Page 54 - 100 Events That Made History

The American

Revolution

A new country explodes into life
In 1775, unrest in the 13 American
colonies over British rule spilled
over into revolution, and a war for
American independence began.

The British are coming!
In April 1775, PAUL REVERE (right), an
American who belonged to a rebel group
called the Sons of Liberty, was spying on
British troops stationed in Boston. When
he saw that the British were ready to
move on American rebels gathered in the
city of Lexington, Massachusetts, he rode
all through the night to warn rebel
commanders throughout the state.
The war was about to begin!

The first battles
When the British reached Lexington
on April 19, the rebels were ready.
During a small skirmish, shots were
fired. The first shot was famously
described by American poet Ralph
Waldo Emerson as the “SHOT HEARD
AROUND THE WORLD” because it meant
war had begun. Later that day, at Concord,
the first battle was won by the rebels,
forcing the British to retreat to Boston.

What led to it…

The British imposed HEAVY
TAXES on the American In 1773, during the BOSTON
colonists. The taxes were TEA PARTY, rebels boarded
unpopular, especially since British ships and dumped
the colonists couldn’t vote in their cargo of tea into
the British parliament. Boston harbor.
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