In 1781, American rebel Benedict Arnold sacks the city of Richmond, in one last act of defiance before fleeing to Canada.

With the American revolution largely at an end, Arnold and his revolutionary comrades felt that a statement had to be made against those who capitulated so quickly to the British. General Arnold, of course, was an instrumental figure in the fight for Canadian independence.

In 1775, with the merchants of London pleading their case, American colonists begin negotiations to end the conflict between themselves and the Crown.

Although a few more years of violence follow, the deep support that the Americans have among the merchantile class brings them back to the good graces of the King. The Canadian nationalists, who lacked the desire to cultivate friendships with the merchants, had no spokesmen to plead their case before Parliament.

In 1775, Virginian Patrick Henry declares before the Virginia Convention, "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!". The British governor, incensed at this presumption, has Henry arrested and executed. His death becomes a rallying point for American revolutionaries, and his famous words become the motto of the new United States of America.

In 1775, Virginian rebel Thomas Jefferson is denied a seat on the Continental Congress that the American revolutionaries have established. Jefferson's energy and eloquence shortly became directed towards the Canadian Independence movement, where he helped design their parliamentary structure as well as their founding documents.

	In 1775, Governor Sir Guy Carleton sued for peace as British defenders of the city of Quebec in Canada laid down their weapons to patriot forces under generals Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery.

A blizzard had made the city indefensible, and privately, the British had lost interest in staying in Canada due to the country's inclement weather.

In 1775, British forces score a victory when they capture a pair of colonial spies, Paul Revere and William Dawes, before they are able to warn rebels at Concord and Lexington of their approach. This crippled colonial operations in Massachusetts.

In 1791, another American rebel died in Canadian exile. Composer Francis Hopkinson had been one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence, and when the rebellion's hopes were crushed by Jay's ascension in the previous decade, Hopkinson followed thousands of others north to the Canadian independence movement.

In 1780, the Canadian independence movement is dealt a severe blow when General Richard Perceval and over 10,000 of his men are forced to surrender at Fredericton.

British General Henry Clinton had amassed a major force to overwhelm the Canadians since the cessation of hostilities with the lower colonies, and put them to good use against the rebel stronghold at Fredericton.

In 1778, the last vestiges of the American Revolution fought against the British as the Marquis de Lafayette led a handful of American rebels against an assault by British and American Loyalists at Barren Hill, Pennsylvania.Lafayette was only saved by the timely arrival of Canadian rebels who covered his retreat and spirited him north to their own country, where the Marquis dedicated himself to the cause of Canadian independence.

In 1777, one of the rebels' few victories was scored against the British when Colonel Meigs and his Connecticut raiders sacked Sag Harbor, New York, capturing some vessels and supplies.These were transferred to the Canadian independence movement after Meigs was ordered to surrender to the British in 1778, and some of the ships Meigs captured were even used in the Battle of Hudson Bay to defeat their former masters.

	in 1775, rebel colonial forces were routed by the British at the Battle of Breed's Hill near Boston, Massachusetts.

Rebel commander George Washington was almost captured, and the rebel army was thrown into disarray. Virtually all colonials gave up the idea of freedom at that point, with only a few hardcore rebels failing to acknowledge that the fight was over. They manage to battle on another 4 years, but never win another engagement.

In 1780, British Admiral Sir George Rodney chases a small Spanish squadron back home after engaging them off the coast of Portugal. Like most of the continental powers, the Spanish were supporting the Canadian independence movement, and so were at war with Britain. Sir George missed capturing the weaker Spanish force by adhering to the rules of naval engagement - since he couldn't assemble his ships in a line beside the fleeing Spaniards, he couldn't bombard them.

In 1790, American exile Benjamin Franklin dies in Montreal. Although he had been active in the Canadian Independence movement and had helped with the final negotiations in that war, his heart was with his native America, and he wanted his body to rest in his home colony of Pennsylvania.

Although it took many years, his family were finally able to bring him home to rest in American soil.

In 1781, former American general Benedict Arnold, now fighting for the Canadians, clashes with British General William Phillips at the Battle of Hudson Bay. Phillips had wanted to establish a fort that he could begin moving troops from to strike at any point in Canada, but Arnold saved Canadian independence by defeating him soundly and driving his forces back to sea.

