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CHAPTER XX Chapter Title

128

hy It Matters

Creating

a Nation

1763–1791

American flag,

Revolutionary War

Washington Crossing

the Delaware

by Emanuel

Gottlieb Leutze

As you study Unit 3, you will learn

that the purpose of the Declaration

of Independence was to justify the

American Revolution and to explain

the founding principles of the new

nation. You will also learn that the

Constitution established a republic, in

which power is held by voting citizens

through their representatives.

Primary Sources Library

See pages 596–597 for primary source

readings to accompany Unit 3.

Use the American History

Primary Source Document Library

CD-ROM to find additional primary

sources about the American move

toward independence.

“Give me

liberty, or give

me death!”

—Patrick Henry, 1775

130

Road to

Independence

1763–1776

Why It Matters

A spirit of independence became evident early in the history of the American

people. Far from the established rules and restrictions they had faced in their

home countries, the new settlers began to make their own laws and develop

their own ways of doing things.

The Impact Today

The ideals of revolutionary America still play a major role in shaping the society

we live in. For example:

• Americans still exercise their right to protest laws they view as unfair.

• Citizens have the right to present their views freely.

The American Republic to 1877 Video The chapter 5 video,

“Loyalists and Tories,” portrays events leading up to the Revolutionary War

from a Loyalist’s point of view, as well as a Patriot’s.

1763

•

Treaty of Paris

1770

•

Boston

Massacre

1762

•

Rousseau publishes

The Social Contract

1764

•

Mozart (aged

eight) writes

first symphony

1769

•

Watt patents

steam engine

1770

•

Russians destroy

Ottoman fleet

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

1765

•

Stamp Act protests

1763

1766 1769

131

1773

•

Boston Tea Party

1775

•

Battles fought at Lexington

and Concord

1772

•

Poland partitioned among

Russia, Prussia, and Austria

1774

•

Louis XVI becomes

king of France

HISTORY

Chapter Overview

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Bunker Hill by Don Troiani Low on ammunition, Colonel William Prescott

gives the order, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

1774

•

First Continental

Congress meets

1776

•

Declaration of

Independence

signed

Step 1 Fold one sheet of paper in half from

side to side.

Cause-and-Effect Study Foldable Make this

foldable to show the causes and effects of the

events that led the Americans to declare

independence from Great Britain.

Reading and Writing As you read this chapter,

fill in the causes (British Actions) and effects

(Colonial Reactions) in the correct columns of

your foldable.

Step 2 Fold again, 1 inch from the top.

(Tip: The middle knuckle of your index finger

is about 1 inch long.)

Step 3 Open and label as shown.

Fold the sheet

vertically.

Draw lines

along the

fold lines.

British

Actions

Colonial

Reactions

17751772

1763

Proclamation

of 1763

1764

Parliament passes

Sugar Act

1765

Parliament enacts

Stamp Act

1767

Townshend Acts tax

colonial imports

Main Idea

The British government’s actions after

winning the French and Indian War

angered American colonists.

Key Terms

revenue, writs of assistance, resolu-

tion, effigy, boycott, nonimporta-

tion, repeal

Reading Strategy

Classifying Information British

actions created colonial unrest. As

you read Section 1, re-create the

diagram below and describe why

the colonists disliked these policies.

Read to Learn

• why the British faced problems in

North America after the French and

Indian War.

• why the American colonists

objected to new British laws.

Section Theme

Civic Rights and Responsibilities The

American colonists believed that new

British laws denied their civic rights.

Taxation Without

Representation

In 1763, the British government issued a proclamation ordering all settlement

beyond the Appalachian Mountains to stop. Yet, the fertile land of the west tempted

Americans to pull up stakes. Led by Daniel Boone and others, settlers spilled into western

New York, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Boone explored parts of Kentucky in the 1760s and

1770s and led settlers through the Cumberland Gap, which became part of the Wilderness

Road. Boone’s trail served as the main route for families moving west for many years.

Relations with Britain

After winning the French and Indian War, Great Britain controlled a vast

territory in North America. To limit settlement of this territory, Britain issued

the Proclamation of 1763. Parts of the land acquired through the Treaty of Paris

became the provinces of Quebec, East Florida, West Florida, and Grenada (a

combination of several Caribbean islands). Most importantly, the Proclamation

prohibited colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains.

132

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

British action Colonists’ view

Proclamation of 1763

Sugar Act

Stamp Act

Preview of Events

Guide to Reading

✦

1760

✦

1765

✦

1770

St. Edward’s crown, worn

by George III

133

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Stopping western settlement provided sev-

eral advantages for Britain. It allowed the British

government, not the colonists, to control west-

ward movement. In this way, westward expan-

sion would go on in an orderly way, and conflict

with Native Americans might be avoided.

Slower western settlement would also slow

colonists moving away from the colonies on the

coast—where Britain’s important markets and

investments were. Finally, closing western set-

tlement protected the interests of British officials

who wanted to control the lucrative fur trade.

The British planned to keep 10,000 troops in

America to protect their interests.

These plans alarmed the colonists. Many

feared that the large number of British troops in

North America might be used to interfere with

their liberties. They saw the Proclamation of

1763 as a limit on their freedom. These two

measures contributed to the feeling of distrust

that was growing between Great Britain and its

colonies.

The financial problems of Great Britain com-

plicated the situation. The French and Indian

War left Britain with a huge public debt. Des-

perate for new

revenue, or incoming money, the

king and Parliament felt it was only fair that the

colonists pay part of the cost. They began plans

to tax them. This decision set off a chain of

events that enraged the American colonists and

surprised British authorities.

Britain’s Trade Laws

In 1763 George Grenville became prime min-

ister of Britain. He was determined to reduce

Britain’s debt. He decided to take action against

smuggling in the colonies. When the colonists

smuggled goods to avoid taxes, Britain lost rev-

enue that could be used to pay debts.

Grenville knew that American juries often

found smugglers innocent. In 1763 he convinced

Parliament to pass a law allowing smugglers to

be sent to vice-admiralty courts. Vice-admiralty

courts were run by officers and did not have

juries. In 1767 Parliament decided to authorize

writs of assistance. These legal documents

allowed customs officers to enter any location to

search for smuggled goods.

300 kilometers

Lambert Equal-Area projection

300 miles

40°N

30°N

90°W

80°W

70°W

Atlantic

Ocean

Gulf of Mexico

LOUISIANA

TERRITORY

PROVINCE

QUEBEC

HUDSON'S BAY

COMPANY

The Sugar Act

With a new law in place to stop smuggling,

Grenville tried to increase tax revenue. In 1764

Parliament passed the Sugar Act. The act low-

ered the tax on molasses imported by the

colonists. Grenville hoped the lower tax would

convince the colonists to pay the tax instead of

smuggling. The act also let officers seize goods

from smugglers without going to court.

The Sugar Act and the new laws to control

smuggling angered the colonists. They believed

their rights as Englishmen were being violated.

Writs of assistance violated their right to be

secure in their home. Vice-admiralty courts vio-

lated their right to a jury trial. Furthermore, in

trials at vice-admiralty courts, the burden of

Proclamation of 1763

Proclamation

Line of 1763

Spanish

territory

Other British

territory

Thirteen

Colonies

1. Place What natural feature marked the western bound-

ary of British territory?

2. Analyzing Information Who controlled the Louisiana

Territory in 1763?

Motion

proof was on defendants to prove their inno-

cence. This contradicted British law, which states

that the accused is “innocent until proved guilty.”

These measures alarmed the colonists. James

Otis, a young lawyer in Boston, argued that “no

parts of [England’s colonies] can be taxed with-

out their consent . . . every part has a right to be

represented.” In his speeches and pamphlets,

Otis defined and defended colonial rights.

Analyzing Why did Parliament pass

the Sugar Act?

The Stamp Act

In 1765 Parliament passed another law in an

effort to raise money. This law, the Stamp Act,

placed a tax on almost all printed material in the

colonies—everything from newspapers and

pamphlets to wills and playing cards. All printed

material had to have a stamp, which was applied

by British officials. Because so many items were

taxed, it affected almost everyone in the colonial

cities. Parliament also passed a law called the

Quartering Act. It forced the colonies to pay for

housing British troops in taverns, inns, vacant

buildings, and barns. Colonists were also

expected to provide food and drink. These laws

convinced many colonists of the need for action.

Opposition to these acts centered on two

points.

Parliament had interfered in colo-

nial affairs by taxing the colonies directly.

In addition, it taxed the colonists without

their consent. In passing the Stamp Act

without consulting the colonial legisla-

tures, Parliament ignored the colonial

tradition of self-government.

Protesting the Stamp Act

A young member of the Virginia House

of Burgesses, Patrick Henry, persuaded

the burgesses to take action against the

Stamp Act. According to tradition, when

he was accused of treason, Henry replied,

“If this be treason, make the most of it!”

The Virginia assembly passed a

resolution—a

formal expression of opinion—declaring it had

“the only and sole exclusive right and power to

lay taxes” on its citizens.

134

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

In Boston Samuel Adams helped start an

organization called the Sons of Liberty. Mem-

bers took to the streets to protest the Stamp Act.

People in other cities also organized Sons of

Liberty groups.

Throughout the summer of 1765, protesters

burned

effigies—rag figures—representing

unpopular tax collectors. They also raided and

destroyed houses belonging to royal officials

and marched through the streets shouting that

only Americans had the right to tax Americans.

The Stamp Act Congress

In October delegates from nine colonies met

in New York at the Stamp Act Congress. They

drafted a petition to the king and Parliament

declaring that the colonies could not be taxed

except by their own assemblies.

In the colonial cities, people refused to use the

stamps. They urged merchants to

boycott—

refuse to buy—British and European goods in

protest. Thousands of merchants, artisans, and

farmers signed

nonimportation agreements. In

these agreements they pledged not to buy or use

goods imported from Great Britain. As the boy-

cott spread, British merchants lost so much busi-

ness that they begged Parliament to

repeal, or

cancel, the Stamp Act.

The Act Is Repealed

In March 1766, Parliament gave in

to the colonists’ demands and

repealed the Stamp Act. Yet the

colonists’ trust in the king and Par-

liament was never fully restored.

While the colonists celebrated

their victory over the Stamp Act,

Parliament passed another act on

the same day it repealed the

Stamp Act. The Declaratory Act

of 1766 stated that Parliament had

the right to tax and make decisions

for the British colonies “in all

cases.” The colonists might have won one battle,

but the war over making decisions for the colonies

had just begun.

Evaluating What role did Samuel

Adams play in colonial protests?

Revenue stamp

New Taxes

Soon after the Stamp Act crisis, Parliament

passed a set of laws in 1767 that came to be

known as the Townshend Acts. In these acts the

British leaders tried to avoid some of the prob-

lems the Stamp Act caused. They understood

that the colonists would not tolerate internal

taxes—those levied or paid inside the colonies.

As a result the new taxes applied only to

imported goods, with the tax being paid at the

port of entry. The goods taxed, however,

included basic items—such as glass, tea, paper,

and lead—that the colonists had to import

because they did not produce them.

By this time the colonists were outraged by

any taxes Parliament passed. They believed that

only their own representatives had the right to

levy taxes on them. The colonists responded by

bringing back the boycott that had worked so

well against the Stamp Act. The boycott proved

to be even more widespread this time.

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Write sentences or short

paragraphs in which you use the fol-

lowing groups of terms correctly: (1)

revenue and writs of assistance;

(2) resolution, effigy, boycott,

nonimportation,

and repeal.

2. Reviewing Facts State two reasons

for the deterioration of relations

between the British and the colonists.

Reviewing Themes

3. Civic Rights and Responsibilities

Why did the colonists think the writs

of assistance violated their rights?

Critical Thinking

4. Identifying Central Issues Why did

British policies following the French

and Indian War lead to increased

tensions with American colonists?

5. Determining Cause and Effect

Re-create the diagram below and

describe the effects of these British

actions.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Geography Skills Review the map

on page 133. The Proclamation of

1763 banned colonists from settling

west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Why did the British government want

to halt western movement?

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

135

Persuasive Writing Write a letter

to the editor of a colonial news-

paper in which you attempt to

persuade fellow colonists to boy-

cott British goods. Use standard

grammar, spelling, sentence struc-

ture and punctuation.

Sugar Act

British Actions Effects

Stamp Act

Townshend Acts

Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House of

Burgesses by Peter F. Rothermel Patrick Henry

gave a fiery speech before the Virginia House of

Burgesses in 1765.

Why did Henry deliver

the speech?

History Through Art

Women took an active role in the protest

against the Townshend Acts. In towns through-

out the colonies, women organized groups to

support the boycott of British goods, sometimes

calling themselves the Daughters of Liberty.

They urged Americans to wear homemade fab-

rics and produce other goods that were avail-

able only from Britain before. They believed this

would help the American colonies become eco-

nomically independent.

Comparing How did the Town-

shend Acts differ from the Stamp Act?

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1770

Boston Massacre

takes place

1772

Samuel Adams sets up a

committee of correspondence

1773

Boston Tea

Party occurs

1774

Parliament passes the

Intolerable Acts

Main Idea

As tensions between colonists and the

British government increased, protests

grew stronger.

Key Terms

propaganda, committee of

correspondence

Reading Strategy

Organizing Information As you read

the section, re-create the diagram

below and describe how the Intolera-

ble Acts changed life for colonists.

Read to Learn

• why Boston colonists and British

soldiers clashed, resulting in the

Boston Massacre.

• how the British government tried to

maintain its control over the colonies.

Section Theme

Groups and Institutions Colonists

banded together to protest British laws.

Building

Colonial Unity

In the spring of 1768, British customs officials in Boston seized the Liberty, a ship

belonging to John Hancock, a merchant and protest leader. The ship had docked in

Boston Harbor to unload a shipment of wine and take on new supplies. The customs

officials, however, charged that Hancock was using the ship for smuggling. As news of

the ship’s seizure spread through Boston, angry townspeople filled the streets. They

shouted against Parliament and the taxes it had imposed on them. The Liberty affair

became one of the events that united the colonists against British policies.

Trouble in Boston

Protests like the Liberty affair made British colonial officials nervous. In the

summer of 1768, worried customs officers sent word back to Britain that the

colonies were on the brink of rebellion. Parliament responded by sending two

regiments of troops to Boston. As angry Bostonians jeered, the newly arrived

“redcoats” set up camp right in the center of the city.

136

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Intolerable

Acts

American protest banner

Preview of Events

Guide to Reading

✦

1770

✦

1773

✦

1776

137

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Many colonists, especially those living in

Boston, felt that the British had pushed them too

far. First the British had passed a series of laws

that violated colonial rights. Now they had sent

an army to occupy colonial cities.

To make matters worse, the soldiers stationed

in Boston acted rudely and sometimes even vio-

lently toward the colonists. Mostly poor men,

the redcoats earned little pay. Some of them

stole goods from local shops or scuffled with

boys who taunted them in the streets. The sol-

diers competed off-hours for jobs that Bostoni-

ans wanted. The townspeople’s hatred for the

soldiers grew stronger every day.

The Boston Massacre

Relations between the redcoats and the

Boston colonists grew more tense. Then on

March 5, 1770, the tension finally reached a

peak. That day a fight broke out between towns-

people and soldiers. While some British officers

tried to calm the crowd, one man shouted,

“

We did not send for you. We will not have you

here. We’ll get rid of you, we’ll drive you away!

”

The angry townspeople moved through the

streets, picking up any weapon they could

find—sticks, stones, shovels, and clubs. They

pushed forward toward the customshouse on

King Street.

