Revolution Begins pg 6 Boston Tea Party tax
Revolution Begins pg- 6
Boston Tea Party -tax on tea still remained in effect -Monopoly on tea had been granted to British Tea Company -Dec. 1773 colonists raided Boston harbor and destroyed the tea and burned the ships -resulted in more troops being sent to the colonies
Intolerable Acts -Parliament passes Coercive Act (Co-er-sive_) to punish Boston -Colonists called it the Intolerable acts -1. closed Boston harbor -2. suspended basic civil rights trial by jury -3. housed troops in peoples homes -Committees of Correspondence begin……. . (Colonies began talking with each other)
1 st Continental Congress -Committees of Correspondence this group had been communicating with other colonies -after Intolerable Acts they call for a meeting -late 1774 1 st meeting held in Philadelphia - -first time the 13 colonies spoke as one! -discussed rights of colonies 1. Rights should be restored 2. Remain boycotting British Goods 3. agreed to meet again in 1 year -militias begin to form “minutemen”
Militia – a military force made up of civilians (not a permanent or regular army) -minutemen – the nickname for men in the militias (“ready to fight in a minute”)
1 St Continental Congress Accomplished…. -Sent a letter to the King -pledged allegiance to Britain -asked for the removal of British troops in Boston - Britain considers the Continental Congress illegitimate – ignore it - Britain responds by sending more troops to Boston
Lexington and Concord 1 st battles of Revolutionary War: Lexington & Concord, MASS. • First shots fired between American and British troops, on April 19, 1775. The British chose to march to Concord because it was an arms depot. This meant that the Americans had stockpiled weapons there. British troops had occupied Boston and were marching on Concord as they passed through Lexington.
Lexington & Concord -April 1775 -British try to seize weapons stored in Concord *King George Responded w/ FORCE! -Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott warn colonists – “Midnight Riders” -minutemen met British at Lexington -shots fired and colonists killed -”shot heard around the world“ -colonist conduct guerilla battle along road to Concord
Lexington and Concord 1 st battles of Revolutionary War -Many Colonist were loyal subjects to GB, but with GB soldiers firing at them they began to question their attachment
• The atmosphere was tense, word of General Gage's intentions spread through Boston prompting the patriots to set up a messaging system to alert the countryside of any advance of British troops. Paul Revere arranged for a signal to be sent by lantern from the steeple of North Church - one if by land, two if by sea. On the night of April 18, 1775 the lantern's alarm sent Revere, William Dawes and other riders on the road to spread the news. The messengers cried out the alarm, awakening every house, warning of the British column making its way towards Lexington. In the rider's wake there erupted the peeling of church bells, the beating of drums and the roar of gun shots - all announcing the danger and calling the local militias to action.
2 nd Continental Congress -May 1775 (many months debating) -called for an army and appointed George Washington as leader -some talk of compromise and some of independence (some colonist didn’t believe they could win a war against GB)
Bunker Hill -June 1775 -Colonists take hill overlooking Boston (Breed’s Hill) -British charge the hill 3 times until colonists run out of ammo - To conserve ammunition, Prescott told his men, “*Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. " -Many casualties -deadliest battle of war -proved colonists could compete with the British army in certain situations -WON’T Back Down Attitude!
Olive Branch PEACE Petition -July 1775 -2 nd Continental Congress sends King George a petition to return to the peace of the past -he refuses the petition and urges the rebellion put down
Common Sense -many colonists had loyalties that were strong to Britain -Loyalists- remained loyal to the king -Patriots- those who supported the move for independence -Common Sense -pamphlet that urges independence for the colonies (Complete Independence is Common Sense) -Thomas Paine -Jan. 1776 - Pamphlet spreads like wild fire
- Slides: 15