2nd Continental Congress Cloze Notes
wrongs
ground
Shot
Lexington
Olive Branch
loyalists
independence
free
slavery
first
arrest
weapons
bloodshed
Geo. Washington Common Sense
Concord
Massachusetts
Philadelphia
Thom. Jefferson
Fighting
Boston
separate
world
Colonies
declaration
The British are coming…
 The _____________ battles of the Revolution were at Lexington and Concord in
_________________ on April 19, 1775. The British planed a secret late night attack
to confiscate _____________ and _____________ Patriot leaders like Samuel
Adams. Hundreds of redcoats left their barracks and marched out of Boston. But,
Patriot leaders, like Paul Revere and William Dawes, rode through the night warning
the colonists that the British were coming!
 The first shot of the war, known as “The _____________ Heard around the
_____________,” was fired at _____________ when minutemen confronted the
British troops. The well-trained British soldiers quickly dispatched the militiamen, and
eight patriots died in the skirmish.
 The British marched on…but when they arrived at _____________ they found no
guns or rebel leaders. The citizens, warned by the riders, had removed most of the
weapons. However, the British did find over a thousand minutemen gathered around
Concord, who forced the redcoats’ to turn around and return to _____________.
The Activities of the Second Continental Congress
 Alarmed by the _______________ from the battles at Lexington and Concord, a
second meeting of the Continental Congress was called.
 Delegates from all 13 Colonies came to ______________ in June of 1775 to convene
the Second Continental Congress and address the new issues between England and
her ____________________.
 The first action the Congressmen took was to appoint _______________________
the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.
 Next they published two written documents: The Declaration of the Causes and
Necessity of Taking Up Arms, which explained why the Americans were __________
Britain, and The _______________Petition, which was a final attempt to reconcile
with the King.
 After the King rejected the peace plan, the Delegates knew that _________________
was the only course of action. But the people were not all on board with the decision.
There were many _____________ who wanted to remain British subjects.
 Luckily, Thomas Paine published his influential pamphlet, _____________________,
which fired up the colonists with plain talk and easy to understand arguments about
why the colonist should take their rights.
 Finally, it was time. On June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee proposed that the Colonies
_____________ themselves from England. The march toward independence was on!
The Declaration of Independence
 The Second Continental Congress set up a committee to write a _____________ of
freedom to King George III.
 A Committee of Five Delegates was chosen to do the writing, but _______________
was the primary author of the document.
 On July 2, 1776 the continental Congress voted that the 13 colonies were now
“___________ and independent states.”
 After a final round of debate, where the issue of __________________ almost
derailed the Declaration, the delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence on
July 4, 1776.
 The Declaration of Independence consists of a preamble (introduction) followed by
three main parts. The first part of the Declaration stresses the idea of
_________________ rights, or rights that belong to all people from birth. The second
part lists the ______________ committed by Britain and the King. The third part
announces that the colonies are free states-- no longer a part of England.
American Revolution Cloze Notes
Ben Franklin
British
deserted
Pensacola
Yorktown
Dutch
wounded
Saratoga
surrendered
sovereign
Atlantic
Patriots
turning point
South
Paris
French
Savannah
stretched
defeat
France
Spanish
Charleston
victory
turf
negotiate
The Revolutionary War
 On June 16, 1775, about 1,200 American militiamen faced the _____________ at Bunker
Hill, across the harbor from Boston. The British charged up the hill until they took the
ground, but suffered heavy casualties– more than 1,000 dead and _____________. It was
then that the British knew that defeating the Americans would not be so easy.
 George Washington organized the Continental Army and recruited men for service, but the
first years of the war were difficult for the _____________. In October of 1776, the first
battle after the Declaration was fought. The British outnumbered and outmaneuvered the
Continental Army in the Battle of New York, and Washington suffered a bitter ________.
 Although Washington caught the Hessians (a group of German mercenaries) off guard at
Trenton, New Jersey on Christmas morning, 1776 for a much-needed _____________, the
following winter was a low point for the Americans at Valley Forge. Many men
______________, or left without permission, due to the conditions. But with
determination, effort, and George Washington’s leadership the army survived.
 In 1777 the Americans thwarted the British’s northern strategy and earned a huge victory
at the Battle of __________; which became known as the ____________ for the Americans.
 Help came from overseas. In 1778 ______________ convinced the _____________ to join
the war effort and help the Americans defeat their common enemy, the British. In 1779
the ______________ sided with the American’s and even fought the British at the Battle
of ________________ to help the cause.
 The Americans were even able to convince the _____________ to help us by loaning us
money and selling us much needed rifles and ammunition.
 In 1780, the war turned ____________, where the Americans and the British fought in
Georgia and the Carolinas. The British captured the important port cities of
____________ in Georgia, and _____________ in South Carolina.
 In October 1781, with the help of France’s soldiers and Naval forces, General Washington
defeated the British at the Battle of _________________. British General Cornwallis
_____________________ to American forces
The War Ends……..The United States of America Begins!!!
 It took almost two years to _____________ the peace, but in 1783, the Treaty of
_______________ was signed, formally ending the War.
 The Treaty said that the British (along with the rest of the world) recognized the United
States as a ____________ and independent nation.
 The treaty also redefined the map of North America. Now, the new nation _____________
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, the southern border stopped at Florida.
 Looking back, there are several reasons for the American Victory:
1. It was difficult for Britain to send troops and supplies 3000 miles across the
_______________ Ocean to America
2. Americans also knew the best roads and places to fight; they were fighting on their
home _________________
3. Finally, America couldn’t have done it without help from our friends --- America got
much needed assistance from _________________ and Spain