As the crowd approached, the sentry on duty

panicked and called for help. The crowd

responded by throwing stones, snowballs, oyster

shells, and pieces of wood at the soldiers. “Fire,

you bloodybacks, you lobsters,” the crowd

screamed. “You dare not fire.”

After one of the soldiers was knocked down,

the nervous and confused redcoats did fire. Sev-

eral shots rang out, killing five colonists. One

Bostonian cried out:

“

Are the inhabitants to be knocked down in the

streets? Are they to be murdered in this manner?

”

Among the dead was Crispus Attucks, a

dockworker who was part African, part Native

American. The colonists called the tragic

encounter the Boston Massacre.

The Word Spreads

Colonial leaders used news of the killings as

propaganda—information designed to influence

opinion—against the British. Samuel Adams put

up posters describing the “Boston Massacre” as a

slaughter of innocent Americans by bloodthirsty

redcoats. An engraving by Paul Revere showed a

British officer giving the order to open fire on

an orderly crowd. Revere’s powerful image

strengthened anti-British feeling.

The Boston Massacre led many colonists to call

for stronger boycotts on British goods. Aware of

the growing opposition to its policies, Parliament

repealed all the Townshend Acts taxes except the

one on tea. Many colonists believed they had

won another victory. They ended their boycotts,

except on the taxed tea, and started to trade with

British merchants again.

Some colonial leaders, however, continued

to call for resistance to British rule. In 1772

Samuel Adams revived the Boston

committee of

correspondence,

an organization used in earlier

protests. The committee circulated writings about

colonists’ grievances against Britain. Soon other

committees of correspondence sprang up through-

out the colonies, bringing together protesters

opposed to British measures.

; (See page 596 of the

Primary Sources Library for readings about colonial resistance.)

Explaining How did the Boston

Massacre contribute to the repeal of the Townshend Acts?

The British soldiers never stood trial for the massacre.

Eight soldiers and the commanding officer at the Boston

Massacre were jailed and tried for murder. Many Patriots

thought it was an act of disloyalty to defend the soldiers.

The soldiers’ hopes for justice rested in the hands of

John Adams, who believed that even the enemy should

be given a fair trial. Two of the soldiers were found

guilty of manslaughter. The others were found not guilty

on grounds of self-defense. Some Patriots questioned

Adams’s loyalty; others argued that the trial showed

even the hated redcoats could receive a fair trial.

The Boston Massacre

A Crisis Over Tea

In the early 1770s, some Americans consid-

ered British colonial policy a “conspiracy

against liberty.” The British government’s

actions in 1773 seemed to confirm that view.

The British East India Company faced ruin. To

save the East India Company, Parliament passed

the Tea Act of 1773. This measure gave the com-

pany the right to ship tea to the colonies without

paying most of the taxes usually placed on tea. It

also allowed the company to bypass colonial mer-

chants and sell its tea directly to shopkeepers at a

low price. This meant that East India Company

tea was cheaper than any other tea in the colonies.

The Tea Act gave the company a very favorable

advantage over colonial merchants.

Colonial Demands

Colonial merchants immediately called for a

new boycott of British goods. Samuel Adams

and others denounced the British monopoly.

The Tea Act, they argued, was just another

attempt to crush the colonists’ liberty.

At large public meetings in Boston and Philadel-

phia, colonists vowed to stop the East India Com-

pany’s ships from unloading. The Daughters of

Liberty issued a pamphlet declaring that rather

than part with freedom, “we’ll part with our tea.”

Parliament ignored warnings that another cri-

sis was brewing. The East India Company

shipped tea to Philadelphia, New York, Boston,

and Charles Town. The colonists forced the

ships sent to New York and Philadelphia to turn

back. The tea sent to Charles Town was seized

and stored in a warehouse. In Boston, a show-

down began.

The Boston Tea Party

Three tea ships arrived in Boston Harbor in

late 1773. The royal governor, whose house had

been destroyed by Stamp Act protesters, refused

138

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

“Fellow countrymen,

we cannot afford to

give a single inch! If we retreat

now, everything we have done

becomes useless!”

— Samuel Adams,

December 1773

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party is one of the significant events leading

ultimately to American independence.

Most of the Townshend Acts

are repealed. The tax

on tea remains.

In November 1773, the

citizens of Boston refuse to allow

three British ships to unload

342 chests of tea.

On the evening of

December 16, Boston citizens

disguised as Native Americans board

the ships and empty the tea

into Boston Harbor.

King George III and

Parliament respond by

closing the city port.

to let the ships turn back. When he ordered the

tea unloaded, Adams and the Boston Sons of

Liberty acted swiftly. On December 16, a group

of men disguised as Mohawks and armed with

hatchets marched to the wharves. At midnight

they boarded the ships and threw 342 chests of

tea overboard, an event that became known as

the Boston Tea Party.

Word of this act of defiance spread throughout

the colonies. Men and women gathered in the

streets to celebrate the bravery of the Boston Sons

of Liberty. Yet no one spoke of challenging British

rule, and colonial leaders continued to think of

themselves as members of the British empire.

The Intolerable Acts

When news of the Boston Tea Party reached

London, the reaction was quite different. King

George III realized that Britain was losing con-

trol of the colonies. Lord North, who became

prime minister in 1770 and was fiercely loyal to

King George, asked Parliament to take action

against the colonies. In the spring of 1774, Par-

liament passed the Coercive Acts, very harsh

laws intended to punish the people of Massachu-

setts for their resistance.

The Coercive Acts closed Boston Harbor until

the Massachusetts colonists paid for the ruined

tea. This action prevented the arrival of food and

other supplies that normally came by ship. Worse,

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Use these terms in sen-

tences that relate to the Boston Mas-

sacre:

propaganda, committee of

correspondence.

2. Reviewing Facts How did colonial

leaders use the Boston Massacre to

their advantage?

Reviewing Themes

3. Groups and Institutions Why were

the committees of correspondence

powerful organizations?

Critical Thinking

4. Drawing Conclusions Do you think

the Boston Tea Party was a turning

point in the relationship between the

British and the colonists? Explain.

5. Organizing Information Re-create

the diagram below and describe how

colonists showed their opposition to

British policies.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Picturing History Examine the

material about the Boston Tea Party

on page 138. What artifacts are

shown? When did the “tea party”

take place?

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

139

Art Draw a cartoon strip showing

the story of the Boston Tea Party.

Use at least four cartoon frames to

present the sequence of events

from your point of view. Compare

your cartoon to a classmate’s and

describe his or her point of view.

Increased colonial opposition

the laws took away certain rights of the Massa-

chusetts colonists. For example, the laws banned

most town meetings, an important form of self-

government in New England. Another provision

permitted royal officers to be tried in other

colonies or in Britain when accused of crimes.

The Coercive Acts also forced Bostonians to

shelter soldiers in their own homes. Parliament

planned to isolate Boston with these acts.

Instead the other colonies sent food and clothing

to demonstrate their support for Boston. The

colonists maintained that the Coercive Acts vio-

lated their rights as English citizens. These

included the rights to no quartering of troops in

private homes and no standing army in peace-

time without their consent.

The Quebec Act, passed shortly after the

Coercive Acts, further angered the colonists.

This act set up a permanent government for

Quebec and granted religious freedom to French

Catholics. Colonists strongly objected to the pro-

vision that gave Quebec the area west of the

Appalachians and north of the Ohio River. This

provision ignored colonial claims to the area.

The feelings of the colonists were made clear by

their name for the new laws—the Intolerable

Acts.

Summarizing List the effects of the

Coercive Acts on the citizens of Boston.

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Johnny Tremain

140

Esther Forbes (1891–1967)

Esther Forbes

wrote a number

of books; among

them is the

prize-winning

biography Paul

Revere and the

World He Lived In. As she

researched Paul Revere’s life,

Forbes learned that many young

apprentices played a role in the

American Revolution. Johnny

Tremain, a fictional work, tells

the story of such an apprentice.

