The Spark to Ignite a Revolution

The Spark to Ignite A Revolution

By Caleb Andrews

Talking Points

• ​The 1st Continental Congress

• The Battles of Lexington & Concord​

• The 2nd Continental Congress

• ​Declaration of Independence

• The Enlightrnment

• Patriots & Loyalists​

-Took place from Sep 5 - Oct 26 1774.

-Representatives from all colonies except Georgia met

In Philadelphia to discuss what to do with Britain & the Intolerable Acts

-Delegates had 2 points/actions​

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The 1st Continental Congress

1) they sent a letter to King George III explaining the issues with how they were being treated, demanded a stop to the

Intolerable Acts or else they would boycott British goods, The King ignored this letter

2) Agreed to meet again in May of ‘75 if the British did not Meet their demands​

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The 1st Continental Congress

-Members of 1st CC included Washington, John Adams & Patrick Henry

-Henry declared, I am not a Virginian, I am an American”

-represents more of an american identify than just a single colony​

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The 1st Continental Congress

Multiple Select

What were the 2 goals of the 1st Continental Congress?

• Declare Independence from Great Britain

• Agree to meet again at a later date

• Send a letter to King George explaining their issues with the taxes

• Appoint George Washington president

Dropdown

The 1st Continental Congress represented a more​

Select answer

​ identity.

-These battles represent the start of the American Revolutionary War

Even though INDEPENDENCE HAS NOT YET BEEN DECLARED

-British troops were sent to do 2 things:

1. capture colonial leaders Samuel Adams & John Hancock in Lex.

2. Destroy colonial weapons & ammo store in Concord​

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Battles of Lexington & Concord

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Multiple Choice

True or False: The Battles of Lexington & Concord took place AFTER the Declaration of Independence was signed

• True

• False

-Colonists were warned about the British plans by riders that included Paul Revere and William Dawes

-Adams & Hancock were able to escape, and local militia able to hide weapons & ammo

https://youtu.be/f4zpXaxg3is?si=QjCNB42x21mlscd5​

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Battles of Lexington & Concord

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Lexington

-First shots fired of American Revolutionary War 

-very quick skirmish, not really a battle 

-small group of about 80 colonists faced off against a much larger British Force

-A shot is fired, not sure from which side, British attack, some colonists die and most flee​

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Battles of Lexington & Concord

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Multiple Choice

True or False: The first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the Battle of Lexington:

• True

• False

Battles of Lexington & Concord

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​Concord

-British begin to march to Concord, searching for weapons & ammo

-Colonists retreat to outskirts of the town and watch from the other side of a bridge

-more militiamen join the colonists as the colonists sit and wait 

-Colonists decide to cross the bridge with the larger force forcing the British to retreat

-gave the colonists confidence

Battles of Lexington & Concord

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-As British troops retreat to Boston, colonial forces continue to harass them 

-By the time the British troops reach Boston, they had lost 73 men, 174 wounded

Colonists lost 49 men, 41 wounded. 

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Open Ended

Who do you think won the Battles of Lexington & Concord and why?

2nd Continental Congress

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-First met on May 10, 1775 and met @ different times throughout the war

- would continue to meet until March of 1781 

-First met again in Philadelphia in Independence Hall

-Georgia does actually show up this time, now all 13 colonies represented!

-A lot has happened since they last

met ===> get down to business

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2nd Continental Congress

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​-Need to form an army to fight the British

-John Hancock is leader of the CC, new members include Thomas Jefferson & Ben Franklin

-Acted like an actual governing body, printed money, sent ambassadors to other countries and raised an army

-Established the Continental Army in June 1775, commanded by Washington

-Tried again for peace in July 1775 with the Olive Branch Petition to King George III

-Wrote something called the Declaration of Independence in July, 1776

Multiple Select

Which of the following happened at the 2nd Continental Congress (pick all that apply)

• Wrote the Declaration of Independence

• Established the Continental Army

• Tried for peace again with the Olive Branch Petition

• Sent ambassadors to other countries

• Printed Money

Declaration of Independence

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​-issued by the 2nd Continental Congress

-a document that announced to the world the unity of the 13 colonies and their fight for independence

-Primary author was Thomas Jefferson

-Consists of 3 parts

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Declaration of Independence

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​1) The preamble ⇒ the intro that states why the colonists want to separate

2) The List of Grievances => complaints the colonists had against the King &  parliament,

3) The conclusion => announced independence and the formation of the United States of America

-The Declaration is full of Enlightenment ideas and concepts

-What the heck is the Enlightenment?​

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Multiple Choice

How many parts does the Declaration of Independence consist of?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

The Enlightenment

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-A philosophical movement in Europe between the 1700-1800’s

-People began to question the rule of absolute monarchs

-4 main ideas of the Enlightenment:

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1) Reason => instead of relying on religious teachings, ppl started to rely on logical reasoning and scientific inquiry to find answers to questions about life, gov’t, politics, etc​

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The Enlightenment

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2) Rights of the Citizen => citizens have rights that the gov’t must protect, these rights include natural rights if gov’t doesnt protect those rights, ppl have the right to overthrow gov’t 

3) Natural law => belief that certain rights or truths exist beyond gov’t laws and apply to everyone (natural rights), right to life and freedom.

4) Popular Gov’t => belief that gov’t should get its power from the ppl and not from a single ruler

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Multiple Choice

The Enlightenment had 4 main ideas: 1) Reason, 2) Rights of the Citizen, 3) Natural Law and __________.

• Popular Government

• Rights of Kings

• Oligarchy, rule of the few

The Enlightenment

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-These ideas become very popular throughout Europe and in the American colonies

-Help inspire Jefferson & others as they write the Declaration of Independence

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Patriots & Loyalists

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-After the war starts with the battles of Lex & Concord, colonists face a difficult choice:

Remain a loyal British Citizen OR support the fight for independence

-Many ppl who were born in Britain and later moved to the colonies remained loyal

-Generally (but not always) older citizens felt a stronger connection to the mother country

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Patriots & Loyalists

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-Many ppl did oppose independence for economic reasons

-southern farmers depended on shipping crops to England

-Others opposed British rule and wanted to fight for independence

-felt the king was a tyrant and that the taxes were unfair

-View the revolution as necessary 

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Word Cloud

Provide 1-2 words about something you learned from the lesson: