The American Revolution Begins

Thomas Paine

Moving Towards Independence In January 1776, a man by the name of Thomas Paine published a pamphlet entitled “Common Sense”. “Common Sense” was Patriot propaganda. Paine called for complete independence from Britain. Paine stated that is was simply common sense that the colonists break away from England.

The Colonists Declare Independence On July 2nd , 1776 the Continental Congress voted unanimously to declare their independence. On July 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed.

John Hancock Interesting fact: John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence and his signature is the largest on the document.

Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence has four major sections

Preamble The preamble, or introduction, states that people who wish to form a new country should explain their reasons for doing so.

The Declaration of Natural Rights 2. The first main section states general ideas about society, government, and natural rights.

List of Grievances 3.The second main section lists the many grievances Americans held against the King of England. The grievances included cutting the colonists off from trading with other parts of the world and imposing taxes without consent or representation.

Resolution of Independence 4.The Declaration ends by announcing America’s status as a new independent nation.

The Early Years of the War After the colonies declared independence from England in July 1776, a major war for freedom was unavoidable. John Adams predicted “We shall have a long and bloody war to go through.”

The King’s Advantages in War The British had the world’s best military. They had the strongest navy and a well trained, experienced army. The British hired 30,000 Hessian mercenaries. mercenary= individuals paid to fight for another country

The King’s Advantages 2. Britain had a larger population (Britain had 8 million people compared to 2.5 million in the United States.)

3. Not all Americans supported a war for independence. British Advantages 3. Not all Americans supported a war for independence. These divided loyalties caused tensions among colonists.

The King’s Advantages 4. Georgia and the Carolinas had the largest Loyalist populations.

Patriot Advantages LAND: Americans got to fight on their own soil. They knew the layout of the land.

Patriot Advantages 2. SUPPLY: They did not have to ship supplies thousands of miles away.

Patriot Advantages 3. MOTIVATION: The Patriots had a cause worth fighting for.

Patriot Advantages 4. LEADERSHIP: The patriots had George Washington. Few could match Washington in courage, honesty and determination.