READ TO DISCOVER

In this passage from Johnny

Tremain, 14-year-old Johnny

and his friend Rab have dis-

guised themselves as Mohawks.

They join the crowd at Griffin’s

Wharf in Boston Harbor, where

three English ships carrying tea

are docked and are unable to

leave or unload their cargo.

READER’S DICTIONARY

boatswain: officer on a ship

warped: roped

jargon: strange language

hold: place where cargo is

stored on a ship

winch: machine for hauling

here was a boatswain’s

whistle, and in silence one

group boarded the Dart-

mouth. The Eleanor and the Beaver

had to be warped in to the wharf.

Johnny was close to Mr. Revere’s

heels. He heard him calling for the

captain, promising him, in the

jargon everyone talked that night,

that not one thing should be dam-

aged on the ship except only the

tea, but the captain and all his crew

had best stay in the cabin until the

work was over.

Captain Hall shrugged and did as

he was told, leaving his cabin boy to

hand over the keys to the hold. The

boy was grinning with pleasure. The

“tea party” was not unexpected. . . .

The winches rattled and the

heavy chests began to appear—one

hundred and fifty of them. As some

men worked in the hold, others

broke open the chests and flung the

tea into the harbor. But one thing

made them unexpected difficulty.

The tea inside the chests was

wrapped in heavy canvas. The axes

went through the wood easily

enough—the canvas made endless

trouble. Johnny had never worked

so hard in his life.

Then Mr. Revere called the cap-

tain to come up and inspect. The tea

was utterly gone, but Captain Hall

agreed that beyond that there had

not been the slightest damage.

It was close

upon dawn when

the work on all

three ships was

done. And yet

the great, silent

audience on the

wharf, men,

women, and chil-

dren, had not

gone home. As

the three groups

came off the

ships, they formed in fours along

the wharf, their axes on their shoul-

ders. Then a hurrah went up and a

fife began to play.

Excerpt from Johnny Tremain by Esther

Hoskins, © renewed 1971 by Linwood

M. Erskine, Jr., Executor of the Estate of

Esther Forbes Hoskins. Reprinted by per-

mission of Houghton Mifflin Co. All rights

reserved.

Paul Revere

ANALYZING LITERATURE

1. Recall and Interpret Why was

the “tea party” expected?

2. Evaluate and Connect What

does the conduct of the “tea

party” participants suggest about

the protest? Explain your answer.

Interdisciplinary Activity

Expository Writing Write a

one-page paper about how you

think you would react in Johnny’s

situation.

141

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

At first few colonists wanted a complete break with Britain. One of the most popular

songs of the time, “The Bold Americans,” called for both liberty and continued loyalty

to the British king:

We’ll honor George, our sovereign, while he sits on the throne.

If he grants us liberty, no other king we’ll own.

If he will grant us liberty, so plainly shall you see,

We are the boys that fear no noise! Success to liberty.

As tensions mounted, however, a peaceful compromise was no longer possible.

The Continental Congress

Colonial leaders realized they needed more than boycotts to gain the liberty

they sang about in “The Bold Americans.” They needed the colonies to act

together in their opposition to British policies.

In September 1774, 55 men arrived in the city of Philadelphia. Sent as dele-

gates from all the colonies except Georgia, these men had come to establish a

political body to represent American interests and challenge British control.

They called the new organization the Continental Congress.

Main Idea

Colonial leaders met at Philadelphia

in 1774 to discuss a united response

to British policies. Seven months later

American and British troops met in

battle for the first time.

Key Terms

militia, minutemen, Loyalist, Patriot

Reading Strategy

Sequencing Information As you

read the section, re-create the dia-

gram below and list six events leading

to the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Read to Learn

• what happened at the Continental

Congress in Philadelphia.

• how the colonists met British

soldiers in the first battle.

Section Theme

Groups and Institutions With the

establishment of the Continental

Congress, the colonies continued to

protest.

A Call to Arms

Revolutionary War

drum and fife

Preview of Events

Guide to Reading

✦

1774

✦

1775

✦

1776

1) 2)

5) 6)

The Battle of

Bunker Hill

3) 4)

September 1774

First Continental

Congress meets

April 19, 1775

Battles of Lexington and

Concord are fought

May 10, 1775

Ethan Allen captures

Fort Ticonderoga

June 17, 1775

Battle of Bunker

Hill is fought

142

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Delegates to the Congress

Major political leaders from all the colonies

attended the Congress. Massachusetts sent fiery

Samuel Adams and his younger cousin John

Adams, a successful lawyer. New York sent

John Jay, another lawyer. From Virginia came

Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry, two of

the most outspoken defenders of colonial rights,

as well as George Washington.

Patrick Henry summed up the meaning of the

gathering:

“

The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylva-

nians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no

more. . . . I am not a Virginian, but an American.

”

Decisions of the Congress

Although the delegates were hardly united

in their views, they realized they needed to

work together. First they drafted a statement of

grievances calling for the repeal of 13 acts of

Parliament passed since 1763. They declared

that these laws violated the colonists’ rights.

Their rights were based on the “laws of nature,

the principles of the English constitution, and

the several charters” of the colonies. The dele-

gates also voted to boycott all British goods

and trade. No British products could be

brought into or consumed in the colonies, and

no colonial goods could be shipped to Britain.

One of Congress’s major decisions was to

endorse the Suffolk Resolves. These resolu-

tions had been prepared by Bostonians and

others who lived in Suffolk County, Massa-

chusetts. They called on the people of Suf-

folk County to arm themselves against the

British. The people responded by forming

militias—groups of citizen soldiers. Many

wondered if war was coming. The answer

came the following spring.

Explaining What was the purpose

of the Continental Congress?

The First Battles

Colonists expected that if fighting against the

British broke out, it would begin in New Eng-

land. Militia companies in Massachusetts held

frequent training sessions, made bullets, and

stockpiled rifles and muskets. Some companies,

known as

minutemen, boasted they would be

ready to fight on a minute’s notice. In the winter

of 1774–1775, a British officer stationed in

Boston noted in his diary:

“

The people are evidently making every

preparation for resistance. They are taking every

means to provide themselves with arms.

”

Britain Sends Troops

The British also prepared for conflict. King

George announced to Parliament that the New

England colonies were “in a state of rebellion”

and said that “blows must decide” who would

control America. By April 1775, British general

Sir Thomas Gage had several thousand soldiers

under his command in and around Boston, with

many more on the way. Gage had instructions to

Relations between Britain and America worsened during

the 1760s and the 1770s.

Analyzing Information Why did the colonists fight for

self-government?

• A long war with Great Britain

• Self-government for the United

States

• World recognition of United

States independence

• Colonists’ tradition of self-

government

• Americans’ desire for a separate

identity from Britain

• Proclamation of 1763

• Harsh British policies toward North

America after 1763

3 kilometers

Lambert Equal-Area projection

3 miles

PRESCOTT

MINUTEMEN

MASSACHUSETTS

Revere captured;

Dawes turned back.

Boston

Harbor

Charlestown

Boston

Cambridge

Menotomy

(Arlington)

Medford

Lexington

April 19, 1775

Concord

April 19, 1775

North Bridge

“Stand your ground . . . if they mean

to have a war, let it begin here!”

—Captain John Parker, Lexington Militia

143

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Colonial messengers

Colonial troops

British troops

British victory

American victory

The Battles of Lexington and Concord

1. Location In which battle did the Americans win their first

victory over the British?

2. Analyzing Information About how many miles did

the British troops march from Lexington to Concord?

people and houses he passed along the way.

When he reached Lexington, he raced to tell

Adams and Hancock his news. Adams could

barely control his excitement. “What a glorious

morning this is!” Adams was ready to fight for

American independence.

