1. KEY LEADERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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+warhttp://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