1774 to 1776
The outbreak of war and the declaration of independence
The first shots are fired, an army is summoned, and all-out war is declared in the fight for independence
In response to the oppressive behavior of the British authorities, colonial delegates, including George Washington, arrived in Philadelphia, where a meeting took place to voice their disapproval at the hands of the British Empire and their King. At this point, there was no talk of independence. Instead, they voiced concern over unrepresented acts of unconstitutional taxation and oppression fr om the British army. Before a second meeting could take place, the British army, also known as The Red Coats, marched from Boston to Concord to seize an arms cache but were ambushed by a volley of fire from local militiamen, essentially starting the Revolutionary War on April 19th, 1775. In light of the new situation, the second meeting took place in Philadelphia, where we saw the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson join in on the vote to form the Continental Army commanded by George Washington. On July 4th, 1776, with the War of Independence in full swing, the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence from Britain, drafted by Thomas Jefferson with the help of 4 others, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.