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The Revolution
Begins
The Gaspee Affair
• After Britain repealed the Townshend Acts, trade with the American colonies began
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again and so did smuggling.
The British sent customs ships to patrol North American waters to stop smugglers.
One of these customs ships was the Gaspee.
In June 1772, the Gaspee ran aground. Some 150 colonists took and burned the
ship.
The British sent a commission to investigate. The commission had the power to
take suspects to Britain for a trial.
Colonists believed that this violated their right to a trial by a jury of their peers.
• In M arch 1773, the Virginia House of Burgesses received a letter from
Rhode Island’s assembly asking for help.
• One of the members of the House of Burgesses, Thomas Jefferson,
suggested that each colony create a committee of correspondence to
communicate with the other colonies about British activities.
• These committees of correspondence helped unify the colonies and shape
public opinion. They also helped colonial leaders coordinate their plans.
Boston Tea Party
• May 1773, Britain’s Parliament passed the Tea Act to help
the British East India Co pay their debts.
• Colonists were smuggling cheaper Dutch tea.
• The act reduced the tax on tea shipped from the British
East India Co, merchants feared this would put them out
of business.
• October 1773 East India Co shipped 1253 chests of tea
to major port cities including Boston.
• The committees of correspondence decided the tea must
not be unloaded.
• December 1773, 150 colonists disguised as Indians
boarded the ships and dumped 342 cases of tea in the
Boston Harbor.
• Witnesses later said Sam Adams and John Hancock were
among the men who boarded the ship.
Coercive Acts + Quebec Act
= Intolerable Acts
• Parliament passed 4 new laws (Coercive Acts) to punish
Massachusetts for dumping the tea in the harbor and to
stop colonial challenges to British authority.
• Boston Port Act – Closed the port until the town paid
for the tea.
• Massachusetts Government Act – Required all
government official be appointed by the governor, no
longer to be elected. Only governor could giver
permission for town meetings; Thomas Gage.
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Administration of Justice Act – Governor could
transfer British soldiers and officials to England for trial
to protect them from American juries.
• New Quartering Act – Required local officials to
provide housing for British soldiers.
• Quebec Act – stated a governor and chosen council
chosen by the king would run Quebec.
• It also extended its boundaries to include much of what is
today Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
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If colonists moved west they would live in territories with
no elected assembly.
First Continental Congress
• The Virginia House of Burgess was ordered dissolved by
the governor.
• Meeting in a nearby tavern, the burgesses strongly
encouraged colonies to stop trading with Britain. They
also urged them to send delegates to a colonial congress
to discuss more action.
• Sept 5, 1774, 55 delegates met at Carpenters Hall in
Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. Twelve
of the colonies were represented; Georgia did not attend.
• Some believed compromise was still possible, while
others believed it was time to fight.
• Congress voted to issue the Declaration of Rights and
Grievances, expressing loyalty to the kings but
disapproval for the Coercive Acts.
• Delegates agreed to boycott British goods and to hold a
second Continental Congress in May 1775.
The Revolution Begins
• October 1774, members of the Massachusetts
suspended assembly defied the British and
organized the Massachusetts Provincial Congress.
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They formed the Committee of Safety and chose John
Hancock to lead it.
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John Hancock was given the power to call up the
militia.
• Full scale rebellion was now underway; with
militias practicing and running drills.
• Concord created a special unit known as
minutemen; trained and ready to stand at a
minutes warning in case of alarm.
• Colonies created provincial congresses, and militia
raided military depots for ammunitions.
Loyalist and Patriots
Loyalist
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Did not agree with Parliament
Loyal to the king
Believe British law should be supported
Americans who supported Britain during conflicts
were known as Tories or Loyalists.
• Most Loyalists lived in the Carolinas, Georgia, and
New York.
• Many were government officials, Anglican
ministers, landowners, and some farmers and
merchants.
Patriots
• Did not agree with Parliament
• Believed the British were tyrants
• Americans who did not support the king were
known as Patriots or Whigs.
• Sometimes they tarred and feathered Loyalists.
• Patriots were strong in New England and Virginia.
• Many were artisans, farmers, merchants, planters,
lawyers, and urban workers.
Lexington & Concord
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April 1775, the British government ordered General Gage arrest
the Massachusetts Provincial Congress.
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The British then fired at the minute men, killing 8 and wounding
10.
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He did not know where the congress was being held so he
decided to take the militia’s supply depot in Concord instead.
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The British headed to Concord, there they discovered the militia
had removed most of their supplies.
