The Declaration of Independence: a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams had put forth a resolution earlier in the year, making a subsequent formal declaration inevitable. A committee was assembled to draft the formal declaration, to be ready when congress voted on independence. Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document,[2] which congress would edit to produce the final version. The Declaration was ultimately a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of theAmerican Revolutionary War. The Independence Day of the United States of America is celebrated on July 4, the day Congress approved the wording of the Declaration.

Thomas Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 (April 2, 1743 O.S.) – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father, the principal author of theDeclaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States (1801–1809)

Patriot: wanted to support america and gain independence
Loyalists (tories)- remained loyal to the king

Valley forge-Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777-1778 in the American Revolutionary War.

Continentals-A member of the colonial army in the American Revolution

George rogers clark-George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War.

Battle of Saratoga-Saratoga: a battle during the American Revolution (1777); the British under Burgoyne were defeated

Absolute monarch-(Absolute monarchy) A form of government led by a single ruler who selects advisers for assistance.

Battle of Yorktown-The Siege of Yorktown or Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis.

Treaty of paris-formally ended the revolutionary war
Articles of confederation-a written agreement ratified in 1781 by the thirteen original states; it provided a legal symbol of their union by giving the central government no