Fighting at Lexington and Concord

At dawn the redcoats approached Lexington.

When they reached the center of the town they

discovered a group of about 70 minutemen who

had been alerted by Revere and Dawes. Led by

Captain John Parker, the minutemen had posi-

tioned themselves on the town common with

muskets in hand. A minuteman reported,

“

There suddenly appeared a number of the

King’s troops, about a thousand . . . the fore-

most of which cried, ‘Throw down your arms,

ye villains, ye rebels.’

”

A shot was fired, and then both sides let loose

with an exchange of bullets. When the fighting

was over, eight minutemen lay dead.

take away the weapons of the Massachusetts

militia and arrest the leaders.

Gage learned that the militia was storing arms

and ammunition at Concord, a town about 20

miles northwest of Boston. He ordered 700 troops

under Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith to

march

“

to Concord, where you will seize and destroy

all the artillery and ammunition you can find.

”

Alerting the Colonists

On the night of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph War-

ren walked the streets of Boston, looking for any

unusual activity by the British army. He saw a

regiment form ranks in Boston Common and

then begin to march out of the city.

Warren rushed to alert Paul Revere and

William Dawes, leading members of the Sons of

Liberty. Revere and Dawes rode to Lexington, a

town east of Concord, to warn Samuel Adams

and John Hancock that the British were coming.

Revere galloped off across the moonlit coun-

tryside, shouting, “The regulars are out!” to the

Motion

The British troops continued their march to

Concord. When they arrived there, they discov-

ered that most of the militia’s gunpowder had

already been removed. They destroyed the

remaining supplies. At Concord’s North Bridge,

the minutemen were waiting for them.

Messengers on horseback had spread word of

the British movements. All along the road from

Concord to Boston, farmers, blacksmiths, saddle

makers, and clerks hid behind trees, rocks, and

stone fences. As the British marched down the

road, the militia fired. A British officer wrote,

“These fellows were generally good marksmen,

and many of them used long guns made for

duck shooting.” By the time the redcoats

reached Boston, at least 174 were wounded and

73 were dead.

Looking back, the poet Ralph Waldo Emer-

son wrote in “The Concord Hymn” that the

Americans at Lexington and Concord had fired

the “shot heard ’round the world.” The battle

for America’s independence from Great Britain

had begun.

Describing What tactics did the

colonists use against the British troops on their march back

from Concord to Boston?

More Military Action

Shortly after Lexington and Concord, Benedict

Arnold, a captain in the Connecticut militia, was

authorized to raise a force of 400 to seize Fort

Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. Ticonderoga

was not only strategically located but was rich in

military supplies. Arnold learned that Ethan

Allen was also mounting an expedition in Ver-

mont to attack the fort. Arnold joined with

Allen’s force, known as the Green Mountain

Boys, and together they caught the British by sur-

prise. The garrison surrendered on May 10, 1775.

Later during the war, Arnold conspired to

surrender the key fort of West Point to the

British and led British raids against the Amer-

icans in Virginia and Connecticut. Arnold

became a general in the British army.

Building Forces

After the battles of Lexington and Concord,

the committees of correspondence sent out calls

for volunteers to join the militias. Soon the colo-

nial militia assembled around Boston was about

20,000 strong. For several weeks, the American

and British armies waited nervously to see who

would make the next move.

A View of the Town of Concord, 1775 by an

unknown artist Two British officers (left) search

for fleeing minutemen, while British troops march

through Concord.

Why did the British march to

Lexington and Concord?

History Through Art

144

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

The Battle of Bunker Hill

On June 16, 1775, about 1,200 militiamen

under the command of Colonel William Prescott

set up fortifications at Bunker Hill and nearby

Breed’s Hill, across the harbor from Boston.

The British decided to drive the Americans

from their strategic locations overlooking the

city. The next day the redcoats crossed the har-

bor and assembled at the bottom of Breed’s Hill.

Bayonets drawn, they charged up the hill. With

his forces low on ammunition, Colonel Prescott

reportedly shouted the order, “Don’t fire until

you see the whites of their eyes.” The Americans

opened fire, forcing the British to retreat. The

redcoats charged two more times, receiving furi-

ous fire. In the end the Americans ran out of

gunpowder and had to withdraw.

The British won the Battle of Bunker Hill but

suffered heavy losses—more than 1,000 dead

and wounded. As one British officer wrote in his

diary, “A dear bought victory, another such

would have ruined us.” The British had learned

that defeating the Americans on the battlefield

would not be quick or easy.

Choosing Sides

As American colonists heard about these bat-

tles, they faced a major decision. Should they join

the rebels or remain loyal to Britain? Those who

chose to stay with Britain, the

Loyalists, did not

consider unfair taxes and regulations good rea-

sons for rebellion. Some remained loyal to the

king because they were officeholders who

would lose their positions as a result of the Rev-

olution. Others were people who lived in rela-

tive isolation and who had not been part of the

wave of discontent that turned so many Ameri-

cans against Britain. Still others expected Britain

to win the war and wanted to gain favor with

the British. The

Patriots, on the other hand, were

determined to fight the British to the end—until

American independence was won.

Describing What did the British

learn from the Battle of Bunker Hill?

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms One of the following

terms does not belong with the other

three. Identify the term that does not

belong and explain why. Terms:

mili-

tia, minutemen, Loyalist, Patriots.

2. Reviewing Facts What decisions

were made by the First Continental

Congress?

Reviewing Themes

3. Groups and Institutions Why did

the Continental Congress pass a res-

olution to form militias?

Critical Thinking

4. Making Inferences What reasons

might Loyalists have had to support

Great Britain?

5. Comparing Re-create the diagram

below and list the differing beliefs of

Patriots and Loyalists and those

shared by both.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Chart Skills Review the cause-

and-effect chart on page 142. What

event in 1763 was significant to the

independence movement?

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

145

Expressive Writing Write a one-

act play in which a small group of

ordinary men, women, and chil-

dren in a small town react to news

of the Battle of Lexington. Remem-

ber that reactions varied from

colony to colony and that not all

colonists wanted independence

from Great Britain.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Breed’s Hill.

Most of the fighting did actually take place on Breed’s Hill.

The Patriot soldiers received instructions to set up defen-

sive positions on Bunker Hill. For reasons that are

unclear, they set up the positions on nearby Breed’s Hill.

The Battle of Bunker Hill

Patriots LoyalistsBoth

Study Central

To review this section, go to

and click on Study Central

.tarvol1.glencoe.com

146

Critical Thinking

Distinguishing Fact From Opinion

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Why Learn This Skill?

Suppose a friend says, “Our school’s basket-

ball team is awesome. That’s a fact.”

Actually, it is not a fact; it is an opinion.

Knowing how to tell the difference

between a fact and an opinion can help

you analyze the accuracy of political

claims, advertisements, and many other

kinds of statements.

Learning the Skill

A fact answers a specific question such as:

What happened? Who did it? When and where did it

happen? Why did it happen? Statements of fact can

be checked for accuracy and proven.

An opinion, on the other hand, expresses beliefs,

feelings, and judgments. Although it may reflect

someone’s thoughts, we cannot prove or disprove it.

An opinion often begins with phrases such as I

believe, I think, probably, it seems to me, or in my

opinion. It often contains words such as might,

could, should, and ought and superlatives such as

best, worst, and greatest. Judgment words that

express approval or disapproval—such as good,

bad, poor, and satisfactory—also usually indicate

an opinion.

To distinguish between facts and opinions, ask

yourself these questions:

• Does this statement give specific information

about an event?

• Can I check the accuracy of this statement?

• Does this statement express someone’s feelings,

beliefs, or judgment?

• Does it include phrases such as I believe,

superlatives, or judgment words?

Practicing the Skill

Read each numbered statement below. Tell

whether each is a fact or an opinion, and explain

how you arrived at your answer.

Paul Revere rode to Lexington with the news that

the British redcoats were coming.

