Name: ___________________________________
Class: ___________________
UNIT 2: LEXINGTON
& CONCORD (MASS.)
UNIT
&
2:
HOW DID COLONIAL RESISTANCE TO
BRITAIN TURN INTO ARMED CONFLICT?
LEXINGTON
CONCORD
Date: ______________________
HOW
DID
BRITAIN
(MASS.)
COLONIAL
TURN
INTO
RESISTANCE
ARMED
TO
CONFLICT?
HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK – LECTURE NOTES
🧑‍🤝‍🧑📜 The 1st Continental Congress
HISTORICAL
FRAMEWORK
–
LECTURE
NOTES
Oct. 1774: The 1st Continental Congress brought colonial leaders & representatives together in
Philadelphia to organize a united response to Britain & the Intolerable Acts.
😱 Lexington & Concord (Massachusetts)
Apr. 1775: The Battles of Lexington & Concord began armed conflict when colonial militia
confronted British troops attempting to seize military supplies.
📝 Check For Understanding: Answer SAQ’s
1. How did the First Continental Congress
change the way colonists resisted Britain?
2. Why were Lexington & Concord a turning point
in the conflict with Britain?
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HISTORIAN’S GUIDE:
EXTENDED READINGS
HISTORIAN’S
EXTENDED
GUIDE:
READINGS
Directions: Read each section. Highlight important information
& circle key vocabulary as you read. Then answer the following
questions using the reading & your notes.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑📜 1st Continental Congress – The Colonies Unite
In September 1774, delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in
Philadelphia at the First Continental Congress.
For many of these leaders, this was an important opportunity to
respond to Britain together rather than as separate colonies.
The purpose of the First Continental Congress was to send an
official petition to King George III of England, calling for the end
of the Intolerable Acts against Boston.
The petition was sent to England – but a response never came.
3. How did the First Continental Congress make colonial resistance more organized?
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😱 “The Shot Heard Around The World!”
With tensions increasing, colonists begun storing weapons &
supplies in Concord, Massachusetts. British Generals ordered
troops to march to Concord & seize these supplies.
British troops first encountered The Minutemen militia at
Lexington, where fighting broke out. The British then continued to
Concord, where militia forces confronted them again.
Lexington & Concord became the first battles of the American
Revolution, transforming tension from protests/resistance into
a full-blown war.
4. How did Lexington & Concord change the conflict between Britain & the colonies?
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5. Which statement BEST describes the change in colonial resistance shown in Readings A and B?
a) Colonists moved from organizing political and economic resistance to fighting British troops.
b) Colonists abandoned cooperation between the colonies after British troops entered Massachusetts.
c) Colonists replaced their militias with British troops after the First Continental Congress.
d) Colonists declared independence before beginning military resistance against Britain.
HISTORIAN’S GUIDE:
INVESTIGATE SOURCES
HISTORIAN’S
INVESTIGATE
GUIDE:
SOURCES
Directions: Examine each historical source carefully. Use
evidence from the sources & what you have learned so far to
answer the question(s) that follow.
Source A : Eyewitness of the Boston Tea Party, 1773.
Massachusetts delegate John Adams attended the First Continental
Congress. In letters, Adams described delegates from different colonies
coming together despite differences in their backgrounds & opinions.
Here are people from the different colonies, strangers to one another,
brought together from very different governments and customs. Yet we
must learn one another's ideas and work together on the important
questions before us. The colonies have many different interests, but the
dangers we face require us to consider what may be done together.
6. How does John Adams writing show the challenge & importance of colonial unity? Use direct evidence.
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Source B : Militiamen Testimony, 1775.
After the fighting at Lexington, members of the Lexington militia gave
accounts of their encounter with British troops. Militiaman described
the gathering on Lexington as British soldiers approached.
I was one of the militia assembled on Lexington. Our captain ordered us to
stand our ground and not fire unless we were fired upon.
When the British troops approached, they rushed toward us, shouting and
firing their weapons. Several of our men were killed or wounded, and we
regrouped in Concord.
7. What evidence suggests the colonial militia did not intend to begin the fighting at Lexington?
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8. Which event described in Source B represents a change from the colonial actions discussed in Source A?
a) Colonial militia returned control of Massachusetts to Britain.
b) Colonial leaders ended their organized opposition to British policies.
c) Colonists began sending representatives to British Parliament.
d) Colonists began using armed resistance against British troops.
HISTORIAN’S GUIDE:
SYNTHESIZE
HISTORIAN’S
GUIDE:
Directions: Use your notes, readings, & sources to complete the
tasks below.
SYNTHESIZE
Synthesize: Cause
→ Event → Result
9. Complete the table to show the causes and results of each major event.
Cause
Britain passed the Intolerable
Acts.
Britain marched to seize
colonial military supplies.
Effect
Result
The First Continental
____________________
Battles of ______________
& __________________
Synthesize: Why It Mattered!
10. Explain why each development was important to the growing conflict.
Development
Delegates from 12 colonies met
together.
Colonial militia confronted
British troops trying to seize
weapons.
Fighting occurred at Lexington
& Concord.
Why Did It Matter?