I remember feeling relieved when we were told that nothing was wrong. I thank God every day for keeping me safe and healthy, and helping me through this difficult day
This truly was the worst and most frightening day of my life. I was terrified by what had happened, but fortunately everything was alright. I will never forget the feeling of alarm and the concerned looks on everyone’s faces. I will always remember the day I fainted.

The Seven Years’ War

The Seven Years’ War

The Seven Years’ War was a famous battle in history. It was bloody and expensive, and like in its title, it was a long war lasting 7 years. This war explains the growth of the British Empire and the decline of the French empire.
The Seven Years’ War began in 1756, when a British Mediterranean island was captured by the French. The British tried to send aid to the island, but had to surrender it to the French, this was the start of the Seven Years’ War. Prussia was an ally with the British, and was ruled by Frederick the third. Frederick saw that the growth of this war was an opportunity to expand his territories. He decided to divide his forces to protect Prussia, and his first strike was Saxony. Austria saw this battle and rushed to the aid of Saxony, but was unable to stop Prussia. After the surrender of Saxony, Prussia recruited them to their army of soldiers. Britain supported Prussia and began shipping soldiers and money to them. The date 1757 was marked by the Prussia success, but in 1758-1760 they witnessed much defeat. During their difficult, time the support from Britain and Frederick’s determination kept them in the battle. After the defeat at the Battle of Kunersdorf, Frederick was in a dire position. The Russians and Austrians saw an opportunity to destroy Prussia, but they withdrew their attack due to the lack of supplies. Frederick called this retreat the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg. Prussia witnessed a second miracle when the empress of Russia died before attacking Prussia and her son, a fellow supporter of Prussia, succeeded her. In 1762, Russia arranged the Treaty of St. Petersburg, leaving Austria to face Prussia without their support. The British demanded Frederick to arrange a peace or forfeit, which led to the Treaty of Paris in 1763. This treaty returned Europe to its state before the war.
The Seven Years’ War also took place in The Caribbean, South America, India, The Philippines, and West Africa. The British gained territories in The Caribbean thanks to their control of all the eastern North America. They gained control of Florida and even Havana, the capital of Cuba. The Spanish and Portuguese had conflicts in South America. The Spanish captured the Colonia de Sacramento and Rio Grande de Sao Pedro; this surprised the Portuguese because they were respectively important to them. The Portuguese had this land returned at the end of the war. The British and French have had several disputes over who had more trading land in India. During the war, Britain captured every French fort on the coast of India and conquered an ally to France, Bengal. Britain became a dominant European force in India, even after they returned the French forts. Britain captured Manila but returned the city at the end of the war. The British captured the French colony Senegal, located in Western Africa. For Britain this came as the Annus Mirabilis, which was the time when the British began to win their battles. The Seven Years War ended in 1763, and most colonies were returned to their natural state before the war. The British were the major winners gaining several new colonies. The French lost most of their land and their mighty navy was destroyed.
This battle could have been the first world war because it had a large impact on the world. This war was a long, useless, expensive war, due to the fact that most colonies were returned. The Seven Years’ War is best known for the development of the mighty British Empire.