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700 British troops set out on April 18, 1775 for Concord, through
the town of Lexington.
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When the British tried to cross the bridge to reach the other end
of the town they encountered 400 colonial militia men.
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Patriot leaders heard about the plan and sent Paul Revere and
William Dawes to sound the alarm. The two men raced to
Lexington to warn the people that the British were coming. Dr.
Samuel Prescott joined them along the way.
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A fight broke out which forced the British to retreat, they were
being fired upon by the militia from behind trees, stone walls,
barns, and houses.
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The British stopped Revere and Dawes but Prescott made it
through in time to warn Concord.
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By the time they reached Boston 73 British soldiers were killed,
174 wounded, and 26 missing.
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April 19, British troops arrive in Lexington and see 70 minutemen
lined up; they were ordered by the British to leave.
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Colonial forces lost 49 men, 41 wounded, and 5 missing.
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The minutemen began to back away when a shot was fired; no
one knows from which side the shot came from; “shot heard
round the world.”
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By May 1775 the militia surrounded Boston, trapping the British.
New of the fighting spread across the colonies, militia from all
over raced to the area to help.
Second Continental Congress
• Three weeks after the battles at Lexington
and Concord the 2nd Continental Congress
met in Philadelphia.
• First issue was defense; the Congress voted
to “adopt” the militia army surrounding
Boston, naming it the Continental Army.
• June 15, 1775 the congress selected George
Washington to command the new army.
• British landed reinforcements in Boston
before Washington could reach his new
army.
Battle of Bunker Hill
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The British planned to seize control of the city by first taking the hills north
of the city.
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Warned in advance the militia acted first. On June 16, 1775, they began
building a fort on top of Breed’s Hill near Bunker Hill.
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The following day, General Gage sent 2,200 troops to take the hill.
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According to legend, an American commander named William Prescott told
his troops not to fire until they saw the whites of their enemies’ eyes. When
the British came within 40 yards’ distance, the Americans fired. They stopped
two British attacks. Then, they were forced to retreat after running out of
ammunition.
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The Battle of Bunker Hill, as it was called, helped build American confidence.
It showed that the colonial militia could stand up to one of the world’s most
feared armies.
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The British suffered more than 1,000 casualties in the fighting.
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Shortly afterward, General Gage resigned. General William Howe replaced
him.
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The situation became a stalemate as the colonial militia surrounded the British
troops.
The Decision to Declare Independence
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By the summer of 1775 most colonists were still not ready to
completely break from Britain, but wanted the right to govern
themselves.
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Many patriot leaders called for independence because there was
no compromise.
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It stated the colonies were still loyal to the crown and asked to end
the fighting until a peaceful resolve could be found.
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Established a post office, marine corps, continental navy, and sent
representatives to negotiate with Native Americans.
Lord Dunmore of Virginia announced that enslaved Africans who
fought for the loyalist would be freed at the end of the war.
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They captured Montreal but the French did not rebel.
By this time the Continental Army was acting as an independent
government.
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King George refused to look at the petition
King George issues the Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion
and Sedition; stated the colonist were openly rebelling and asked
loyal British residents to bring the traitors to justice.
Continental Congress approved an attack on the British at Quebec
hoping this would give the French an incentive to rebel and join
them in the fight against the British.
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The Continental Congress sent a document to King George
known as the Olive Branch Petition.
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This announcement led many southern planters to join the colonies
to fight for independence. They feared they would loose their labor
force.
December 1775 Patriot troops attacked Dunmore’s forces near
Norfolk Virginia. Month later the British pull their troops from
Virginia.
Prohibitory Act
• Ended trade with the colonies
• Ordered a naval blockades in port cities
• All colonial ships were treated as the
enemy and were subject to seizure.
• This was an effort to economically cripple
to colonies.
• The colonies responded by issuing letters
of marque authorizing colonial ship
owners to seize British ships; privateering.
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
• January 1776 public opinion began to change with the publishing of the persuasive
pamphlet “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine.
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Until its publishing most only viewed Parliament as the enemy, not King George.
Paine attached the king and wrote Parliament did nothing without the kings support.
He argued monarchs were formed by seizing power from the people.
King George was a tyrant and it was time to declare independence.
Within 3 months 100,000 copies had circulated and minds were being changed.
Provincial congresses and legislatures told their representatives at the Continental
Congress to vote for independence.
• In early July, a committee submitted a document that Thomas Jefferson drafted on
independence. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress issued the Declaration of
Independence.
• The American Revolution had begun.