1. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
After the fighting at Lexington and Concord, 20,000 militiamen from Massachusetts gathered around Boston
General Gage moved his men to Boston, which was nearly surrounded by water
On May 10, 1775, Americans attacked Fort Ticonderoga on the New York side of Lake Champlain – Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the fort and its artillery
On the same day in Philadelphia, John and Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry and George Washington, and the Second Continental Congress met and agreed to form a Continental Army
George Washington was chosen as its commanding general
Acting like a government, congress also authorized the printing of paper money to pay the troops
The Continental Army is Formed

2. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
Boston – June, 1775, tensions were mounting as Americans seized Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill behind Charlestown
Fortifications were built on Breed’s Hill alarming the British who decided to attack the Americans
General William Howe and 2,200 troops crossed the bay and marched up Breed’s Hill
On top of the hill, the militia waited – according to legend, Colonel William Prescott ordered his men not to fire until “you see the whites of their eyes”
When the British were close enough, the militia opened fire on the British, forcing them to retreat – the British regrouped and charged again
After running out of ammunition, the militia were forced off the hill
The British won, but at a terrible price – more than 1,000 redcoats were killed or wounded compared to the 400 militia casualties
An inexperienced militia had just held its own against the most powerful army in the world
The Battle of Bunker Hill

3. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
Even as the smoke from Bunker Hill cleared, most colonists still hoped for peace
Even some Patriot leaders thought themselves as loyal subjects of the king and blamed Parliament for the conflict
July, In an effort to restore peace, moderates in congress sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III in London
King George rejected the petition and announced new measures to punish the colonies;
– He used the British navy to block American ports
– He sent thousands of hired German mercenaries called Hessians
While the militia felt they were equal to the British troops, Washington knew better
The British were professionals and well equipped
A Last Attempt at Peace

4. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
The militia had little training and had barely enough powder to fight one battle
During the summer of 1775, Washington arrived in Boston and began gathering supplies for his poorly equipped militia
In the fall, he approved a daring plan to invade and capture Quebec – hoping to draw the Canadians into the fight against the British
Benedict Arnold led his men across Maine and into Canada – arriving in November 1775
Despite harsh winter conditions, the Americans attacked Quebec but failed to capture it
After several months they returned home defeated
A Last Attempt at Peace

5. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
In Massachusetts, the Continental Army had surrounded the British in Boston
Neither side was willing to back down – but help for Washington was on the way
Cannon captured from Fort Ticonderoga were being hauled over the snow-covered mountains – after two long months, the cannon arrived in Boston in January, 1776
Washington moved his troops and the cannons to Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston
On March 17, 1776, fearing a bombardment, General Howe loaded his 9,000 troops onto 100 ships and withdrew from Boston
Fearing for their safety, more than 1,000 loyalists left Boston with the British troops
Some Patriots were calling for loyalists to be hanged as traitors – many loyalist’s lost their homes and property
The British Retreat from Boston

6. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
Early in 1776, most Americans were still reluctant to make a final break with England
A new immigrant from England named Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense to help convince Americans that a complete break with Britain was necessary
Common Sense sold more than 100,000 copies in three months making a strong case for American independence;
- Paine ridiculed the idea that kings ruled by divine will – he argued all monarchies were corrupt
- He also disagreed with the idea that the American economy needed Britain arguing that “our corn will fetch its price in any market in Europe”
Paine’s Common Sense was one of the most influential political documents in history
Common Sense is Published

7. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
A majority of the delegates still did not support independence
Even so, in May, 1776 Congress adopted a resolution - authorized each of the 13 colonies to establish its own government
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a key resolution:
- called the colonies “free and independent states”
- declared “all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is totally dissolved”
Unwilling to vote on the resolution to dissolve political ties, Congress appointed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence
A Time for Decision

8. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
The committee included; Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston
Jefferson was chosen to write the Declaration for two reasons;
He was an excellent writer
He was a Virginian, and they would need Virginia’s support for the independence movement to succeed
Within two weeks Jefferson had most of the Declaration written
On July, 2, 1776, despite strong opposition, Lee’s resolution passed and the colonies considered themselves independent
A Time for Decision

9. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
Two days later on July 4, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence
As the president of the Congress, John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration
The core idea of the Declaration was based on John Locke’s philosophy that people have unalienable rights – rights the government cannot take away
Jefferson argued that governments that disregard these rights lose their right to govern
People have the right to abolish these governments by force if necessary and form new governments
“People” meant only whites though – women and enslaved persons were not included
The Declaration is Adopted

10. Chapter 6 - The Road to Revolution
Chapter 6.4 – Declaring Independence
The Declaration gave reasons for breaking with Britain and declared the colonies to be free and independent from Britain
Realizing they were committing treason, the delegates were urged to stand together in mutual defense
The Declaration closed with this pledge: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred Honor”
All they had to do now was win their freedom on the battlefield
The Declaration is Adopted