The redcoats were the most feared soldiers

in the world at that time.

The Daughters of Liberty opposed the Tea Act

of 1773.

The Boston Tea Party raiders should have sunk

the tea ships.

George III was a foolish king.

Paul Revere’s ride

Applying the Skill

Distinguishing Fact from Opinion Analyze 10

advertisements. List at least three facts and three

opinions presented in the ads.

Glencoe’s

Skillbuilder Interactive

Workbook CD-ROM, Level 1,

provides

instruction and practice in key social

studies skills.

147

Main Idea

The Second Continental Congress

voted to approve the Declaration of

Independence.

Key Terms

petition, preamble

Reading Strategy

Organizing Information As you read

the section, re-create the diagram

below and describe the parts of the

Declaration of Independence.

Read to Learn

• what happened at the Second Con-

tinental Congress.

• why the colonists drafted the Decla-

ration of Independence.

Section Theme

Government and Democracy The

Declaration of Independence declared

the colonies free and independent.

Moving Toward

Independence

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Preview of Events

Guide to Reading

✦

1775

✦

1776

✦

1777

Parts of the Declaration

of Independence

May 10, 1775

Second Continental

Congress meets

July 1775

The Congress sends Olive

Branch Petition to George III

March 1776

George Washington takes

Boston from the British

July 4, 1776

Declaration of

Independence is approved

In June 1776, delegates to the Second Continental Congress came to a momentous

decision. They agreed to have a committee draw up a document declaring America’s

independence from Great Britain. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, John

Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson later

recalled that “[the committee members] unanimously pressed on myself along to

undertake [the writing]. I consented . . .” On July 4, 1776, one of the world’s most

important political documents was adopted. In it Americans made a commitment as

Lincoln later stated in the Gettysburg Address, “to the proposition that all men are

created equal.” In the twentieth century, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister

of India, called the Declaration of Independence a “landmark in human freedom.”

Colonial Leaders Emerge

On May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress assembled for the first

time. Despite the fighting at Lexington and Concord, many members of Con-

gress were not yet prepared to break away from Great Britain.

Adams and Jefferson

148

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Continental Colors, 1775–1777 The Continental Colors,

or Grand Union flag, was the first to represent all the

colonies. Its 13 stripes stood

for the thirteen colonies. The

crosses represented the British

flag and symbolized the

colonists’ loyalty to Great

Britain at that time.

America’s Flags

The Second Continental Congress acted as a central government for the colonies.

The delegates to the Second Continental Con-

gress included some of the greatest political lead-

ers in America. Among those attending were

John and Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard

Henry Lee, and George Washington—all dele-

gates to the First Continental Congress held in

1774. Several distinguished new delegates came

as well.

Benjamin Franklin, one of the most accom-

plished and respected men in the colonies, had

been an influential member of the Pennsylvania

legislature. In 1765, during the Stamp Act Crisis,

he represented the colonies in London and

helped secure the repeal of the act.

John Hancock of Massachusetts, 38 years old,

was a wealthy merchant. He funded many

Patriot groups, including the Sons of Liberty.

The delegates chose Hancock as president of the

Second Continental Congress.

Thomas Jefferson, only 32 when the Congress

began, had already acquired a reputation as a

brilliant thinker and writer. As a member of the

Virginia House of Burgesses, Jefferson had

become associated with the movement toward

independence.

The Second Continental Congress began to

govern the colonies. It authorized the printing of

money and set up a post office with Franklin in

charge. It established committees to communi-

cate with Native Americans and with other

countries. Most important, the Congress created

the Continental Army to fight against Britain in

a more organized way than the colonial militias

could. On John Adams’s recommendation, the

Congress unanimously chose George Washing-

ton to be the army’s commander.

After Washington left to take charge of the

colonial forces in Boston, the delegates offered

Britain one last chance to avoid all-out war. In

July the Congress sent a

petition, or formal

request, to George III. Called the Olive Branch

Petition, it assured the king of the colonists’

desire for peace. It asked the king to protect the

Born into a comfort-

able Massachusetts

household, Abigail Smith

spent her youth reading

and studying. At age 19

she married 28-year-old

lawyer John Adams, who

became a leader in the

independence movement.

Through her letters to

family and friends, Abi-

gail left us a record of

her thoughts about the

revolution as it devel-

oped. She also shared

her hopes for the new

nation.

As Congress consid-

ered a declaration of inde-

pendence, she teasingly

—but seriously—wrote

to her husband:

“I long to hear that

you have declared an inde-

pendency . . . I desire

you would Remember the

Ladies, and be more gener-

ous and favorable to them

than your ancestors.”

Their correspondence

during the times they

spent apart showed a

thoughtful exchange of

ideas and a strong

respect for one another.

Abigail Adams would

later become the second

of the new nation’s first

ladies.

colonists’ rights, which Parliament seemed

determined to destroy. George III refused to

receive the Olive Branch Petition. Instead he

prepared for war, hiring more than 30,000 Ger-

man troops to send to America and fight beside

British troops.

The Colonies Take the Offensive

Meanwhile the Congress learned that British

troops stationed in what is now Canada were

planning to invade New York. The Americans

decided to strike first. Marching north from

Fort Ticonderoga, a Patriot force captured

Montreal in November. An American attack on

Quebec led by Benedict Arnold failed, how-

ever. The American forces stayed outside the

city of Quebec through the long winter and

returned to Fort Ticonderoga in 1776.

Washington reached Boston in July 1775, a

few weeks after the Battle of Bunker Hill. He

found the members of the militia growing in

number every day, but he realized they lacked

discipline, organization, and leadership. He

began the hard work of shaping these armed

civilians into an army.

By March 1776, Wash-

ington judged the Conti-

nental Army ready to

fight. He positioned the

army in a semicircle

around Boston and gave

the order for its cannons

to bombard the British

forces. The redcoats,

under Sir William Howe, hurriedly withdrew

from the city and boarded their ships. On

March 17 Washington led his jubilant troops

into Boston. The British troops sailed to Halifax,

Nova Scotia.

Moving Toward Independence

Throughout the colonies in late 1775 and early

1776, some Americans still hoped to avoid a com-

plete break with Britain. Support for the position

of absolute independence was growing, however.

In January 1776, Thomas Paine published a

pamphlet called Common Sense that captured

the attention of the American colonists. In bold

language, Paine called for complete independ-

ence from Britain. He argued that it was simply

149

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

HISTORY

Student Web Activity

Visit

and click on Chapter 5—

Student Web Activities

for an activity on the Dec-

laration of Independence.

tarvol1.glencoe.com

“common sense” to stop following the “royal

brute,” King George III. Paine told the colonists

their cause was not just a squabble over taxes

but a struggle for freedom—“in a great measure

the cause of all mankind.” Common Sense

inspired thousands of Americans.

; (See page 596 of

the Primary Sources Library for another excerpt from Common Sense.)

Explaining Why was Thomas Paine

important to the independence movement?

The Colonies Declare

Independence

At the Second Continental Congress in

Philadelphia, the meeting hall was filled with

spirited debate. One central issue occupied the

delegates: Should the colonies declare them-

selves an independent nation, or should they

stay under British rule?

In April 1776, North Carolina instructed its

delegates to support independence. On June 7

Virginia’s Richard Henry Lee proposed a bold

resolution:

“

That these United Colonies are, and of right

ought to be, free and independent States . . .

and that all political connection between them

and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to

be, totally dissolved.

”

The Congress debated the resolution. Some

delegates still thought the colonies were not

ready to form a separate nation. Others argued

that war already had begun and a large portion of

the American population wanted to separate

from Great Britain. Still others feared Great

Britain’s power to hold down the rebellion.

