Fighting Begins in the North

1
Fighting Begins in the North

• Chapter 6.1

2
Overview

• Describe how Congress struggeled between peace
  and war with Britian.
• List the advantages each side had as it entered
  the war.
• Explain how the Continental Army gained control
  of Boston.

3
Olive Branch Peition

• Second Continental Congress met in Philadephia in
  May 1775
• Most delegates wanted to avoid war, but fighting
  spread
• Olive Branch Petition
• Declare their loyalty to King
• Repeal of Intolerable Rights
• King enraged, sends 20,000 troops
• John and Sam Adams believed war would come

4
Ethan Allen takes Fort Ticonderoga

• Vermont, Ethan Allen leads Green Mountain Boys to
  take British Fort Ticonderoga in New York
• Captures cannons that are moved to Boston
• Allen success controls route to Canada

5
Washington Selected as Commander

• The Second Continental Congress selects George
  Washington to lead the Army.
• He arrives in Boston to train the troops.
• The next few years will be a challenge.

6
Challenges for both sides

• Partiots
• poorly organized and untrained
• Few heavy guns and no navy
• Advantage fight from home, knew the land
• British
• Best trained army and navy
• Some colonist (loyalist) support
• Wealthy and former officials (more in Middle and
  South Colonies), faced hard times, move to Canada
• Disadvantage Far from home

7
Bunker Hill

• June 1775, Colonel Willaim Prescott and 1200
  militia defend Bunker Hill. Move to Breeds Hill
• Overlooks Boston, allows Patriots to fire on
  British ships and city
• 2400 Redcoats under General William Howe attack
  twice with many casualties, third takes hill
• First major battle of Revolution

8
British leave Boston

• Washington builds an army with 16,000 troops
• January 1776, guns arrive from New York and
  placed to fire on Boston harbor
• March 1776, British leave for Halifax, Canada