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First Continental Congress meets
All colonies except Georgia have representatives. Voted to send a "statement of grievances". Voted to boycott all British Trade. Patrick Henry - VA rep. urged colonists to unite against Britain. -
Benjamin Franklin in the Pennsylvania Legislature
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most respected colonists. He was a leader in the Pennsylvania legislature. He had also represented the colonies in London to help repeal the Stamp Act. -
Results of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord showed the dispute between the British and the Colonies. It also showed that the colonies no longer liked the British -
The British Arrive at Boston
Several thousand British soldiers were sent to Boston to stay in or around it. They had learned where the militia had stored their guns and ammunition, so 700 troops were ordered to destroy all of it. -
Warnings of the British
British troops were spotted outside of Boston. Once the British were seen, Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to Lexington to tell everybody that the British were coming. -
The Battle of Lexington
British troops approached Lexington to find 70 minutemen waiting for the British. Somebody shot and nobody knew from which side, but broke out into battle with eight minutemen dead. The British then went to concord to take heavy losses from the group of minutemen waiting there. 174 redcoats were wounded and 73 were dead. -
Battle of Concord
Some of the British troops had burned weapons they had found. On their way to North Bridge, they ran into a group of minutemen. The battle between them was short and the British retreated. -
The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
Benedict Arnold raised a force of 400 soldiers to capture Fort Ticonderoga that was near Lake Champlain in New York. The fort occupied a key location and was rich in military supplies. Arnold joined forces with Ethan Allen to take the British by surprise and capture the fort. Arnold was later found out to be a traitor to the Patriots and fled to New York City -
The Second Continental Congress Meeting
This meeting had some of the best leaders in the colonies. There were many delegates fro the first Continental Congress that were in the second Continental Congress. -
The Battle for Bunker Hill
William Prescott had a post on Bunker Hill as well as Breed's Hill across Boston's harbor. The American forces had low ammunition, so the British charged multiple times until the forces ran out of gunpowder. -
Preparation of Recapturing Bunker Hill
George Washington had set up troops around Bunker Hill hoping to recapture it. He had arranged multiple weapons and cannons to arrive from Fort Ticonderoga. -
Invasion of Bunker Hill
George Washington thought that his army was ready to invade the British in Bunker Hill. His soldiers moved into position while the redcoats slept. This move caught the British off guard. -
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence
John Hancock was the first person to sign the declaration. He had written his name large so that King George was able to read it clearly. This declared the independence of the colonies. -
The Second Continental Congress Votes
The Second Continental Congress voted for Lee's resolution for independence. New York was the only colony that hadn't voted. Later down the line, New York had announced their support.