Unit 4, Notes 2

Second Continental Congress
◦ Meeting of colonial delegates that began 3 weeks after the battles
of Lexington and Concord
◦ Adopted militia army surrounding Boston and named it the
“Continental Army”
◦ Appointed George Washington as general and commander in chief
of the Continental Army (June 15, 1775)
◦ Sent King George III the Olive Branch Petition: written by John
Dickinson; stated that the colonies were still loyal to the king and
asked him to call off hostilities until the situation could be worked
out peacefully; last chance for reconciliation between colonies and
Britain

King George III
◦ Refused to read Olive Branch Petition
◦ Issued the Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition
stating that the colonies were now enemies

Virginia

Charles Town, S.C.

Boston

England
◦ Governor Dunmore of Virginia offered freedom to all slaves that joined the
Loyalist cause
◦ Patriots defeated Dunmore’s forces and the British evacuated Virginia
◦ Militia defeats British attempting to take the valuable southern port
◦ British withdraw from southern colonies
◦ General Washington places cannons on Dorchester Heights surrounding
British positions in Boston
◦ British evacuate Boston
◦ Americans in total possession of the 13 Colonies
◦ British expand their army
◦ Prohibitory Act: shuts down trade with the colonies and orders a naval
blockade
◦ British hire Hessians: German mercenaries (soldiers of fortune) hired to
fight the war for the British

Common Sense (January
1776)
◦ Pamphlet published by
Thomas Paine
◦ Attacked King George III as
the enemy, not Parliament
◦ Called for a separation from
English tyranny and made an
argument in favor of
independence
◦ Sold 100,000 copies within 3
months and promoted the
new independence movement

Declaration of Independence (July
1776)
◦ Congress selected a committee
composed of John Adams, Benjamin
Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert
Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson to
draft a declaration calling for
independence
◦ Thomas Jefferson wrote the
declaration
◦ Other members of Congress spent 3
days editing the draft
◦ Declaration of Independence signed
by Congress on July 4, 1776,
officially announcing the birth of the
United States of America
◦ Significance:
 War of rebellion becomes a war of
revolution
 United States is officially born