Ch. 2 Sec. 2
The colonists formed the Continental Congress to act as a government during the American Revolution.
Massachusetts Defies Britain (cont.) To intercept smugglers, the British sent customs ships to patrol North American waters. Thomas Jefferson suggested that each colony create a committee of correspondence to communicate with the other colonies about British activities. Under Lord North s rule, Parliament passed the Tea Act of 1773 to help the struggling British East India Company.
Massachusetts Defies Britain (cont.) In October 1773, the East India Company shipped 1,253 chests of tea to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charles Town. The committees of correspondence decided that they must not allow the tea to be unloaded. In Boston, 150 men boarded the ships and dumped the tea overboard now known as the Boston Tea Party.
Massachusetts Defies Britain (cont.) In spring of 1774, Parliament passed four new laws the Coercive Acts in order to punish Massachusetts and end colonial challenges. Coercive Acts: Boston Port Act Massachusetts Government Act Administrative of Justice Act Quartering Act
Massachusetts Defies Britain (cont.) In July 1774, the British also introduced the Quebec Act, which seemed to imply that the British were trying to seize control of the colonial governments. The Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act became known as the Intolerable Acts.
Massachusetts Defies Britain (cont.) On September 5, 1774, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. The first order of business was to endorse the Suffolk Resolves. When the Congress learned that the British had suspended the Massachusetts assembly, they voted to issue the Declaration of Rights and Grievances.
Massachusetts Defies Britain (cont.) The delegates also approved the Continental Association and agreed to hold a second Continental Congress in May 1775 if the crises had not been resolved.
The Revolution Begins (cont.) Throughout the summer and fall of 1774, British control of the colonies weakened as colonists created provincial congresses and militias raided military depots for ammunition and gunpowder. The town of Concord created a special unit of minutemen.
The Revolution Begins (cont.) Americans who supported the British side in the conflict became known as Loyalists, or Tories. Those who believed that the British were tyrants were known as Patriots, or Whigs.
The Revolution Begins (cont.) In April 1775, the British government ordered General Gage to arrest the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Instead, Gage set out for Concord in order to seize the militia s supply depot. Patriots heard about the plan, prepared for their arrival, and forced them to retreat. By May 1775, the militia had surrounded Boston, trapping the British.
The Revolution Begins (cont.) Three weeks after the battles at Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. They adopted the militia army surrounding Boston and named it the Continental Army. They also selected George Washington to command the new army.
The Revolution Begins (cont.) The British landed reinforcements in Boston, and what came to be known as the Battle of Bunker Hill ensued. This victory helped build American confidence.
The Decision to Declare Independence (cont.) In July 1775, as the siege of Boston continued, the Continental Congress sent a document known as the Olive Branch Petition to King George III. Meanwhile, the radical delegates of the Congress convinced the body to order an attack on the British troops based in Quebec. King George III refused to look at the petition and ordered the rebellion in America suppressed.
The Decision to Declare Independence (cont.) The Continental Congress increasingly began to act like an independent government. Despite defeats by the Patriots, the British were not backing down; instead, they began expanding their army. After Thomas Paine published Common Sense, many colonists began to realize that they should not be loyal to the king.
The Decision to Declare Independence (cont.) On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence. The colonies had now become the United States of America and the Revolution had begun.