Transcript The American Revolution A BRIEF HISTORY LESSON BY JOE BAILEY The First Continental Congress  In September of 1774 every colony except Georgia sent delegates to.

The American Revolution
A BRIEF HISTORY LESSON
BY JOE BAILEY
The First Continental Congress

In September of 1774 every colony except Georgia sent delegates
to Philadelphia to discuss the looming crisis of the Coercive Acts.
Four acts implemented by the British government on American
colonist, known in America as the Intolerable Acts, they were issued
by British Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the Boston tea
party.

The delegates sought to articulate their liberties as British subjects
and the powers parliament held over them, and they debated
possible response to the Coercive Acts. Some wanted a total ban
on trade with Britain to force a repeal, while others, especially
southerners dependent on tobacco and rice exports, opposed
halting trade.
The First Battles of the Revolution

Thomas Gage the British general that occupied Boston had planned
a surprise attack on a suspected ammunition storage site at
Concord, a village eighteen miles west of Boston. Near midnight on
April 18, British soldiers moved west across the Charles River. Paul
Revere and William Dawes raced ahead to alert the minutemen.
When the British soldiers got to Lexington they were met by some
seventy armed men. The British commander barked out, “Lay down
your arms, you damned rebels, and disperse.” The militiamen began
to comply, but then someone-nobody knows who – fired. Within two
minutes, eight Americans were dead and ten were wounded. The
British continued their march to Concord. With little resistance they
searched the town, and had begun their march back to Boston. As
they marched militia units ambushed them, bringing the bloodiest
fighting of the day. In the end 273 British soldiers were wounded or
dead; the toll for the Americans stood at 95. It was April 19, 1775,the
war had begun.
The Second Continental Congress

On May 10, 1775, nearly one month after the fighting at Lexington
and Concord, the Second Continental Congress assembled In
Philadelphia. The Congress immediately set to work on two crucial
but contradictory tasks: to raise and supply an army and to explore
reconciliation with Britain. To do the former, they needed soldiers
and a commander, they needed money, and they needed to work
out the declaration of war. To do the latter, they needed diplomacy
to approach the king. But the king was not receptive, and by 1776,
as the war progressed and hopes of reconciliation faded, delegates
at the congress began to ponder the treasonous act of declaring
independence.
The Continental Army

On June 14, the congress voted to create the Continental Army,
choosing a Virginian, George Washington, as commander in chief.
This sent a clear message that there was widespread commitment
to the war beyond New England. George Washington had the task
of turning local militias and untrained volunteers into a disciplined
army.

Next the congress drew up a document titled “a Declaration on the
Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms.” This declaration was first
drafted by a young Virginia planter, Thomas Jefferson, a radical on
the question of independence. Jefferson wrote highly charged
language about choosing “to die freemen rather than to live as
slaves.”
Battle of Bunker Hill

The second battle of the war the Battle of Bunker Hill, occurred on
June 16, 1775, involving a massive British attack on New England
militia units on a hill facing Boston. Three bloody assaults were
needed before the British took the hill, the third succeeding mainly
because the American ammunition supply gave out, and the
defenders quickly retreated. The Battle of Bunker Hill was thus a
British victory, but an expensive one. The dead numbered 226 on
the British side, with more than 800 wounded; the Americans
suffered 140 dead, 271 wounded, and 30 captured.
Question 1
Which colony did not send delegates to the First Continental Congress.
A.
Virginia
B.
Georgia
C.
Pennsylvania
D.
New England
Question 2
In what town was the first shot of the Revolution fired.
A.
Concord
B.
Boston
C.
Philadelphia
D.
Lexington
Question 3
What was the main focus of the Second Continental
Congress
A.
Raise an army
B.
Reconcile with Britain
C.
Work out a declaration of war
D.
All the above
Question 4
On June 14 the congress voted to create
A.
An army
B.
A commander in chief
C.
Local militias
D.
A constitution
Question 5
How many attacks did it take for the British to take Bunker Hill
A.
One
B.
Two
C.
Three
D.
Four
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The end
Sources
The American Promise
Roark
Johnson
Cohen
Stage
Hartmann