Name ____________________________________________________________ Date _________________ Period ________
Terms to Know:
Common Sense
Road to Independence
A pamphlet by Thomas Paine, published in 1776, that called for a separation of the
colonies from Britain
Loyalists (Tories)
Colonists who supported the British government during the American Revolution
Olive Branch Petition
A document sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George III, proposing a
compromise between the colonies and Britain
Patriots
Colonists who supported American independence from Britain
Second Continental Congress
In May 1775, the Second Continental Congress, a meeting of the educated American
leadership, convened. During this meeting, John Adams (one of the delegates from
Massachusetts) argued for colonial independence and urged Congress to recognize the
Massachusetts militia in Boston. Adams wanted the Congress to name them the Continental
Army and provide them with military leadership. On the other hand, John Dickenson strongly
disagreed. Dickerson was a moderate and Quaker from Pennsylvania, who warned against
following Adams’ radical and aggressive tactics. Debates between the colonial delegates
continued through June, but they did agree to send military leadership to Boston. They sent the
French and Indian War veteran George Washington to become the general of the newly founded
Continental Army. They also began to print money, so that the troops could be paid for their
services.
 Why would a delegate from Massachusetts be more aggressive about fighting the
British than a Quaker from Pennsylvania?
For two reasons: First, the British were attacking Adams’ home of Boston, and the war
was his reality. Second, Quakers are pacifists (avoid violence and aggression).
Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 17, 1775, General Gage sent 2,400 British troops to attack the American militia
stationed at Bunker Hill. Bunker Hill is located across the harbor from the city of Boston. The
British Redcoats struggled during the first and second advancements, but won the third. The
American militia ran dangerously low on ammunitions, and they were terribly sick from the war
conditions. The Battle of Bunker Hill became the deadliest battle of the American Revolution;
over 1,000 British troops died, and around 450 American troops.
 It is important for soldiers to feel supported when they are fighting in battle. Do you
believe that the American troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill felt supported by the
Second Continental Congress? Explain your response .
Answers might vary, but the main idea needs to be that they did not have the supplies
and support they needed to defeat the British.
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The Olive Branch Petition
In the summer of 1775, the Second Continental Congress began to prepare for full-fledged
war against the British. However, most of the delegates at the Congress desperately wanted to
avoid more bloodshed and fighting. Most of them still felt great loyalty to the king of England,
and blamed the king’s ministers for the hardships and upsetting British actions in the colonies.
Therefore, the men drafted the Olive Branch Petition on July 8, 1775, which urged the king to
return to “the former harmony’ between Great Britain and the American colonies. The king
flatly rejected the Petition once he received it. He sent a counter-letter that informed the Second
Continental Congress that they were on the verge of committing treason with their meetings; the
king also urged Parliament to order a naval blockade of the American coast.
 After his angry response to the Olive Branch Petition, what reasonable options did
the King of England leave for the colonists?
Answers will vary, but the students need to identify declaring independence and
risking the possibility of losing the war and being punished as treasonous colonists.
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Up until this point in colonial American history, very few colonists thought of the
possibility of breaking away from Great Britain. The idea of “independence” was not very
popular. However, Thomas Paine, and English immigrant living in the colonies during this
tumultuous period, wrote a very convincing argument for separation from England.
The name of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet is was Common Sense. It was published in early
1776, and is a 50-page attack on King George III. Paine stated that the time had come to declare
independence from the abusive and negligent king of England. The American colonists needed to
able to trade freely and win international friendships of our own (actually, he hoped that we
would be able to ally with Great Britain main rival, France). Paine believed tat independence
would allow America the chance to build a better society, free of tyranny and with equal
economic and social opportunity. Common Sense sold nearly 500,000 copies and was widely
applauded (for example, General Washington loudly professed his support of the pamphlet).
 The Pilgrims came to the New World to be a “City on a Hill” for Christians. How did
Thomas Paine want an independent America to a “City on a Hill” for governments?
