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The events of April 19th are referred to as the
“Battle of Lexington and Concord.”
Based on the information we have read in class,
what would you “title” the events at
Lexington? In a strong paragraph of 4-6
sentences, title this event and support your
answer with information from the paintings
and primary sources you viewed in class.
Late 1774-1783
Ben Franklin’s famous
cartoon
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Met in Sept. 1774 to form a united response to the
Intolerable Acts by all colonies
Came from every colony but Georgia: notables: Patrick
Henry “Give me liberty or give me death”, George
Washington, Samuel Adams, John Adams
All colonies agreed upon the following: boycott of British
goods, all people to arm themselves and form militias, sent
direct letter to King George III requesting representation in
Parliament
King’s response “The New England governments are in a
state of rebellion, blows must decide.”
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Americans began to call
themselves “Patriots”
Massachusetts militia
stockpiled weapons in
Concord (stolen)
Late on night of April 18,
1775, British troops left
Boston and began to
march to Concord to seize
weapons (by sea?)
Paul Revere, William
Dawes, and Dr. Samuel
Prescott on horseback
warned Patriot leaders
such as Sam Adams and
John Hancock and militia
men in Lexington and
Concord
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Minutemen and
British battle on
Lexington Green
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Minuteman
Statue
Concord, MA
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April 19, 1775- British
reached Lexington and
encountered 70 minutemen
British officer ordered “Lay
down your arms, you
damned rebels, and
disperse” - at about the same
time, a shot was fired (by
who?)
“the shot heard round the
world”- Emerson
First deaths- 8 Americans
British continued to
Concord, stopped at North
Bridge by militia
On return to Boston, 4000
Patriots had arrived and shot
at British from behind
houses, trees, and stone
walls
Considered American
victory
Revolution had begun !
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After Lex. And Con.,
Congress gathered again in
Philadelphia, this time in
May 1775
Continued to meet during
entire Revolution
Most of the same people from
1st Congress
Newcomers: Ben Franklin,
Thomas Jefferson, John
Hancock
Nov. 1775- Learned that
George III had rejected Olive
Branch Petition
Influenced by Common
Sense, a pamphlet by Thomas
Paine, which said it made
“common sense” for the
Colonies to become
independent from GB
“’TIS TIME TO PART”- T.
Paine
July 4, 1776 - Congress
approves Dec. of
Independence written by?
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Bunker Hill Monument
Charlestown, MA
British retreated to Boston; trapped
inside city
May 1775- Ethan Allen and his Green
Mountain Boys captured Fort
Ticonderoga
June 1775- Battle of Bunker Hill
Most fighting actually occurred on
Breed’s Hill
Patriots, on top of hill, turned back 2
British assaults
On 3rd try, British under Gen. William
Howe captured Breed’s and Bunker
Hill when Americans ran out of ammo
On paper, a British victory since they
took both hills
In reality, Americans suffer 2/3 less
casualties
Bunker Hill was a tremendous boost
of morale and confidence for
Americans
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July 1775- George
Washington arrived just
outside of Boston, from
Philadelphia
Had been appointed
Commander of Continental
Army by 2nd Cont. Congress
Oct 1775-March 1776shelled British forces in
Boston and ships in Boston
Harbor
March 17, 1776- Evacuation
Day- British leave Boston,
retreated to Nova Scotia
along with Loyalists (Tories)
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Parliament authorizes
army of 55,000
Includes 30,000
Hessian mercenaries
Admiral Richard
Howe in charge of
fleet—authorized to
make peace.
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Patriots defend New York
Important harbor
 Hudson River—waterway to the interior
 Miles of coastline dilute Washington’s forces
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Howe brothers proceed with peace
negotiations
Rejected by congress
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British destroy large
portions of
Washington’s army in
a series of battles
Forced Washington to
retreat to New Jersey
Revealed American
Army’s lack of
training, experience,
equipment
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Because Americans lacked a
well-supplied, stable, and
experienced army,
Washington had to improvise
(break war rules)
Christmas Night 1776Washington and 2,400 troops
sailed across the icy Delaware
River from PA into NJ
At dawn, they surprise
attacked 1,400 Hessians
(German mercenaries) and
captured them at Trenton
A few days later, Washington
attacked and took
Princeton,NJ
These 2 winter battles boosted
American morale and
convinced more Americans to
join the Continental Army
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Summer 1776-NYC fell
into British hands
Washington asked for a
volunteer to go spy on the
British
Young Nathan Hale
disguised himself as a
Dutch schoolmaster
As he returned to
American lines with info,
Hale was captured by
British, and hanged for
treason
“I only regret that I have
but one life to lose for my
country” -Nathan Hale
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July 1777- Philadelphia captured2nd Continental Congress flees to
Lancaster then York, PA
British Gen. John Burgoyne
ordered to march south from
Canada to NYC to cut off New
England from rest of colonies
Around Saratoga, Burgoyne’s
large army was slowed by felled
trees and destroyed stone bridges
Attacked by 20,000 strong Patriot
force led by Gen. Horatio Gates
Outnumbered and suffering
heavy casualties, Burgoyne
surrendered
Saratoga = “Turning Point of
War”
After Saratoga victory, France
openly agreed to join on the side
of the Americans (secretly giving
$ and arms before Saratoga)
France’s Marquis
De Lafayette planned
battle strategy and led French
troops alongside G.W.
Polish Engineer
Thaddeus Kosciusko
helped build effective
defenses like forts,
bunkers, and
trenches
German Baron Von Steuben trained Cont. Army at Valley Forge
George Rogers Clark
used guerilla
tactics to secure the
Nicknamed the
Ohio River in 1779
“Swamp Fox”
Francis Marion
helped US win 2
Gen. Nathaniel Greene’s
battles in SC
victories in Carolinas (Cowpens)
forced a British retreat towards
coastal Virginia in 1781
John Paul Jones 1st US Navy Hero
Captured 40 British ships
“I have not yet begun to fight!”
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British army under Lord
Cornwallis marched to
Yorktown, on the coast, to be
re-supplied by British ships
Yorktown is on a peninsula
between the York and James
Rivers
Lafayette blockaded land
escape from peninsula
Washington marched a
combined French-American
Army from NYC to meet up
with Lafayette
French Navy blockaded
escape by Cornwallis and
held back British Navy
Escape impossible,
Cornwallis surrendered to
Washington
End of Rev. War
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5)
Because 4 nations were involved (US, GB, FR, SP) the
peace process took nearly 2 yrs.
Major Provisions of Treaty:
GB recognized independence of the US
Northern border between US and British Canada set
from NE to Mississippi River, along Great Lakes
Mississippi River established as Western boundary
between US and Spanish Louisiana, river = free trade
US Southern Boundary set with Spanish Florida
GB agreed to withdraw all troops from US territory
Northwest
Territory
of US
Find 4 Reasons in notes or textbook:Why the US won Rev War?