Chapter 5 Les. 3 and 4
Patrick Henry quote
"The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American."
Colonial militias and minutemen
American colonists had a long tradition of serving and protecting their communities in militias. Members of a militia were an important part of each town's defense. Militia members trained and had drills with the other citizen soldiers. They practiced using muskets and cannons. Each member was required to provide his own weapon—usually a musket—and ammunition. Some militias were known as minutemen because they boasted they would be ready to fight at a minute's notice.
Fort Ticonderoga and Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold, a captain in the Connecticut militia, raised a force of 400 to seize Fort Ticonderoga near Lake Champlain in New York. Ticonderoga occupied a key location. It was also rich in military supplies. Arnold learned that Ethan Allen of nearby Vermont also planned to attack the fort. So Arnold joined forces with Allen's men—the so-called Green Mountain Boys. Together, they took the British by surprise. Fort Ticonderoga surrendered on May 10, 1775. Later, Arnold became a traitor to the Patriot cause. He sold military information to the British. When his crime was discovered in September 1780, he fled to British-controlled New York City. There he commanded British troops and led raids against the Americans in Virginia and Connecticut.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, one of the most respected men in the colonies, had been a leader in the Pennsylvania legislature. In 1765 he represented the colonies in London and helped win repeal of the Stamp Act.
Thomas Gage
By April 1775, several thousand British troops were in and around Boston, with more on the way. British general Thomas Gage had orders to seize the weapons from the Massachusetts militia and arrest the leaders.
July 4, 1776
Congress approves Jefferson's Declaration (Will make changes later)
Committee chosen for Declaration
Congress chose a committee to write a declaration of independence. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman formed the committee.
Ben. Arnold attack on Quebec
Congress learned that British troops in Canada were planning to invade New York. The Americans decided to strike first. A unit of Patriots marched north from Fort Ticonderoga and captured Montreal. However, an American attack on Quebec, led by Benedict Arnold, failed.
July 2, 1776
Congress votes on Lee's resolution of independence (12 colonies vote yes, New York later changes to yes.)
John Locke
English philosopher that wrote the Constitution for Carolina . Jefferson borrowed a lot of his ideas for the D of I.
Francis Smith
Gage learned that the militia stored arms and ammunition at Concord, a town about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Boston. He ordered 700 troops under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith "to Concord, where you will seize and destroy all the artillery and ammunition you can find."
Who did not send delegates to 1st CC
Georgia
John Hancock
He signed the Declaration first. He remarked that he wrote his name large enough for King George to read without his glasses. John Hancock of Massachusetts was a wealthy merchant. He funded many Patriot groups, including the Sons of Liberty. The delegates chose Hancock to be president of the Second Continental Congress.
Richard H. Lee and his resolution
In June 1776, Virginia's Richard Henry Lee offered a bold resolution: "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States . . . and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
William Howe
In March 1776, Washington believed his army was ready to fight. Under the cover of darkness, he moved soldiers and cannons into position overlooking Boston, while the redcoats slept. The move surprised the British, who realized they were now within easy reach of Washington's big guns. British General William Howe commanded his soldiers to board ships and withdraw from Boston.
Continental Congress/1st Continental Congress
In September 1774, fifty-five delegates gathered in Philadelphia. They had come to set up a political body that would represent Americans and challenge British control.
George Washington and the Continental Army
It was big milita made by the 2nd CC. Unlike local militias, such a force could form and carry out an overall strategy for fighting the British. The Congress unanimously chose George Washington to command this army. Washington was an experienced soldier and a respected Southern planter.
John Adams and July 2, 1776
John Adams expected the day Congress voted on Lee's resolution for independence to be celebrated as a national holiday. He wrote, "The Second Day of July 1776 . . . ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade . . . and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other." Instead, July 4, the date the delegates actually adopted the Declaration of Independence, is celebrated as Independence Day.
Loyalists and Patriots
Loyalists remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence and Patriots were the opposite.
John Parker and the Battle of Lexington.
Meanwhile, the British continued their march. At dawn, the redcoats approached Lexington. There they ran into about 70 waiting minutemen. Led by Captain John Parker, the minutemen stood on the town common with muskets in hand. Badly outnumbered, the minutemen were about to give way to the redcoats. Just then, a shot was fired—from where is still not clear. Both sides let loose an exchange of bullets. When the shooting ended, eight minutemen lay dead.
