Unit 6

Textbook p.312In May 1775, soon after the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress had begun to meet. Colonists cheered the delegates as they arrived in Philadelphia. However, the delegates faced troubling new issues. When they had met the year before, the delegates had decided on a peaceful protest. Now British and American soldiers were fighting in New England. The Congress had to decide how to respond.

Second Continental Congress

When: May 10, 1775

Where: Philadelphia, PA.

Who: Representatives from 12 colonies (not Georgia)

*Benjamin Franklin *Thomas Jefferson *Samuel Adams *John Adams

John Hancock was the leader of the SCC.

The SCC believed the problem with the British could be

_____________.

The SCC believed the problem with the British could be

solved!!!

Textbook p.312The delegates did not agree on what path to take. They knew that any actions they took must help protect the colonies against future attacks. John Adams suggested that Congress form a “Grand American Army,” with troops from every colony.

Adams nominated Virginian George Washington to be the commander-in-chief of the new Continental Army. He praised WAshington as “a gentleman whose skill as an officer...would command the respect of American.” Washington Accepted and promised to use “every power I possess….for the support of the glorious cause.”

The SCC decided the colonies needed an ____________ and a _______.

The SCC decided the colonies needed an army of full-time soldiers and a

part-time militia (from small towns and villages).

They chose ___________ as the army leader because:

● _______________________________________● _______________________________________

They chose George Washington as the army leader because:

● Experience in the French & Indian War● Was Respected

Textbook p.312

The Congress also started a post office so that all the colonies would share news. Benjamin Franklin, a new delegate to the Congress, was appointed Postmaster General. Afraid that Native Americans would side with the British,the Congress set up a committee to make peace with them. The Congress also began to ask foreign countries to support the colonies against Britain. By taking all of these steps, the Second Continental Congress had begun to act like a central government for a new country.

During the American Revolution which of the following governing bodies established an Army to unify the colonies?

1st Continental Congress

2nd Continental Congress

House of Burgesses

Mayflower Compact

Constructed Response (RAPS, RACE)

How did the second continental congress act like a government for the colonies? What actions did the Second Continental Congress take? You may use a textbook to help you (p.312). Do not COPY from the book. Be sure to answer both questions!

Let’s see what the textbook says: P.304Cannons Roar

Henry’s powerful speech predicted the battles of the coming war. AFter Lexington and Concord, the Massachusetts minutemen kept up their attack on the British around Boston.

“Let the cannon roar,” said an English lord. Then the colonists will run away “as fast as their feet will carry them.” He was wrong.

The fall of Fort Ticonderoga p.304

While the minutemen surrounded Boston, a militia leader from Vermont named Ethan Allen set his sights on Fort Ticonderoga. This fort on Lake Champlain was one of the main supply posts for the British army.

The Green Mountain Boys served in the militia under Allen. The band of farmers who mostly made up this group included both blacks and whites.

Near dawn on May 10, 1775, the Green Mountain Boys crept past the fort’s light defenses. Allen woke the commander and demanded his surrender. “Come out of there, you old rat,” he shouted. Without any bloodshed, the Americans had captured British cannons and cut off British support from Canada.

On the same day as the Second Continental Congress the _____________________________ made a surprise attack on _____________________________. They surprised the

British, so the British ________________ the fort and ______________________ (a Patriot) took the cannons.

On the same day as the Second Continental Congress the Green Mountain Boys made a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga. They surprised the British, so the British

surrendered the fort and Ethan Allen (a Patriot) took the cannons.

Battle of Bunker Hill Textbook p.305

In June some 1,200 militia around Boston were sent across the bay to Charlestown. Whoever controlled the hills surrounding Charleston would be able to fire cannons on Boston.

Through the night the colonists dug out a rough fort near Breed’s Hill. By dawn the soldiers “began to be almost beat out,” remembered one colonists, “being tired by our labor and having no sleep the night before.” Then a British ship in the harbor began to fire its cannons at the exhausted men.

British troops marched on the fort after noon. “Don’t fire till you see the whites of their eyes,” ordered the colonial General Israel Putnam. The colonists bravely fought off two charges. But they ran out of ammunition, and a third charge forced them to retreat to nearby Bunker Hill. The British commander Colonel Pitcairn, who had fought the colonists at Lexington, leaped upon a wall of the fort to declare victory. Peter Salem, a former slave, killed him with a single shot.

