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These acts banned colonial merchants from shipping goods to foreign countries and limited which items could be imported to the colonies. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/american-revolution.html

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Under that law, a tax was placed on the importation of sugar from the French West Indies, forcing the American rum distillers to buy more costly sugar from the British West Indies. https://www.britannica.com/event/Molasses-Act

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The French and Indian War was a seven year long war between Britain and France. Many Native Americans allied with the French because they treated the Native Americans more fairly. Although fighting began in 1754, the war did not officially begin until 1756. They were fighting for the control of much of North America. This war was a part of a larger war that was going on in Europe

At the beginning of the war. France controlled Canada and the Louisiana Territory. Britain controlled most of the east coast of North America. In one of the first battles of the war, Lieutenant Colonel George Washington and his Virginia troops (fighting for the British) were sent to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to remove the French from their new fort. Washington was defeated by the French, who soon controlled the entire region. In 1756, the British began to defeat the French, especially in naval battles. In 1759, General James Wolfe's army defeated the French at Quebec (although both Gen. Wolfe and his French adversary Gen. Montcalm both died during the battle).

The French lost the war, and the Treaty of Paris (signed in 1763) gave Britain control of Canada. Spain gave Florida to Britain, and received the former French areas west of the Mississippi River as well as Cuba. As a result of the war, the English colonists became more independent from Britain. This war also resulted in higher taxes paid to Britain. These influences eventually led to the American Revolution.

https://www.britannica.com/event/French-and-Indian-War

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This is the treaty that ended the French & Indian War. Spain got to keep Cuba and some of the land west of the Mississippi River but lost Florida. France got land in India, Africa, the Mediterranean island of Minorca and the Caribbean islands but they lost their land in North America. England became the dominant country of North America but acquired heavy debts from the French & Indian War.

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It recognized the Indians' right to the land and it did not allow colonists to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. This made colonists very angry because they wanted to settle on the land and they did not want British soldiers to live among them.

The King probably did this to keep the colonists in a confined space. It is easier to rule people that are close together than far apart.

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This act taxed anything printed on paper by requiring colonists to buy a stamp or seal for paper products.

The king probably did this to pay for the French & Indian war.

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These acts made colonists pay taxes on imported tea, glass, paper, and other items to pay for the rising military costs due to the Quartering Act.

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Colonists began to shout insults and throw snowballs at the soldiers. Soon more soldiers arrived, and as the mob grew louder and angrier, shots were fired. This deadly riot resulted in five colonists being killed that evening.

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Why Did the Boston Massacre Happen?

Tensions ran high in Boston in early 1770. More than 2,000 British soldiers occupied the city of 16,000 colonists and tried to enforce Britain's tax laws, like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. American colonists rebelled against the taxes they found repressive, rallying around the cry, "no taxation without representation."

Skirmishes between colonists and soldiers-and between patriot colonists and colonists loyal to Britain (loyalists)-were increasingly common. To protest taxes, patriots often vandalized stores selling British goods and intimidated store merchants and their customers.

On February 22, a mob of patriots attacked a known loyalist's store. Customs officer Ebenezer Richardson lived near the store and tried to break up the rock-pelting crowd by firing his gun through the window of his home. His gunfire struck and killed an 11-year-old boy named Christopher Seider and further enraged the patriots.

Several days later, a fight broke out between local workers and British soldiers. It ended without serious bloodshed but helped set the stage for the bloody incident yet to come.

How Many Died After Violence Erupted?

On the frigid, snowy evening of March 5, 1770, Private Hugh White was the only soldier guarding the King's money stored inside the Custom House on King Street. It wasn't long before angry colonists joined him and insulted him and threatened violence.

At some point, White fought back and struck a colonist with his bayonet. In retaliation, the colonists pelted him with snowballs, ice and stones. Bells started ringing throughout the town-usually a warning of fire-sending a mass of male colonists into the streets. As the assault on White continued, he eventually fell and called for reinforcements.

In response to White's plea and fearing mass riots and the loss of the King's money, Captain Thomas Preston arrived on the scene with several soldiers and took up a defensive position in front of the Custom House.

Worried that bloodshed was inevitable, some colonists reportedly pleaded with the soldiers to hold their fire as others dared them to shoot. Preston later reported a colonist told him the protestors planned to "carry off [White] from his post and probably murder him."

