The American Revolution

1. The American Revolution “O! ye that love mankind! Ye that dare not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the Old World is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe…O! receive the fugitive and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.” Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

2. The First Continental Congress • Punitive nature of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 • Closed Boston Harbor – quartering of troops • Decreased power of local assemblies • Royal officials to be tried in England • Took away American lands along Ohio River • American fear of Roman Catholicism • All colonies except Georgia send delegates to meeting in Philadelphia in September 1774 • Convention’s purpose was to determine how the colonies should react • At this point, most Americans still had no desire for independence – they simply wanted to protest

3. The First Continental Congress

4. The First Continental Congress • Delegates represented a wide range of viewpoints • Leading the radical faction: • Patrick Henry of Virginia • Samuel Adams of Massachusetts • John Adams of Massachusetts • Moderates: • George Washington of Virginia • John Dickinson of Pennsylvania • Conservative delegates: • John Jay of New York • Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania

5. The First Continental Congress • Galloway proposes a plan that misses approval by only one vote – proof of the conservative nature of the meeting • The following measures were adopted: • The Suffolk Resolves • Rejected Intolerable Acts • Called for boycott and military preparation • Declaration of Rights and Grievances • Petition to the king to redress colonial grievances • Recognized Parliaments power to regulate commerce • The Association • Urged formation of Committees of Correspondence • Call for the meeting of a Second Continental Congress

6. Lexington and Concord • King George III rejects petition and denounces the Continental Congress • Sends more troops to Boston • On April 17, 1775 British General Thomas Gage sends large force to seize military supplies at Concord • Minutemen, warned by Revere and Dawes, assemble to confront British on the village green • Americans forced to retreat from British – eight killed • No one knows who fired the first shot of the American Revolution • On return march to Boston, minutemen or “rabble in arms,” ambush British successfully – 250 casualties

7. Paul Revere and William Dawes

8. The Battle of Bunker Hill

9. The Battle of "Breed's Hill" • On June 17, 1775, the two opposing armies face each other on the outskirts of Boston • The British attack and remove the Massachusetts militia from the hill • The British incur heavy casualties – including pride • It was an American moral victory, having succeeded in inflicting over a thousand casualties • Painting by John Trumbull glorifies the battle and the event of General Warren’s death

10. The Second Continental Congress

11. The Second Continental Congress • Soon after fighting breaks out in Massachusetts, delegates are sent to Philadelphia in May 1775 • This Congress is divided into two groups – New England versus the Middle Colonies • Adopted the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms • Called on colonies to provide troops • George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief and sent to Boston • Authorize Benedict Arnold to attack Quebec • Established American Navy and Marine Corps to attack British Navy

12. The Second Continental Congress • In July 1775, the delegates send King George III the “Olive Branch Petition” • King dismisses plea of the colonists and signs Parliaments Prohibitory Act in August 1775 • A few months later Parliament forbids all shipping and trade between England and the colonies • In January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, arguing effectively for independence • On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee makes a proposal • Jefferson goes to work writing the Declaration of Independence – proofread by Franklin and Adams

13. The Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783) • Patriots • Of 2.6 million Americans, an estimated 40% considered themselves Patriots • Many families were split during the war • Most militiamen desired to remain local • General Washington never had more than 20,000 regular troops at one time • Chronically short of supplies, poorly equipped, and rarely paid – “rabble in arms” • Loyalists • 20-30% sided with the Loyalists – also called Tories • Almost 60,000 American Loyalists fought and died • Probably the majority in New York, New Jersey, and Georgia • 80,000 emigrate after the war into Canada and Great Britain • Tended to be wealthier and more conservative