In what was later called the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British “victory” cost them the lives of more than 1,000 soldiers. Although more than 400 colonists were also killed they had proven their willingness to put up a hard fight.

Discovery Education Video 4 min.

What happened?

When?

Where?

Who was involved?

How & Why did it happen?

What happened? British victory at Battle of Bunker Hill.Colonial soldiers stopped 2,400 British twice, but on their third attack the colonists ran out of gunpowder.

When?

Where?

Who was involved?How & Why did it happen?

What happened? British victory at Battle of Bunker Hill.Colonial soldiers stopped 2,400 British twice but on their third attack the colonists ran out of gunpowder.

Where? Breed’s Hill & Bunker HillAcross the Charles River from Boston

When?

Who was involved?How & Why did it happen?

What happened? British victory at Battle of Bunker Hill.Colonial soldiers stopped 2,400 British twice but on their third attack the colonists ran out of gunpowder.

Where? Breed’s Hill & Bunker HillAcross the Charles River from Boston

When? June 17,1775

Who was involved?How & Why did it happen?

What happened? British victory at Battle of Bunker Hill.Colonial soldiers stopped 2,400 British twice but on their third attack the colonists ran out of gunpowder.

When? Breed’s Hill & Bunker HillAcross the Charles River from Boston

Where? June 17,1775

Who was involved?

Colonial Soldiers → General Putman vs.British Soldiers → General Gage & General Howe

How & Why did it happen?

What happened?

British victory at Battle of Bunker Hill.Colonial soldiers stopped 2,400 British twice but on their third attack the colonists ran out of gunpowder.

When? Breed’s Hill & Bunker HillAcross the Charles River from Boston

Where? June 17,1775

Who was involved?

Colonial Soldiers → General Putman vs.British Soldiers → General Gage & General Howe

How & Why did it happen?

Colonists built a fort for protection at Breed’s Hill. British attacked in 3 waves and won. British captured the fort.

Textbook p.310

News of the Battle of Bunker Hill had made Franklin break with a good friend. Yet not all Americans were ready to break completely from Britain in 1775. Many still wanted Britain and the colonies to compromise. Some felt that the colonies were not strong enough to govern themselves. Most colonists spoke English, shared English customs and laws, and had relatives in BRitain. The British were the colonists’ major trading partner. British ships protected colonial trade routes.

Textbook p.310

One fact, however, could not be forgotten. Colonists had lost their lives at Lexington, Concord and Bunker HIll. The fight for Liberty had begun!

King George III did not think much of the colonists’ will to fight. He was sure that once they “have felt a small blow, they will submit.” You will see how the colonists proved the King’s prediction wrong!

By 1776 more and more colonists wanted to declare independence immediately. “We must be content to wait til the fruit is ripe,” Sam Adams told them, “before we gather it.”

Common Sense Textbook p.311A talented writer helped to ripen the “Fruit” of independence. He was Thomas PAine, an Englishman who had settled in Pennsylvania in 1774.

In January 1776 Paine published a pamphlet entitled Common Sense. In it Paine argued that the colonists owed no loyalty to an unjust ruler. It made no sense, Pain wrote, for “a continent to be perpetually (forever) ruled by an island...Tis time to part!”

Paine used language most people could easily understand. In 3 months more than 100,000 copies of his pamphlet were sold. “I find Common SEnse is working a powerful change in the minds of many men,” observed George Washington.

Common Sense - Thomas Paine

“There is something absurd in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.”

Discovery Education Video

Common Sense - Thomas PaineJanuary 1776 - Thomas Paine published (wrote) a 46 page pamphlet (book) called “Common Sense”.

1. Told the colonists: they should rebel against the “violent abuse of power!” 2. Posed the question: Does the King have the right to rule us?

Colonists were persuaded to join the patriots and seek independence.

“Common Sense” was a direct outcome of the 2nd Continental Congress!!

Which colonial leader led colonists to independence by publishing Common Sense?

→ Thomas Paine

Textbook p.311

Meanwhile, 15,000 American soldier surrounded the BRitish troops in Boston. When British General William Howe showed no signs of leaving Boston, Washington sent Henry Knox, a former bookseller, to Fort Ticonderoga. Knox and his men dragged cannons from the New York fort more than 250 miles over frozen rivers and snowy hills to Boston. When the British awoke on March 5, 1776, they saw the cannons staring down at them.

