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Dunmore’s Proclamation

Loyalist Governor Sought to Expand His Troops The proclamation was months in the making, as Dunmore was in a vulnerable position as throngs of rebels filled the Virginia capital of Williamsburg, prompting the loyalist governor to depart for Norfolk. Worsening matters for him was that many of his forces had deserted him, leaving him with […]

The Founding Fathers

George Washington Before he fought against the British, George Washington fought for the British, serving as a commander in the French and Indian War. A prosperous Virginia farmer who owned hundreds of enslaved people, he came to resent the various taxes and restrictions being imposed on the colonies by the British crown. Once the Revolutionary […]

Valley Forge

Battle of Valley Forge On September 18, 1777, General Wilhelm von Knyphausen led British soldiers on a raid of Valley Forge, where American troops had built a handful of storage facilities. Defending the site were Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton and Captain Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. The British succeeded in stealing supplies and burning a […]

The HMS Jersey

The British in New York City In mid‑1776, in the early months of the Revolutionary War, the British government sent General William Howe to New York with some 34,000 troops and a large fleet. Howe was authorized to negotiate for peace with the Americans; when these negotiations failed, he invaded Long Island, soundly defeating the […]

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Tea Act

The Tea Act of 1773, an act of Great Britain’s Parliament, was the catalyst for some of the most important moments of the lead‑up to the Revolutionary War.

Battles of Trenton and Princeton

Learn about the Revolutionary War conflicts that turned the tide for the colonies and sealed an American hero’s legacy.

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Townshend Acts

Learn the basics about the Townshend Acts, a series of laws that intensified colonial rage toward the British crown in the 1760s.

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Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton’s support of Thomas Jefferson over Aaron Burr in the 1800 U.S. presidential election eventually led to his own demise. Find out more about the first Secretary of the Treasury in this video.

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