Home of the Brave

1767-1783
War for Independence
1775-1783
(Revolutionary War)

Pages 78-81

William Pitt the Elder

Prime Minister of Great Britain
He planned to lift trade restrictions on the colonies to boost
private enterprise and thus increase the amount of tax
money sent to Britain without punishing the colonists.

Charles Townshend
Chancellor of the Exchequer (Secretary of Treasury)
Came to power after William Pitt became severely ill.

Townshend Acts
Colonies should pay their fair share of
taxes to support the British empire.
Taxes on colonial imports from Britain,
including paper, paints, lead, glass and tea
Established a board of customs to oversee
the collection of taxes & create courts to
try customs dodgers without a jury.

Writs of Assistance
Special documents that allowed British
officials to search American ships and
buildings for smuggled goods.

Reaction of the Colonies

Insisted they should be protected from
taxation without representation
Circulated pamphlets & letters voicing
opposition
Resorted to boycotts, and refused to
import British goods

Boston Massacre
Conflict in Boston that began with a group of boys throwing
snowballs at a British sentry. He called for help, and British
soldiers came running. An angry crowd began to harass the
soldiers. In the confrontation, someone ordered the soldiers to
fire. Three Bostonians were killed and two others were mortally
wounded.

http://youtu.be/LsDY5yywvUk

Thomas Gage
Commander of all British forces in North
America. He moved his troops out of
Boston to islands in the bay to calm the
people of Boston after the Boston
massacre

John Adams and Josiah Quincy

Two Boston lawyers who agreed to defend
the British soldiers involved in the Boston
Massacre.
At the trial, six soldiers were set free while
two were found guilty of manslaughter and
given light sentences.

Repeal of the Townshend

Acts
All of the Townshend Acts were
repealed except the tax on tea.

Committee of Correspondence
The first one formed in 1772 in Boston.
This committee of 21 men kept
neighboring towns informed of problems
with England and let Americas position be
known to the world.
Soon committees of correspondence were
organized throughout the colonies

Boston Tea Party

On the night of December 16, 1773, a band of patriots
disguised as Indians boarded ships in the Boston harbor
and broke open 340 tea chests and dumped them into the
harbor
http://youtu.be/t-9pDZMRCpQ
http://youtu.be/CwEX_YVyAS4

Intolerable Acts
Parliament decided to punish the colonists
for the Boston Tea party with a series of
laws that were designed to bring the
colonists under control

Quartering Act
made it legal for British officials to quarter
British soldiers in occupied buildings

Boston Port Bill

closed the port of Boston to all commerce

Colonists Reaction
Rather than dividing the colonists, the
Intolerable Acts caused unity to develop in
the colonies
People throughout the colonies sent relief
to Boston when they heard the Boston port
was closed.

Quebec Act
Cancelled the colonies western land
claims by extending the borders of
Quebec south to the Ohio River and west
to the Mississippi. It recognized
Catholicism as the official religion in
Quebec

Pages 81-86

First Continental Congress

Philadelphia September 5, 1774
Delegates from each colony (except GA) met to discuss
what action should be taken in the impending crisis.

http://youtu.be/hbKHPLbuLw0

Declaration and Resolves

A statement adopted by the first
Continental Congress on October 14, 1774
It outlined colonial objections to the
Intolerable Acts, listed a colonial bill of
rights, and provided a detailed list of
grievances.
Recognized the authority of the king, but no
authority of Parliament over the colonies.

Reaction in England to the First

Continental Congress
The actions of the First Continental
Congress seemed unimportant in England.
Parliament, Lord North, and George III
were determined to rule America as they
pleased and by force, if necessary.

Patrick Henry
Made a speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses on
March 28, 1775.
He summed up the American spirit with his conclusion: I
know not what course others may take; but as for me, give
me liberty, or give me death!

Minutemen
Volunteer militia for the colonies.
They had to be ready to defend their
homes and families upon a minutes
notice.

April 18, 1775

General Gage prepared about 700 troops
to arrest patriot leaders John Hancock and
Samuel Adams in Lexington and to
capture the ammunition stores at Concord.

Paul Revere, William Dawes, & Dr.

Samuel Prescott
Rode through the night to warn their countrymen that the
British were coming.

April 19, 1775

First shots of the War for Independence
were fired in the morning
British troops met 70 minutemen in the
village of Lexington
a shot heard round the world
It is not known who fired the first shot.
93 Americans died that day, but the British
lost 273 men.

Lemuel Haynes

21 year old black man who was one of the

Massachusetts Minutemen. The Lord
protected him from the war and he lived to
become a great revival preacher in New
England.

Ethan Allen
Green Mountain Boys

Fort Ticonderoga
Captured by Ethan Allen & the Green Mountain Boys

Second Continental Congress

May 10, 1775 (convened in Philadelphia)
John Hancock was elected president of the Second
Continental Congress
http://youtu.be/Qd8rkEhR9b8

George Washington
Commander in Chief of the army

Battle of Bunker Hill

First major battle of the war. Although the British won the
battle, they suffered many casualties and saw that the
Patriots could fight with fierce determination
http://youtu.be/6MOfZ3_oWQQ

Olive Branch Petition

Many Americans wanted to avoid a war
and split from the Mother country. This
desire is reflected in the The Olive
Branch Petition, which was sent to
George III asking him to come to
reasonable terms and promising loyalty
in return.

Foreign Troops
King George III refused to listen to
Americas repeated pleas for a peaceful
resolution. He was determined to bring the
colonies under control. He had a hard time
convincing his subjects to fight against the
Patriots, however, because many
Englishmen believed the colonists were
right. So the king hired foreign troops to fight
for Britain.

Hessians
Professional soldiers from Prussia in
Northern Germany
Hired by Britain to fight against the Patriots

Prohibitory Act
In December 1775, England issued the
Prohibitory Act, which removed British
protection from the colonies.

Thomas Paine
Published the pamphlet entitled Common Sense

Common Sense
Gave the colonists a detailed account of
English liberties and the abuses of the
monarchy and Parliament.

Pages 86-88

Richard Henry Lee

Presented a
momentous resolution
to the Continental
Congress on June 7,
1776.

Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776
http://youtu.be/yb7MI8NQLoo
http://youtu.be/uZfRaWAtBVg
Prepared by a committee led by Thomas
Jefferson
The most important human statement of
political principles in the history of the
world
Secured the freedom of America

The Declaration of Independence openly

recognizes that God created all men, and
that they have the right to be treated with
dignity due Gods special creation.
This includes:
1.Respect for Human life and private
property
2.Equality before the law

3.Responsible liberty

 Americans had inherited their love of

liberty from a long history of English
tradition