While the delegates debated the issue, the

Congress chose a committee to draft a Declara-

tion of Independence. Jefferson was selected

to write the document. Jefferson drew on the

ideas of thinkers such as English philosopher

John Locke to set out the colonies’ reasons for

proclaiming their freedom. Locke wrote that

people were born with certain natural rights to

life, liberty, and property; that people formed

governments to protect these rights; and that a

government interfering with these rights might

rightfully be overthrown.

On July 2, 1776, the Congress finally voted on

Lee’s resolution for independence. Twelve

colonies voted for it. New York did not vote but

later announced its support. Next the delegates

took up Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of

Independence. After making some changes,

they approved the document on July 4, 1776.

John Hancock, the president of the Congress,

was the first to sign the Declaration of Indepen-

dence. Hancock remarked that he wrote his

name large enough for King George to read it

without his glasses. Hancock’s bold signature

stands out on the original document. Eventually

56 delegates signed the paper announcing the

birth of the United States.

Copies of the Declaration went out to the

newly declared states. Washington had it read

to his troops on July 9. In New York American

soldiers tore down a statue of George III in cel-

ebration. In Worcester, Massachusetts, the read-

ing of the Declaration of Independence was

followed by “repeated huzzas [cheers], firing of

musketry and cannon, bonfires, and other

demonstrations of joy.”

150

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

Thomas Jefferson prepared the draft of the Declara-

tion, while Benjamin Franklin and John Adams made

suggestions.

Why is July 2, 1776, a historic day?

History

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration has four major sections. The

preamble, or introduction, states that people who

wish to form a new country should explain their

reasons for doing so. The next two sections list

the rights the colonists believed they should have

and their complaints against Britain. The final

section proclaims the existence of the new nation.

The Declaration of Independence states what

Jefferson and many Americans thought were

universal principles. It begins with a description

of traditional English political rights.

“

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that

all men are created equal, that they are

endowed by their Creator with certain unalien-

able Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty,

and the pursuit of Happiness.

”

The Declaration states that government exists

to protect these rights. If it does not, it goes on to

state that “it is the Right of the People to alter or

to abolish it and to institute new Government.”

The Declaration goes on to list the many

grievances Americans held against the king and

Parliament. The crimes of George III included

“cutting off our trade with all parts of the

world” and “imposing taxes on us without our

consent.” Americans, the Declaration says, had

“Petitioned for Redress” of these grievances.

These petitions, however, were ignored or

rejected by Britain.

The Declaration ends by announcing Amer-

ica’s new status. Now pledging “to each other

our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor,”

the Americans declared themselves a new nation.

The struggle for American independence—the

American Revolution—had begun.

; (See pages

154–157 for the entire text of the Declaration of Independence.)

Summarizing What grievances

against King George III were included in the Declaration of

Independence?

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Connect the terms below

with the proper document. Then write

a sentence in which you use each

term. Terms:

petition, preamble.

Documents: Declaration of Indepen-

dence, Olive Branch Petition

2. Reviewing Facts What was King

George III’s response to the Olive

Branch Petition?

Reviewing Themes

3. Government and Democracy Why

was the Second Continental Congress

more like a government than the First

Continental Congress?

Critical Thinking

4. Analyzing Primary Sources Based

on the quote from the Declaration of

Independence on this page, what are

the “unalienable Rights” to which

Jefferson referred? Give examples.

5. Organizing Information Re-create

the diagram below and describe each

individual’s role in the movement

toward independence.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Picturing History Compare the flag

on page 148 with the flag on page

128. How are the two flags similar?

How are they different? Which of the

flags more closely resembles the

American flag of today?

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

151

Expository Writing Prepare a

help-wanted ad to locate a person

qualified to write the Declaration

of Independence. Describe the

responsibilities of the job as well as

the experience and character traits

that are needed.

Congress voted for independence on July 4, 1776.

Actually, Congress voted for independence on July 2,

1776. Why, then, is Independence Day celebrated on the

fourth? On that day the delegates voted to accept Jeffer-

son’s statement, the Declaration of Independence, as

the reason why they had voted for independence two

days earlier.

Independence Day

Role

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Paine

Samuel Adams

Benjamin Franklin

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SOUTH CAROLINA

GEORGIA

Augusta

Camden

Georgetown

Wilmington

Charles Town

Savannah

St. Augustine

1. How do you think the geography of the colonies

made communication difficult?

2. Near what cities did the early battles take place?

LEARNING

from

GEOGRAPHY

EVE OF

REVOLUTION

IN THE EARLY 1770s most colonists thought of them-

selves as British subjects. However, they also thought of

themselves as Virginians or Georgians or New Yorkers.

It wasn’t until colonists began to unite in opposition to

harsh British policies that they began to consider them-

selves Americans.

STIRRINGS OF REVOLT

In 1772 Samuel Adams convinced a group of

Bostonians to join a Committee of Correspondence

to communicate with other towns in Massachusetts.

Soon, the idea spread. In colony after colony, Ameri-

cans joined Committees of Correspondence. In this

era before radios or telephones, the committees spread

opposition to British policies into nearly every county,

town, and city.

In 1774 delegates gathered at the Continental Congress

in Philadelphia to form an organization to represent their

interests as Americans. In addition to stating their griev-

ances and voting to boycott British products, the Patriots

decided to organize their own militias.

THE SHOT HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD

The Revolution’s first blow fell early on the morning of

April 19, 1775. British redcoats clashed with colonial min-

utemen at Lexington and Concord. This clash, later called

the “shot heard ’round the world,” was the first battle of

the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Bunker Hill in June

showed that the war would be hard, long, and expensive

on both sides.

GEOGRAPHY HISTORY

Proclamation Line of 1763

American Revolution

Post road

Conflict

British fort or post

Scale varies in this perspective

152

The Continental

Army was organized

in May 1775.

NORTH CAROLINA

VIRGINIA

MARYLAND

DELAWARE

NEW JERSEY

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW YORK

CONNECTICUT

MASSACHUSETTS

MAINE

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

RHODE

ISLAND

(District of Massachusetts)

Ft. Crown Point

Ft. Ticonderoga

Concord

Lexington

Richmond

Washington/

Alexandria

Baltimore

Trenton

Morristown

Annapolis

White

Plains

New Haven

Newport

Falmouth

Deerfield

Albany

Saratoga

Montreal

Quebec

Bennington

Princeton

New Bern

Bath

Warrenton

Jamestown/

Williamsburg

Philadelphia

New York City

Boston

The British Army occupied more than 70

forts and posts in North America when

the American Revolution began.

Post riders and Patriots carried mail along

routes called post roads. From New York

City, a rider could travel to Charles Town,

South Carolina, in 16 days or less, to

Williamsburg in 4 to 8 days, or to Boston

in one day.

Battle of Concord

Mill Pond

Common

The

Harbor

Bunker

Hill

Charlestown

Boston

Massacre

Boston

Tea Party

1/2 mile

1/2 kilometer

153

154

In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration

of the thirteen united States of America,

[Preamble]

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one

people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with

another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and

equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle

them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they

should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

[Declaration of Natural Rights]

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,

deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these

ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute

new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing

its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their

Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments

long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and

accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to

suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the

forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and

usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to

reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to

throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future

security.

[List of Grievances]

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now

the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Gov-

ernment. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of

repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establish-

ment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be

submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary

for the public good.

154

The Declaration of Independence

impel force

endowed provided

despotism unlimited power

usurpations unjust uses of power

What It Means

The Preamble The Declaration

of Independence has four parts.

The Preamble explains why the

Continental Congress drew up

the Declaration.

What It Means

Natural Rights The second part,

the Declaration of Natural Rights,

lists the rights of the citizens.

It goes on to explain that, in

a republic, people form a gov-

ernment to protect their rights.

The Declaration refers to these

rights as unalienable rights. The

word unalienable means non-

transferable. An unalienable right

is a right that cannot be sur-

rendered.

What It Means

List of Grievances The third

part of the Declaration lists the

colonists’ complaints against the

British government. Notice that

King George III is singled out for

blame.

