Revolutionary Times Why We Fought Main Article By: Rory Skillin-Lanou C Block
Boys In Battle
What Formed America
The 13 Colonies VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 1 • APRIL 19, 1775
Revolutionary Times THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR By: Rory Skillin-Lanou Fun Fact: There were 217,000 U.S troops in the Revolutionary War and 4,435 were killed
Fun Fact: Colonists were frustrated because Britain forced them to pay taxes, but did not give them any representation in the British Parliament.
Why We Fought Can you imagine what it would be like to be calmly working outside with your father one minute and the next you are heading down a road with a bunch of men you don't really know with a gun in your hand to fight some people somewhere for some reason? Well, this is what happened to many young boys during the revolutionary war. “And, having fought their wars, they had always won their glory, hadn't they?” This is a quote from Jonathan the main character in the book The Fighting Ground by Avi. The Revolutionary War took place on April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783. The Revolutionary War played an important role in the american history because it formed america to what it is today. All 13 colonies of America helped in the war. Many people helped in getting our new country started and even young boys were pulled into the war. 1
What Made America
Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773)
The Revolutionary War formed America to what it is today. We decided to break away from British rule when the colonists got fed up and began to rebel against the King. The first ones were the Boston Massacre, March 5th, 1770, the Boston Tea Party, December 16th, 1773 and those were ways we began to stand up against British rule. We won the war and we no longer had to pay taxes to the king. We were able to govern our own country. We had great leaders who wrote the Constitution that set up our laws and our rights as Americans. One of our great leaders was George Washington who lead our armies and was elected as our first president. Alexander Hamilton was another great leader who was another founding father who helped write the Constitution, that was signed on September 17th, 1787. Our country still follows these laws today. We have three branches of government: Judicial, the Legislative & the Executive branches which work together to make sure that happens. A lot of brave and smart people had to work together for about 20 years to create the United States.
The 13 Colonies
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The 13 Colonies: Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
The war also had all 13 colonies helping in the war against the British. We had home field advantage. What that meant was we did not have to send ships across the ocean with supplies and troops to get what we needed to fight. We had all the things we needed where we were. Us Americans had a reason to fight to win. We were fighting to get away from the King and his rules and laws. We were fighting to make our own country and be free from the British. We had more will to win than the British because we were fighting for our homes and our families and the British were fighting for money. The British couldn’t beat the Americans and the King was having a hard time finding men to want to join in the fight, so the King had to hire German soldiers to help fight for them but the Hessians didn’t have the strong will that we did. Another big help that each colony had was they knew their surroundings like hills, paths, rivers, places to hide, and vantage points and that helped the colonists with flanking and other tactics to defeat the British, while the British marched in single file lines. It is amazing how such ragtag colonists can develop their own country and defeat the British army. 2
Boys In Battle In the revolutionary War, many young boys were pulled into the conflicts. They were curious about war and they wanted to join in the fight against the British. They wanted to protect their families and their homes. One of the most popular jobs for the boys in the Revolutionary War was the drummer boy. The Drummer Boys’ job was to signal the armies orders of when to retreat or when to attack. When the army was marching forward they were always in the front, leading everyone. The role of Drummer Boy was very important and they were very brave. The war affects the young boys and when they come back home they understand what war is and what the cost of it is. They don’t return home innocent kids anymore. They come back as men and soldiers and knowing that they helped create their country.
Drummer Boy (L.) helps signal the soldiers in the Revolutionary War.
The U.S. Constitution
The Revolutionary War happened because Americans were fed up with the British King and his rules. All Americans wanted to write their own rules and laws and to not have to pay taxes to the King anymore. It took many years for the colonists to get mad enough to finally rebel and win. The founding Fathers were very important people because they wrote the Constitution which we still follow today. I am grateful because if we didn’t win the Revolutionary War then we would still be living in 13 colonies and the British would still be here controlling us. This is why we fought!
The 13 Colonies Flag
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