Coercive Acts Intolerable Act Following the Boston Tea Party, the British passed the Coercive Acts (dubbed the Intolerable Acts by the colonies) as a.

10th Grade United States History

Unit Four: The Road to Independence

• Following the Boston Tea Party, the British passed the Coercive Acts (dubbed the Intolerable Acts by the colonies) as a means to punish the colony of Massachusetts and to restore order to the colonies as a whole.

• The colonies responded by convening the First Continental Congress—its delegates would change the course of world history.

Unit 4: The Road to Independence—Note Packet 4-3

• April 1774: General _______ ______ was appointed as commander-in-chief of British forces in North America.

• Gage had earlier told King George III that “the Americans will be lions while we are lambs, but if we take the resolute part they will undoubtedly be very meek.”

• Gage believed that if the British dealt more harshly with the colonies, the colonists would be ___________ and would submit to British rule.


• With the king’s backing, Gage acted quickly to implement the most hateful and odious of the Intolerable Acts.

Thomas Gage

intimidated

• June 1, 1774: General Gage implemented the _________, shutting down Boston’s ports to all commercial traffic, with the intent of cutting off radical Boston from the rest of America and essentially ________ the city into submission.

• He could not have been more wrong in his assumption that this would bring about colonial submission to the British Crown.

• Instead of cutting Boston off from the rest of colonial America, the Port Act had the opposite effect.

• There was no danger of blockaded Boston starving.

• The other New England colonies shipped food into the city over land and from as far away as low-country South Carolina came rice.

• Delaware sent cash.• Instead of dividing the

colonies, General Gage actually brought them closer together with a common purpose.


Port Act

starving

• Just when it was difficult to imagine how the crisis could be made much worse, George III made it worse.

• June 22, 1774: King George III signed into law the __________, restoring the old borders of the Canadian province, which stretched down into the __________ and the ______ country—where many of the American colonists had hoped to settle.


Quebec Act

Ohio Valley Illinois

• The Quebec Act decreed that in these areas, _______ would be spoken, French ____ would prevail, and the _______ ______________ would be officially recognized.

• In addition to the colonists’ belief that they were not being afforded the rights of English subjects under the _______ ______, most of the colonists were __________ and associated the Catholic Church with _______ and ____________.

• The colonists had had enough. They were now ready to come together in a united voice loud enough to be heard by King George.


Frenchlaw

RomanCatholic Church

MagnaCarta

Protestant

tyrannypersecution

• September 5, 1774: ________ delegates from every colony but ________ met in ___________ at what became known as the ____ ___________________ to plan a united colonial response to the _______________.

• The 56 delegates represented the full spectrum of colonial thought—from radicals who wanted to sever all ties with Great Britain—to conservatives who wanted to find a way to patch up relations with the “Mother Country.”

• The Congress endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, in which the Intolerable Acts (and 13 other acts of Parliament passed since 1763) were deemed unconstitutional.

Unit 4: The Road to Independence—Note Packet 4-3Fifty-six

PhiladelphiaGeorgiaFirst

Continental Congress

Intolerable Acts


• The delegates adopted FIVE MAIN RESOLUTIONS:1. Asserted their rights to “____, _______, and

_________” as English subjects.• In a set of 10 resolutions, the First Continental

Congress enumerated the rights of the colonists.2. Demand for the free and exclusive power of

________________3. The pledge of ______________ between the

colonies4. The revival and enforcement of ________ of British

goods5. The call to colonists to arm themselves and form

________

Life LibertyProperty

self-government mutual support

boycotts

militias


• When the First Continental Congress ended in October, the delegates agreed to meet in the Spring of 1775 to take further steps if the conflict with Britain had not been resolved.

• King George III was not moved to give in to the colonists by

this meeting. In November of 1774, King George wrote, “THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES ARE IN A STATE OF REBELLION—BLOWS MUST DECIDE.”

• So in a sense, it was King George III and the British Parliament that declared war to start the American Revolution.

• Massachusetts organized special militia units that could be ready for battle on a moment’s notice—they were referred to as the “___________.” – General Gage was sent to Boston, Massachusetts to

suppress colonial ___________ (def): Open revolt against civil authority.


Minutemen

insurrection

• The Americans that King George III had labeled “rebels” (they preferred to call themselves “patriots”) followed the advice of the First Continental Congress and began to gather guns and ammunition.

• ________ (def): Name given to American colonists who rebelled against the British Crown.

• As the colonists were organizing and arming, Gage set about positioning, preparing, and quartering his troops. But he was continually harassed by colonial saboteurs—who sunk barges, burned the straw intended for the soldiers’ beds, and wrecked provisional wagons.

• Throughout New England, militiamen were drilling—and stealing ammunition.


Patriots

Unit 4: The Road to Independence—Note Packet 4-3• Gage issued a blanket indictment

against the colonists, declaring all to be “in treason.” However, he offered full pardons to everyone—except for Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

• If caught, they would be executed.• Paul Revere then undertook his

first major mission of warning… …….to ride to Lexington,

Massachusetts and tell the two revolutionary patriots they must prepare to flee.

• A major stockpile of ____ and ___________ was stored by colonial patriots in ________, Massachusetts.

guns ammunition

Concord


• Paul Revere’s second mission of warning followed hard on the heels of his first.

• In addition to his duties as a rider, Revere supervised a ring of Boston citizen-spies.

• These spies had observed the British General Thomas Gage’s preparation of grenadiers and light infantry (these two groups were comprised of some of Britain’s finest soldiers) for an impending mission.

