A Call to Arms

A Meeting of Colonial Delegates 55 Delegates from 12 of the Colonies (no Georgia) met in Philadelphia at Carpenter’s Hall on September 5, 1774 The meeting was called in response to the passing of the Coercive Acts. This meeting would later be called The First Continental Congress

Carpenter’s Hall – the delegates spent their days here This is City Tavern where the delegates ate while attending the convention

Who was there? Massachusetts 1) Samuel Adams 2) John Adams New York1) John Jay Virginia1) Richard Henry Lee 2) Patrick Henry 3) George Washington

Samuel Adams John Adams John Jay Richard Henry Lee Patrick Henry George Washington

Colonial Rights The colonists felt that their rights were based on the laws of nature, the principles of the English Constitution, and several colonial charters. They also believed that their tradition of self government was being ignored.

Preparing to Fight Many of the colonists began forming militias. A militia is group of civilian soldiers. A group called the minutemen was also formed. Minutemen were companies of civilian soldiers who boasted that they were ready to fight on a minute’s notice

Lexington Militiaman representing John Parker, located in Lexington, Massachusetts Massachusetts quartering honoring the minutemen of Lexington and Concord. The Minuteman - located in Concord, Massachusetts

9 Minutemen

The Ride of Paul Revere When Sir Thomas Gage heard that the Massachusetts Militia was storing arms and ammunition at Concord, He ordered 700 troops under Lt. Col. Frances Smith to march toward Concord.

11 20 Miles Gage learned the militia was storing arms and ammunition at Concord, 20 miles NW of Boston. He ordered troops to “seize and destroy all the artillery and ammunition you can find.”

The Ride of Paul Revere-2 When Dr. Joseph Warren saw a British regiment form rank in Boston common, he alerted Paul Revere and William Dawes. Revere and Dawes then road to Lexington to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

Paul Revere Dr. Joseph Warren William Dawes

The Neck of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Paul Revere’s House

18 The British troops continued their march to Concord. When they got there, they found that most of the gunpowder had already been removed

Lexington and Concord On April 19, 1775, the redcoats arrived at Lexington. After an exchange of bullets, 8 minutemen lay dead. The British troops continued to march to Concord where they met more minutemen. When the British marched back to Boston, they were fired upon by the growing forces of minutemen. Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of the armed conflict between England and the Colonies called the American Revolution.

The Concord Hymn A poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson He called Lexington and Concord the “shot heard ‘round the world”. The Minutemen firing a the British at the North Bridge during the battle of Concord.

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled; Here once the embattled farmers stood; And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps, And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream that seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We place with joy a votive stone, That memory may their deeds redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. O Thou who made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, -- Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raised to them and Thee.

22 Lexington and Concord (and the 0ld North Bridge)

The Green Mountain Boys They were troops led by Ethan Allen When the Green Mountain Boys and the forces of Benedict Arnold joined together, they captured Ft. Ticonderoga. Later during the war, Arnold conspired against the Americans and joined the British.

Bunker Hill and Breed Hill On June 16, 1775, 1200 militiamen set up at Bunker Hill and Breed Hill under the command of Colonel William Prescott. To conserve their limited supply of gunpowder, Prescott ordered that his men could only shoot at the British when they saw the whites of their eyes. The Americans had to withdraw because they ran out of gunpowder. This was after killing or wounding 1000 British soldiers.

25 Bunker Hill Across the bridge…. Over the hill… Down and around…. To Yorktown!

Patriots v. Loyalists The two groups in the colonies Loyalists thought the taxes were okay and remained loyal to Britain Patriots were against the British and vowed to fight to the end.

27 Patriot

28 Loyalist

Committees of Correspondence They called for people to join the militias. Their actions were successful as the number of men in the militia grew to over 20,000.