Paine had studied the Enlightenment philosophy, and he believed that Americans had
the opportunity to build a democracy, equal society that would prove that the “old
system” of kings and emperors were obsolete.
Declaration of Independence
By the summer of 1776, North Carolina had already drafted their own “independence
legislation.” Also, the House of Burgesses had already given the Virginia delegates at the Second
Continental Congress to favor any talks of independence from Great Britain. While the Congress
met that (hot) summer, they urged all of the colonial legislatures to form their own sovereign
governments. On June 7, 1776, Patrick Henry Lee of Virginia made a motion during the
Congress that “these United Colonies are, and of a right ought to be, free and independent states.”
They moved to appoint a committee of men to draft a declaration based on this idea, and the
declaration needed to include stated reasons for the colonists’ actions. The committee included
Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Roger Sherman (from Connecticut).
 Why was it important to state specific reasons (or offenses) for their intention to
become independent?
Just like when we write a paper, it is essential to state facts that support your opinion.
This will help to justify your position. The more specific and relevant, the better!
Thomas Jefferson, the primary drafter of the Declaration, drew heavily from John Locke
and Thomas Paine. He specifically mentioned Locke’s ideas about natural (unalienable) rights:
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (the committee members changed “property” to
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“pursuit of happiness” to avoid the issue of slavery). He also stated that the British government
derives its power from the consent of the governed (which had included the American colonists).
Furthermore, if the government threatened these unalienable rights, then the citizens had the
responsibility to alter or abolish it. In Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, he had listed and
described many of his grievances against King George III. Thomas Jefferson included many of
these grievances in his draft of the Declaration.
 Thomas Jefferson relied heavily on the insight of what two men?
John Locke and Thomas Paine
On July 2, 1776, the delegates of the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously
that the American colonies were free from the British government, and on July 4, 1776, they
adopted (made legal) the Declaration of Independence. While delegates created a formal copy of
the Declaration, the document was read to a crowd in front of the Philadelphia State House—now
called Independence Hall.
 Why was it important that the vote for independence be unanimous?
“Join or Die”: If any of the colonies did not agree to the declaration, then it only carried
half the weight, and the king would punish those colonies who did not side with him.
To Be (Patriots) or Not to Be (Loyalists), That is the Question.
Not everyone in the colonies agreed with the decision to separate from Great Britain.
Actually, the colonists were divided into thirds: Patriots (who supported independence),
Loyalists (who wanted to remain British citizens), and Neutrals (who wanted to stay
uninvolved). The Declaration of Independence had been signed and sent to London, but there
was still much campaigning to do in the colonies to come to a common consensus, and most
opinions changed frequently.
The colonists who remained loyal to Britain called themselves Loyalists, or Tories. The
Tories believed that it was critical to keep cultural and economic ties to the British. They
believed that it was essential to their livelihood. Some of these Tories had received their land,
money, or position from the king, and this factor played into their continued loyalty. However,
most of the Tories were ordinary colonists, who typically lived far from the cities and did not
know very much about the events leading to revolution. They believed that the taxation placed
on the colonists was justified to pay for the British troops to protect American settlers from
Native American attacks. Finally, other Loyalists feared that the rebels would receive severe
punishment if the British won the American Revolution.
 Why were some of the colonists Loyalists?
Obligation to the king; fear of retaliation; removed from the events causing the
revolution; taxation was justified for their protection
The colonists who applauded independence were called Patriots. Many of the Patriots
were inspired by the words of John Locke and Thomas Paine. For example, Patrick Henry, a
Patriot from Virginia, proclaimed loudly in the middle of the House of Burgesses, “Give me
liberty, or give me death!” Many of the other Patriots saw economic opportunities in
independence from the British king. They would be free of the strangling duties, and they could
do their business without the “middle man” of Great Britain. Also, the German settlers in
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland joined to fight for independence.
 Why were some of the colonists Patriots?
Inspired by the ideas of Locke and Paine; Seeking more economic opportunity and
freedom; non-British citizens looking to be independent of the British government
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