american history. may 1775—second continental congress meets in philadelphia new members: ben...
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CH. 4-2 DECLARING INDEPENDENCE
AMERICAN HISTORY
May 1775—Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia
New members: Ben Franklin, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson
Many delegates still felt loyalty to King George
All delegates rejected Britain’s attempt to tax
Only a few wanted independence
THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS TAKES ACTION
CREATING A CONTINENTAL ARMY New Englanders and British troops
were fighting around Boston Congress made the New England
forces the core of a new Continental Army
June 1775—George Washington chosen to lead the Continental Army
WAR OR PEACE?? July 1775—Congress issues two very
different documents 1) A Declaration of the Causes and
Necessity of Taking Up Arms (July 6, 1775) --explained why Americans were at war --Accused Parliament of having “an
inordinate passion for power” --Charged General Gage with “cruel
aggression”
2) Olive Branch Petition (July 1775) --authors called themselves the
king’s “faithful subjects in the colonies”
--begged the King to reach a “happy and permanent reconciliation”
King declared the colonies in rebellion
May 10, 1775—Green Mountain Boys (VT) captured the British fort at Ticonderoga in New York
Other members also captured the fort at Crown Point
THE SEIGE OF BOSTON British troops had withdrawn back to
Boston
MORE VIOLENCE IN BOSTON
Several thousand British occupied the town
The Americans quickly put together a bigger army—some 15,000 soldiers from all over New England
The standoff at Boston led to the first major battle of the Revolutionary War—The Battle of Bunker Hill
Boston is surrounded by several hills
General Gage wanted the hills but American General Prescott moved to fortify the hills
June 17, 1775—2,500 British troops led by General Howe tried twice to dislodge the Americans from Breed’s Hill
The colonists were short on ammunition so they were told “don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes”
Third attempt—colonists run out of ammunition
Americans retreat from Breed’s Hill to Bunker Hill
Casualties: 1,000 British & 400 Americans
WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND Army seriously short of heavy weapons
and gunpowder
Henry Knox sent to Fort Ticonderoga to bring back captured British weapons and supplies
March 1776—Washington recaptures Boston British soldiers and loyalist forced to sail to
Halifax, Nova Scotia
OTHER BATTLES 1775-76—Benedict Arnold leads
unsuccessful attempt on Quebec
FEB 1776—Scottish Loyalists attacked colonists in NC but the colonists were waiting
Colonial victory ended British control in NC
June 1776—British launched an attack on a fort near Charleston, SC but were unsuccessful
Events of 1775 pushed more colonists to independence
Spring 1776—colonists still doubtful but leaders were becoming more certain
Continental Congress opened up ports to seaports to foreign trade with all countries except Britain
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
REVOLUTIONARY IDEOLOGY Colonists still thought of themselves
as British Many of Parliament’s laws
differentiated between the rights of British citizens and those in America
Led to not paying British taxes because they had no representation
A MATTER OF COMMON SENSE British author Thomas Paine
published a pamphlet called COMMON SENSE
He condemned the monarchy and George III and called for an American declaration of independence
Paine’s 50-page pamphlet sold over 100,000 copies within a few months
VIRGINIA CALLS FOR INDEPENDENCE May 1776—VA Convention of
Delegates issued VIRGINIA DECLARATION OF RIGHTS
First call for American independence June 7, 1776—Richard Henry Lee (VA)
presented 3 resolutions to Congress --1) colonies should be independent
--2) Americans needed to form foreign alliances for support
--3) colonies should form a plan for unification
WRITING THE DECLARATION No serious objections to Lee’s
resolutions Committee named to write a draft of
a declaration of independence
John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin
Jefferson chosen to write the draft Adams and Franklin made changes to
Jefferson’s draft Continental Congress made more
changes July 2, 1776—Congress votes in favor
of the document declaring independence
July 4, 1776—The Declaration of Independence was signed and copied
The Declaration was read in public Crowds in Philadelphia, New York,
Boston, and other cities cheered and rang church bells
The British now viewed the colonists as rebels
Not all colonists wanted independence
Western colonists feared that a war would expose them to Indian attacks
Some colonists remain loyal to Britain
Loyalists were used to fight the patriots
THE LOYALISTS About 25% of colonists remained
loyal
REACTION TO INDEPENDENCE
Most New Englanders and Virginians were on the patriot side
Loyalists were strong in GA and SC Government officials tended to be
loyalists Landowners, merchants, doctors, and
lawyers could be found on both sides Debtors, small farmers, and
shopkeepers were patriots
Local patriots harassed loyalists, attacking farms or property, and some were driven out of town
Loyalists fought along side the British during the war
Some people went to Canada, Britain, or British-held islands in the Caribbean
Some lived quietly and avoided politics After the war about 100,000 loyalists left
the USA, mainly for Canada
A CHEER FOR THE PATRIOTS Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams,
wrote several letters to John before, during, and after the war, detailing her feelings and those of others
These letters showed an active interest in politics and support for the growing independence movement
THE END