1. The Colonists Declare Independence
Chapter 3.3

2. Provincial Congress John Hancock Samuel Adams Other colonial leaders
Try to govern Massachusetts without General Thomas Gage who has been placed in charge after the passing of the Coercive Acts
Also begin stockpiling weapons

3. Lexington Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Dr. Samuel Prescott
Warn that the British are coming
Patriot militias meet the British troops in Lexington
Ordered to disperse
Someone fired – no one knows who
8 Patriots died
The first shot was known as “the shot heard round the world”

4. Concord After Lexington, Redcoats marched to Concord
Found the armory nearly
Minutemen and a militia met the British at the North Bridge and repelled the British
Chased them all the way back to Boston
Lego Lexington and Concord
British Army fighting style

6. Continental Congress Assumed responsibility for the war
Created the Continental Army and made George Washington the commander
Militias from the Middle and Southern colonies joined the Patriot siege in Boston
Some radical members wanted to declare independence
But most of the colonists still wanted to remain with the British Empire without paying taxes

7. Olive Branch Petition Sent to King George III
Asked for a stop in fighting to negotiate a peace
King issued Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition
stated that all loyal British subjects in the colonies needed to bring traitors to justice.

8. Loyalists Loyal to the King Preferred British rule
Feared resistance would lead to a deadly and destructive war that Britain would win
Disliked the taxes, oaths of allegiance, and militia drafts demanded by Patriot leaders
Patriots shut down their newspapers and punished Loyalists who criticized Patriot actions

10. This British political cartoon from 1775 shows a group of Patriots forcing a Loyalist to sign a document Is this cartoon more sympathetic to Loyalists or Patriots? What details support your evaluation?

11. Thomas Paine Wrote Common Sense
appealed to the common man by writing in direct and clear language in his pamphlet Common Sense which showed colonists that King George III not Parliament was their enemy.
Common Sense parody

13. Declaration of Independence
Paine’s ideas built up momentum for American independence
A committee selected to draft a document declaring independence
Thomas Jefferson drafted the document
It embraced the idea of natural rights
It declared natural rights, listed grievances, and declared independence.
Congress voted and declared America was free on July 2, 1776
The Declaration of Independence was approved July 4, 1776
Declaration of Independence Parody

14. This painting depicts Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson working to draft the Declaration of Independence.

15. One of Thomas Jefferson’s drafts of the Declaration of Independence

16. Works Cited Werner-Lepsansky, Emma J., et al. United States
History. Pearson Education Inc: United States,
2016. Print.
Pearson Realize. The Colonists Declare Independence.
Pearson Inc, Web. 26 Oct 2015