AMERICAN REVOLUTION

The War

Begins

What Happened Previously

• The First Continental Congress met after

the Intolerable Acts in 1774.

• At this meeting delegates:

– Decided to ban all trade with Great Britain

until the Intolerable Acts were repealed

– Declared the colonies had the right to tax and

govern themselves

– Called for the training of militias to stand up

to British troops if necessary

– Decided to meet in May 1775 if demands were

not met

April 1775

• The British government had no

intention of meeting the demands of

the First Continental Congress.

• Instead, they chose to use force to

restore their authority.

• Meanwhile, colonists began to arm &

form new militias (minutemen).

April 1775

• The governor of Massachusetts

learned the minutemen were storing

arms in Concord – 20 miles from

Boston.

• British troops were sent to seize the

arms and capture some important

colonial leaders.

Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride

• Sons of Liberty found out about the British

plan and sent 3 messengers to warn the

people in Lexington and Concord.

– The 3 messengers were Paul Revere, William

Dawes, and Samuel Prescott.

– Dawes and Revere made it to Lexington and

warned Sam Adams and John Hancock.

– They were then persuaded to carry their

message on to Concord.

On the way to

Concord…

•Dawes was thrown

from his horse, and

had to walk the rest

of the way to

Lexington.

•Revere was

captured by a

British patrol.

•Prescott was the

only one to make it

to Concord.

Draw a Picture of

the Midnight

Ride

Lexington

• Having received the

warning from Revere &

Dawes, 77 minutemen

were waiting when the

British passed through

Lexington.

• The British commander

ordered the minutemen

to go home

A British major yelled “Throw down your arms! Ye villains,

ye rebels.” The militiamen had just been ordered by their

commander to put down their weapons when a shot rang

out. To this day, we don’t know which side fired first in

Lexington to start the war. It is famously known as “the shot

heard around the world.”

Who do you think fired the

first shot?

A.British Soldier

B.Colonist

C.Other (Bystander, hunter,

etc.

The fight at Lexington lasted only minutes, but when it

ended, eight (8) minutemen were killed and (10) were

wounded.

The British then continued their march to

Concord where they planned to seize ammunition

being stored there by the colonists.

A larger battle took place in Concord. This time 400

minutemen fought the British, killing 3 of them. After

searching for hours, very few weapons were found

(colonists had moved them)

The March Back to Boston

• As British troops began their march back to

Boston…

• Almost 4000 militiamen descended upon the

British troops, following them back to Boston,

and firing at them from behind trees, stone walls,

houses, and sheds.

• Before long, British troops were abandoning their

weapons, clothing, and equipment to retreat

faster.

Draw a picture of the

British Troops

Retreating…

When the battle was over, 73 British soldiers were killed,

174 wounded and 26 were missing. For the colonists, 49

were killed, 40 wounded, and 5 were missing.

Lexington and Concord (April 18-19, 1775) – sparked the

beginning of the American Revolutionary War.

After Lexington & Concord

• Even after the battles of Lexington &

Concord, most colonists still did not

favor independence.

• At the same time, many of them were

ready to use force if necessary to

defend their rights against the British.

As the crisis with Britain deepened, the Second Continental

Congress met again in Philadelphia in May 1775. This

second group of colonial leaders served as the colonies’

acting government and met periodically until 1789.

The Congress at first was divided about what to do,

however, they all agreed they needed an army in order

to be prepared for possible war with Britain.

• The colonies voted to

create a Continental

Army.

• They also had to create

new money to pay for

the American Army

They asked

George Washington

to create and

lead the new

American Army.

Why do you think

George Washington

was chosen to lead

the Continental

Army?

Second Continental Congress

• Although the decision was made to create the

Continental Army, many delegates still hoped to

restore peace with Britain after Lexington &

Concord.

• Two resolutions passed in July 1775 showed the

uncertainty of Congress.

– Olive Branch Petition stated the colonists were

loyal to the King & wanted to solve disputes

peacefully.

– The Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of

Taking Up Arms stated the colonists were willing

“to die freemen rather than to live as slaves.”

Second Continental Congress

• The effort to make peace failed.

• King George did not answer the Olive

Branch petition. Instead he declared

the colonies “in open…rebellion” and

Parliament voted to send 20,000

soldiers to the colonies to end the

revolt.

• It seemed as though war was

imminent.

In the beginning of the

war, the British Army

was much stronger than

the American Army. As

a result, the British were

beating the Americans in

many major battles.

It seemed like the war would be a huge mismatch.

Continental Army• Lack of supplies, money, and weapons

• Lack of trained soldiers

• Lack of experience

• Only 4 boats – no real Navy

• Army not well organized

British Army• Plenty of money, weapons and supplies

• Highly trained soldiers

• Lots of experience

• More than 250 naval ships

• World’s most powerful Navy & strong

army

VS

Battle of Bunker Hill

• First official battle - June 17, 1775, north of

Boston

• Americans controlled Bunker Hill & nearby

Breed’s Hill.

• British used cannons and charged the hill

• The British attacked twice and failed. On

the third attack, they succeeded only

because the colonists ran out of

ammunition and had to retreat.

