The War of Independence

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Chapter 8-1

• The War of Independence

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Chapter 8-1 The War Begins

• General Thomas Gage (Gov. of Mass.)
• 1. Believed that the minutemen were
  preparing for war.
• 2. Gages spies reported that there were
  guns and powder in Concord Village.
• 3. Gage ordered 700 British soldiers to march
  from Boston to Concord and seize the
  weapons. (20 miles)
• Minutemen volunteers that were ready to fight at
  a minutes notice.

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First Shot at Lexington

• Colonial spies reported the British troops
  leaving Boston. April 18, 1775.
• Paul Revere and William Dawes galloped through
  the countryside spreading the word, the British
  are coming
• Captain John Parker and 70 minutemen gathered in
  front of a tavern in Lexington. A village on the
  road to Concord.
• As the British arrived, the minutemen headed for
  cover. A shot was fired. When the shooting
  stopped eight minutemen lay dead or wounded.
• Each blamed the other for firing the first shot.

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Midnight Ride Map
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Midnight Riders

• Paul Revere

• William Dawes

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Lexington and Concord Map
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Capt. John Parker Statue
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From Concord to Boston

• At Concord the Redcoats (British) only found a
  couple small cannons.
• Frustrated, they marched back to Boston. On the
  way back to Boston the British were under
  constant attack. (Ambush, Hit-n-Run)
• By the time the British reached Boston 74 were
  killed and 200 wounded.
• Americans killed 49, wounded 41.

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The Second Continental Congress

1. Met in Philadelphia on May 10,1775.
2. Created a Continental Army.
3. Appointed George Washington as commander in chief
   of the Continental Army.

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Second Continental Congress
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Washington the Commander
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Early Battles

1. An invasion of Canada by the Continental Army
   failed when Canada refused to fight the British.
2. The Battle of Bunker Hill proved that the
   colonists could fight and stop the British
   soldiers. More than 1,000 British died compared
   to 400 Americans.
3. A week after Bunker Hill , Washington arrived in
   Boston to take command. He brought heavy
   artillery with him. (59 loaded cannons) On March
   4, 1776, the Americans surrounded the city with
   cannons. The British abandoned Boston.

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Bunker Hill
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Bunker Hill ( Breeds Hill )
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Bunker Hill Monument