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Following the Boston Tea Party the British passed some acts to punish Boston. What were these acts called and what did 2 of them do? http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/conwell/revolution/congress.htm

INTOLERABLE ACTS AND THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS

Britain responded to the Boston Tea Party in 1774 by passing several laws that became known in America as the Intolerable Acts.  One law closed Boston Harbor until Bostonians paid for the destroyed tea.  Another law restricted the activities of the Massachusetts legislature and gave added powers to the post of governor of Massachusetts.  Those powers in effect made him a dictator.  The American colonists were very angered by these forceful acts.   In response to these actions and laws, the colonist banded together to fight back.  Several committees of colonists called for a convention of delegates from the colonies to organize resistance to the Intolerable Acts.  The convention was later to be called the Continental Congress.

When and why did the Continental Congress first meet? After you find find and write the answers, also copy and paste the painting onto this slide.

http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/conwell/revolution/congress.htm.  ReThe First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from Sept. 5 to

Oct. 26, 1774, to protest the Intolerable Actspresentatives attended from all the colonies except Georgia.  The leaders included Samuel Adams and John Adams of Massachusetts and George Washington and Patrick Henry of Virginia.  The Congress voted to cut off colonial trade with Great Britain unless Parliament abolished the Intolerable Acts.  It approved resolutions advising the colonies to begin training

British and American soldiers first exchanged gunshots at the towns of Lexington and Concord. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr19.html

  What was the date of this battle?

Why had the British troops been sent to Concord and Lexington?

On April 19, 1775, British and American soldiers exchanged fire in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. On the night of April 18, the royal governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, commanded by King George III to suppress the rebellious Americans, had ordered 700 British soldiers, under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn, to seize the colonists' military stores in Concord, some 20 miles west of Boston. A system of signals and word-of-mouth communication set up by the colonists was effective in forewarning American volunteer militia men of the approach of the British troops. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride" tells how a lantern was displayed in the steeple of Christ Church on the night of April 18, 1775, as a signal to Paul Revere and others.

The American revolutionaries knew that the British were coming to Lexington and Concord.

  What system of signals was used to alert them? http://

www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web01/segment5.html

military experience . Still, it made sense to be prepared for the worst, so, New Englanders began to stockpile cannonballs and gunpowder in Concord, a small town about twenty miles northwest of Boston. When the British heard about those munitions, they decided to get them. Paul Revere, a silversmith who was one of those who wanted independence, found out that the British soldiers were getting ready to attack. He sent a spy into the British camp; the spy was to send a signal. Revere instructed: "If the British go out by water, we should show two lanterns in the North Church steeple; and if by land, one, as a signal."

Where were the major battles fought? Check out this interactive map and record who was the victor in each. http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u4/index.html

The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson in June of 1776. Read a transcription of the Declaration to find out: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

  What 3 unalienable rights are named in the document unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 3 grievances that are expressed in the declaration He has refused his

Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to

them.He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation

in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. .

Experience the signing of the Declaration of Independence alongside our forefathers at this interactive site.   ht He has refused his Assent to Laws, the

most wholesome and necessary for the public good.He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing

importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the

Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. tp://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_sign.html

Choose "black and white" for the printer. Sign the document and print. We will scan this document into your ppt later.

The colonists might have lost the war without the help of France. http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_world_france.html Why were the French willing to side with the American revolutionaries against England. Who persuaded France to be an American ally?

When Franklin went to France as America's first ambassador, there were two superpowers in Europe: England and France, and the countries were very different. Like the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, England and France were diametrically opposed in their forms of government and their general beliefs. While both countries had kings, England maintained a parliamentary form of government with some representatives elected by commoners. France, on the other hand, was governed as a total monarchy with absolute power in the hands of the king. England was a protestant country that had broken ties with the Roman Catholic church in a previous century, while Catholic France still maintained religious ties with Rome.

On some levels, it seemed odd that the Americans would approach the French with the idea of an alliance. After all, British colonists had fought alongside England against France a little more than a decade earlier. In language, religion, and temperament, the Americans were much more like the English, so France looked like an unlikely ally for the new country. However, France was humiliated after its defeat in the French and Indian Wars, and England was their enemy. It was in France's self-interest to help the Americans; it was a way of getting back at the British. As for the Americans, with France, they gained a powerful ally with one of the strongest military forces in the world.

When Franklin arrived in Paris in December, 1776, it was not the "city of light" of later years with wide open boulevards and stunning architecture. The average Parisian lived in abject poverty, in narrow, crooked streets with open sewers running down the middle. Starving beggars and homeless families were everywhere.

Where and when was the last major battle of the war fought? http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/AmericanRevolution/YorktownBattle.htm Who surrendered? Copy the drawing and paste it on this page.

War in the South Top of Page

British General Clinton along with another general, Lord Cornwallis sailed from New York with a fleet of 90 ships and 850 soldiers to take control of the south. The British had several major victories. After winning the Battle of Savannah in December 1778, the British troops moved on Charleston, South Carolina. Although Washington sent more troops to support Charleston, the American army was eventually force to surrender. Following the victory, Clinton returned to New York leaving General Cornwallis in command.A second southern army of Americans was formed under General Gates. In August 1780, Gates led an attack against Cornwallis at Camden, South Carolina. When the British charged, the poorly trained militia retreated leaving the regular soldiers greatly outnumbered. General Gates then retreated. The Americans suffered heavy losses as the British won another battle.General Nathanael Greene replaced General Gates in October 1780. Rather than an all-out attack on Cornwallis, Greene used hit-and-run tactics to inflict damage on the British. This guerilla warfare managed to drive the British towards the coast and back into Yorktown. 

Surrender of General Cornwallis Top of Page

The surrender of General, Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown(Source: Library of Congress)By the summer of 1781, the American troops managed to force Corwallis and his army to Yorktown, Virginia. The French naval fleet was on its way to Chesapeake Bay to support the American soldiers surrounding Yorktown. On September 5, 1771, the French fleet attacked the British navy in Chesapeake Bay. After defeating the British Navy, French Admiral de Grass positioned his fleet and began bombarding the forts with Cornwallis and his troops.Cornwallis was trapped between the American army and the French navy. By mid-October, Cornwallis was running out of food and ammunition. On October 19, 1781, General Cornwallis and 8,000 British troops surrendered.Although this was only one quarter of the British troops in America, the surrender has a devastating affect on the British government, who were now concerned they were losing the war.They were now motivated to negotiate the end of the war, and the Treaty of Paris. 

Use the Wordsmyth web dictionary/thesaurus http://www.kidsclick.org/ksearch.html

to look up the following terms . Loyalists Patriots Tories Choose the definition that best fits the word's use during American Revolutionary times. Copy and paste your answers onto this page.

Ben Franklin, John Hancock, and Paul Revere are well known patriots from the War of Independence. What others can you name?

Explore this site http://www.42explore2.com/revolt3.htm to locate names and information about other famous people of the time.

Choose one and read about him or her. Write their name and why they were important during the Revolutionary War.

Now that you have found all the information for your powerpoint you may go back and set up the show however you desire. But don’t remove any of the words or pictures.