The violence escalated, and the colonists struck the soldiers with clubs and sticks. Reports differ of exactly what happened next, but after someone supposedly said the word "fire," a soldier fired his gun, although it's unclear if the discharge was intentional.

Once the first shot rang out, other soldiers opened fire, killing five colonists-including Crispus Attucks, a local dockworker of mixed racial heritage-and wounding six. Among the other casualties of the Boston Massacre was Samuel Gray, a rope maker who was left with a hole the size of a fist in his head. Sailor James Caldwell was hit twice before dying, and Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr were mortally wounded.

Boston Massacre Fueled Anti-British Views

Within hours, Preston and his soldiers were arrested and jailed and the propaganda machine was in full force on both sides of the conflict.

Preston wrote his version of the events from his jail cell for publication, while Sons of Liberty leaders such as John Hancock and Samuel Adams incited colonists to keep fighting the British. As tensions rose, British troops retreated from Boston to Fort William.

Paul Revere encouraged anti-British attitudes by etching a now-famous engraving depicting British soldiers callously murdering American colonists. It showed the British as the instigators though the colonists had started the fight.

It also portrayed the soldiers as vicious men and the colonists as gentlemen. It was later determined that Revere had copied his engraving from one made by Boston artist Henry Pelham.

John Adams Defends the British

It took seven months to arraign Preston and the other soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre and bring them to trial. Ironically, it was American colonist, lawyer and future President of the United States John Adams who defended them.

Adams was no fan of the British but wanted Preston and his men to receive a fair trial. After all, the death penalty was at stake and the colonists didn't want the British to have an excuse to even the score. Certain that impartial jurors were nonexistent in Boston, Adams convinced the judge to seat a jury of non-Bostonians.

During Preston's trial, Adams argued that confusion that night was rampant. Eyewitnesses presented contradictory evidence on whether Preston had ordered his men to fire on the colonists.

But after witness Richard Palmes testified that, "...After the Gun went off I heard the word 'fire!' The Captain and I stood in front about half between the breech and muzzle of the Guns. I don't know who gave the word to fire," Adams argued that reasonable doubt existed; Preston was found not guilty.

The remaining soldiers claimed self-defense and were all found not guilty of murder. Two of them-Hugh Montgomery and Matthew Kilroy-were found guilty of manslaughter and were branded on the thumbs as first offenders per English law.

To Adams' and the jury's credit, the British soldiers received a fair trial despite the vitriol felt towards them and their country.

Aftermath of the Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre had a major impact on relations between Britain and the American colonists. It further incensed colonists already weary of British rule and unfair taxation and roused them to fight for independence.

Yet perhaps Preston said it best when he wrote about the conflict and said, "None of them was a hero. The victims were troublemakers who got more than they deserved. The soldiers were professionals...who shouldn't have panicked. The whole thing shouldn't have happened."

Over the next five years, the colonists continued their rebellion and staged the Boston Tea Party, formed the First Continental Congress and defended their militia arsenal at Concord against the redcoats, effectively launching the American Revolution. Today, the city of Boston has a Boston Massacre site marker at the intersection of Congress Street and State Street, a few yards from where the first shots were fired.

Sources

After the Boston Massacre. John Adams Historical Society.
Boston Massacre Trial. National Park Service: National Historical Park of Massachusetts.
Paul Revere's Engraving of the Boston Massacre, 1770. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
The Boston Massacre. Bostonian Society Old State House.
The Boston "Massacre." H.S.I. Historical Scene Investigation.

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Boston Massacre: Causes, Date & Facts | HISTORY

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The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, on King Street in Boston between American colonists and British soldiers. It helped pave the way for the American Revolution.

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This act made the British East India Company the only company allowed to sell tea to the colonies.

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This was a protest by the American Colonists against the British government. They staged the protest by boarding three trade ships in Boston Harbor and throwing the ships' cargo of tea overboard into the ocean.

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These acts were an effort to make the colonists pay for the tea and to keep the colonists from planning other attacks. These laws stopped all trade between Boston and Britain, did not allow town meetings, gave Britain control of the colony of Massachusetts, and strengthened the Quartering Act. Since the port of Boston was closed, the trading of goods between the colonies also stopped which greatly impacted the economies of all the colonies.

