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THE SEIGE OF BOSTON British troops had withdrawn back to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