1. By: Gina Garcia

2. 1 st Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was held on September 5, 1774, and lasted until October 26, 1774. It was held because the colonists were very upset about the Intolerable Acts and the taxes. The Intolerable Acts were punishments that King George III put on the colonies. He put them on so the colonists would feel sorry about dumping tea into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party. The Congress met in secret: they did not want the British to know they were meeting. The meeting was held to discuss unfair treatment from Britain, what relationship the colonies should have with Britain. The meetings were held in Philadelphia. Each state but Georgia sent a representative to the Congress. The Royal Governor in Georgia had stopped the delegates from being a part of the congress. Patrick Randolph was from Virginia he had been selected as the President of the First Continental Congress.

3. 2 nd Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress decided many important things. At the Congress, they decided to completely break away from Great Britain. On May 15, 1776, they decided to officially put the colonies in a state of defense. Another thing they decided they had to do was to organize the militia of the colonies better. So, they decided to form an army called the American Continental Army. On June 14, 1776, the Congress officially appointed George Washington as commander and chief of the army.

4. Early Battles After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, two armies faced one another in Boston, the Army of New England, and the British Army. The New England Militia had surrounded Boston and the British army occupied it. The Americans were forced to leave Bunker Hill in British's hands, but 226 British soldiers died taking the Hill and 828 were wounded. The Americans lost 140 killed and 271 wounded.

5. Early Battles As the British approached Lexington the colonists gathered. Between 200 and 300 collected on the common in Lexington. Their goal was to stop the British. Suddenly a shot rang out, and the British soldiers responded by firing on the American militiamen gathered there. This battle took place because the British thought that the colonist had a weapon cashier. Battle of Concord and Lexington:

6. Paul Revere’s Ride The role for which he is most remembered today was as a night-time messenger on horseback just before the battles of Lexington and Concord. His famous "Midnight Ride" occurred on the night of April 18/April 19, 1775, when he and William Dawes were instructed by Dr. Joseph Warren to ride from Boston to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the movements of the British Army which was beginning a march from Boston to Lexington. They had to arrest Hancock and Adams and seize the weapons stores in Concord. On the night of April 18, 1775, the army began its move across the Charles River toward Lexington immediately went into action. At about 11 pm, Revere was sent by Dr. Warren across the Charles River to Charlestown.

7. Minutemen Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonies during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name. The minutemen were among the first people to fight in the American Revolution.

8. George Washington George Washington was the1st President of the United States from April 30, 1789-March 4, 1797. Washington was born February 22, 1732 into a Virginia planter family. He learned the morals, manners, and body of knowledge to become a gentleman. Washington died December 14, 1799. at the age of 67 years.

9. Patriots A patriot is someone who feels a strong support for their country, or even a love. Some patriots will defend their country in war, and even die.

10. Loyalists In general a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government or political party especially during war or revolutionary. Loyalists were loyal to the British Crown.