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By 1775, the British government stopped ignoring the events which were leading to a war of independence. They were beginning to think that, perhaps, the colonists were a serious threat. In April of 1775, English Secretary of State Dartmouth ordered Lt. General Thomas Gage to arrest the leaders of the rebel uprising. His timing could have been a bit better. If the order had been received one day earlier,the entire Massachusetts congress would have been in session, and all members could have been easily arrested. AS it was, the members had adjourned and were on their way to their homes. John Hancock and Samuel Adams, two of the leaders in Massachusetts, had been advised to leave town immediately after congress adjourned. They decided to make their way to the home of Reverend Clarke in Lexington, Massachusetts.

The members of the congress were scattered throughout the countryside, so General GAge decided to destroy the weapons and ammunition he had heard were being stored in Concord, Massachusetts. He realized that every move the British army made in the colonies was being watched carefully. He decided that the best way to carry out his plan would be to keep the plans secret to everyone, even his own soldiers. He told only one man, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith. At 9:00 P.M. on the night of April 18, 1775, Gage ordered Lord Percy to follow six hours later with his troops. By 9:30 P.M. the secret was already out. Word had spread to the colonists that the army was on the move. William Dawes was already on his way by land to find and warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams. By 10:00 P.M., Paul Revere was on his way across the Charles River with the same message.

Around midnight, Revere arrived at the home of Rev. Clarke. He reported the news to John Hancock, and Rev. Clarke sent for the minutemen of Lexington. William Dawes left for Concord. A resident of Concord, Dr. Samuel Prescott, joined them in their ride. Around 1:00 A.M., the three riders were stopped by British officers. Dawes and Prescott were able to escape capture, but Revere was held for a couple of hours.

During this time, the colonists had been busy preparing for the British forces. At dawn, Major Pitcairn and his British troops arrived at Lexington Green. What they found was a group of militia men standing in formation. Pitcairn ordered his men to surround and disarm the militia. Rather than fight, the militia was ordered to disperse. Someone, no one knows whether it was militiaman or British soldier, fired a shot. No matter who it was, the British started shooting. They killed eight colonists and wounded ten more.

After the skirmish at LExington, the British headed toward Concord. They still had a mission to accomplish. They wanted o destroy all the weapons they could find at Concord. As they approached the North Bridge in Concord, they again found a group of armed militia. This time, the colonists fought back. The battle was short, and the British were routed. The resistance shown by the colonists was called "The Shot Heard Round the World" by people throughout the world. The fight for freedom had begun. The British were retreating back to Boston. The colonists had a small taste of victory and the desire for more. The only bright spot for the British was the fact that Lord PErc, who had left Boston after the main British force, was waiting at LExington to disperse the colonials. The REvolutionary WAr had begun.

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Declaration of Independence July 4th, 1776

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Declaration of Independence July 4th, 1776

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The colonists sent a letter to the British King that had many reasons justifying their decision to break away from Britain. The full declaration of independence is below:

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

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One of the hardest battles George Washington fought was not against the British. It was against the winter. In the fall of 1777, the British Redcoats occupied Philidelphia, a very important city where the Second Continental Congress had adopted the Declaration of Independence. Many congressman wanted General Washington to reclaim the city. But Washington knew the Continental Army was not ready. Instead of attacking Philidelphia, Washington took his army to a plateau near by, above the town of Valley Forge. There, he waited out the winter months.

The winter was bitterly cold. Colonists had hidden supplies for the army, but the British had raided their goods. The months from December 1777 to Feburary 1778 were the hardest three months of the war. The troops had little food beyond the squirrels and small animals they could hunt in the forest. Many did not have uniforms and many more did not have boots. A soldier's feet would get so cold from walking on the snow and ice that his entire leg might turn black from frostbite. Sometimes the frostbite was so severe that the soldiers leg would have to be amputated.

The men lived in wooden huts. Each hut was one room and had a small fireplace. Twelve men shared a hut. They had just enough space to lie down, but did not have blankets. The temperature often fell below freezing. Many men became sick, and some died. Diseases such as smallpox, dysentery, and typhus killed as many as 2000 men. Winter. tested the loyalty of American troops. Some soldiers abandon the army.

