11.The Revolutionary War.The war of independencegenerally called the revolutionary warwas a hard struggle for the colonists.They were not very many or very rich，while Great Britain was one of the most powerful nations in the world.The first battle was at Lexington，Massachusetts，on the 19th of April，1775.The British soldiers marchedCONCORD BATTLEGROUND AND MONUMENTOn the 19th of April，1775，the British troops from Boston reached Concord.At Concord bridge the minutemen were drawn up under arms and exchanged a sharp fire with the enemy.Having destroyed such supplies as they could find，the British marched back to Boston，pursued all the way by the swarming minutemen，whose bullets came from behind every tree and bush and stone wall.Thus began the revolutionary war.
“Here once the embattled farmers stood，And fired the shot heard round the world.”
from Boston in the night in order to destroy some cannons and other military supplies which the colonists had at Concord.Coming to the little village of Lexington early in the morning，they found a company of colonial soldiers standing in line on the village green.The British fired on them，killing some and driving the rest away.The supplies at Concord were destroyed，but when the British started to march back to Boston they found that the colonists had come from far and near to attack them.These colonists were mostly farmers who had not had much military training，but they knew how to shoot，and they lined the woods and hilltops along roads marched over by the British，keeping up a steady and destructive fire.It was only by meeting a large body of soldiers sent from Boston to help them that the expedition succeeded in getting back to Boston at all.
12.The Americans were not always so successful as they were in this first battle.Their armies were small，badly armed，and poorly clothed.One winter their principal army，commanded by General George Washington，was encamped at Valley Forge，in Pennsylvania.They lived in huts，had not enough to eat，or clothing enough to keep them warm.
WASHINGTON VISITING SICK SOLDIERS AT VALLEY FORGEThe snow was more than once stained with blood from the soldiers‘feet，which their ragged shoes did not protect.But General Washington never despaired.He had been appointed to command all the armies of the colonists soon after the battle of Lexington，and he continued to lead them to the end.He was so great and noble a man that his soldiers always trusted and loved him.After many battles，some defeats and some victories，he made one of the principal British armies surrender at Yorktown，in Virginia.This was in 1781.This convinced the government of Great Britain that they could not conquer the colonies，and so at last peace was made.
13.In t h e l a s t y e a r s o f t h e war the Americans were aided by France，which sent ships of war and soldiers to help General Washington win his victories.
14.The British king，George the Third，was mainly to blame for the ill treatment of the colonies which led to the war.The people of Great Britain，as a whole，did not like the war，and today few can be found in that country to justify King George.So while we can beproud of the spirit and heroism ofEDWARD EVERETT
our fathers who won our independence，we have no reason for feeling illwill towards the British nation today because of the folly of dead and gone King George.
15.Edward Everett.Edward Everett was a brilliant scholar and orator.Born near Boston，Massachusetts，in 1794，he was graduated at Harvard College when only seventeen years old.He was a Unitarian preacher，professor in Harvard and president of that college，representative in congress，governor of Massachusetts，minister of the United States to Great Britain，secretar y of state，United States senator from Massachusetts.He died in 1865.The following extract from one of hisTHE SURRENDER OF BURGOYNE，SARATOGA，OCTOBER 17，1777General Burgoyne led an army of British and Indians from Canada，expecting to capture Albany；but he was surrounded by the Americans and finally compelled to surrender his whole army.The picture is from the painting by Trumbull in the rotunda of the capitol at Washington.
speeches shows the view of our relations to the mother country held bya patriotic and thoughtful American statesman：
Our Relations with England
EDWARD EVERETT