March 23 » American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his speech – "Give me liberty, or give me death!" – at St. John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia.
May 31 » American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.
June 17 » American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill.
September 25 » American Revolution: Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec sets off.
November 7 » John Murray, the Royal Governor of the Colony of Virginia, starts the first mass emancipation of slaves in North America by issuing Lord Dunmore's Offer of Emancipation, which offers freedom to slaves who abandoned their colonial masters to fight with Murray and the British.
December 5 » At Fort Ticonderoga, Henry Knox begins his historic transport of artillery to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Christening day July 5, 1776
The temperature on July 5, 1776 was about 22.0 °C. Wind direction mainly south east. Weather type: zeer betrokken weerlicht. Source: KNMI
March 2 » American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units arrest the Royal Governor of Georgia James Wright and attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in the Battle of the Rice Boats.
July 8 » Church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
September 17 » The Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain.
December 5 » Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest academic honor society in the U.S., holds its first meeting at the College of William & Mary.
December 7 » Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, arranges to enter the American military as a major general.
December 26 » American Revolutionary War: In the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army attacks and successfully defeats a garrison of Hessian forces.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Hendrik Dreyer, "Dreyer Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/dreyer-tree/I530522.php : accessed February 5, 2026), "Jacobus van Zijl (1775-????)".
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