Independence Flashcards
(29 cards)
When was Lexington and Concord?
1775
What happened at Lexington and Concord?
-Gage sent 700 men from Boston to Concord to seize rebel arms and arrest leaders
-Lexington:British troops were met by 70 minutemen (shots fired + 8 colonists killed)
-Concord: British met with larger force + heavy gunfire + troops destroyed military stores
-Retreat: colonists followed British back to Boston + 273 British soldiers had been killed or injured
-Aftermath: 20,000 New England militia besieged Boston
-militiamen seized British outposts (Fort Ticonderoga + Crown Point in NY)
When was the Second Continental Congress?
1775
Makeup of the Second Continental Congress?
-65 delegates + 13 colonies represented
What did the Second Continental Congress do?
-took control of war conduct + assumed responsibility for army outside Boston
-established quota on each colony sufficient to raise an army of 20,000 men
-issue £2 million in paper money to pay for army
-appointed Washington to command Continental army
What reconciliation efforts did the Second Continental Congress do?
-adopted a Declaration of Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms
-listed colonial grievances + adopted Olive Branch Petition (professed loyalty to George III)
How did the British react to the Second Continental Congress?
-following Bunker Kill George III dismissed the Olive Branch petition
-declare the colonies to be in a state of open rebellion
-called loyal subjects to suppress rebellion
-passed Prohibitory Act (prohibited all imperial trade with the colonies + withdrew British protection from shipping)
Who pulled up to Boston in 1775?
-Howe and Clinton with thousands of reinforcements
-Gage now had force of 6500 men
When was the Battle of Bunker Hill?
1775
What happened at the Battle of Bunker Hill?
-rebels moved to occupy Bunker Hill (moved a force of 1500 men for Breed’s Hill by mistake)
-Howe launched frontal attack
-rebels fled
Howe: lost 1000/2500 men + 1/8 of British officers killed in the entire war were lost at Bunker Hill
When did Washington take command of the Continental Army?
1775
What was the Continental army like when Washington took control?
-15,000 poorly trained, equipped and disciplined men not fit for duty
-had less than 50 cannons + limited powder
-army had limited trained gunners
-lacked order
-officers were bad (failed to inspect troops + supervise food and quarters)
How did Washington change the Continental Army?
-democratic processes for selecting officers was ended
-incompetent officers were removed + officers guilty of misconduct were removed
-special insignia distinguished the remaining ordinary soldiers
When was the invasion of Canada?
Winter 1775-76
What happened during the invasion of Canada?
-chose to invade Canada hoping the French would join the rebellion
-Arnold and Montgomery led 2 forces with the aim of having a combined attack on Quebec
-Montgomery captured Montreal
-made hasty attack on Quebec (enlistments expired at the end of the year)
Why did the invasion of Canada fail?
-made in the middle of a heavy snowstorm
-Montgomery was killed + Arnold wounded
-suffered from a lack of supplies + smallpox
-rebels deserted
-reinforcements arrived in spring
When was the war in the South?
winter 1775-76
What happen in the South?
-Dunmore launched raids of Virginian coastal towns
-issued proclamation promising freedom to slaves who fled rebel masters to join British
-Proclamation unified the rebel cause (southerners were stirred into action)
What did the loyalists do in NC?
-British planed to crush rebellion in Carolinas + Georgia
-loyalists acted too early
-1776 loyalists were defeated by the rebels at Moore’s Creek
What happened during Clinton’s raids on the South?
-failed to besiege Boston in 1776
-found limited support along NC coast
-attempt to capture Charleston = failure
When was the siege in Boston?
early 1776
What happened in the Siege of Boston?
-artillery was transported 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga
-rebel forces captured Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston
-British position = untenable
-Howe’s army began to evacuate Boston
-sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia (main North American naval base)
Summary of Common Sense:
-Thomas Paine
-expressed + developed mood
-quickly sold 120,000 copies
-written in simple prose + used forceful language + sold cheaply
-Pain argued independence was inevitable as blood had been spilled (no way back)
What was the impact of common sense?
-influential
-independence was seen as treasonous before common sense
-allowed America to openly speak of independence