Washington did what he could to help his troops. A new man was put in charge of sending supplies to the soldiers. He built bridges and improved roads so that food could reach the army. Another man, Baron von Steuben, helped Washington train the soldiers to fight more effectively. By spring, things began to improve rapidly for the troops.

The nation would never forget the sacrifices of the Continental Army at Valley Forge.

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In 1773, the colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor. From that time on, the fight between the British and colonists grew fiercer. Battles were won and lost on both sides. Many English and Americans lost their lives. Eight years of fighting were hard on both sides. It was particularly hard on the British. This was a strange land for them. The commanders of the army were thousands of miles from the battle. The cost of the war was draining the treasury.

Sir William Howe resigned as commander of the British troops in the colonies. He was tired of the criticism he was receiving for his leadership. General Henry Clinton replaced him. Clinton believed he would be able to inflict a final defeat on the colonists by moving his troops south. He thought he would find move colonists loyal to the British cause in the southern colonies. If he were to take control of the southern colonies, he would be able to crush the entire rebellion. He appointed Lord Charles Cornwallis to lead his troops in the southern colonies. He remained in New York with a small force and put the rest of the British soldiers aboard ships sailing to Georgia.

Lord Cornwallis and his troops first took Savannah, Georgia. He declared all of Georgia to be in British hands. They then headed to CAmden, South CArolina. It was a fierce battle, but the British were victorious. Believing tha the war was finally going in their favor, the British headed for Virginia. They made camp in Yorktown. Yorktown was on the York River near the very important Chesapeake Bay. They sent word to General Clinton. Who promised to send more troops by ship to meet them there.

While Cornwallis was fighting his way north, General George Washington was making plans with his French allies. General Rochambeau and WAshington discussed the possibility of attacking Yorktown. They decided that that would not be a wise move at the time. During their discussion they got word from General Lafayette that made their decision easier. Lafayette told them that another French officer, Admiral de Grasse, was sailing from the WEst Indies to Chesapeake Bay with a fleet of twenty-eight ships. A plan to stop the British in their tracks was soon created.

Admiral de Grasse was told to take his fleet and position them in Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the York River. From this point they would be able to keep new British troops from joining Cornwallis. It would also keep Cornwallis from leaving the area by ship. In the meantime, Washington, Rochambeau, and a combined French and American force of over 14,000 men marched toward Yorktown. When they reached their destination, they fanned out and formed a semi-circle around Yorktown. They were joined by 3,000 of de Grasse's men. On October 14, 1781, the British troops awoke to the sight of over 17,000 force surrounding them. Cornwallis tried everything he could think of to get out of this situation. He even sent men infected with smallpox from his camp into the lines of colonial soldiers. He hoped that they would infect the soldiers with the deadly disease and give him a chance. He tried to escape by taking his soldiers across the York River in boats. A storm put a stop to this attempt.

On October 17, Cornwallis had had enough. He sent a drummer boy and a soldier with a white flag to Washington offering to surrender. On October 19, the official papers of surrender were signed. The colonial soldiers and the French soldiers stood in lines facing each other as the defeated British soldiers solemnly walked between the lines. They deposited their weapons in a pile as a colonial band played an old British tune called, "The World Turned Upside Down."To the British, The world had turned upside down. Who would have ever believed that a group of ragged, untrained farmers would be able, after eight long years of war, to defeat the most powerful army in the world?

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The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution. The British surrender forecast the end of British rule in the colonies and the birth of a new nation-the United States of America.

How it ended

American victory. Outnumbered and outfought during a three-week siege in which they sustained great losses, British troops surrendered to the Continental Army and their French allies. This last major land battle of the American Revolution led to negotiations for peace with the British and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

In context

After six years of war, both the British and Continental armies were exhausted. The British, in hostile territory, held only a few coastal areas in America. On the other side of the Atlantic, Britain was also waging a global war with France and Spain. The American conflict was unpopular and divisive, and there was no end in sight. For the colonies, the long struggle for independence was leading to enormous debt, food shortages, and a lack of morale among the soldiers. Both sides were desperately seeking a definitive victory.

