Unit 2 Lesson 2: Declaring Independence Flashcards
the British passed the Intolerable Acts to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party. By 1774, anger about the Intolerable Acts reached a boiling point. What happened as a result?
First Continental Congress
What did the First Continental Congress do?
As a result, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia with the task of deciding on an appropriate response to the laws.
Did the Continental congress have lot of support?
But this group had only limited support; there were still strong connections between the colonies and Britain.
What is a loyalists?
Those who opposed independence were known as loyalists. They were usually wealthy colonists with property. To them, revolution meant mob rule, violence, and disorder.
Did member in Congress agree with eachother if not explain the differnt view points
At first, members of the Congress could not agree. Some argued for a conciliatory, or agreeable, approach where the colonies and Britain would work out a new system in which power was shared. Others demanded complete separation from Britain.
There was much discontent in the colonies. In an effort to restore law and order, what did the Britsh do?
The British sent General Thomas Gage to Boston, the site of the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party.
When the General Gage arrive and how did the citzens of boston react?
He arrived in May 1774 to serve as the new royal governor, accompanied by several regiments of British troops. Fearing that Boston had become the headquarters of British military operations, many residents fled.
Both the British and the patriots in New England began to prepare for conflict. Who were Patriots?
Patriots, American colonists who opposed British rule, began to gather weapons and gunpowder across the region.
What was General Gage going in towns?
In turn, General Gage ordered raids on towns where weapons were stockpiled. Gage’s actions led to the formation of the minutemen, local militias (civilian armies) that were able to organize on short notice.
General Gage ordered raids on towns where weapons were stockpiled. Gage’s actions led to the formation of the…
minutemen, local militias (civilian armies) that were able to organize on short notice.
What did General Gage want to do in Concord Massachusetts?
General Gage knew that gunpowder was stored in Concord, Massachusetts, a town outside of Boston. In April 1775, he ordered troops to seize these supplies and arrest patriot leaders John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress and eventually a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Samuel Adams.
How did the PAtriots react to General Gage’s plan?
Patriots, however, learned of the plan. Men from Boston, including prominent patriot Paul Revere, rode on horseback to nearby Lexington and alerted the local militia that British troops were coming.
Both sides assembled their troops and weapons throughout the night. They met on the morning of April 19 on Lexington Green. What happened during the Battle of LExington?
British Major John Pitcairn ordered his men to surround and disarm the militia. In the confusion, shots from an unknown rifle were fired. The British charged with their bayonets. Eight militiamen and one British soldier were killed.
How did the battle of Concord go?
The British next marched toward Concord. They were met by more militia at the North Bridge and suffered a stunning defeat. Soon, the British retreated to Boston. During the skirmishes, 73 British and 43 colonists were killed.
What were the first milltary clahses of the American REvelton?
These Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military clashes of the American Revolution.
British forces continued to occupy Boston. How did the colonial millitas react to this?
As a result, thousands of colonial militias marched to the city and began to lay siege, a military tactic where soldiers surround a town or building with the goal of forcing a surrender.
What did the patriots Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict do?
In May 1775, patriots Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold led a group of patriots to British-occupied Fort Ticonderoga in New York. They captured the fort and its cannons, which they brought to Boston to support the siege.
How did the Battle of Bunker hill begin?
In June, General Gage planned to support the British defenses by placing troops across Boston Harbor in Charlestown.
How did the Battle of bunker hill go down?
On June 17, the British launched three assaults on the hills in the Battle of Bunker Hill, finally gaining ground after the patriots ran out of ammunition. The colonists retreated and the British won the battle, but at a high cost. They learned that an inexperienced militia could put up a fight. And although the British took control of Charlestown, they were still besieged in Boston.
What were the importance of the hills?
Two hills there, Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill, were strategically located so that whoever controlled the hills would control the harbor. Colonial forces learned of the British plan and quickly occupied Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill.
How did King George III react to the battles in the colonies?
In August 1775, King George III declared the colonies in an official state of rebellion.
What was the Brtish sistuation in Boston?
British forces found themselves in a difficult position: isolated in Boston with no control over the countryside.
How did the siege in Boston end?
The British hold over Boston was finally broken in March 1776. During that month, colonial forces under the command of George Washington used the cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga to force the British to evacuate the city. This ended the nearly yearlong siege.
By the time the British retreated, fighting had broken out across the colonies. Describe the rebellion in other colonies.
In May, rebellion began in North Carolina. In November, fighting broke out in Virginia. There, the royal governor had promised freedom for enslaved people who took up arms for Britain. This decision had the unintended consequence of rallying slaveholders to support the patriot cause.
