A Call to Arms By: Ms. Astle

First Continental Congress September 1774 55 delegates sent by all colonies except Georgia, met in Philadelphia. They came to establish a political body to represent American interests and challenge British control. This meeting became known as the First Continental Congress. Members included Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Jay, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, and George Washington. They drafted as statement of grievances calling for the repeal of 13 acts that Parliament had passed since 1763.

First Continental Congress They voted to boycott all British goods and trade. Endorsed forming militias and arming themselves against the British. Colonists protected their communities with militias. Members of a militia were an important pat of each town’s defense. Militia members trained & had drills with other citizen soldiers. They practiced using muskets & cannons. Each member was required to provide his own weapon & ammunition. Later, as tensions grew, towns began to gather & store military supplies.

Moving Toward Crisis—Lexington and Concord Colonists believed if fighting with the British were to break out; it would be in New England. Militias in New England held frequent training sessions, made bullets, and stockpiled rifles and muskets. General Thomas Gage had thousands of soldiers under his command in and around Boston. He had orders to take away the weapons of Massachusetts militia and arrest their leaders.

Moving Toward Crisis—Lexington and Concord Gen. Gate learned that the militia stored arms & ammunition at Concord, a town about 20 miles northwest of Boston. He ordered 700 troops under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith to march on Concord & seize & destroy all artillery & ammunition they could find. April 1775 700 British troops prepared to march on the town of Concord in an attempt to seize a supply of weapons there. On April 18, 1775 Dr. Joseph Warren noticed troops preparing to leave the city and rushed to alert Paul Revere and William Dawes who were to ride to Lexington alerting the people.

Moving Toward Crisis—Lexington and Concord. A lantern was hung in the Old North Church alerting Paul Revere and William Dawes which direction the British would take to reach Concord. One lantern if by land and two if by sea. They road out warning the people of Concord and Lexington shouting, “the British are coming, the British are coming!” A British patrol later captured Dawes & Revere. Samuel Prescott carried the warning to Concord.

Moving Toward Crisis—Lexington and Concord. At dawn the redcoats reached Lexington. When they reached the center of the town they discovered a group of 70 minutemen led by Captain John Parker. British ordered them to throw down their weapons. A shot was fired and both sides let loose. This shot became known as the “shot heard around the world.” Eight minutemen were dead.

Moving Toward Crisis—Lexington and Concord. British troops continued their march to Concord. When they arrived they discovered the militia's gunpowder had already been removed. They destroyed the remaining supplies. At Concord’s North Bridge the minutemen were waiting. A battle broke out with the British taking heavy losses. The British continued to make their way back to Boston. Colonists lined the road from Concord to Boston.

Moving Toward Crisis—Lexington and Concord. As the British marched down the road the militia would fire, run and hide, and fire again. By the time the British reached Boston 174 were wounded and 73 dead. After the battle of Lexington and Concord a call went out for militia volunteers—they were soon 20,000 strong.

Fort Ticonderoga Benedict Arnold---captain of the Connecticut militia—was ordered to take 400 men and seize Ft. Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. It was strategically placed and rich in military supplies. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys from Vermont joined forces with Arnold. They caught the British by surprise and surrounded the fort on May 10, 1775. They took cannons back to Boston to help fortify the city.

Battle of Bunker Hill June 16, 1775 1,200 militiamen set up fortifications at Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill across the harbor at Boston under the command of Colonel William Prescott. The British decided to drive the Americans from their locations. Bayonets drawn the redcoats charged Breeds Hill. Colonial Prescott’s men were low on ammunition. They were told to not to fire until they “saw the whites of their eyes.”

Battle of Bunker Hill The militiamen opened fire and forced the British to retreat. The British charged the hill two more times. The Americans ran out of gunpowder and were forced to retreat. The British win the Battle of Bunker Hill, but 1,000 are dead or wounded.

Choosing Sides Americans are forced to choose a side. They must either join the Americans for stay loyal to Britain. Those who stayed loyal to Britain were called “Loyalists.” They did not think unfair taxes & laws justified rebellion. Those that were determined to fight until American Independence was won were called “Patriots.” They believed the colonists should have the right to govern themselves.

Sources American History Picture Packs Collection C: CD-Rom (2007). IRC at URL: www.historypictures.com Wikipedia: First Continental Congress (2008) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress Wikipedia: John Adams (2008) Wikimedia: Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams Wikipedia: Samuel Adams (2008) Wikimedia: Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams Wikipedia: John Jay (2008) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay Wikipedia: Patrick Henry (2008) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry Wikipedia: Thomas Gage (2008) Wikimedia: Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gage Wikipedia: Joseph Warren (2008) Wikimedia: Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Warren Wikipedia: Paul Revere (2008) Wikimedia: Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere Wikipedia: William Dawes (2008) Wikimedia: Foundation, Inc. at URL: Wikipedia: Battles of Lexington and Concord (2008) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_concord

Sources Wikipedia: Benedict Arnold (2008) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold Wikipedia: Fort Ticonderoga (2008) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. at URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ticonderoga Heather Astle Photographs Boston, MA (June 2009) Heather Astle Photographs Lexington, MA (June 2009) Heather Astle Photographs Old North Bridge Concord, MA (June 2009)