155

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and press-

ing 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 dis-

tricts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Repre-

sentation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable

to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfort-

able, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole

purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with

manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others

to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation,

have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining

in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and

convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that

purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to

pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions

of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent

to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their

offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of

Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

155

The Declaration of Independence

relinquish give up

inestimable priceless

annihilation destruction

convulsions violent disturbances

Naturalization of Foreigners process

by which foreign-born persons

become citizens

tenure term

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the

Consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to

the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to

our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to

their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders

which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring

Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its

Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for

introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and

altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislature, and declaring themselves invested

with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protec-

tion and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and

destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to

compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with

circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most bar-

barous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas

to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their

friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeav-

oured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Sav-

ages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of

all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in

the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only

by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act

which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have

warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an

unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the cir-

cumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to

their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the

ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would

inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have

been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore,

acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them,

as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

156

The Declaration of Independence

quartering lodging

render make

abdicated given up

perfidy violation of trust

insurrections rebellions

petitioned for redress asked

formally for a correction of

wrongs

unwarrantable jurisdiction

unjustified authority

consanguinity originating from

the same ancestor

[Resolution of Independence

by the United States]

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in

General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the

world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Author-

ity of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare,

That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Inde-

pendent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British

Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of

Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and

Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace,

contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and

Things which Independent States may of right do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Pro-

tection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives,

our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

157

The Declaration of Independence

John Hancock

President from

Massachusetts

Georgia

Button Gwinnett

Lyman Hall

George Walton

North Carolina

William Hooper

Joseph Hewes

John Penn

South Carolina

Edward Rutledge

Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Thomas Lynch, Jr.

Arthur Middleton

Maryland

Samuel Chase

William Paca

Thomas Stone

Charles Carroll

of Carrollton

Virginia

George Wythe

Richard Henry Lee

Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Harrison

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Francis Lightfoot Lee

Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania

Robert Morris

Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Franklin

John Morton

George Clymer

James Smith

George Taylor

James Wilson

George Ross

Delaware

Caesar Rodney

George Read

Thomas McKean

New York

William Floyd

Philip Livingston

Francis Lewis

Lewis Morris

New Jersey

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Francis Hopkinson

John Hart

Abraham Clark

New Hampshire

Josiah Bartlett

William Whipple

Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts

Samuel Adams

John Adams

Robert Treat Paine

Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island

Stephen Hopkins

William Ellery

Connecticut

Samuel Huntington

William Williams

Oliver Wolcott

Roger Sherman

rectitude rightness

What It Means

Resolution of Independence

The final section declares that

the colonies are “Free and

Independent States” with the

full power to make war, to form

alliances, and to trade with

other countries.

What It Means

Signers of the Declaration The

signers, as representatives of the

American people, declared the

colonies independent from Great

Britain. Most members signed

the document on August 2, 1776.

Reviewing Key Terms

Write five true and four false statements using the terms

below. Use only one term in each statement. Indicate

which statements are true and which are false. Below each

false statement explain why it is false.

1. revenue 4. propaganda 7. Patriot

2. boycott 5. militia 8. preamble

3. repeal 6. minutemen 9. unalienable

rights

Reviewing Key Facts

10. What did the British do to keep colonists from moving

westward?

11. How did the British government use the colonies to

raise revenue? Why did this anger the colonists?

12. What incident caused the British Parliament to pass

the Coercive Acts?

13. What was the purpose of the First Continental Congress?

14. How did the events of 1776 move the colonists closer to

self-government?

15. According to the Declaration of Independence, if a gov-

ernment does not protect the basic rights of the people

it governs, what do people have the right to do?

16. Identify the four sections of the Declaration of

Independence.

Critical Thinking

17. Drawing Conclusions Why did the colonists think

that the Stamp Act ignored the colonial tradition of

self-government?

18.

Organizing Information Re-create the diagram below

and show ways the colonists, by working in groups,

resisted the British during the revolutionary period.

19.

Analyzing Primary Sources What did Patrick Henry

mean when he said, “I am not a Virginian, but an

American”?

20.

Analyzing Information According to the Declaration

of Independence, what are the three basic freedoms

to which every person is entitled?

Group action

by colonists

Road to Independence

Follow the arrows to review the causes and the effects

that led to the colonies declaring independence.

Cause:

French and Indian War leaves Great Britain in

debt

Effect: Britain taxes colonies; Parliament passes Sugar

Act and Stamp Act Becomes Cause

Effect: Colonists boycott British goods Becomes

Cause

Effect: British send troops to Boston, resulting in the

Boston Massacre Becomes Cause

Effect: British repeal import taxes

Becomes Cause

Effect: Colonists respond with Boston Tea Party

Becomes Cause

Effect: Parliament passes the Coercive Acts

Becomes Cause

Effect: First Continental Congress drafts a statement of

grievances Becomes Cause

Effect: British troops fight colonists at battles of Lexing-

ton and Concord; British defeat colonial forces at Bunker

Hill

Congress signs Declaration of Independence

158

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HISTORY

Directions: Choose the best

answer to the following question.

Standardized

Test Practice

Economics Activity

31. How did laws passed by the British after 1763 affect

American trade and industry? Write your answer in a

one-page paper.

Alternative Assessment

32. Persuasive Writing What do you think a good citizen is?

Is it someone who follows the law? Or might it be some-

one who breaks the law in order to stand up for an ideal?

Do you think that people like the Sons of Liberty acted

as good citizens? Write a persuasive paper explaining

your views.

Read the following passage and choose the best

answer to the question that follows.

An English philosopher named John Locke wrote

about his belief that people had natural rights.

These included the right to life, liberty, and prop-

erty. In Two Treatises of Government, Locke wrote

that people created government to protect natural

rights. If a government failed in its basic duty of pro-

tecting natural rights, people had the right to over-

throw the government.

Locke’s ideas contributed to the

A Proclamation of 1763.

B Intolerable Acts.

C Declaration of Independence.

D Articles of Confederation.

Test-Taking Tip:

Look for clues in the passage to support your answer.

For example, the passage refers to life, liberty and

property. It also states that people had the right to

overthrow the government. Which answer does

this information best support?

Practicing Skills

Distinguishing Fact From Opinion Read the following state-

ments. Tell whether each is a fact or an opinion.

21. Great Britain should not have tried to stop the colonists

from settling west of the Appalachians.

22. The Stamp Act placed a tax on almost all printed material

in the colonies.

23. The Daughters of Liberty urged Americans to wear home-

made fabrics.

24. Thomas Jefferson was a better writer than John Adams.

Geography and History Activity

Study the map on page 133; then answer the following

questions.

25. What bodies of water did the Proclamation of 1763 pre-

vent colonists from reaching?

26. What nation claimed the land west of the Mississippi River?

27. The land west of the Appalachian Mountains became part

of what province?

28. What natural feature was cited in the Proclamation of

1763 as an approximate boundary?

Citizenship Cooperative Activity

29. Work with a group of classmates to create your own

“Declaration of Independence.” Use the original Declara-

tion of Independence on pages 154–157 as a guide to

create your document. Outline the basic freedoms that

you expect to have as a citizen and describe why these

freedoms are important to you. Then write at least three

responsibilities and/or sacrifices that citizens should be

willing to make to enjoy the freedoms you listed. After

your group has completed its Declaration of Indepen-

dence, have the groups come together as a class. Share

all the groups’ documents and compare the ideas

expressed in each.

Technology Activity

30. Using the Internet On the Internet, locate the computer

address for the National Archives or the Library of Con-

gress in Washington, D.C. Search each site for documents

concerning the drafting of the Declaration of Indepen-

dence and/or photos of pamphlets produced by the

colonies in the 1700s. Print a copy of what you find or

sketch a likeness to share with the class.

CHAPTER 5 Road to Independence

159

Standardized

Test Practice

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