Section 6.3: The Road to Lexington and Concord

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Section 6.3 The Road to Lexington and Concord
After instruction, students will be able to

• 1. Describe the Intolerable Acts and their
  impact.
• 2. Explain how the colonies wavered between war
  and peace.
• 3. Profile the Midnight Ride.
• 4. Describe the battles of Lexington and Concord.

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Vocabulary

• summarize give a brief description
• prompted caused to happen
• committee group of people appointed to perform
  a specific service or task
• correspondence communication by exchanging
  letters

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What We Already Know
To raise revenue and to demonstrate its
authority, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts
in 1767, leading to a new wave of protests in the
colonies.
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What We Already Know

• When British merchants began suffering from
  colonial boycotts, Parliament repealed most of
  the Townshend Acts.

Charles Townshend
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What We Already Know

• In 1773, Parliament opened old wounds by passing
  the Tea Act, and colonists responded by staging
  the Boston Tea Party.

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After the Boston Tea Party, Parliament issued the
Intolerable Acts.

• Bostons harbor would be closed until the tea was
  paid for.
• The committees of correspondence were banned.
• A new quartering act was put in effect.
• British officers accused of crimes in the
  colonies would now be tried in England.
• A military governor was placed in charge of
  Massachusetts.

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Other colonies immediately offered Massachusetts
their support.

• They sent food, supplies, and money to Boston.
• The committees of correspondence also called for
  a meeting of colonial delegates to discuss what
  to do next.

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The First Continental Congress made two important
recommendations about what to do next.

• They voted for a new trade boycott with Britain
  until the Intolerable Acts were repealed.
• They called for all colonies to begin training
  troops.

They were not ready to declare independence yet,
but were determined to stand up for colonial
rights.
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While Congress hopefully waited for the boycotts
to work as they had in the past . . .

• Britain stood firm, refusing to repeal the
  Intolerable Acts.

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While Congress hopefully waited for the boycotts
to work as they had in the past . . .

• Britain stood firm, refusing to repeal the
  Intolerable Acts.
• colonial troops continued to train and stockpile
  weapons.

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While Congress hopefully waited for the boycotts
to work as they had in the past . . .

• Britain stood firm, refusing to repeal the
  Intolerable Acts.
• colonial troops continued to train and stockpile
  weapons.
• Patrick Henry made his famous, Give me liberty,
  or give me death! speech.

Gentlemen may cry peace, peacebut there is no
peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale
that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears
the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are
already in the field! Why should we idle here? .
. . I know not what course others may take. But
as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
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The British military had spies who informed them
that the colonists were storing arms and
ammunition in Concord, 20 miles west of Boston.
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Hearing that Revolutionary leaders John Hancock
and Sam Adams were reportedly in Lexington,
between Boston and Concord, General Gage ordered
700 redcoats to arrest the two rebels and seize
the weapons.
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General Gage sent his
Paul Revere and William Dawes left Boston to warn
the colonists that the British were marching
their way. In Lexington, they were joined by
Samuel Prescott.
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Although Revere and Dawes were captured, Prescott
made it all the way to Concord.
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When the British entered Lexington at dawn, they
were met by several dozen colonial militiamen.
Shots were fired and eight colonists were killed.
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The British marched on to Concord, destroyed the
arms and ammunition, and prepared to return to
Boston.
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But 4,000 militiamen rushed to the area and fired
at them all along the way.
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With shots fired, no peaceful solution was to be
found. The war for American independence would
now begin and everyone would have to choose a
side. Those who supported Britain would be
called Loyalists, and those who wanted
independence were called Patriots.