6.3 The Road to Lexington and Concord

Intolerable Acts Close the port of Boston until colonists paid for the destroyed tea Banned committees of correspondence, allowed Britain to house troops wherever necessary Let British officials accused of crimes in the colonies stand trial in Britain Parliament appointed General Thomas Gage governor of Massachusetts

First Continental Congress Delegates from all the colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia Voted to ban all trade with Britain until the Intolerable Acts were repealed Called on each colony to begin training troops

Between War and Peace John Hancock headed the Committee of Safety, which had the power to call out the militia Sam Adams had built a spy network to keep watch over British activities Gage ordered his troops to arrest Adams and Hancock in Lexington and to destroy the supplies in Concord

Paul Revere Charged with spreading the news about British troop movements If one lantern burned in the North Church steeple, the British troops were coming by land; if two, they were coming by water

Lexington and Concord April 19th, 1775, some 700 British troops reached Lexington They found Captain John Parker and about 70 militiamen waiting Within a few minutes eight militiamen lay dead Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War “Shot heard ‘round the world”

Declaring Independence 6.4

May 10th, 1775, Americans attacked Britain Fort Ticonderoga May 10th, 1775, Americans attacked Britain Ethan Allen led this band of backwoodsmen known as the Green Mountain Boys Captured the fort and its large supply of artillery (i.e. cannons)

Fort Ticonderoga & Ethan Allen

Second Continental Congress Congress authorized the printing of paper money to pay the troops It was beginning to act as a government

Washington was chosen as its commanding general Continental Army Washington was chosen as its commanding general

The Battle of Bunker Hill Tensions were building in Boston in June 1775 Militiamen seized Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill behind Charlestown General William Howe crossed the bay with 2,200 British Soldiers Colonel William Prescott ordered, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” 1000 redcoats were killed compared to only 400 militia casualties

Bunker Hill

Asked the king to restore harmony between Britain and the colonies Olive Branch Petition July 1775 Asked the king to restore harmony between Britain and the colonies The king rejected the petition

The British Retreat from Boston The Continental Army had surrounded British forces in Boston Cannons were being hauled from Fort Ticonderoga General Howe, who was now in charge of British Forces, decided to withdraw his troops More than 1,000 Loyalist supporters left along with the British troops

Common Sense In early 1776, most Americans still wanted to avoid a final break with Britain Written by Thomas Paine, a recent immigrant from England, this pamphlet made a strong case for American’s to fight for Independence.

Continental Congress remained undecided A Time of Decision Continental Congress remained undecided They did, however, appoint a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson (Main writer of Declaration)

The Declaration is Adopted On July 4th, 1776, Congress adopted the document that proclaimed independence The core idea of the Declaration is based on the philosophy of John Locke, This idea is that people have unalienable rights, or rights that government cannot take away. Those rights are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.