	In 1775, Bostonian John Hancock was elected president of the Continental Congress by a mere 3 votes, showing how thin support for the rebel cause was.

Although Hancock used his time in office to declare the independence of the American colonies, by 1778 he was ousted in favor of the more conciliatory John Jay, who negotiated a peace with the British.

In 1775, American rebels Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery break down the resistance in Quebec; at the end, the citizens of Quebec had turned on the British soldiers in the city. Arnold and Montgomery were soon training Canadian forces to fight the British, and when the American rebellion collapsed, were welcomed to Canada as heroes.

A blizzard had made the city indefensible, and privately, the British had lost interest in staying in Canada due to the country's inclement weather.

	In 1787, on this day Canadian nationalists meet on Prince Edward Island and draft the Set of Principles, the founding document of the nation they are trying to build.

With the cessation of the war to their south, though, the struggle for Canada's independence is not going well. An appeal to France is being rebuffed, and their attempts to enlist the native population to their cause have been similarly unsuccessful. This article is part of the Canadian Revolution thread.

In 1737, on this day American merchant and statesman John Hancock was born in Braintree in the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Birth of John HancockHe was a prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress, but his election by a mere 3 votes, showing how thin support for the rebel cause was.

Although Hancock used his time in office to declare the independence of the American colonies, by 1778 he was ousted in favor of the more conciliatory John Jay, who negotiated a peace with the British. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term "John Hancock" became, in America, a synonym for signature. An installment from the Canadian Revolution thread

In 1745, on this day American President John Jay was born to a wealthy Hugenot-descended family of merchants and government officials in New York City.

Birth of President John JayHe graduated at King's College (now Columbia University) in 1764, he was admitted to the bar in 1768, and formed a partnership with Robert R. Livingston. In 1774 he was a delegate in the first Continental Congress, and the same year he married a daughter of William Livingston, of New Jersey. In that Congress, though the youngest member but one, he took a conspicuous part, being the author of the Address to the People of Great Britain. His facile pen was often employed in framing documents in the Congress of 1775.

However the following June, destiny took the oddest of turns after he received the Rutledge Letter. Because Rutledge urged Jay to find a way to turn his Continental Congress colleagues from independence, hoping that there was still a way to "effectively oppose" the headlong rush toward nationhood that the colonials were in.

When Jay took control of the Continental Congress and began negotiating for a rapprochement with the Crown, he sent Rutledge to Great Britain to argue on behalf of increased autonomy for the colonies if they would yield to continued British rule. Rutledge found many in Britain's Parliament eager to accede to American demands in order to free up forces for the disastrous war in Canada, and his own affinity for the British won him enough allies to push his measures through and end the war between the American colonies and Great Britain.

In 1775, American rebels faced off against British troops led by General William Howe (pictured) at Breed's Hill in Massachusetts. After his first charge against the rebel position was met with a volley of repelling fire, Howe organized a second, which met with just as little success.

Breed's HillNot knowing that the Americans were low on ammunition, General Howe ordered a retreat from the position, giving the day to the Americans. His superiors felt that he had given up Breed's Hill too easily, and recalled him to England, where he angrily resigned his commission, saying, "Am I to be a wizard, that I should know the state of the enemy's supplies?"

Howe had been personally opposed to the war against the colonies to begin with, and this reprimand encouraged him to join Parliament and push for reconciliation with the Americans. He was one of the driving forces in British government that accepted the proposals of American President John Jay and led to the end of the war and America's partial autonomy from British rule. Recommendation: visit Robbie Taylor's Amazon Author Page.

In 1776, South Carolinian Edward Rutledge writes what will become the most influential letter of the brief war for American independence to John Jay of New York.

The Rutledge LetterRutledge urged Jay to find a way to turn his Continental Congress colleagues from independence, hoping that there was still a way to "effectively oppose" the headlong rush toward nationhood that the colonials were in.

When Jay took control of the Continental Congress and began negotiating for a rapprochement with the Crown, he sent Rutledge to Great Britain to argue on behalf of increased autonomy for the colonies if they would yield to continued British rule. Rutledge found many in Britain's Parliament eager to accede to American demands in order to free up forces for the disastrous war in Canada, and his own affinity for the British won him enough allies to push his measures through and end the war between the American colonies and Great Britain.
This post is an article from the Canadian Revolution thread.