Randal Rust

The Adams-Lee Junto was a faction in the Second Continental Congress.

Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, second President of the United States and the mother of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams. Her letters and memoirs of the Revolutionary era are considered to be major historical documents.

John Adams was a Founding Father, America's First Ambassador to the Court of St. James and the Second President of the United States. He was also the first Vice President, serving two terms under George Washington.

Samuel Adams was a Founding Father, member of the Continental Congress, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a leading proponent of colonial independence from Great Britain. After the Revolution, Adams served four terms as Governor of Massachusetts.

Ethan Allen was a Revolutionary War hero, and leader of the Green Mountain Boys. He was also a key figure in the push for independence and statehood for Vermont.

Benedict Arnold was a General in the Continental Army. He was instrumental in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga at the beginning of the American Revolution but eventually turned traitor.

Crispus Attucks was the first person killed by British regulars at the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.

The First Barbary War (1801-1805) was the first overseas war conducted by the United States. The nations on the Barbary Coast of Morocco involved were Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. The war ended in victory for the United States, with peace treaties between the three Barbary States and Morocco.

Fort Ticonderoga was a British fort at the onset of the American Revolution. It was captured on May 10, 1775, by colonial militia led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold. The cannon and artillery were eventually taken to Boston, where they were used to fortify Dorchester Heights during the Siege of Boston, which forced the British to evacuate the city.

After Lexington and Concord, colonial militia units from Massachusetts followed British troops back to Boston. In the days that followed, militia from New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island joined the Massachusetts militia to help confine British troops to the city. The siege lasted from April 19, 1775, until March 17, 1776. The siege was part of the Boston Campaign and included the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Fortification of Dorchester Heights. It resulted in the British evacuating Boston and Massachusetts.

Edward Braddock was the commander-in-chief of British forces in North American during the 1755 campaign of the French and Indian War.

John Carlyle was a prominent Virginia merchant and member of the Ohio Company.

The Congress of the Confederation was the governing body of the United States under the Articles of Confederation from 1781 until 1789.

Thomas Gage was a British officer who served as commander-in-chief of British forces in North America and as the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early days of the American Revolution.

The Green Mountain Boys was a militia group formed by Ethan Allen to keep the New Hampshire Grants from becoming part of New York. During the American Revolution, they captured Fort Ticonderoga.

Johann von Rabais de Kalb, or Baron de Kalb, was a General in the Continental Army who came to America with Lafayette. He died at the Battle of Camden in 1780, during the American Revolution.

King Hendrick was a Mohawk Indian chief. He was also known as Hendrick Peters, which was his Christian name, and as Theyanoguin.

Henry Knox was a General in the Continental Army and a close friend of George Washington. Knox led the expedition to retrieve cannon and artillery from Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and served as Chief Artillery Officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

The Battle of Lake George was fought on September 8, 1755, during the French and Indian War. The battle was won by the British forces, which were made up of American provincials and Mohawk Indians. With the victory, Britain gained control of the Hudson River Valley.

Richard Montgomery was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He led part of the American forces during the failed invasion of Canada and captured key positions before he was killed during the Battle of Quebec.

The Battle of Montreal, also known as the Battle of Longue-Pointe, was fought from September 24-25, 1775, during the Revolutionary War. The battle was won by the British forces, who defeated American forces led by Ethan Allen. Allen was captured and eventually sent to England where he was held as a prisoner of war.

Lucretia Mott was an early advocate for abolition, women’s rights and Woman Suffrage. She was a member of the American Anti-Slavery Society in the 1830s and helped found the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. After she met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in London, England in 1840, she became involved in the women’s rights movement and helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.

Thomas Paine was a Founding Father, the philosopher of the American War for Independence, and a true revolutionary. His essays and pamphlets, especially Common Sense, noted for its plain language, resonated with the common people of America and roused them to rally behind the movement for independence. Following the American Revolution, Paine immigrated to Europe where the British government declared him an outlaw for his anti-monarchist views, and where he actively participated in the French Revolution.

The Proclamation of 1763 reserved the lands west of the crest of the Appalachian Mountains for the native inhabitants and forbid colonists from settling in the area.

The Quasi-War (1798-1800) was an undeclared naval war between the United States and France during the Presidency of John Adams. It grew out of the XYZ Affair and ended when French politics changed direction after Napoleon came into power.

The Siege of Fort St. John was part of the Continental Army’s Invasion of Quebec during the American Revolution. The siege lasted from September 17, 1775, through November 3, 1775.

The Sugar Act, properly known as the American Revenue Act, was enacted by Parliament on April 5, 1764. The goal of the act was to raise revenue to help defray the military costs of protecting the American colonies at a time Great Britain's economy was saddled with the huge national debt accumulated during the French and Indian War (aka Seven Years War).

Artemas Ward was a general in the Massachusetts militia at the outset of the American Revolution. He assumed command of the colonial forces during the early days of the Siege of Boston and directed operations until General George Washington arrived in July 1775.

Mercy Otis Warren was a prominent writer and advocate of independence during the American Revolution.

Ephraim Williams, Jr. was a popular leader in the Massachusetts militia in the 1700s. He encouraged westward expansion in the colony and was the benefactor of Williams College.

David Wooster was a Connecticut militia leader who served in King George’s War, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. He died in 1777, during the American Revolution, soon after the Battle of Ridgefield.

The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident between France and the United States that resulted in a limited, undeclared naval war with France known as the Quasi-War.

In the decisive battle of the American Revolution, Cornwallis surrendered his army to Washington on October 19, 1781 at Yorktown.