1. Fort Ticonderoga
In the spring of 1775, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold led a raid to capture Fort Ticonderoga.
* The cannons and gun powder seized at Ticonderoga allowed the American rebels to break the stalemate at the siege of Boston, which caused the British to evacuate the city in March 1776.
Ethan Allen, with drawn sword, capturing Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775, as depicted in a 19th-century engraving.

2. Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill)
British troops controlled Boston.
Colonial militia surrounded the city.
Colonial militia was situated on top of the hill.
The Battle of Bunker Hill showed:
Americans could fight bravely.
The British would not be easy to defeat.
Colonel Prescott:  "Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes."

3. General Gage’s forces made three assaults on the colonial position on Breed’s Hill. The colonists, holding their fire until they “could see the whites of their (the British soldiers’) eyes”, stopped the first two advances, but abandoned the position on the third because they ran out of ammunition. The British won the battle, but lost approximately 40% of their men.
General Gage’s forces made three assaults on the colonial position on Breed’s Hill. The colonists, holding their fire until they “could see the whites of their (the British soldiers’) eyes”, stopped the first two advances, but abandoned the position on the third assault because they ran out of ammunition. While the British won the battle, it was at a tremendous cost. They lost approximately 40% of their force in seizing the location. Upon hearing the news of the bloodshed at Breed’s Hill, King George III declared the colonists “rebels”, and hired Hessian troops to fight against the colonists. 3 3

4. Bunker Hill casualties
2,400 British soldiers took on 1,500 Colonial troops in the battle. Final casualty figures were 1,150 for the British, and 450 for the American forces. 4 4

5. Siege of Boston
Originally proposing a direct attack on Boston, Washington agreed to a plan to fortify Dorchester Heights with the cannons seized from Ft. Ticonderoga, NY.
By March, 1776, British troops and ships were under American armaments.
British General Howe elected to evacuate the city.
The Siege of Boston proved that the Continental Army could defeat the British. 5 5

6. What led the colonies to declare independence?
Thomas Paine’s
Common Sense Pamphlet
Why was independence Common Sense?
Helped convince thousands of colonists to support independence from Great Britain.
Opponents/Loyalist felt that they owed their loyalty and allegiance to the king as British subjects.
Colonists did not owe loyalty to George III or any other monarch.
Colonists did not owe anything to Britain.
The British had helped the colonists for their own profit.
Staying under British rule would be harmful to the growth of the colonies.

7. What led the colonies to declare independence?
King George’s Reaction to the Olive Branch Petition
Radical Patriots
Peace was not longer an option
State of War existed between the colonies and Britain
Second Continental Congress drafts the Declaration of Independence, which states the reasons the colonist should be independent
Wanted and advocated for independence from Britain like Patrick Henry and John Adams

8. Declaration of Independence
The Committee of Five
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman are selected to draft the declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson wrote most of it.
On July 4, 1776, the delegates accepted the Declaration of Independence.
By signing the document all have committed treason.

9. Parts of the Declaration of Independence
Preamble: What is the preamble?
Introduction: explains that the declaration will tell why the colonies want to break from Great Britain.
What does the first part of the Declaration state?
Part 1 Natural Rights – All people have natural rights. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
What does this mean? Unalienable Rights - Rights that belong to all people from birth, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Governments exist to protect people’s natural rights.

10. Parts of the Declaration of Independence
Part 2 British Wrongs –
Great Britain had treated the colonists wrongfully.
Great Britain has committed many wrongs. King George III disbanded (closed) colonial legislatures, sent troops, and limited colonial trade. The colonists asked for justice but did not get it.
Part 3 Independence–
The colonies were now a free and independent nation country known as the United States of America.