American Revolution Turning Point Essay

The American Revolution

The American Revolution, a turning point in history. The American Revolution was carried out against the British Empire by thirteen British North American Colonies. The war started in 1775 and ended with a peace treaty called the “Treaty of Paris” in 1783. The American Revolution was a brutal and violent war, fueled by American patriotism for freedom from British rule.

The revolutionary war was fought mostly in East North America. The conflict consisted of mainly North American British colonies, The British Empire, and the French Empire later in the war. The war stemmed from the unjust taxation of colonists, they were unjust because the colonists had no say or power in British parliament. A common saying throughout
Massachusetts was then declared in a state of revolt by the British in February 1775, but British forces in Massachusetts did not receive the news until April 14, 1775, with orders to seize and arrest insurrectionists. It was not until April 19th, 1775, at the battle of Lexington and Concord that the first shot was fired, and the revolutionary war began. Around seven hundred British troops gathered from Boston to seize a coriander armoury in Concord. On April 16, a day before the British arrived in Lexington. Paul Revere, a colonist, roads by horse to Concord to warn the colonial army to prepare to protect their resources. Four days later, around seven hundred British troops marched to Lexington and arrived at around five am. Around eighty-minutes of colonial fighters were gathered on Lexington’s village green, with orders to hold positions and not to fire unless fired upon. It is unknown who fired the first shot at the battle of Lexington and Concord, but it is known as the “Shot heard around the world”. The first shot fired led to a small battle, leaving eight Americans dead and the rest scattered. The British after the small battle at Lexington moved on to Concord where they were met by a much larger more determined militia, with numbers in the hundreds. The British, who were already low on ammunition and resources, had to retreat to Boston. On their march back to Boston, American snipers killed many British troops, leaving
During his retreat Washington left garrisons at Fort Washington, a fort on Manhattan Island, and Fort Lee, a fort across the Hudson River from fort Washington. On November 16th General Howe took control over Fort Washington, seizing their resources further, fueling his army, and taking three thousand American troops prisoner. Lord Cornwallis with his army stormed Fort Lee on November 24 and began to drive the Americans across New Jersey. Afterwards, General Howe put his army in winter barracks with small outposts throughout towns. With low morale and little to no manpower compared to the British general, George Washington and his army were encamped on the outskirts of New Jersey. On Christmas night December 25th, 1776, George Washington led a surprise counterattack. He crossed the icy Delaware River in darkness, with two thousand four hundred American soldiers. They successfully landed on the other side of the Delaware, defeating Hessian and British garrisons at Trenton and Princeton, while also capturing around one thousand prisoners. He further regained most of New Jersey. The success of George Washington crossing the Delaware was a morale boost for the Continental Army and an iconic battle in the war.

Furthermore, the successes of Washington’s campaign against the British led to the siege of Yorktown. In the fall of 1781, a large amount of the British army under the rule