The War Begins

2nd Continental Congress

• May 1775

• Create Continental Army

• Appoints Washington as leader

• Some talk of compromise…some of independence

Bunker Hill

• -June 1775

• -Colonist take hill overlooking Boston (Breed’s Hill)

• -British charge the hill 3 times until colonists run out of ammo

• -lots of casualties• deadliest battle of war

• -proves the intentions of the colonists

2nd Continental Congress

• July 1775• Olive Branch Petition• send King George a petition to return to the peace of the past• he refuses the petition and urges the rebellion put down• “A Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition” (Proclamation of

Rebellion)

• Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms

Thomas Paine

• Common Sense

• The American Crisis

Common Sense

• Thomas Paine • Pamphlet called for complete independence• Accused king of tyranny• 500,000 copies sold• Influences colonial opinion in favor of independence

Common Sense

• -many colonists had loyalties that were strong to Britain

• -Loyalists

• -Patriots

• -Common Sense

• -written by Thomas Paine

• -Jan. 1776

• -urges independence for the colonies

Common SenseI offer nothing more than simple facts, plain

arguments, and common sense . . .O ye that lovemankind!

Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, butthe tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old worldis overrun with oppression.

Freedom hath been hunted round the globe.Asia, and Africa, have long expelled her—Europeregards her like a stranger, and England hathgiven her warning to depart. O! receive thefugitive, and prepare in time an asylum formankind."

Common Sense

. . . we have every opportunity and everyencouragement before us, to form the noblest purestconstitution on the face of the earth. We have it in ourpower to begin the world over again. A situation,similar to the present, hath not happened since thedays of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world isat hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous asall Europe contains, are to receive their portion offreedom from the event of a few months.

~Thomas Paine

War Between America and Britain• 1776 = low point of war• Disadvantages were evident• “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

-Thomas Paine

2nd Continental Congress

• Lee Resolution• The Resolution of Independence

• Richard Henry Lee• June 1776• Proposed & Tabled

• Leads to Committee of Five

Committee of Five

• John Adams• Roger Sherman• Robert Livingston• Benjamin Franklin• Thomas Jefferson

Declaration of Independence

• -Committee appointed to begin work on formal document

• -meant to explain the reasons for independence

• -mostly written by Thomas Jefferson

• -Congress edited the final draft

• -Issued July 4, 1776

Concepts in the Declaration

• -Jefferson took ideas from many Enlightenment thinkers

• -Natural Rights and Social Contract from John Locke

• -All men are created equal

• -Listed specific reasons for our independence

American Beliefs

• “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.”

Colonists

-Loyaliststhose who remained loyal to the King and the Britishoften called Tories

-Patriotsthose who supported the move for independencerisked everything because they could be hung as

traitors

-UndecidedAs many as a third to one half of the colonists were undecided as to whether independence or remaining

part of England was the best decision