Download The Breach Widens: Resistance to the Monarchy

Responding to the Americans –
Domination and Resistance
And it begins: Lexington and Concord
April, 1775
The British
decide to raid a
store of guns and
ammo in
Concord and
capture two
leaders of the
Boston resistance
hiding in
Lexington : John
Hancock and
Samuel Adams
The British are Coming!!
• The British left
Boston on the
night of April 18,
1775 , marching
for Lexington
and Concord
• Paul Revere and
his riders saw
them and rode
ahead to warn
the citizens that
“The British are
Coming.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4hUMQG3MI8
• The British arrived in
Lexington and were
greeted in the Town
Square by armed militia
– the Minutemen
• The “shot heard round
the world” was fired and
the first battle of the
revolution was fought –
the British won
• The British marched
onto Concord but found
heavy armed resistance
and fled back to Boston
The Battles of
Lexington and
Concord
The Shot Heard Round the World
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZMmPW
TwTHc
The Aftermath of Lexington and
Concord: Stalemate
• After the battles at Lexington and Concord,
the colonies galvanized for action to forcibly
defend their land – their America!
• England and King George decided to fight for
what they felt was legally theirs!
• The 2nd Continental Congress is called and
delegates from all 13 colonies meet in
Philadelphia on May 10, 1775 to discuss what
should be done in response to the new
situations brought about by British aggression.
The Second Continental Congress : May 10, 1775
First Actions of the 2nd Continental
Congress
• War and Independence were not the first options
for the Colonists.
• America offers the Olive Branch Petition for
Peace, which is rejected by King George
– It’s either total submission to the King by the Colonists
themselves or forced submission by English troops
• The Continental Army is established with George
Washington made General.
• The Americans begin to debate their course of
action: Submit or fight for Independence
Early Military Actions as Colonists
Meet and Debate independence
• Patriot Troops storm and capture Fort
Ticonderoga from the British in New
Hampshire’s Green Mountains
• Patriot Troops take up a defensive position on
a Hill overlooking Boston and Boston Harbor
• The Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston
– The British and Hessian mercenaries beat an
outnumbered colonial resistance but suffered
heavy losses and learned that the Colonist were
formidable enemies
Battle of Bunker Hill: June 17, 1775
The Great Debate over
Independence and War in the 2nd
Continental Congress
• Who was there
– Representatives from all 13 colonies
• John Hancock, Sam Adams, John Adams, Thomas
Jefferson, Ben Franklin…
– Loyalists (Tories) were those colonists who
wanted to remain loyal to England and the King
– Patriots were those who wanted to break away
from England and be self-governing
The Influence of Thomas Paine’s
Pamphlet: Common Sense
http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/thomas-painecommon-sense-and-the-crisis.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-LGxOll2zc
June 1776: The Debating Ends and the
Declaring Begins…
After a year of debate, discussion, prayer, and petition
the debate comes to an end on June 7, 1776:
The Writing of the Declaration of Independence
• On June 11,
1776 Congress
creates a
committee of
five men to
draft a
document
declaring the
Colonists’
intention to
become an
Independent
nation
John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston
Presenting the Declaration to the
Continental Congress
• On June 28,
1776 the
Committee
presents
their
document
to the
Congress
for
adoption
Editing, Debating and Adopting the
Declaration
• The final debate for or against American
Independence took place in the Continental
Congress on July 1 and 2
• All 13 colonies needed to approve the motion to
break from England for it to be adopted by Congress
• On July 2, Congress voted to declare independence
• The members began editing a final draft of the
Declaration of Independence and shortened it by
25% from its original size
Declaring Independence
• On July 2 and 3, the members made their final edits of
the Declaration of Independence
• On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was
voted on and adopted by the Continental Congress. It
was read in the Continental Congress and ordered to be
immediately reproduced for distribution
Making Independence Known
throughout America and England
• The first public reading
was held outside
Independence Hall on
July 8.
• Copies were
disseminated to all the
colonies – and by July 9,
1776 the colonists all
knew that they were no
longer under the
authority of England
•
Copies were sent to England
and turned Colonial
resistance into Revolution,
and the War of Independence