Materials Get a notes page from the table

1. Objective: Explain how the Continental Army gained control of Boston Materials Get a notes page from the table Colonel William Prescott’s army at Bunker Hill Homework Notebook Quiz (tomorrow) Last day for States Test & makeup work

2. Within a few days of Lexington and Concord, between 10,000 and 15,000 militia rushed to Boston. They surrounded the city and the British troops stationed there. • On May 10, 1775 (a few weeks after Lexington and Concord), colonial delegates met at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Most hoped to avoid a break with Britain, however, while at the meeting, the fighting spread.

3. A Peace Petition • The delegates decided to send a petition to King George. In the Olive Branch Petition, they declared their loyalty tothe king and asked him to repeal the Intolerable Acts. • The king was furious about the petition and ordered 20,000 more troops to the colonies to crush the revolt.

4. Rebels Take Ticonderoga • Ethan Allen (a Vermont blacksmith) decided to lead a band of Vermonters known as the Green Mountain Boys in a surprise attack on British Fort Ticonderoga. Allen knew the fort held cannons that the colonists could use. • Allen and his men were successful in capturing the fort and gave the colonists a valuable supply of cannons and gunpowder.

5. Setting Up an Army • In June of 1775, the Second Continental Congress set up the Continental Army. They appointed GeorgeWashington of Virginia as commander.

6. Patriots • The colonists who favored war against Britain called themselves Patriots • These men entered the war with many disadvantages: • Poorly organized and untrained. • Few cannons little gunpowder & no navy • Also had some advantages: • Owned rifles and were good shots • Determined to fight to defend their homes & property.

7. The British • The British were a powerful foe • Highly trained, experienced troops. • Their navy was the best in the world. • Britain also faced some problems: • Its armies were 3,000 miles from home. • News and supplies took months to travel from Britain to America. • British soldiers risked attacks from colonists in the countryside.

8. Loyalists • American colonists who remained loyal to Britain were called loyalists • There were more loyalists in the Middle & Southern Colonies than in New England. • Patriots tarred & feathered Loyalists during the war.

9. Bunker Hill • During the 1st year of conflict, much of the fighting centered around Boston • The British prevailed, but more than 1,000 British troops lay dead or wounded. • On June 16, 1775, Colonel William Prescott led 1,200 minutemen up Bunker Hill, across the river from Boston. • Battle of Bunker Hill was the 1st major battle of the Revolution. • They could fire on British ships in Boston harbor. • Prescott noticed that nearby Breed’s Hill was better so he ordered his men to move there. • British General William Howe ordered 2,400 redcoats to attack the hills.

10. British Leave Boston • After Bunker Hill, General Washington found 16,000 troops camped in huts and tents near Boston. • King George III ordered a blockade of all colonial ports and also used mercenaries (troops for hire), from Germany to help fight the colonists. • He quickly started to train the men and turned them into an army. • In January 1776, the cannons from Fort Ticonderoga arrived in Boston so General Washington had the cannons placed on elevated land, overlooking the Boston Harbor. • British General Howe had his men sail from Boston to Canada in March of 1776 to avoid being killed by the colonists.

11. Liberty’s Kids – Bunker Hill As you are watching the video clip…write down 5 things that are important in the Battle of Bunker Hill