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Key Leaders of the Revolutionary War. Why did the colonist fight?. The people who settled in North America valued personal freedom. The new colonists protested when the British government imposed taxes without consulting them. http :// www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5YIBmfZid0. George Washington.
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Why did the colonist fight? • The people who settled in North America valued personal freedom. • The new colonists protested when the British government imposed taxes without consulting them. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5YIBmfZid0
George Washington • He opposed British taxes and organized a boycott • He had previous experience in war, so he was nominated as commander in chief by John Adams. • He fought many battles in the war and finally won the war in 1783.
Benjamin Franklin • He told the British that the colonist would never pay the taxes. • He joined the Continental Congress to decide what to do about the war with England. • He helped write the Declaration of Independence. • He convinced the French to help the Americans.
John Hancock • He signed the Declaration of Independence • He was very wealthy and he used his wealth to help fund the war. • He was president of the second Continental Congress • He was first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Thomas Jefferson • He drafted the Declaration of Independence • He never fought as a soldier but helped the people fight in other ways. • Congress picked Jefferson to write an • explanation of the colonists’ reasons • for declaring war.
John Adams • Helped draft the Declaration of Independence. • He did not fight in the battlefields. • He played a lead role in negotiations with the British that led to the end of the war. • He later became the first vice president
The Declaration of independence • One of the most important documents in human history • Every citizen of the United States has the privilege of enjoying its benefits every day. • Every man who signed this document stood up to a dictator to proclaim that every human being had the right to be free. • The Declaration was written by the rebelling Founding Fathers of the United States to declare their independence from the rule of Great Britain.
References • Benton, J. (2012). John Adams War. Retrieved from http://johnadamsinfo.com/john-adams-war/78/ • Hickman, K. (). George Washington - Early Life. Retrieved from http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/americanrevolutio1/p/American-Revolution-General-George-Washington-A-Military-Profile • The Declaration of Independence. (). Retrieved from http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond-com/declaration-of-independence.html • Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=schoolhouse+rock+revolutionary+war • Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/john-hancock • Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312848/bfranklin.htm?tql-iframe • Retrieved from http://classroom.monticello.org/kids/recources/profile/77/Jefferson-and-the-beginning-of-the-American-Revolution