Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 In 1774, Mordecai Gist gathered together a group of freemen in Baltimore who were interested in forming the first independent military company in Maryland to protect their rights.#2 The first independent company was the Baltimore Independent Cadets, formed in December 1774. They were the first of many similar companies that sprang up across the colonies.#3 The decision to rebel against Britain was made by the Continental Congress in September 1774. The colonies would boycott British goods if the Intolerable Acts weren’t repealed by December 1, 1774, and an embargo of British goods by September 1775 if the acts weren’t abolished.#4 The French and Indian War, which was a conflict between Britain and France, planted the seeds of an American way of waging war. The Americans who fought for Britain gained invaluable battle experience, and they learned Indian tactics.