The Battle of Bunker Hill, fought on June 17, 1775, was a pivotal
early conflict in the American Revolutionary War, demonstrating
that colonial militias could stand against British regulars despite ultimately losing the ground.

The battle occurred during the Siege of Boston, following the
Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775.

The outnumbered Americans were forced to retreat. However,
by the end of the engagement, the Patriots’ gunfire had cut
down nearly 1,000 enemy troops, including 92 officers.

Of the 370 Patriots who fell, most were struck while in retreat.       
       
        
  

      
      
      
     

On January 14, 1784, the Continental Congress ratified the
Treaty of Paris, ending the War for Independence.

In the document, which was known as the Second Treaty
of Paris because the Treaty of Paris was also the name
of the agreement that had ended the Seven Years’ War in
1763.

Britain officially agreed to recognize the independence of
its 13 former colonies as the new United States of America.

                 
MIKE GRACIA

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress
passed a resolution stating that “two Battalions of Marines
be raised” for service as landing forces for the recently
formed Continental Navy.

The resolution, drafted by future U.S. president John Adams
and adopted in Philadelphia on November 10, 1775, created
the Continental Marines and is now observed as the birth
date of the United States Marine Corps.

John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826)

June 14, 1777: During the American Revolution, the
Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating
that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate
stripes red and white” and  that “the Union be thirteen
stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”       

       
The national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,
” was based on the “Grand Union” flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white
stripes. According to legend, Philadelphia seamstress Betsy
Ross designed the new canton for the Stars and Stripes, which
consisted of a circle of 13 stars and a blue background, at the
request of General George Washington. Historians have been
unable to conclusively prove or disprove this legend.

With the entrance of new states into the United States after independence, new stripes and stars were added to represent
new additions to the Union. In 1818, however, Congress enacted
a law stipulating that the 13 original stripes be restored and that
only stars be added to represent new states.

Elizabeth Griscom Ross
(January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836)