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He was the Commander of the Colonies' Continental Army.

Washington only had military experience from the French and Indian War.

He assisted in the defeat of the British because of strategy to include the French Navy and keep Cornwallis captive until official surrender from King George.

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Revere instigated anger with the British by portraying the Boston Massacre in a false manner.

He is credited with warning Samuel Adams and John Hancock of potential invasion by the British of Concord and Lexington.

Revere was a member of the Sons of Liberty who protested tax laws imposed by Britain.

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John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence.

He was named president of the 2nd Continental Congress.

Hancock contributed to the fury of the Boston Tea Party even though he did not directly participate.

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He represented the Patriots who participated in the Boston Massacre as their lawyer.

Adams is given credit for nominating Washington to head the Continental Army.

John Adams was key in getting the Declaration of Independence approved by Congress as he debated with for hours in an attempt for approval.

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Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence but took many ideas from Enlightenment thinkers to draft it.

Served as the governor of Virginia during the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Jefferson was named the Virginia Delegate (Representative) for the Continental Congress.

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Franklin helped to draft the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson.

He was also present for the signing of the Treaty of Paris and the negotiation of it.

Benjamin Franklin served as a diplomat during part of the war.

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He imposed taxes on the Colonies in an attempt to help pay for the war.

King George assisted the British in winning the French and Indian War.

He insisted on continuing to fight the war, even though he had no money, until the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

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Lord Cornwallis led the British in attempt to defeat the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

He was captured by American Militia in order to ensure the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

He was defeated in the Battle of Yorktown by the United States with the assistance of the French.

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He was convinced by Thomas Jefferson to right the Virginia Declaration of Rights.

George Mason was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.

Mason was apart of the Anti-Federalists along with Patrick Henry.

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These men promised to fight for the Colonies at a minute's notice if they were needed.

They were separate but were still considered apart of the American militia.

They only trained 2-4 times a year and officers were elected by popular vote.

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Thomas Paine is known for writing the short book (pamphlet) Common Sense meant for those who were uneducated in the Colonies.

He migrated to America with the help of Benjamin Franklin.

Paine transferred to a career in journalism that resulted in his success with the short novel.

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Hobbes was an Enlightenment thinker who's philosophy is included in the Declaration of Independence.

His thoughts are presented in his book Leviathan (some thoughts are used in America's most famous documents).

Thomas Hobbes is known for his specific thoughts on unalienable rights and limited government.

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The Stamp Act was first imposed by Parliament in 1765.

All printed materials made in the Colonies were taxed.

The money made from this tax was used to help England get out of debt from the French and Indian War.

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The Tea Act was established in 1773.

It was a British law that permitted the British East India Company to ship their goods directly to the colonies and to sell the tea at bargain price.

Dislike of the Tea Act resulted in the Boston Tea Party.

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The Sugar Act was implemented in 1764.

Anything in the Colonies that contained sugar was taxed.

The official definition of the Sugar Act was the taxing of molasses.

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This Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from September to October in 1774

All 13 Colonies attended except Georgia

Representatives were sent to discuss whether or not independence was what was needed.

They agreed to meet again in one year if their grievances were not addressed by the King.

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This occurred in September of 1775 after the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

The Continental Army was established here and General Washington was put in charge.

Representatives agreed that action needed to be taken in response to military action from Britain.

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This war lasted from 1754 to 1763.

The war was fought between the French and the British. It ended in the defeat of France.

Britain gains French Canada but is also in severe debt afterwards.

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The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770.

Was a result of the anger felt about taxes they had to pay for a war they didn't even want.

The Massacre was hardly considered a massacre because of the lack of death but it flamed the tension between the opposing sides.

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The Tea Party happened on December 16, 1773.

Colonists dressed as natives as a reference to the French and Indian War.

The colonists threw everything on board the ships into the Boston Harbor.

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Lexington and Concord was the first armed battle of the Revolutionary War.

The battle happened on April 19, 1775, only 6 months after the 1st Continental Congress.

England thought they could sneak up and surprise the Colonies but they had previous knowledge of Britain's plans.

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This battle was considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War.

It lasted from September to October 1777.

This is when the Americans realized standing in a straight line was not effective but guerrilla warfare was.

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The Siege of Yorktown was the last battle of the Revolutionary War.

It occurred from September to October 1781.

The way the Colonies were able to win this war was by help of the French navy and capture of Cornwallis.

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Settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains was prohibited.

They were kicked out because this was an area that was expensive for the British to protect.

It is where all of the Natives were pushed to by England.

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The Declaration of Independence was written in 1176.

It was a result of the 2nd Continental Congress.

Besides declaring independence from England, it listed grievances that America wanted to leave the control of King George III.

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The treaty was signed on September 3, 1783.

England sent 2 delegates but they did not stay as long as that was actually necessary.

The treaty declared America to be fully independent.

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Written by John Locke

It outlines government's responsibilities.

It also says what the citizens can do if the government doesn't commit or follow through.

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Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine.

This was called a book but it was technically a pamphlet.

It challenged the rule of the American colonists by the King of England.

It was written in plain English so everyone was able to understand it.

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The Social Contract was written by Locke.

The book concerned Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.

It established concepts such as "power resides within the people" and "government needs to be formed to protect the people's rights".