General George Washington and his Continental Army had a decision to make in the spring of 1781. They could strike a decisive blow to the British in New York City or aim for the south, in Yorktown, Virginia, where Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis's troops were garrisoned. Washington and his French ally, Lt. Gen. Comte de Rochambeau, bet on the south, where they were assured critical naval support from a French fleet commanded by Adm. Comte de Grasse. The Allied armies marched hundreds of miles from their headquarters north of New York City to Yorktown, making theirs the largest troop movement of the American Revolution. They surprised the British in a siege that turned the tide toward an American victory in the War for Independence.

Before the Battle

In the fall of 1781, the British occupy Yorktown, where Cornwallis intends to refit and resupply his 9,000-man army. While he awaits supplies and much-needed reinforcements from the Royal Navy, the Continental Army seizes an opportunity. On receiving word that the French fleet will be available for a siege south of New Jersey, Washington and Rochambeau move their force of almost 8,000 men south to Virginia, planning to join and lead about 12,000 other militia, French troops, and Continental troops in a siege of Yorktown.

On September 5, while the Allied army is still on route, the French fleet guards the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The Royal Navy, attempting to sail up the Bay to Cornwallis, is met by French warships at the mouth of the Chesapeake. In this encounter, called the Battle of the Capes, the British fleet is soundly defeated and forced to abandon Cornwallis's army at Yorktown.

During the Battle

September 28. After a grueling march, the American and French forces arrive near Yorktown and immediately begin the hard work of laying siege to Cornwallis and his men. Cornwallis has thrown up a series of redoubts on the outskirts of Yorktown while the majority of his men hunker down in the town.

With the help of French engineers, American and French troops begin to dig a series of parallel trenches, which bring troops and artillery close enough to inflict damage on the British. Feverishly working night and day, soldiers of the combined forces employ spades and axes to create a perimeter line of trenches that will trap the British. As the work on the parallels continues, the British attempt to disrupt Allied operations by using what little artillery they have left. Their attempts prove futile.

October 9. The Allied lines are now within musket range of the British and American and French artillery are in place. In the afternoon, the Allied barrage begins, with the French opening the salvo. On the American side, George Washington touches off the first cannon to commence their assault. His artillery consists of three 24-pounders, three 18-pounders, two 8-inch (203 mm) howitzers, and 6 mortars, totaling 14 guns. For nearly a week the artillery barrage is ceaseless, shattering whatever nerve the British have remaining and punching holes in British defenses.

October 11. Washington orders troops to dig a second parallel 400 yards closer to the British lines. British redoubts #9 and #10 prevent the second parallel from extending to the river and the British are still able to reinforce the garrisons inside the redoubts. They have to be taken by force. The new line is in place by the morning of October 12.

October 14. On a moonless night, after firing incessant artillery to weaken British defenses, American and French forces prepare a surprise assault on redoubts #9 and #10. To maintain stealth, soldiers do not to load or prime their weapons. The password for the operation is "Rochambeau," which the Americans translate as "Rush on boys!" The assault commences with a diversionary attack on a redoubt further to the north of Yorktown at 6:30 p.m., giving the appearance that the town itself was to be stormed. Then, Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton's force, consisting of a detachment of 400 of his light infantry, assaults redoubt #10 with bayonets fixed and muskets unloaded. To prevent the British defenders from escaping the coming onslaught, Lt. Col. John Laurens 's troops cover the rear of the redoubt.

As American troops hack at the abatis with axes, the British are alerted. A British sentry fires at the Americans and the Americans proceeded to assault the fortification, climbing over the parapet and descending into the redoubt. Serious fighting ensues in close quarters, but the British are overwhelmed. It is a stunning victory with the Americans sustaining only 34 casualties.

The French simultaneously assault redoubt #9 and, after an equally fierce firefight, wrest control from the British. Cornwallis's position is untenable as the Franco-American alliance has artillery on three of his sides, with additional new pieces positioned in redoubts #9 and #10 after their fall. In a last-ditch effort, Cornwallis orders a futile counterattack on October 15, which fails miserably.

October 17. That morning, a lone British drummer boy, beating "parley" and British officer waving a white handkerchief tied to the end of a sword are seen on a parapet at the forward position of the British lines. Blindfolded and brought inside American lines, the British officer secures terms of surrender for the British Army.

