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Road to Independence

By stu.reisingel@mishawaka.k12.in.us

  • First Continental Congress Meets

    First Continental Congress Meets
    • All colonies but 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

  • The First British Troops Arrive

    The First British Troops Arrive
    • Arrived around and in Boston
    • Thomas Gage was ordered to seize weapons from the Massachusetts militia and arrested the leaders
    • Gage discovered that the militia had weapons stored in Concord Gage sent 700 troops to Concord

  • The Midnight Ride

    The Midnight Ride
    • Dr. Joseph Warren saw the British troops marching out of the city
    • Warren tells Paul Revere and William Dawes
    • Revere and Dawes ride and spread the word that the British were coming
    • Revere and Dawes were caught, but luckily another rider Samuel Prescott got the word to Concord

  • The Battle of Concord

    The Battle of Concord
    • Some of the British Troops burned the weapons
    • The other troops went to the North Bridge where they met a group of waiting minutemen
    • It was a short battle with the colonists, and the British lost
    • While walking back to Boston, Colonists hid on the path and shot at the British
    • When the British arrived in Boston 174 of the troops were injured, with 73 dead.

  • The Battle of Lexington

    The Battle of Lexington
    • The redcoats approach Lexington at dawn.
    • They were stopped by 70 minutemen
    • The minutemen were lead by Captain John Parker
    • The minutemen were badly outnumbered, and eight were killed
    • The redcoats had won as they continued onto Concord

  • The Battle at Fort Ticonderoga

    The Battle at Fort Ticonderoga
    • Ticonderoga was located near Lake Champlain in New York
    • Ticonderoga was very rich in supplies
    • Benedict Arnold assembled a force of 400 to capture Fort Ticonderoga
    • Ethan Allen also planned to attack Fort Ticonderoga
    • Allen and Arnold teamed up and took Fort Ticonderoga on May 10th, 1775

  • The Second Continental Congress

    The Second Continental Congress
    • The Congress decided to create the Continental Army, under the lead of George Washington
    • Sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III to try for peace
    • King George rejected and decided to prepare for war
    • The King hired 30,00 German Troops

  • The Battle at Bunker Hill

    The Battle at Bunker Hill
    • On June 16th, 1775 a militia commanded by Colonel William Prescott put up posts on Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill
    • The British charged but failed
    • They tried again twice and succeeded when the Americans ran out of gun powder and retreated
    • The British may have won but they had lost more than 1,000 soldiers wounded or dead

  • Common Sense

    Common Sense
    • Thomas Paine was a big supporter of the war effort
    • He came to the colonies from England in 1774
    • He was overcome with the revolutionary spirit
    • In January 1776 he wrote a pamphlet called "Common Sense" where he used very strong words about the revolution

  • Thomas Jefferson Writing the Declaration

    Thomas Jefferson Writing the Declaration
    • Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration after John Adams asked him to.
    • Jefferson got his inspiration from John Locke
    • Locke wrote about how people had born rights to property, liberty, and life
    • Locke also wrote that a government who takes those rights away should be overthrown
    • In the Declaration Jefferson wrote about why the 13 colonies wanted independence using Locke's ideas

  • The Continental Army Gets ready for Battle

    The Continental Army Gets ready for Battle
    Washington realized he needed weapons and trained men
    - Washington got dozens of cannons sent form Fort Ticonderoga
    - When he felt his troops were ready in March of 1776, Washington set up his men and the cannons at night.
    - Washington surprised the British
    - General William Howe gave the order to retreat on March 17th 1776 to Halifax, Nova Scotia

  • The Declaration of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence
    • On July 2nd 1776 the Second Continental Congress voted on independence
    • 12 out of the 13 colonies voted for independence
    • New York did not vote, but later in the war announced their support
    • Then the delegates discussed Jefferson's Declaration, and with a few changes voted yes to it on July 4th 1776.
    • John Hancock signed first with the biggest signature, so the king could see it without his glasses

  • A Public reading of the Declaration

    A Public reading of the Declaration
    • On July 9th Washington read of the Declaration of Independence to his men
    • There was a public reading of the Declaration in Worcester, Massachusetts
    • Many colonists colonists to having bonfires, shooting muskets and cannons, and repeatedly cheering

  • A Betrayal of Epic Proportion

    A Betrayal of Epic Proportion
    • Benedict Arnold known for capturing Fort Ticonderoga, actually went on to betray the Patriots
    • Arnold sold top secret information to the British
    • When he was found out to be a traitor he ran to New York, a state where the British had control
    • He then got control of troops, that he would lead to raids in Connecticut and Virginia