Transcript CHAPTER 4: “The American Revolution” SECTION 1: “The Revolution Begins” • First Continental Congress: -In response to the Boston Harbor closing, as well as many.

CHAPTER 4:
“The American Revolution”
SECTION 1:
“The Revolution Begins”
•
First Continental Congress:
-In response to the Boston Harbor closing, as well
as many other “abuses” caused by Great Britain,
the colonists agreed to send representatives from
each colony (except for Georgia).
-The representatives met in October 1774 at
Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, PA.
-The meeting was known as the First Continental
Congress: was a gathering of colonial leaders who
were deeply troubled about the relationship
between Great Britain and its colonies in America.
•
First Continental Congress:
-Patrick Henry and others, felt that violence was
unavoidable. Delegates from Pennsylvania and
New York had strict orders to seek peace.
-Compromise: Colonists encouraged to continue to
boycott British goods, but told colonial militia to
prepare for war.
-Drafted the Declaration of Rights: list of 10
resolutions to be presented to King George III.
- Right to “life, liberty, and property”.
•
First Continental Congress:
-First Continental Congress DID NOT seek to
separate from Great Britain.
-Goal: to state the colonists’ concerns and ask
the King to correct the problems.
-Patrick Henry:
-went back to Virginia to encourage support for the
Patriot cause. “Give me liberty or give me death”.
-Patriots: colonists who chose to fight for
independence from Great Britain.
•
“Shot Heard ‘round the World”:
-Thomas Gage (governor of Massachusetts) learned
about a stockpile of weapons stored in Concord.
-April 1775 he secretly seized the supplies.
-Spies informed the Patriots.
-Paul Revere (member of Sons of Liberty) created a
plan:
-Robert Newman was to climb the steeple of
the Old North Church and watch for British
soldiers.
•
“Shot Heard ‘round the World”:
-If British advanced across land, Newman
would display one lantern from steeple. If
British rowed across the Charles River,
Newman would display two lanterns.
-Paul Revere and William Dawes saw two lanterns,
they set off on horseback.
-Took two different routes out of Boston to sound
the alert.
-Towns responded to their alert by using drums and
ringing church bells to call out local militia.
•
“Shot Heard ‘round the World”:
-Minutemen: local militia; who got their name because
they were ready to fight at a minute’s notice.
Battle at Lexington:
-April 19, 1775 British troops arrived. 70 armed
minutemen waited.
-Patriot captain John Parker ordered minutemen, “Don’t fire
unless fired upon”.
-Shot fired (no one knows who fired first shot). The shot
was known as “Shot heard ‘round the world”.
-Minutemen: 8 killed and 10 badly wounded.
-British: 1 solider wounded. British marched to Concord.
•
“Shot Heard ‘round the World”:
Battle at Concord:
-Concord was warned about British troops, so they
hid/concealed their weapons.
-British frustrated because they could not locate
stockpile of weapons, burned a few buildings.
-Minutemen reacted by fighting. Skilled colonial
marksmen found it easy to shoot British with their
red coats. British were called Redcoats because of
the color of their jackets.
-British forced to retreat to Boston with many
casualities.
•
Second Continental Congress:
-King George III refused to address concerns in
Declaration of Rights.
-May 1775 delegates from 12 colonies met again in
Philadelphia.
-Second Continental Congress: The second group
of delegates from the colonies.
-Delegates debated between war and peace.
-Compromise: Asked the colonies to set up
conventions to write new state constitutions.
Authorized Massachusetts militia to become the
Continental Army.
•
Second Continental Congress:
-Continental Army: Force would soon include
soldiers from all colonies and would carry out the
fight against the British.
-George Washington: Virginian who commanded
the army.
-Congress created Olive Branch Petition, which was
final attempt to restore harmony. King George III
refused to read it and further punished colonies.
•
Early Battles:
-Boston was key city in early days of war. Both sides
fought to control it.
Bunker Hill:
-Colonists needed supplies in Boson, so they sent Benedict
Arnold and 400 men to New York State.
-Objective: attack Fort Ticonderoga. Arnold
captured the fort and its large supply of
weapons.
-June 17th in Boston, British awoke to colonial forces that
dug in at Breed’s Hill (a point overlooking north Boston).
Redcoats have to cross Boston Harbor and fight uphill.
•
Early Battles:
-2,400 British troops advanced while 1,600 militia waited.
Militia low on gun powder, so they wore ordered not to
fire, “until you see the whites of their eyes”.
-As British advanced uphill, they were cut down and
retreated twice. On third advance, militia ran out of
ammunition and had to retreat.
-This battle is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill,
although it was actually launched from Breed’s Hill.
-The battle proved that the Patriots could take on Redcoats.
It was a tragic victory for British because they sacrificed
about double the number of patriot soldiers to win.
•
Early Battles:
Dorchester Heights:
-Washington arrived in Boston with troops, but needed
heavy artillery.
-Henry Knox assigned to transport cannons from Fort
Ticonderoga to Boston. He brought cannons 300 miles
of rough terrain in the middle of the winter.
-March 4, 1776, Washington advanced on Dorchester
Heights. He positioned himself at Nook’s Hill
(overlooking British position). British retreated to
Canada.
-Patriots know control Boston.