A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

Rate your agreement with the following statement: The media influences your opinion about important issues.

A. Strongly agree

B. Somewhat agree

C. Somewhat disagree

D. Strongly disagree A B C D

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Chapter 5 The Spirit of Independence (1763-1776)

Section 4 Moving Toward Independence

Why did the American colonies choose to declare independence?

Colonial Leaders Emerge• May 10, 1775 at the

Second Continental Congress

• Many were NOTNOT ready to break with Britain

• Many of the same delegates from the First Continental Congress

• Also Ben Franklin- he had represented the colonies in London and helped repeal the act

• John Hancock was also there- Hancock had funded the Sons of Liberty

• Hancock was chosen president of the First Continental Congress

• 32 year old Thomas Jefferson was also there

Second Continental Congress• Began to govern the

colonies• Authorized printing money• Set up a post office with

Franklin in charge• Committees were set up to

communicate with Indians and other countries

• Most important, Congress created the Continental Continental ArmyArmy

• Would be more organized than the militias

• George Washington was unanimously chosen as the army’s commander

Continental Congress and Peace• The delegates offered

Britain one last chance to avoid war

• Congress sent a petitionpetition (formal request) to King George III

• Called the Olive Branch Olive Branch PetitionPetition

• Said the colonists wanted peace

• Asked the King to protect their rights

• George III refused the petition

• Instead he prepared for war

• Hired more than 30,000 German troops (Hessians) to fight beside the British

The Colonies Take Offense• The Colonist found out the

British were going to invade New York

• The Americans decided to strike first and attack Montreal (They captured it)

• The Americans failed to take Quebec

• Washington reached Boston in 1775 and realized the army lacked discipline, organization, and leadership

• Washington began to shape the citizens into an army

Continental Army• March 1776,

Washington decided they were ready

• The army was set in a semicircle around Boston

• Washington gave the order to bombard the British with cannons

• The redcoats under General Howe withdrew from the city

• March 17th, Washington led the jubilant troops into Boston

• The British sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia

Early 1776• Support for absolute

independence was growing

• Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called Common Sense

• Paine called the King “the Royal Brute”

• Paine said “’Tis time to part”

• The call for independence became a roar

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

A B C D

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Who published a very influential pamphlet called Common Sense?

A. Thomas Paine

B. George Washington

C. Samuel Adams

D. Patrick Henry

Second Continental Congress• Second Continental

Congress was filled with debate

• Should the colonies declare themselves an independent nation or stay under British rule?

• Richard Henry Lee said “all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved”

Debate over Independence• Congress debated Lee’s

resolution• Some thought the

colonies were not ready to form a separate nation

• Others argued that war had already begun

• Still others feared Britain’s power to crush the rebellion

• Congress decided to draft a Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence• Jefferson wrote• Used John Locke’s idea

that people were born with certain natural rights including

• Life, liberty, and property• People formed

governments to protect these rights

• Also that a government that interferes with these rights might be overthrown

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

A B

C

D

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Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

A. Thomas Paine

B. George Washington

C. Thomas Jefferson

D. Patrick Henry

D.O.I. Final Touches• July 2nd, 1776 Congress voted on

Lee’s resolution for independence• 12 colonies voted for it (New York

later announced support)• Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration

of Independence was approved with some changes on July 4th, 1776

• John Hancock was the first to sign• Signed it so large that King

George could read it without his glasses

• 56 delegates signed the paper announcing the Birth of the United States

• Copies of the Declaration of Independence were distributed to the newly declared states

Parts of the D.O.I• Four major sections• 1. PreamblePreamble (Introduction)• 2. Lists the rights colonists

believed they should have and the right of people to abolish a government that does not protect these rights

• 3. List of grievances against the King and Parliament

• 4. Announcement of Independence

Why did the American colonies choose to declare independence?

-King George ignored the colonists’ Olive Branch petition, in which they tried to avoid war.

-The Colonists learned the British were planning to invade New York.

-Thomas Paine published an influential pamphlet, Common Sense, which called for complete independence.

Chapter 5 Section 4 Quiz

The king of Great Britain accepted the Olive Branch Petition offered by Congress.

Tru

e

Fal

se

50%50%1. True

2. False

The king hired German troops to fight in America.

Tru

e

Fal

se

50%50%1. True

2. False

The Declaration of Independence explains why the colonies chose to form a new

nation.

Tru

e

Fal

se

50%50%1. True

2. False

The first commander of the Continental Army was

Geo

rge

Was

hingt

on.

Ben

jam

in F

rank

lin.

John A

dam

s.

Thom

as J

effe

rson

.

25% 25%25%25%1. George Washington.

2. Benjamin Franklin.

3. John Adams.

4. Thomas Jefferson.

What did the Olive Branch Petition ask the king to do?

pro

tect

the

colo

nist..

.

leav

e Am

eric

a

sta

rt an

other

war

sto

p taxa

tion

25% 25%25%25%1. protect the colonists' rights

2. leave America

3. start another war

4. stop taxation

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