Lecture Notes: Prelude to the American Revolution

Passing of the Tea Act and Coercive Acts

• Tea Act in Great Britain led to crisis in the Americas.
• Passage of Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) closed Boston Harbor and restructured colonial assembly.
• Samuel Adams and Sons of Liberty's response.
  • Formation of a correspondence committee.

First Continental Congress (September 1774)

• Convened in Philadelphia with 55 colonial representatives.
• Objective: Address oppressive British legislation, especially Intolerable Acts.
• Aimed to work within the British Empire for equitable treatment.

Key Outcomes of the First Continental Congress

1. Suffolk Resolves
   • Economic boycott of British manufactured goods.
   • Hope: Mother country needed raw materials more than colonies needed finished goods.
2. Continental Association
   • Economic alliance among colonies.
   • Northeastern colonies to focus on manufacturing; southern colonies on food crops.
3. Second Continental Congress
   • Scheduled for May 1775 to evaluate economic strategy.

Prelude to Armed Conflict

• Events in Massachusetts leading to the first shots of the American Revolution.
• John Hancock reassembled Massachusetts assembly in Concord.
• British intelligence led by Thomas Gage.
  • Monitoring and planning to shut down congress at Concord.

Lexington and Concord (April 1775)

• Paul Revere and two other riders alerted colonists.
• First clash at Lexington Green.
  • Dispute over who fired first.
  • Eight Minutemen dead, known as "the shot heard round the world."
• British retreat from Concord under ambush, suffering casualties.

Second Continental Congress (May 1775)

• Fighting had begun before Congress convened.
• Debates on raising an army and printing money (continentals).

George Washington

• Virginia planter, advocated for Continental Army.
• Initially excluded black soldiers from army.

Role of Slavery

• Governor Lord Dunmore of Virginia offered freedom to slaves joining British.
• First southern battle: Battle of Hampton over governor's actions.

Influence of "Common Sense"

• Pamphlet by Thomas Paine argued for independence using Enlightenment ideas.
• Widely read and influential in spring 1776.

Declaration of Independence

• Drafted by Thomas Jefferson in June 1776.
• Original draft blamed Britain for slavery (language removed).
• Ratified on July 4, 1776.
• Independence declared, but recognition by Britain required.