The American Revolution

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The American Revolution

• The Beginning

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I. First Continental Congress

• Met in response to closing of Boston Harbor
  (October 1774)
• Representatives Compromise
• Boycott British goods - peaceful
• Prepare for battle - war
• Declaration of Rights
• List of colonists rights (life, liberty, and
  property)
• Not seeking separation from Britain

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II. First Shots

• Minutemen
• Knew the British were trying to seize supplies in
  Concord (April 1775)
• One if by land, two if by sea
• Paul Revere and William Dawes sounded the alarm

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II. First Shots (cont.)

• Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775)
• First shots fired at Lexington
• Unknown who fired first!
• Militia outnumbered, disperse (run away!)
• British regulars (troops) march to Concord
• Couldnt find the arsenal
• Attacked at the Old North Bridge and had to
  retreat

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III. Second Continental Congress

• Represented first attempt at a republican
  government for the colonies (May 1775)
• Should they seek peace or war with Great Britain?
• Authorized the Continental Army
• Appointed a Virginian to be commander in chief
• George Washington!

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IV. Early Battles

• Bunker Hill (Breeds Hill)
• 2,400 British soldiers vs. 1,600 militia members
• British twice retreated, eventually victorious
• Moral victory for colonists

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IV. Early Battles (cont.)

• Dorchester Heights
• Washington arrives in Boston
• Henry Knox brings cannons from Ticonderoga
• General William Howe (British) retreats to Canada