Battle of Bunker Hill

• More than 1000 British soldiers were killed

or wounded; about 400 colonists were

killed or wounded.

• Because Americans retreated, the British

won this battle.

• However, Americans proved they could

fight and stand up to professional British

soldiers.

The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge

(February 27th 1776)

•This was the first battle to take place in North

Carolina.

•The Loyalists and the British planned a

meeting in Wilmington to take control of the

southern colonies.

•The Patriots planned to prevent the meeting.

They removed planks from the bridge over

Moore's Creek and greased them with soap

and animal fat, causing the horses to slip.

•During the ensuing chaos, 50 Loyalists were

killed or wounded. Only 1 Patriot was killed.

The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge (February 27th 1776)

Draw a picture of

the Battle at

Moore’s Creek

Bridge

The Mecklenburg Resolves The Halifax Resolves

On May 20, 1775, the people of

Mecklenburg County declared

themselves free of British

authority.

On April 12, 1776, the NC state

legislature authorized delegates to

discuss and pursue independence

during the Second Continental

Congress

During a meeting of

the Second

Continental

Congress,

delegates asked

Thomas Jefferson,

just 33 years old

at the time,

to write the

Declaration of

Independence.

Once Jefferson finished writing his draft, he took it

back to the entire group(Second Continental

Congress) for approval.

The colonial representatives debated whether

to include slaves in this new Declaration of

freedom.

The southern colonies wanted to keep slavery legal.

Others wanted to see it eliminated.

This resulted in uncomfortable compromises.

Some other interesting and “fun”

facts about the Declaration of

Independence…

We celebrate Independence Day

on July 4th

every year because

that’s when the Declaration of

Independence was signed.

A.True

B.False

False!

• The official Declaration of Independence

was NOT signed on July 4th

, but it was

adopted by the Second Continental

Congress on July 4th.

• Most delegates actually signed the

document on August 2nd

!

More than one copy of the

Declaration of

Independence still exists

today.

A.True

B.False

True!

• After the Declaration was adopted, 200

copies were printed by Philadelphia printer,

John Dunlap.

• These copies were known as Dunlap

broadsides, and they were distributed

among the colonies and colonial troops.

• Of the 200 copies believed to be made, only

26 are known to have survived.

– They are in museums and libraries.

– Three are privately owned.

There is something written

on the back of the original

Declaration of

Independence.

A.True

B.False

True!

• On the back of the original Declaration of

Independence, there is a message written

upside down across the bottom

• The message reads “Original Declaration of

Independence dated 4th

July, 1776.”

• No one knows who wrote this or when, but

because it was frequently rolled up for

transport, it is believed to be a label.

Battle of Saratoga (Sept - Oct 1777)

The turning point of the American Revolution.

During the Battle of Saratoga, Patriot General Benedict

Arnold employed the fighting style of guerilla warfare

tactics, which lead America to victory.

At the Battle of Saratoga, the Americans captured

6,000 British troops.

America sent Benjamin Franklin to France to

convince King Louis XVI to provide help.

The French Alliance

• Even before the victory at Saratoga, the French

had secretly supplied money & arms to the

Americans.

• The French did not want to openly support the

Americans until it seemed they might win.

• So, as a result of the victory at Saratoga, France

decided to help America.

• They formed the French Alliance.

• Allies of France, Netherlands & Spain, also went

to war with Britain. This helped the Americans

cause as the British had to wage war on many

fronts.

Why do you think France

& Spain were willing to

help the colonists in their

fight for Independence?

The Americans and British started fighting throughout the

Southern Colonies. The Americans were now stronger,

and started to win more major battles.

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse

(March 17th

, 1781)

The Continental Army and the British army fought at

Guilford Courthouse (where Greensboro is today).

They fought viciously for one and one half hours.

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse (March 17th, 1781)

•Early in the battle, many of the North Carolina

militiamen panicked and ran away.

•Patriot General Nathanael Greene, however, had a

second line of more experienced troops from Virginia

who stood their ground.

•At one point, the fighting became the fiercest of the

entire War for Independence.

•Although British General Cornwallis defeated the

colonial army at this battle, the British army suffered

huge losses. Eventually, the British marched north to

Virginia.

The Battle of Yorktown (Oct. 19, 1781)

After losing several

battles in the Southern

Colonies, British General

Cornwallis followed

orders and led his troops

to settle in a town in

Virginia called

Yorktown…a fateful

mistake.

The Battle at Yorktown

• Cornwallis thought the British fleet could

reinforce his position.

• But, the French fleet arrived off Yorktown

and chased off British ships.

• Washington rushed towards Virginia with

American & French troops.

• Cornwallis found himself in a trap.

The Battle at Yorktown

• Patriot General George Washington and

Patriot General Marquis de Lafayette had

the British surrounded, and the French and

Americans began the attack on Yorktown.

• American & French soldiers blocked escape

by land and the French fleet blocked

escape by sea.

After three weeks, Cornwallis had no option but

to surrender. The victory at Yorktown was the

last major battle of the war.

Now what? The Patriots got

their Independence from

Britain. What are some of

the things they need to do

now?

Synopsis – The American Revolution

How We Won Our Freedom – History

Channel