The Second Continental Congress The delegates to the Second Continental Congress were prominent figures at home, but they now had to learn to know and trust one another Most of the delegates were not yet prepared to break with Britain On June 14, the congress voted to create the Continental Army, choosing a Virginian, George Washington, as commander and chief

A rare print from 1776 depicts George Washington as commander of the American armies, “the supporter of liberty,” and “benefactor of mankind.” It illustrates the linkage of liberty and American independence, and Americans’ conviction that their struggle was of worldwide significance.

“A Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms” – drafted by Thomas Jefferson, it rehearsed familiar arguments about the tyranny of Parliament and the need to defend English liberties In just two months, the Second Continental Congress had created an army, declared war, and issued its own currency

Pursuing both War & Peace The Battle of Bunker Hill – a British victory yet expensive While military plans moved forward, the Second Continental Congress pursued its contradictory objective: reconciliation with Britain Olive Branch Petition – affirmed loyalty to the monarchy and blaming all the troubles on the king’s ministers and on Parliament

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776) - provided a lively and compelling case for complete independence. Advocated republican government based on the consent of the people Abigail Adams and Women’s Status The Declaration of Independence - Printed copies did not include the signers’ names, for they had committed treason, a crime punishable to death The American Military Force – Who responded to fight?

The cover of Common Sense, Thomas Paine’s influential pamphlet denouncing the idea of hereditary rule and calling for American independence.

In March 1776, she expressed her hope that women’s legal status would improve under the new government: “In the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors”

The British strategy - Britain wanted to put down a rebellion and restore monarchial power in the colonies, but the question was how to accomplish this Battles in Quebec, New York, an New Jersey Patriotism at the local level - committees took on more than customary local governance; they enforced boycotts, picked army draftees, and policed suspected traitors The Loyalists - Around one-fifth of the American population remained loyal to the crown in 1776, and another two-fifths tried to stay neutral, providing a strong base for the British

In June 1775, the Second Continental Congress declared all loyalists to be traitors Financial Instability and Corruption in the colonies The Campaigns of 1777-1779: The North and West The Southern Strategy and the end of war - When France joined the war, the British officials favored abandoning the war. The British navy wanted out, Lord North, the prime minister as well Building and independent state – In 1787 a constitutional convention drafted the Constitution of the United States, which emphasized the rights of individuals

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR IN THE NORTH, 1775–1781 Key battles in the North during the War of Independence included Lexington and Concord, which began the armed conflict; the campaign in New York and New Jersey; and Saratoga, sometimes called the turning point of the war.

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR IN THE SOUTH, 1775–1781 After 1777, the focus of the War of Independence shifted to the South, where it culminated in 1781 with the British defeat at Yorktown.

American Foot Soldiers, Yorktown Campaign, a 1781 watercolor by a French officer, includes a black soldier from the First Rhode Island Regiment, an all-black unit of 250 men. Despite such disappointments, many black northerners joined the patriot cause. Once the conflict began, fugitives could often secure their freedom through military service More than 5,000 African Americans are estimated to have fought alongside American forces during the Revolution, while other blacks sided with the patriots without actually enlisting

NORTH AMERICA, 1783 The newly independent United States occupied only a small part of the North American continent in 1783.