Textbook p.311

The showdown was over. As George Washington told his brother, the British soldiers, along with some 1000 colonists loyal to Britain, retreated “in a shameful and precipitate (hurried) manner.” The colonists had retaken Boston.

Textbook p.313“The war is now heartily entered into,” wrote Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, a new delegate to the Congress. Many agreed with him, including John Hancock. Hancock, a new delegate from Massachusetts, was serving as president of the congress.

In July 1775 the Congress agreed to try one last time to make peace with Britain. The delegates sent what they called the “Olive Branch Petition” to King George III. The olive branch is a symbol of peace. The petition assured Britain the loyalty of the Americans. The Olive Branch Petition also asked for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts and to end the fighting.

Olive Branch Petition

Created by the _______________________ on _____________. Sent to ______________ as a way to solve the conflict ________________________.

1. Showed __________________ to _____________, but __________________ of Parliament’s actions.

2. Included a ____________ against policies and asked King George to ________ the Intolerable and Stamp Acts and to end the ____________.

Olive Branch Petition

Created by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775. Sent to King George III as a way to solve the conflict peacefully.

1. Showed loyalty to King George III, but disapproval of Parliament’s actions.

2. Included a protest against policies and asked King George to repeal the Intolerable and Stamp Acts and to end the fighting.

Olive Branch Petition Video

Textbook p.313

The king refused to even read the petition from what he called an “illegal congress.” He threatened to “bring the traitors to justice.” A traitor is someone who turns against his or her country. Many colonists were shocked at the King’s angry words.

Why did the king call the colonists traitors?

KING GEORGE REFUSED TO READ THE PETITION!!!

August 23,1775 King George III declared the colonies to be in rebellion!

He sent 20,000 Hessian mercenaries to the colonies.

A Hessian is a soldier from another country who was paid to fight for the King.

What document did the 2nd Continental Congress send to Britain as a final attempt for peaceful resolution?

→ Olive Branch Petition

Textbook p.313

The delegates then took their biggest step. Early in June 1776 Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee proposed “that these United colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.” many agreed. The Congress named a committee to write a statement of independence.

The new committee then asked John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger SHerman and Robert Livingston to write the Declaration of Independence. Adams convinced Jefferson to draft the document. “You can write ten times better than I can,” Addams argued. Jefferson was only 33 years old at the time.

Declaration of IndependenceBy June 1776 the second Continental Congress moved closer to declaring independence from Britain. (They wanted to be their own country!)

Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) gave a speech! He said colonists no longer owed their loyalty to the King. He suggested the colonies should be free and independent states. This led to a debate.

LOYALIST vs. PATRIOT

Loyalist → a colonist loyal to the King

Patriot → a colonist who wanted freedom

June 11, 1776 2nd C.C. created a committee to draft a statement giving the colonies independence. Each member of the committee was from a different colony.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

This is the writing desk Thomas Jefferson

Used in writing the Declaration.

Video: Declaration

PLEASE GET A TEXTBOOK

P.316

Textbook p.316

Make 3 frayer models

1. Consent of the governed2. Equality3. Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Happiness

The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the 2nd Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

The colonists believed the purpose of the government was to protect individual rights.

Such as:

● Life● Liberty● Pursuit of happiness● Consent of the governed

How was the Declaration organized?1. Preamble: (introduction, why we need a declaration)2. Statement of Rights (ideas about government)3. List of Grievances (complaints against King & Parliament) 4. Declare Independence

What did the colonists believe was the purpose of government?

→ To protect individual rights

Create definition chart

Battle of Saratoga p.324

In June 1777 a British general named John Burgoyne decided to capture the Hudson River Valley. This would cut New England and New York off from the rest of the colonies.

Starting from Canada, Burgoyne's troops headed south toward Albany, New York. Along the way, groups of Patriots attacked from the woods. Burgoyne’s troops were forced to cut roads through thick forests and swamps. It took them all day to travel one mile.

The Americans had time to prepare. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish engineer serving with the Americans, had placed cannons on a high cliff overlooking the road to Albany. Local farmers, many with excellent shooting skills, poured into the area to help the Patriots. By the time Burgoyne reached Saratoga, New York, the Americans vastly outnumbered the British. After two months of fighting, Burgoyne surrendered on October 17, 1777.

