Warfare during the American Revolution

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION : A DEFINING MOMENT IN COLONIAL HISTORY

The war for colonial independence is one of the most controversial yet significant events in American history . Although considered a battle over ideas , the intense fighting and bloodshed left families torn apart and property destroyed . The courage and determination to win the war caused the colonists to risk all for the sake of liberty . In the midst of battle , these persistent warrior-colonists produced the Declaration of Independence , a document that stated clearly and forcefully the rights of colonial settlers and the role that

the government should play in their collective and individual lives

The military battles officially began in 1775 at Lexington and Concord when the British unleashed their superior army to squelch the rebellious colonists . But just a year earlier , in1774 , Patriots , those opposed to British dominance , established a Provincial Congress finding the Intolerable Acts ' and other previous encroachments on personal liberties such as the Stamp and Tea Acts simply intolerable . Patriots subsequently arranged for a meeting of the First Continental Congress and , in so doing , sent a clear message to the Crown regarding their discontent with British policies . The Second Continental Congress met and , according to Pauline Maier , established the first government of the United States

From this meeting of esteemed and astute gentleman emerged what has been considered one of the most important documents of the new nation The Declaration of Independence ' This document , drafted by Thomas Jefferson and others established a rational

for revolution and independence . The...