The American Revolution The Road to War

Important Vocabulary  Blockade- to use warships to prevent other ships from entering or leaving a harbor  Earthworks- a wall made of dirt or stone used for protection during a battle  Intolerable- unacceptable; unbearable; so bad you can’t stand it  Mercenary- a soldier who fights in a war for a foreign nation in return for money  Minutemen- Patriot soldiers who could be ready to fight in a minute’s notice  Monopoly- the complete control of product or service  Olive branch- an ancient symbol of peace  Petition- a signed request made to an official person or organization  Quarter- to provide or pay for housing at no cost to another person

The Trouble with Tea  In 1770, Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts EXCEPT for the tea tax.  Parliament then gave a tea monopoly to the East India Company  East India Company was Britain’s chief tea producer  Britain allowed East India Company to charge less for their tea than any of the colonial tea merchants  This was BAD news for the colonists because all of their customers bought from the East India Company and they were put out of business  This caused some colonists to boycott tea

Boycott Tea, Patriots!  In Pennsylvania, colonists didn’t allow British ships carrying tea to enter their ports  In Massachusetts, colonists didn’t want tea ships to dock either  Governor Thomas Hutchinson allowed them to

The Sons of Liberty  A group of Patriots who wanted the colonies to be free from England and King George III  Included:  John Adams  Samuel Adams  John Hancock  Benedict Arnold  Paul Revere  Joseph Warren  Patrick Henry

The Sons of Liberty have a Plan!  Like the Patriots who gathered in the Stamp Act Congress, the Patriots know they must ACT against the tea tax and monopoly inflicted on them by the British  During one of their secret meetings, they decide to make a statement to the British Parliament  This is not a written declaration like John Dickinson suggested at the Stamp Act Congress  This was more violent and much more famous!

The Boston Tea Party  The night of December 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party happened  The Sons of Liberty planned to get rid of the British tea  They hired local Patriot men, in a lower social and economic standing than them to  Dress up as Mohawk Indians  Board a British tea ship  Break open 342 chests of tea  Dump the tea into the harbor

Coercive Acts/ Intolerable Acts  British Parliament was furious over the Patriot’s actions  They imposed the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, a new series of laws punishing the colonists  The colonists called them intolerable because they were so bad the colonists couldn’t stand it!

Boston Port Bill  Passed in 1774  Closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea (it was worth approximately $1 million in today’s money)  The British navy blockaded the harbor with their warships to keep any ships from entering or leaving

Massachusetts Government Act  Passed in 1774  Banned the Massachusetts government from making laws  Banned town meetings not approved or authorized by the governor

Quartering Act  Required the colonists to quarter the British soldiers  This meant they had to:  Feed  Provide shelter

Colonists are sick and tired of the British!  The colonists hate the Intolerable Acts  They are starting to get worried that the British will do anything (and everything) to get them to obey  The colonists know they need a plan for how to respond to the British  So, they meet again

First Continental Congress  September 1774 at Philadelphia’s Carpenters’ Hall  56 delegates had different ideas:  Some wanted to break away from Britain  Some wanted to find a way to get along better with Britain  Some wanted to make a compromise between these ideas  Congress agreed to compromise  They wrote a petition of their rights  Said that only the colonial government could make laws on taxes that the colonists would pay  Gave Parliament a deadline of May 10, 1775 to respond or the colonists would meet again  They agreed to stop trade with Britain in the meantime  Patrick Henry suggested everyone prepare for war and said: “I know not what course others may take: but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Lexington and Concord  In Massachusetts, colonists formed special militia units made of soldiers called “Minutemen”  In April 1775, General Thomas Gage (British general) heard:  That Samuel Adams and John Hancock (Sons of Liberty Patriots) were meeting in the village of Lexington  That the Minutemen were hiding weapons in Concord  Gage ordered 700 soldiers to:  Go to Lexington and Concord  Arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock  Find the weapons and take them

 Paul Revere (Patriot) heard the news and rode to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams  Paul Revere made the trip with William Dawes and Samuel Prescott  They got to Concord, warned John Hancock and Samuel Adams and the Minutemen  When the British got to Lexington on April 19, 1775, they were ready and waiting for the British soldiers  Minutemen shot at the British and they fought back  8 Minutemen were killed and several others were wounded  The British soldiers moved on to Concord to find the weapons they heard were stored there  The weapons had been moved  When the British soldiers were marching back to Boston, the Minutemen fired at them and killed 73 and wounded 174  Only 93 Minutemen were killed or wounded  The Minutemen won this battle

“The Shot Heard Around the World”  The fighting at Lexington and Concord was the first battle in the American Revolutionary War

The Second Continental Congress  May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia  There were representatives from every colony except Georgia  Again, the representatives have different ideas about how to proceed  Some want to declare war with Britain  Some want to make peace  Congress decided by June to start preparing for war

Continental Army  Congress decided the colonies needed a Continental Army of full-time, regular soldiers AND part-time militia from each colony  Congress asked George Washington to lead the Continental Army  Each colony was asked to contribute money to pay for guns, bullets, food and uniforms  Congress printed their own paper money (called continentals) and used this to pay the soldiers

Battle of Bunker Hill  Near Boston  June 17,1775  Colonists built earthworks near Boston to defend themselves against a battle with the British soldiers  The British soldiers were only safe in Boston and could only leave by sea  Colonists began to build earthworks on Breed’s Hill (across the Charles River from Boston)  General Thomas Gage (British) ordered his soldiers to open fire on the colonists  Gage sent General William Howe (British) with 2,400 soldiers to capture Breed’s Hill

 British and colonists fought at Breed’s Hill  Colonists drove the British down the hill twice before running out of gun powder  British won the battle, but more than 1,000 of the 2,400 soldiers were killed or wounded  Only about 350 colonists were killed or wounded  Colonists were proud of what they had done, even though they lost  British learned that it wouldn’t be so easy to beat the colonists  The Battle of Bunker Hill actually happened at Breed’s Hill (it was misnamed!)

Olive Branch Petition vs. Proclamation of Rebellion  July 5, 1775  Second Continental Congress met again and sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III  They wanted a peaceful ending to the fighting  King George III responded with the Proclamation of Rebellion  Promised to use every measure to crush the rebellion and bring the traitors to justice  The two documents crossed paths on their way and each was written before the other one had been read

The Armies Got Stronger  King George III hired German mercenaries to enlarge his army  Most of the Germans were Hessians (from the Hesse region of Germany)  Professional soldiers who fought for other countries in return for money  Also enlisted the help of the Native Americans and took advantage of their anger towards to the colonists  Second Continental Congress created a Navy and reached out to some Native American tribes as well  The colonists started to see themselves as Americans, and not just colonists

What happens now???