America Secedes From the Empire #AMERICA #Freedom

1772 Samuel Adams: ◦Committees of Correspondence  Early Unity through postal service and printers

1773 British East India Company was going bankrupt ◦Parliament provides them a monopoly on tea trade in America ◦British Drop the price (supply and demand) but keep the tax on tea. Boston Tea Party ◦Sons of liberty blame it on the Indians

1774 Intolerable Acts (Coercive/ Repressive) ◦Shuts down Boston Harbor ◦Limits the powers of the Mass town meetings ◦Moves trials of English soldiers to England. ◦How would you feel?

1774 Quebec Act “A Good Law in bad Company” ◦Not meant to punish American Colonies ◦Was meant to organize the new territory. ◦ (Ohio river valley) ◦Colonist thought they were being punished because if it extended French Catholic territory

1774 Continental Congress ◦Drafted the Declaration of Rights  Asked for rights from Britain Total ECONOMIC BOYCOTT Creation of the Association “nonimportation, nonexportation, and nonconsumption”  Could not import or export

1775 April  Lexington  Concord ◦British Soldiers go to Lexington to seize an illegal holding of weapons  British push the colonist to Concord and colonist forced British to retreat to Boston. “By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled Here once the embattles farmers stood And fired the shot heard around the world” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

1775 May May--  Second Continental Congress ◦Planned to raise an army, navy and money ◦George Washington is elected General of the Continental Army. ◦Why Washington?

July 1775 Olive Branch Petition 1. Wanted the same rights as Englishmen 2. Want things to return the way it is before 1763 (Home Rule) 3. Didn’t blame king for his advisors 4. Wanted PEACE but were ready for war  King Rejects the Petition and declares the patriots as rebels. ◦ Now are tired for treason

George Prepares for WAR King George Hires soldiers known as Hessians (German Mercenaries from Hesse) ◦Fight for money  Known for their Brutality

Not everyone is on board Some Americans still didn’t want Independence 1.Loyalty to the King of England 2.Locked in Unity  needed a shock 3.Feared Rebellion Americans who did not want to rebel still needed a push in the direction of Independence

Common Sense 1776 Thomas Paine writes one of the most influential documents in American History ◦Inspired Independence in colonies “In the early ages of the world, according to the scripture chronology, there were no kings; the consequence of which was there were no wars; it is the pride of kings which throws mankind into confusion.” -Thomas Paine

“Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.”

The Model Treaty 1776 Ben Franklin meets with France to discuss a treaty  Why France??? ◦They Agree to: 1.No Political Alliances 2.No Military Alliances 3.Only Commercial interest

1776 (a big year) Thomas Paine is calling for a Republic in the Colonies June 7 th  Richard Henry Lee was the first to say that the colonies should be free and Independent state. “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be totally dissolved.” -Richard Henry Lee

July 4 th 1776 Thomas Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence ◦Approved July 4 th ◦Colonist can now ask for French aid  Why Now? ◦Colonist need to stick together or they would HANG separately