• When Revere and his spies watched the British hard at work trying to repair a group of whaleboats, they believed that Gage was about to send the troops by boat from Boston to Cambridge—then on to Concord.

Unit 4: The Road to Independence—Note Packet 4-3• When Revere returned to Boston from

Lexington, he arranged a signal that would alert the Charlestown countryside to the movement of gage’s troops.

• He stationed his friend, John Pulling, in the steeple of the North Church.

• If the troops were seen marching out by land, a single lantern was to be shown from the steeple.

• If they were using the whaleboats to get across the Back Bay water (meaning that they were embarking for an attack on the arms cache at Concord) Pulling was to show two lanterns.


• Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would include this in his work that immortalized Paul Revere—

• Listen my children and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British marchBy land or sea from the town to-night,Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry archOf the North Church tower as a signal light,-One if by land, and two if by sea;And I on the opposite shore will be,Ready to ride and spread the alarmThrough every Middlesex village and farm,For the country folk to be up and to arm."

• During the day, on April 18, Gage dispatched mounted officers out along the Concord road to clear it of rebel couriers.

• That night, the sergeants were sent to awaken the sleeping light infantry and grenadiers—600-800 of Gage’s best troops (no doubt some of the finest troops of all of Europe).

• At 10:30, the redcoats were ready. • Two lanterns glowed in the North

Church steeple—the British were bound for Concord where the patriots had stockpiled a vast supply of weapons and ammo.

• General Gage sent ____ British soldiers to Concord on April 18, 1775 to seize these supplies.

• The resourcefulness of a small band of swift riders was the only thing that saved a large portion of these supplies—as well as the lives of several of our country’s founding fathers.


• ___________,_____________ and ______________ rode on horseback to warn the countryside (Their cry was not, as often told, “The British are coming! The British are coming!, but…) with shouts of “___________________!”

• The British soon found out they had lost the element of surprise…

Unit 4: The Road to Independence—Note Packet 4-3Paul Revere William Dawes Samuel Prescott

The Regulars Are Out


• As the British set out for Concord to seize the patriot weapons cache, a group of 70 colonial militia met them at the town of _________.

• Lt. Col. Francis Smith and Major John Pitcairn were in charge of the British soldiers headed for Concord. Pitcairn called to the militia on Lexington’s green (which fronted the road to Concord), “Lay down your arms, you rebels, and disperse!”

• Head of the colonial militia, Captain Jonas Parker shouted the orders to his men, “Don’t fire unless fired upon. But if they want to have a war, let it begin here!”

• Shots rang out—from which side it is not known—but in the matter of minutes, 8 militiamen, including Parker, were dead, and another 10 were seriously wounded. A single British soldier was slightly hurt.

• Outnumbered _____ to ___, this patriot force was easily defeated.

Lexington

700 70

Unit 4: The Road to Independence—Note Packet 4-3• It would not be so easy for the British in Concord. • The British continued their march to Concord, but word of the

engagement at Lexington reached that town well in advance. • Militia companies poured into Concord from surrounding

communities.• At Concord, almost ______ American militia arrived to defend the

town. 4,000

• Although, never more than half this number were involved at any one time.• As fresh militia units arrived, exhausted men, their 40 or so rounds of

ammunition spent, dropped out.• The captain of the British light infantry was stunned by the approach of the

Americans. • He ordered his men to form two ranks, the first to fire a volley—then run

behind the second rank to reload while the second fired. It was the standard maneuver, drilled and drilled a thousand times over.


• But something went wrong for the British that day. The Battle of Lexington had been easy.

• Here, at Concord, were many more men—men who really did look and move like soldiers.

• The familiar maneuver miscarried—the volleys at first falling into the river before a few shots found their marks.

• Militia captain Isaac Davis fell dead—as did Abner Hosmer, the little drummer boy who had marched bravely at the head of the American column.

• “Fire, fellow soldier!” an American officer begged his men. “For God’s sake, fire!”


• The first full American volley of the American Revolution was recorded for posterity.

• In response to the fire of the British soldiers at Concord, the colonial patriots returned fire in what poet ______ ______ ________ would later call “____________________________.”


“By the rude bridge that

arched the flood,Their flag to April’s breeze

unfurled,Here once the embattled

farmers stood,And fired the shot heard

round the world.”

Ralph WaldoEmerson The Shot Heard ‘Round the World


• Three British regulars lay dead and nine more were wounded in the volley.

• The “lobsterbacks” retreated into the town, but left their dead and wounded behind on the bridge.

• Instead of pursuing the retreating British, one “embattled farmer” ventured onto the North Bridge and, seeing one of the wounded British soldiers stirring, buried an axe in his skull.

• This served to strike terror into the hearts of the light infantry—to see that “the Americans had scalped a soldier of the Crown!”

• Forcing the British to retreat all the way back to ____________, colonial militia _______ picked off British soldiers one by one and harassed the British until they found refuge within range of the big guns of their warships.• Almost ____ British redcoats had been killed

and another ____ were wounded.• On the American side, ___ had died and ___

lay wounded.


Charlestown snipers

100174

49 41

Unit 4: The Road to Independence—Note Packet 4-3• The _____________________________ marked the

beginning of the colonial fight for independence and the American Revolutionary War.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

• From a “Meeting-in-Exile” of the Virginia House of BurgessesThere is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged. Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable—and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, “Peace! Peace!”—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps down from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field. Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY—OR GIVE ME DEATH!


Coercive Acts Intolerable Act Following the Boston Tea Party, the British passed the Coercive Acts (dubbed the Intolerable Acts by the colonies) as a.

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