Bunker Hill/Breed's Hill
On June 16, 1775, militia commanded by Colonel William Prescott set up posts on Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill, across the harbor from Boston. The next day, the redcoats assembled at Breed's Hill. Bayonets drawn, they charged. Low on ammunition, Prescott reportedly ordered, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." The Americans opened fire, forcing the British to retreat. Twice more the redcoats charged, receiving furious fire from above. Finally, the Americans ran out of gunpowder and had to withdraw. The battle on Breed's Hill—which became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill—was a British victory. Yet the British suffered heavy losses of more than 1,000 dead and wounded.
Parts of the D of I (From first part to last)
Preamble: Introduction that states what Jefferson wants to say (tells world why we are leaving Britain), the Declaration of Rights which says rights are given bu god and the goverment should protect these rights, Grievances of King- 27 reasons of what he has done to push us to this, and the Resolution of Independence which declares the colonies as "The United States of America". Many parts of Declaration come right from R.H. Lee's resolution
Paul Revere/William Dawes
Revere and Dawes rode to Lexington, a town east of Concord, to spread the word that the British were coming. Revere galloped across the countryside, shouting his warning of the approaching troops.
Debate on Lee's resolution
Some delegates still thought the colonies should not form a separate nation. Others argued that war had already begun and they should be free from Great Britain. Still others feared Britain's power to crush the rebellion.
Thomas Paine/Common Sense
Still, support for independence was growing. It was inspired in no small part by writer Thomas Paine. Paine arrived in the colonies from England in 1774. He soon caught the revolutionary spirit. In January 1776, he published a pamphlet called Common Sense. In bold language, Paine called for a complete break with British rule. Common Sense listed powerful reasons why Americans would be better off free from Great Britain. The pamphlet greatly influenced opinions throughout the colonies.
Battle of Concord and Ralph Waldo Emerson
The British continued on to Concord. While some troops burned the few weapons they found, the others met a group of minutemen waiting at the North Bridge. In a short battle, the British took heavy losses. They began to make their way back to Boston. All along the road, colonists hid behind trees and fired on the soldiers. By the time the redcoats reached Boston, at least 174 were wounded and 73 were dead. About 60 years later, poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in "The Concord Hymn" that the Americans at Lexington and Concord had fired the "shot heard 'round the world." The battle for independence had begun.
The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775. The delegates included some of the greatest leaders in the colonies. Among them were John and Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and George Washington—all delegates to the First Continental Congress. Several new delegates came as well.
Olive Branch Petition and KG3's reaction.
The delegates then offered Britain a last chance to avoid war. They sent a petition, or formal request, to George III. Called the Olive Branch Petition, it assured the king that the colonists wanted peace. It asked him to protect the colonists' rights. The king rejected the petition. Instead, he prepared for war. He hired more than 30,000 German troops, called Hessians (HEH • shuhnz), to fight alongside British troops.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, only 32, was also a delegate. He served in the Virginia legislature. Jefferson was from Virgina, quiet, and was already known as a brilliant thinker and writer. He wrote the Declaration of Independance.
Cannons from Fort Ticonderoga
Washington reached the Boston area in July 1775, a few weeks after the Battle of Bunker Hill. Washington needed turn the people to solders and also needed weapons. He arranged to have dozens of cannons hauled 300 mile(483 km) from Fort Ticonderoga. Moving the heavy guns was a huge effort.
Describe what the 1st CC delegates vote on and Suffolk Resolves
the delegates called for the repeal of 13 acts of Parliament. They believed these laws violated the "laws of nature, the principles of the English constitution, and the several charters" of the colonies. The delegates also voted to boycott British trade. The colonies would not import or use any British goods, nor would they sell their goods in Great Britain. Continental Congress delegates also decided to endorse the Suffolk Resolves, prepared by the people of Boston and other Suffolk County towns in Massachusetts. These resolutions declared the Coercive Acts to be illegal. They called on the county's residents to arm themselves against the British. After delegates endorsed the resolves, other colonies also organized militias—groups of citizen soldiers. This led to 2nd amendment.
