The War for Independence
Lesson 1: At War With the Homeland
The Second Continental Congress
 Was called to decide what to do since the battle at Lexington and
Concord
 Olive Branch Petition
o told King George III their desire for peace and to repeal
intolerable Acts
o King refused – colonist formed the colonial army
 George Washington chosen to lead Continental Army
o chosen for understanding of soldiers
 Second Continental Congress asked each colony for money
o voted to print own paper money
o called Continental Currency
The Continental Army
 The Battle of Bunker Hill
o fiercest battle - June 17, 1775
o colonist drove back the British twice before running out of
bullets.
 No uniforms; 1<1,000 soldiers; some had no weapons; used
whatever they had; some had never even fought before.
The British Advantage
 Professional soldiers - 50,000 of them

o mercenaries were hired
o Indian allies
 Hard to fight a war 3,000 miles from home.
Lesson 2: The Decision for Independence
The First Steps
 Thomas Paine was a Patriot who did most to change colonist’s way of
thinking.
 Published a pamphlet called “Common Sense”
o attacked King George III as a bully and questioned his authority
o Paine felt people should rule them- selves and break away from
Britain.
o Not all colonies were ready for Independence
 A committee was formed to draw up a declaration
o Benjamin Franklin
o John Adams
o Robert Livingston
o Roger Sherman
o Thomas Jefferson: did most of the writing and the document would
become known as "The Declaration of Independence"
Writing the Declaration
 Jefferson wanted his words to help colonists win the war for freedom.
4 Parts of the Declaration:
o Introduction states why the Declaration was needed.
o Second part listed the colonists' main ideas about government and
that people are created equal.
o The third and longest part listed the grievances about the unfair
things that the King and Parliament had done. He also listed ways in
which the colonists tried to settle their differences.
o The last part says that for all the reasons described, the 13 colonies
were no longer part of Great Britain.
 Jefferson gave the Declaration to Congress. It was signed on July 4, 1776.
 The thirteen colonies had declared their independence.
3. Americans Take Sides
After Declaration was signed, some chose to remain neutral. 1/3 Loyalist, 1/3 Patriots, 1/3
neutral
A. Revolution and the Churches
1. Many things affected people's view on independence.
a. Religion
1. Lutherans were divided - Loyalists, Patriots
2. Anglicans in northern and middle, supported King; southern
worked for
independence
3. Congregationalists worked for independence
4. Quakers would not fight in the war. Believed that violence for any
reason
is wrong. (Pacifists)
5. Loyalists and Patriots saw pacifists as enemies.
B. Women atWar
1. Women worked in many different ways to help in the war.
a. Took part in fighting
1. Mary Slocumb joined her husband and fought in the Battle of
Moore's Creek Bridge
2. Phillis Wheatly wrote poems that supported independence.
C. Native Americans and the War
1. Native Americans had grown angry with the colonists and British.
2. Patriots hoped Indians would stay out of war.
3. British promised Indians guns and other goods if they helped the British.
a. Most Indians stayed out of fighting.
D. Africans and the War
1. Peter Salem, an African fought the battle at Concord and Battle of Bunker
Hill
2. Enslaved Africans who fought were promised freedom at the end of the war.
Lesson 5: The Push for Victory and Independence
 Help from other countries was given.
o Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish officer helped fight in the continental
Army.
o Friedrich Von Steuban - Germany - trained the Continental Army
so they could move quickly at Valley Forge.
 Victory at Saratoga showed France that the colonists wanted freedom.
o France soon joined the colonists.
 Victory at Yorktown
o Benedict Arnold, a former Continental Army officer, attacked
colonial towns in Virginia for the British. Arnold was a traitor.
o The French joined the Continentals near New York, marched to
Virginia, and surrounded Yorktown.
o Under siege and surrounded for two weeks, the British had to give
up.
o With the Yorktown victory, the Patriots had won after a long and
hard fight.
 The Treaty of Paris
o Work on the treaty began in 1782.
o Talking lasted for more than 1 yr. It was signed Sept. 3, 1783 - an
official end to the war.
o Established in the treaty were:
 United States of America - a new nation
 described its borders
o Even though a new country had been formed, people in the 13 new
states were far from united.