Major Events of the American Revolution

Question: What happened on July 4, 1776?

Answer: On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which severed the American colonies from Great Britain.

Question: What marked the beginning of the American Revolution?

Answer: On April 19, 1775, British and American soldiers fought the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, which began the American Revolution. Total losses were 273 British soldiers and more than 90 Americans.

Question: Who won the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775?

Answer: The British won the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, when they forced the American colonists holding Breed’s Hill to retreat. The British suffered proportionally more losses, however, and the strength of the American effort encouraged the colonists to continue to fight.

Question: Where did American troops spend the winter and spring of 1777–78 training to become a much more effective fighting force?

Answer: The Continental Army under George Washington camped at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. Though disease, cold, and mismanagement shrank the army and caused significant suffering, it trained throughout its encampment and emerged a stronger, more effective fighting force.

Question: What agreement, signed in 1783 by Great Britain and the United States, concluded the American Revolution?

Answer: The Treaty of Paris of 1783, agreed to by Great Britain and the United States, ended the American Revolution. In it, Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

Question: With what country did the United States form an alliance in February 1778?

Answer: The United States formalized an alliance with France on February 6, 1778, that ensured continued, and decisive, French financial and material support.

Question: What British general surrendered at Saratoga, New York, in 1777, thus marking an important turning point in the American Revolution?

Answer: British General John Burgoyne surrendered to American forces at the Second Battle of Saratoga on October 17, 1777.

Question: What was ratified on March 1, 1781, and is considered the first constitution of the United States?

Answer: The Articles of Confederation were ratified by the U.S. states on March 1, 1781. They had been written in 1776–77 and adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and they are considered the first constitution of the United States.

Question: What battle did George Washington win immediately after crossing the Delaware overnight on December 25–26, 1776?

Answer: George Washington led American forces across the Delaware River on December 25–26, 1776, and surprised the British at Trenton, New Jersey. Washington easily won the Battle of Trenton.

Question: In what state did the Siege of Yorktown occur, which, when it concluded, marked the effective end of military operations in the American Revolution?

Answer: The Siege of Yorktown occurred in Virginia from September 28 to October 19, 1781. It was a siege of British forces by American and French troops; the Franco-American victory essentially ended military operations in the American Revolution.