First Continental Congress
1774
First Continental Congress
 56 colonial delegates
• Samuel Adams:
organized BTP
• John Adams: defended
the soldiers in BM
 Respond to the crisis
in Boston
What the colonies wanted!
(a compromise)
 Remove British Acts
 Allow for a Colonial
army (militia).
 10 resolutions to the
king.
• Including the right to
“life, liberty, and
property.”
 Colonies didn’t mind
being ruled by
England.
FCC’s Compromise?
 King George III did
not agree!
 Therefore…
 Colonists should
continue to boycott
British goods.
 Colonial militia should
be ready to fight.
The “Shot Heard Around the
World.”
 Minutemen: colonial
militia ready to fight at
a minutes notice.
 British General
decided to take away
the minutemen’s
weapons and
ammunition.
April 1775
 Weapons/ammunitions
were stored in
Concord.
 Sons of Liberty sent 3
riders including Paul
Revere to warn them.
Lexington and Concord: April 1775
 70 minutemen
 Large force of British
Soldiers
 Both commanders had
orders not to fire
 8 dead colonists
 British marched on to
Concord
 Found few weapons
 Burned buildings
 As the British returned
to Boston additional
militia opened fire
 250 Dead Redcoats
 100 Dead Colonists