Saratoga Video

Battle of SaratogaThe battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the war.

Turning point - an event that causes an important shift or change

What happened at Saratoga?General Burgoyne (British) troops were about 10,000. They were met by Continental soldiers & General Gates 15,000 soldiers.

Battles on September 19, 1777 & October 7, 1777

Colonists won & Burgoyne surrendered

VICTORY!American victory ended the threat of Britain in New England colonies.

Colonists were happy and became more confident.

Because of the Battle of Saratoga it convinced France to be an ally of the colonies!

Ally - friend on your side

The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the war because it persuaded France to give military assistance to the colonists.

Valley Forge (p.324-325)While General Burgoyne was marching to SAratoga, General Howe had captured Philadelphia. The Continental Congress fled to York, Pennsylvania. Washington and his troops set up camp at Valley Forge near Philadelphia.

Supplies were dangerously low. Most survived by eating firecakes, a thing bread of flour and water cooked over an open fire. Many soldiers left and went home. At least 2,500 died of disease. Martha Washington helped comfort and nurse the sick. One out of three soldiers had no shoes at all. Washington noted bitterly that “you might have tracked the army… by the blood of their feet” upon the snow.

Friedrich von Steuben, an energetic soldier from the German state of Prussia, helped train the ragged troops. Von Steuben expected them to be on time. Even rags, he told them, could be kept clean. Von Steuben taught the troops the latest European fighting methods. Under his watchful eyes, a group of storekeepers, farmers and other citizens was turned into a powerful army.

Because the colonists survived the winter at Valley Forge, they were able to train to become better soldiers with Von Steuben.

Early in 1778 France joined the war against their longtime enemy, Britain. They sent gunpowder, soldiers and ships. French support would make a big difference in the outcome of the war.

Benedict Arnold Turns TraitorAs a Patriot commander, Benedict Arnold had helped the Americans win at Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga. In 1778, however Arnold married a woman from a Loyalist family. He lived a life of luxury and was soon in debt.

In 1780 Washington gave Arnold command of West Point, a key fort on New York’s Hudson River. In exchange for money, Arnold planned to tell the British about West Point’s defenses. When the Americans found out, Arnold escaped and became an officer in the British army. Many British soldiers however, never fully trusted him. Today a “Benedict Arnold” has come to mean a traitor to one's country.

The Spanish Help the PatriotsA year after France joined the war Spain followed suit. Many Spanish soldiers, like Jorge Ferragut fought with the Patriots. Women in Cuba sold their jewelry to raise money for the American cause.

In 1777 Bernando de Galvez became Governor of Spanish Louisiana. He opened up the port of New Orleans to American ships and ended British trade with Louisiana. Galvez also sent money and supplies to George Roger Clark. As a commander of Spain’s troops in America, Galvez won control of several key cities along the Gulf Coast including Pensacola, Florida.

The End of the War!!! P. 334-335When Nathanael Greene forced the British to retreat north, General Cornwallis went as far as Yorktown, Virginia. This was supposed to be the last stand for the British Troops.

Victory at YorktownWHen GEneral Cornwallis asked his servant James ARmistead to spy on the Americans, he did not realize that Armistead was already spying for them. Armistead alerted Lafayette to Cornwallis’s plans. HE also gave Cornwallis false information about the Americans

Washington was therefore able to trick Cornwallis into thinking he was going to attack New York. INstead more than 17,000 American and French soldiers surrounded Yorktown. French warships blocked the harbor and prevented the British from retreating. Realizing that he was outgunned and outnumbered, Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolution.

The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolution.

After the Battle of Yorktown, a disappointed King George III wanted to continue the fight. tHe British Parliament however, was tired of war and it wanted to make peace.

The Treaty of PAris of 1783, Britain finally recognized the independence of the United STates. The land west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been won by George Rogers Clark became part of the United STates. Florida, which had come under BRitish control, was returned to Spain, an ally of the Patriots.

Treaty of Paris

A treaty signed by Britain and the United states.

Britain recognized the United States as a free and independent country.

The Treaty of Paris created borders for the United States.

The official end of the American Revolution came after the Treaty of Paris!

The Treaty of Paris defined the United States borders.