chapter 3 Independence
- Created by: loupardoe
- Created on: 10-02-18 13:09
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the outbreak of war
- winter 1774-5 - Gage sent spies through Massachusetts to assess the strength of colonial resistance and discover where the rebels had stockpiled their weapons
- february 1775- sent troops to Salem to seize munitions
- outnumbered by militiamen
- forced to withdraw
lexington and concord
- gage received no help from Britain and no instructions
- 14th April- Dartmouth's letter ordered him to arrest rebel leaders and authorised him to use force to disarm the population
- Gage was ready to act
- 18th april- sent 700 men from Boston to Concord to seize rebel arms and arrest leaders of the Provincial Congress
- massachusetts militia were informed of British intentions by Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr Prescott (members of the committee of safety)
- 19 april- british troops found their path barred by 70 minutemen at Lexington
- shots were fired and 8 colonists were killed
- british pushed on to concord
- they encountered a larger militia force
- heavy exchange of fire
- destroyed military stores
- failed to arrest rebel leaders
- troops turned back to boston
- assailed by americans firing from the cover of stone walls and woods
- arrival of relief force- held the militiamen at bay at Lexington
- resumed the retreat to bosotn
- suffered 273 casualties
- americans lost only 92 men
- within a week 20,000 new england militia besieged boston
the results of Lexington and Concord
- transformed the political dispute into a military struggle
- galvanisd military preparations throughout the colonies
- new york threw itself behind massachusetts
- pennsylvania voted to raise 4300 men
- 10 may- militiamen seized Fort Ticonderoga
- crown point fell 2 days later
the second continental congress
- 10 may 1775, Philadelphia
- 65 delegates from 13 colonies
- 50 served in 1774
- Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson
- congress took charge of the conduct of the war
- assumed responsbility for the army around boston
- impressed a quota on each colony to raise a continental army of 20000 men
- mid june- voted to issue 2 million in paper money to finance the force
the appointment of George Washington
- congress unanimously appointed him to command the continental army
- looked the part
- six foot three inches tall
- natural aristocratic manners
- worn his militia colonel uniform at all the congressional meetings
- military experience in the seven years war
- from virginia
- expected to help cement colonial unity
- wealthy planter
- owned 35000 acres
- allay fears of radicalism
efforts at reconciliation
- most colonial conventions had instructed their delegates to seek reconciliation with britain
- 6 july- congress adopted a Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms
- listed the colonial grievances
- asserted that americans would rather die than be enslaved
- disclaimed any intention of separating from great britain and establishing independent states
- 8 july- adopted the Olive Branch Petition
- begged King George to prevent further hostile measures so that a plan of reconciliation might be worked out
- was to convince moderates that Congress did not intend to pursue independence except as a last resort
- King George was disinclined to hear appeals from an illegal body which was wgaing war against his troops
- refused to…
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