Intolerable Acts
 Some Americans thought the Boston Tea Party was wrong.
Some businessmen even offered to pay for the damages.
King George wanted to punish the Americans. The British
Parliament passed a new set of laws called the Intolerable
Acts.
 The Intolerable Acts closed the Boston Harbor until the tea
was paid for in full. They said the Americans could not
hold town meetings. The Americans were forced to house
the British soldiers. Any British subjects who committed a
crime in America would be tried in England.
 This led to many problems. With the port closed no food
could be shipped to Boston. Boston asked the colonies for
help. Many colonies sent food overland.
First Continental Congress
 All colonies except Georgia sent men to Philadelphia
to talk about what to do about the Intolerable Acts.
This group was called the First Continental Congress.
They met in September 1774 in Carpenters' Hall in
Philadelphia. The Congress decided they must force
the British to repeal the acts. They also decided to cut
off all trade between England and the colonies until
the acts changed.
War Begins at Lexington and
Concorde
 April 19, 1775
 As tensions between the colonists and the British grew, a
split developed and widened between those taking sides in
America as the loyalists (colonists remaining loyal to the
king) and the patriots (those opposing British laws). Near
midnight, April 18, 1775 General Thomas Gage (British
commander-in-chief ) sent his soldiers toward Lexington.
He wanted to seize patriot arms and ammunition stored in
Concord. Paul Revere and William Dawes rode ahead to
warn the local minutemen, or patriot volunteers. At dawn
70 minutemen met the English soldiers on the Village
Green at Lexington. The British again engaged in fighting
at the bridge north of Concord before retreating to Boston.
Second Continental Congress
 Philadelphia May, 1775
 Following the the fighting at Lexington and Concord a
meeting was called in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775 to
assemble delegates to the Second Continental Congress.
Those present included Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, John
Hancock John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George
Washington. Some wanted to declare America
independent immediately; some wanted to avoid war at all
costs. The Response of Congress was twofold. While giving
peace a final try, Congress established a Continental army
and appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief.
In an effort to bring peace, John Dickinson and others in
Congress drew up a document referred to as the "The
Branch Petition" which King George refused to read.
Battle for Bunker Hill
 Battle for Bunker Hill
 June 17, 1775
 In Massachusettts, the patriot army was growing. Thousands of rebels poured
into England ready to drive the British out of the colonies, and more
specifically, out of Boston.
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 The rebel army took position on Breed's Hill near Boston on June 16, 1775. They
also intended to take neighboring Bunker Hill. The British, however, attacked
on June 17 before these plans were completed. Although the resulting battle
was for Bunker Hill, the fighting took place on Breed's Hill.
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 The British attacked the hilltop on three separate charges, with one coming as
close as forty yards before the patriots opened fire. The rebels did not flee the
hill until they had run out of bullets. Though the British won, about 1,000
redcoats were killWashington Takes Command
General George Washington
 July 3, 1775
 On June 15, 1775, General George Washington was voted
commander-in-chief of the Continental army by the American
Congress. However, he did not arrive in Massachusetts to assume
his duties until July 3, 1775.
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 The army which Washington met at Cambridge was largely an
untrained and undisciplined lot. Consisting mostly of local
farmers, a few artisans, and skilled workers, they basically knew
little about military discipline and the expectations of a real
military leader like Washington. The soldiers lived in tents and
other makeshift shelters. Supplies came in sporadically, but there
never seemed to be enough guns, ammunition, cloth, food, or
back pay.
British Evacuation of Boston
 March 26, 1776
 In the spring of 1776, the colonists had something to
cheer about. The British cannon they had captured
and taken from Ft. Ticonderoga had been hauled
overland during the winter by Colonel Henry Knox
and his men. The cannon had reached the rebel army
outside Boston in March, and in one night,
Washington set up the fortification of Dorchester
Heights overlooking the city with the heavy guns
aimed at the British fleet anchored below. On March
26, 1776, British fleet left Boston.
Final Steps to Independence
 With the passage of time and the events of the war. the
concept of independence gradually took root and
became a growing popular movement. Many of those
in the Congress saw the fulfillment of a dream of
liberty in fighting for independence. Below is a list of
chronological events and how they relate to the moves
for independence that took place in the hot summer of
1776.
Timeline
 June 7
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In Congress, Richard Henry Lee introduces a resolution, "That these
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United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, free and independent
states."
June 11
A committee is selected to write a formal declaration of the reasons for
independence. Members include Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.
July 1
Debate on Lee's resolution begins in Congress.
July 2
Twelve delegations vote to adopt Lee's resolution. New York delegation
abstains.
July 3
The Declaration of Independence is read in Congress and debate begins
on the document. Wording of the document is of special concern.
Timeline Continued
 July 4
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The Declaration of Independence is adopted by twelve of the
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thirteen delegations. Again, New York abstains. On this date,
only John Hancock signs the Declaration.
July 8
In Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell rings signaling adoption by
Congress of the Declaration.
July 15
Belatedly, New York delegation votes to adopt the Declaration
of Independence.
August 2
In a formal signing ceremony, fifty members of the Second
Continental Congress sign the Declaration of Independence.