1. Bunker Hill and Common Sense
Coach Kuntz
United States History

2. Review
What was the original goal of the Second Continental Congress in 1775?
What did Congress create to fight a British attack? Who did they put in charge?
What did the Second Continental Congress do to fix the relationship with England? How did England respond?
What was the importance of the attack on Fort Ticonderoga?
What were Patriots and Loyalists?

3. Battle of Bunker Hill -First major battle of the American Revolution
-June 16, 1776 near Boston Massachusetts- Colonel William Prescott led 1,200 minutemen up Bunker Hill. His troops then moved to a better location on nearby Breeds Hill.
-Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill were important because they were across the river from Boston and colonists could fire on British ships.
-British General William Howe ferried 2,400 redcoats across the harbor to attack the rebels’ position.

4. Battle of Bunker Hill (Cont.)
-The Americans were low on ammunition and were told “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”
-The Americans were attacked three times by the British. They repelled two attacks. On the third, the British took Bunker Hill and Breeds hill, winning the battle.
-Casualties: 1,000 British casualties, 400 American Casualties
-Outcomes: Proved that Americans could fight bravely, but also that the British would not be easy to defeat.

5. After the Battle of Bunker Hill
-A few weeks after Bunker Hill, George Washington arrived in Boston and began training soldiers for the Continental Army.
-In January 1776, the cannons taken from Fort Ticonderoga arrived in Boston. Washington put these on a hill overlooking Boston Harbor.
-After seeing the cannons, British General Howe knew he couldn’t hold the city. He and his men retreated from Boston to Halifax Canada in March
-King George III then ordered a blockade of all colonial ports.

6. Common Sense
-In his pamphlet titled “Common Sense”, Thomas Paine encouraged colonists to break away from England and create their own country.
-Between January 1776 and July 1776, 500,000 copies were sold.
-Paine argued that colonists did not owe loyalty to George III or any other monarch. He argued that Britain should no longer rule the colonies.
-Common Sense was important because it changed many colonists minds from wanting to be a part of England to now wanting their independence