October 19. In a field outside of Yorktown, the capitulation takes place as British troops and their Hessian allies, with flags furled and cased, march sullenly between contingents of American and French forces. The British seek honorable terms of surrender, but Washington refuses as American forces were denied the that honor in Charleston, South Carolina, earlier in the war.

Aftermath

The Battle of Yorktown marks the collapse of the British war efforts. Later, it is said that the British band played the tune "The World's Turned Upside Down" during the surrender at Yorktown-an apocryphal story that has become part of American folklore. But the world truly changes that day as the military operations of the War for Independence cease.

When news of Cornwallis's surrender reaches London on November 25, the Prime Minister, Lord North, declares, "Oh God. It is all over. It is all over." On March 5, 1782, Parliament passes a bill authorizing the government to make peace with America. Lord North resigns 15 days later. Although it takes the Americans two more years of skillful diplomacy to formally secure their independence through the Treaty of Paris, the war is won with the British defeat at Yorktown.

Yorktown: Featured Resources

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Virginia | September 28, 1781

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Yorktown was George Washington's decisive victory over General Lord Charles Cornwallis. Learn about the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War.

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The Constitution of the United States of America 1788

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The Constitution of the United States of America 1788

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The Constitution of the United States of America is a document that set up the laws for America.

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Thomas Jefferson sent Robert Livingston and James Monroe to ask the French leader, Napoleon, to sell a part of Louisiana, including New Orleans. President Jefferson offered $10 million for approximately 800,000 sq. miles of land. Napoleon was fighting in the Caribbean and in England, so he needed money to pay for these wars. He offered to sell the entire territory to the United States for $15 million, $0.04 an acre. On April, 1803, the US agreed to purchase the whole territory reaching from the Mississippi west to the Rocky Mountains. This land eventually became 15 new states, doubled the size of the US and also made it one of the largest countries in the world.

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The Corps of Discovery explored the western United States to write maps and inform people about what lied there. Sacagawea, a Native American women, joined the Corps of Discovery in 1805. Sacagawea's knowledge of Native American culture and her ability to speak two different Native American languages made her a valuable asset to the group.

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The Missouri Compromise made Missouri a slave state and Maine a free state. It also set the Mason Dickson line through the Louisiana territory. The area above this line was were slavery was outlawed and below it slavery was allowed.

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The case of the Indian Removal Act went to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled in favor of the Indians. Only if a treaty was signed could the US kick them out. 3 rebellious tribe members signed the treaty. They got executed, but it was to late.

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28th May 1830: The Indian Removal Act signed into law by President Andrew Jackson

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After the Indian Removal Act passed, the US had to ensure that the Indians moved. General Winfield Scott and the army members he commanded kicked the Indians out. The Trail of Tears killed about 4,000 people, it was a truly gruesome event, such as the US is.

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After the United States made the Louisiana Purchase and acquired more land from other wars and purchases, they needed U. S. Citizens to settle all the land. One popular trail is known as the Oregon Trail that stretched from Missouri to Oregon City. People had to face bad weather, river-crossings, lack of safety features, and most deadly, Cholera, a disease caught from drinking dirty water. People who were sick with this disease were often left on the side of the trail. The trail was littered with human body parts animals had dug up and cast away items such as pianos.

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This was the first battle of the Civil War. The Confederate Army surrounded Fort Sumter and did not allow supplies to come in. The Confederate General said they would fire in one hour if the Union army did not surrender. They did not surrender and the firing began. The Union army soon realized they were defeated because of lack of supplies and surrendered.

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January 1st 1863 Emancipation Proclamation

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January 1st 1863 Emancipation Proclamation

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President Abraham Lincoln declared "that all persons held as slaves are and henceforward shall be free."

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January 1st 1863 Emancipation Proclamation

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Abraham Lincoln said:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here, have, thus far, so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth

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Sherman's March to the Sea November 15, 1864

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Sherman's March to the Sea November 15, 1864

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Sherman marched across Georgia destroying everything in his path. He set fire to houses and burned fields.

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April 9th 1865 Surrender at Appomattox Court House

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April 9th 1865 Surrender at Appomattox Court House

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Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union general Ulysses S. Grant, ending the 4 year Civil War.