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Meeting in Philadelphia
-55 delegates met in Philadelphia to start a political body that would represent the good in America, which people called the Continental Congress -
First Continental Congress Meets
-All colonists but Georgia have representatives
-Voted to send a "statement of grievances"
-Voted to Boycott all British Trade
-Patrick Henry - VA representative urged colonists to unite against Britain -
British Troops in Boston
-The British General, Thomas Gage, told troops to seize weapons from Massachusetts militia and he made them arrest their leaders -
The British troops arrived
-British troops were seen marching out of Boston
-The Sons of Liberty were alerted and they rode to Lexington to warn that the British were coming
-A British patrol captured William Dawes and Paul Revere -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
-The redcoats arrived in Lexington and they outnumbered the minutemen
-The British troops then arrived in Concord and they were greatly defeated -
Fort Ticonderoga Surrendered
-Benedict Arnold was a captain in the Connecticut militia and was wanted to seize Fort Ticonderoga
-Fort Ticonderoga in New York was a key location and was rich in military supplies
-Ethan Allen was planning to attack the fort so he joined forces with his men (Green Mountain Boys) and defeated the British and took Fort Ticonderoga -
The Second Continental Congress Meeting
-John and Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and George Washington all attended the meeting
-All of the delegates including new delegates attended the meeting
-John Hancock was chosen to be president of the Second Continental Congress
-The delegates sent a petition to Britain and offered them a last chance to avoid war
-The king rejected the petition and hired 30,000 German troops to prepare for war -
Posts were set up across the harbor from Boston
-A militia commanded by Colonel William Prescott set up posts on Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
-The redcoats assembled at Breed's Hill
-Prescott ordered "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." because they were very short on ammunition
-The redcoats charged and received fire from above them
-The Americans ran out of gunpowder
-The British won, but they suffered a loss of more than 1,000 dead and wounded soldiers -
Moving Toward Independence
-Thomas pain came to the colonies around 1774
- Thomas published a pamphlet, "Common Sense," which was written about a break from British rule -
Evacuation Day
-Washington led his troops to Boston and the British troops evacuated and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia -
The Second Continental Congress voted on resolution for independence
-The Second Continental Congress voted on Lee's resolution for independence
-12 colonies voted for independence, New York later announced its support
-The delegates discussed Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence -
Independence Day
-After making changes to Jefferson's draft, the delegates approved the document
-John Hancock first signed the declaration
-Eventually 56 delegates signed the declaration and made the United States -
Celebrating Independence
-The Declaration of Independence was read to George Washington's troops in New York