1. Moving Toward Independence
Chapter 5: Section 4

2. Second Continental Congress
May 10, 1775
Began to govern the colonies
Authorized the printing of money
Set up a post office
Continental Army
Chose George Washington to be army commander

3. Olive Branch Petition Petition: Formal Request
Assured the king of the colonists’ desire for peace and asked him to protect colonists’ rights
King George III refused to receive the petition and prepared for war

4. Continental Army Lacked discipline, organization, and leadership
George Washington began to train the army in July 1775
By March 1776, the Continental Army was ready to fight

5. Common Sense Support for independence was growing
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Called for complete independence
Greatly influenced opinion throughout the colonies

6. The Colonies Declare Independence
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and began to draft the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson was selected to write the declaration
July 2, 1776: Congress approves the resolution for independence
July 4, 1776: Congress approves Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence

7. Declaration of Independence
Ideas from John Locke
People are born with certain natural rights
Life
Liberty
Property
Government’s job is to protect these rights
Any government that interferes with these rights can be overthrown

8. John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence
Wrote his name large enough for King George III to read without his glasses
56 delegates eventually sign
Copies of the Declaration went out to the newly declared states

9. The Declaration of Independence
4 major sections
Preamble
Rights that the colonists believe they should have
Complaints against Britain
The existence of the new nation
Preamble: Introduction