United States History Chapter 6, Lesson 2

United States History Chapter 6, Lesson 2

Congress Takes Action

Multiple Choice

Who were the two sides who fought in the American Revolution

• America vs. France

• America vs. China

• America vs. Great Britain

Congress takes action

• Congress knew it would have to create some form of central government

• Up until this point, each colony had only a government of its own

• After many days of debating, they agreed that Congress had the power to do certain things

What could Congress do?

• They had the power to provide protection against future British attacks

• Congress could declare war

• It could not however interfere in the private matters of each colony

• Each colony wanted to protect the personal freedoms of its people

The Second Continental Congress

• The delegates moved to form an army

• Several leaders were considered as the possible commander of the military

• A commander is a leader of a military group

• One member of Congress stood out as the best choice

Multiple Choice

What is a commander

• a president

• a leader of a military group

• a leader of a football team

Poll

Who do you think they chose to be the commander?

• Thomas Jefferson

• Ben Franklin

• George Washington

• George W. Bush

Who did they choose?

• The group settled on George Washington

• He was named the commander in chief of the American Army

• Congress asked the colonies for troops and money to pay for the war

The Start of the War

• While the war was beginning, Congress continued to form a central, unified government

• They set up the colonial post office, and named Ben Franklin as its postmaster

• A postmaster is a man who runs the post office

• Congress sent out some people to ask other countries for help

How was Boston recovered?

• After the fighting at Lexington and Concord, thousands of minutemen were waiting in camps around Boston

• The Governor of Boston issued an order that put Boston under complete control of the British Army

• Pardons were offered to all colonists who pledged their loyalty to the king

• A pardon is an official statement forgiving someone of something

How was Boston recovered?

• The offer did not apply to John Hancock or Sam Adams

• Nobody came forward looking for a pardon

• The Governor knew he had to protect Boston from the colonists

• He planned to arm Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill in case they attacked

• The colonists learned of the plan and quickly responded

How was Boston recovered?

• The Americans began setting up on Breed's Hill before the British could get there

• Breed's Hill was the American's first line of defense

• On June 17, 1775, British Warships in the Boston Harbor began attacking

• The British expected an easy victory

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Poll

Do you think the British won the battle as easily as they expected to?

• Yes

• No

How was Boston recovered?

• The colonial soldiers held their ground

• The British came back and attacked again

• With little gunpowder, the Americans held their fire until the British were close

• When the British got close enough, the Americans opened fire on them

How was Boston recovered?

• The British suffered heavy losses and had to retreat

• There was another British attack, and then the colonists retreated

• The British ended up capturing both Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill

• The losses were heavy on both sides

• After the fighting, General Gage (British) said, "One more victory like that will destroy us."

Open Ended

When General Gage said that "one more victory like that will destroy us", what do you think that he meant by that?

How was Boston recovered?

• Two weeks after this battle, which was called the Battle of Bunker Hill, General Washington reorganized and trained the troops

• The next spring, they retook the area they had lost

• The Americans brought in cannons so that they could control the harbor below

• The British gave up in Boston, abandoned it, and made their way to Halifax, Nova Scotia

Multiple Choice

Who did Congress name as the commander in chief of the American army?

• George Clooney

• George Washington

• George W. Bush