A Call to Arms

Coach MedfordBuilding History Champions

Objectives

• Describe the consequences of the numerous conflicts and how it motivated colonial leaders and others to act

• Identify the Founders and recognize their contributions

• Evaluate the battles of Lexington and Concord• Compare the points of view held by the

Patriots and Loyalists

Thoughts

• Thoughts about the video clip

Questions

• What role did individuals play in the movement towards independence

• What are the beliefs of the Loyalists and the Patriots

Continental Congress

• September 1774 – 55 delegates meet in Philadelphia

• Meeting to set up a governing body to challenge the British

• 12 of 13 colonies attend, Georgia did not• Patrick Henry wants the colonies to unite • “The distinctions between Virginians,

Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American.” – Patrick Henry

Philadelphia Capital Building 1774

Delegates Vote

• Call for a repeal of 13 acts of Parliament• Believe laws violate “laws of nature, the

principles of the English constitution and several charters”

• Boycott all trade with Britain • Endorse Suffolk Resolve in all colonies• Suffolk Resolve – prepared the people of

Massachusetts to organize militias

How is Britain going to react to this vote?

Colonial Militias

• Militia trains with each other • Practice using muskets and cannons• Towns begin to store ammunitions and arms• Minutemen – ready to fight in a minute –

better trained militia

British Troops Arrive

• April 1775 – thousands of troops arrive in Boston area

• British General Gage orders the seize of all weapons

• Gage learns militia stores arms in Concord• Orders Lt. Col. Smith “to Concord, where you

will seize and destroy all the artillery and ammunitions you can find.”

British Moving into the Countryside

• April 18, 1775 – British start to move out of Boston

• Dr. Warren alerts Paul Revere and William Dawes, members of the Sons of Liberty

• Paul Revere lights the lanterns at the Old North Church and begins his ride

• Paul Revere is captured along the way• Doubtful he was yelling “The redcoats are

coming.”

Paul Reverse’s Ride

What a great name

Lexington and Concord

• British begin march to Concord• About 70 minutemen are waiting for them in

Lexington • Shots fired, 8 minutemen die• British continue to Concord• More militia waiting at the North Bridge• British suffer heavy losses and retreat to

Boston

Battle of Lexington and Concord

Why did British troops march to Concord?

War Continues

• After Lexington and Concord, armed conflicts spread quickly

• Captain Benedict Arnold of Connecticut militia, raises a force to seize Fort Ticonderoga

• Arnold meets up with Ethan Allen from Vermont and together their forces, Green Mountain Boys, take the fort

• Fort was rich in supplies

Benedict Arnold

• Becomes a traitor to the Patriots• Sells secrets to the British • When his crime become known, he leads

forces for the British against the colonists

Battle of Bunker Hill

• After Lexington and Concord more colonists join the militia

• 20,000 militia in Boston• June 16, 1775, militia commander Colonel

Prescott sets up post on Bunker and Breed's Hill

• British charge Breed’s Hill on June 17Do you know of other times in history when large amounts of citizens have joined the military to defend America?

Battle for the Breed’s Hill

• Low on powder, Prescott says “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”

• With bayonets drawn, they defend three charges of the British

• With no powder left, Prescott orders the retreat• Technically a British victory because they took

the field• 1,000 British troops die

What did the British learn from the Battle of Bunker Hill?

Which Side to Choose

• Remain loyal to Britain or join the rebels• Loyalists, those who sided with Britain, did not

believe the actions of the crown warranted a war• People who supported the war, Patriots, believed

the colonists had the right to govern themselves• Patriots become determine to fight until

independence is achieved

The War

• The War is not just for independence of the colonies

• It is a civil war between Loyalists and Patriots

• Predict what might have happened if the British would have won at Concord?

Fill in the following chart

Patriots Loyalists

Define each group and what they believed. What were they fighting for?

Review Questions

• How did the support for the Suffolk Resolves by the Continental Congress push the colonies closer to war?

• What role did Benedict Arnold play in both helping and hurting the American cause?

Exit Ticket

• “The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American.” – Patrick Henry

• Some historians believe this quote changed how the colonists looked at themselves. This was one of the first times that they united as AMERICANS.

• Write a paragraph on how this quote could unite the colonists as AMERICANS