The American RevolutionThe Road to War

Important Vocabulary Blockade- to use warships to prevent other ships from entering

or leaving a harbor Earthworks- a wall made of dirt or stone used for protection

during a battle Intolerable- unacceptable; unbearable; so bad you can’t stand it Mercenary- a soldier who fights in a war for a foreign nation in

return for money Minutemen- Patriot soldiers who could be ready to fight in a

minute’s notice Monopoly- the complete control of product or service Olive branch- an ancient symbol of peace Petition- a signed request made to an official person or

organization Quarter- to provide or pay for housing at no cost to another

person

The Trouble with Tea In 1770, Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts

EXCEPT for the tea tax. Parliament then gave a tea monopoly to the East India

Company East India Company was Britain’s chief tea producer Britain allowed East India Company to charge less for their

tea than any of the colonial tea merchants This was BAD news for the colonists because all of their

customers bought from the East India Company and they were put out of business

This caused some colonists to boycott tea

Boycott Tea, Patriots! In Pennsylvania, colonists didn’t allow British ships

carrying tea to enter their ports In Massachusetts, colonists didn’t want tea ships to dock

either Governor Thomas Hutchinson allowed them to

The Sons of Liberty A group of Patriots who wanted the colonies to be free

from England and King George III Included:

John Adams Samuel Adams John Hancock Benedict Arnold Paul Revere Joseph Warren Patrick Henry

The Sons of Liberty have a Plan! Like the Patriots who gathered in the Stamp Act

Congress, the Patriots know they must ACT against the tea tax and monopoly inflicted on them by the British

During one of their secret meetings, they decide to make a statement to the British Parliament This is not a written declaration like John Dickinson

suggested at the Stamp Act Congress This was more violent and much more famous!

The Boston Tea Party The night of December 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party

happened The Sons of Liberty planned to get rid of the British tea They hired local Patriot men, in a lower social and

economic standing than them to Dress up as Mohawk Indians Board a British tea ship Break open 342 chests of tea Dump the tea into the harbor

Coercive Acts/ Intolerable Acts British Parliament was furious over the Patriot’s actions They imposed the Coercive Acts, also known as the

Intolerable Acts, a new series of laws punishing the colonists

The colonists called them intolerable because they were so bad the colonists couldn’t stand it!

Boston Port Bill Passed in 1774 Closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the

destroyed tea (it was worth approximately $1 million in today’s money)

The British navy blockaded the harbor with their warships to keep any ships from entering or leaving

Massachusetts Government Act Passed in 1774 Banned the Massachusetts government from making

laws Banned town meetings not approved or authorized by

the governor

Quartering Act Required the colonists to quarter the British soldiers This meant they had to:

Feed Provide shelter

Colonists are sick and tired of the British!

The colonists hate the Intolerable Acts They are starting to get worried that the British will do

anything (and everything) to get them to obey The colonists know they need a plan for how to respond

to the British So, they meet again

First Continental Congress September 1774 at Philadelphia’s Carpenters’ Hall 56 delegates had different ideas:

Some wanted to break away from Britain Some wanted to find a way to get along better with Britain Some wanted to make a compromise between these ideas

Congress agreed to compromise They wrote a petition of their rights Said that only the colonial government could make laws on taxes

that the colonists would pay Gave Parliament a deadline of May 10, 1775 to respond or the

colonists would meet again They agreed to stop trade with Britain in the meantime

Patrick Henry suggested everyone prepare for war and said: “I know not what course others may take: but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Lexington and Concord In Massachusetts, colonists formed special militia units

made of soldiers called “Minutemen” In April 1775, General Thomas Gage (British general)

heard: That Samuel Adams and John Hancock (Sons of Liberty

Patriots) were meeting in the village of Lexington That the Minutemen were hiding weapons in Concord

Gage ordered 700 soldiers to: Go to Lexington and Concord Arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock Find the weapons and take them

Paul Revere (Patriot) heard the news and rode to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams

Paul Revere made the trip with William Dawes and Samuel Prescott

They got to Concord, warned John Hancock and Samuel Adams and the Minutemen

When the British got to Lexington on April 19, 1775, they were ready and waiting for the British soldiers

Minutemen shot at the British and they fought back 8 Minutemen were killed and several others were wounded

The British soldiers moved on to Concord to find the weapons they heard were stored there The weapons had been moved

When the British soldiers were marching back to Boston, the Minutemen fired at them and killed 73 and wounded 174

Only 93 Minutemen were killed or wounded The Minutemen won this battle

“The Shot Heard Around the World”

The fighting at Lexington and Concord was the first battle in the American Revolutionary War

The Second Continental Congress May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in

Philadelphia There were representatives from every colony except

Georgia Again, the representatives have different ideas about

how to proceed Some want to declare war with Britain Some want to make peace

Congress decided by June to start preparing for war

Continental Army Congress decided the colonies needed a Continental

Army of full-time, regular soldiers AND part-time militia from each colony

Congress asked George Washington to lead the Continental Army

Each colony was asked to contribute money to pay for guns, bullets, food and uniforms

Congress printed their own paper money (called continentals) and used this to pay the soldiers

Battle of Bunker Hill Near Boston June 17,1775 Colonists built earthworks near Boston to defend

themselves against a battle with the British soldiers The British soldiers were only safe in Boston and could

only leave by sea Colonists began to build earthworks on Breed’s Hill

(across the Charles River from Boston) General Thomas Gage (British) ordered his soldiers to

open fire on the colonists Gage sent General William Howe (British) with 2,400

soldiers to capture Breed’s Hill

British and colonists fought at Breed’s Hill Colonists drove the British down the hill twice before running

out of gun powder British won the battle, but more than 1,000 of the 2,400

soldiers were killed or wounded Only about 350 colonists were killed or wounded Colonists were proud of what they had done, even

though they lost British learned that it wouldn’t be so easy to beat the

colonists The Battle of Bunker Hill actually happened at Breed’s

Hill (it was misnamed!)

Olive Branch Petition vs. Proclamation of Rebellion

July 5, 1775 Second Continental Congress met again and sent the

Olive Branch Petition to King George III They wanted a peaceful ending to the fighting

King George III responded with the Proclamation of Rebellion Promised to use every measure to crush the rebellion and

bring the traitors to justice The two documents crossed paths on their way and each

was written before the other one had been read

The Armies Got Stronger King George III hired German mercenaries to enlarge his

army Most of the Germans were Hessians (from the Hesse region

of Germany) Professional soldiers who fought for other countries in return

for money Also enlisted the help of the Native Americans and took

advantage of their anger towards to the colonists Second Continental Congress created a Navy and

reached out to some Native American tribes as well The colonists started to see themselves as Americans,

and not just colonists

What happens now???