3.2 - America Flashcards
why did clashes between the colonists and the British develop into a struggle for independence?
when + where did the Continental Congress first meet?
Sep 1774
Pennsylvania
what did the Continental Congress support + call for?
- supported views of the radicals
- called upon Massachusetts to arm for defence
- proclaimed the right of each colony to determine its own need for troops
when did Britain declare Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion?
9th Feb 1775
who proposed the removal of all duties form the Americas and recognised the power of the Continental Congress as an American Parliament in Britain? were his views accepted in Westminster?
- Pitt the Elder
- proposal rejected in HOL by 2:1 + Britain began to prepare for war (overwhelming maj want the colonies to be subservient - point of no return)
what happened at the Battle of Lexington + Concord?
- Gage attempted a secret mission on 18th April 1775 to Concord to sieve/destroy a military store
- British troops were met by 75 volunteers at Lexington + 1st shots of the war rang out
- total British casualties were 273, 73 killed
- Boston then besieged + surrounded by 20,000 colonial militia
what happened at the Battle of Bunker Hill?
- reinforcements arrived - British generals Howe, Clinton + Burgoyne - May 1775 with a few thousand troops
- > 1,000 British casualties, 1/8 of British officers killed in entire conflict died here so couldn’t be a ‘victory’
when was the Battle of Bunker Hill?
17th June 1775
when did George III issue a proclamation saying all colonies were in an open state of rebellion?
23rd Aug 1775
when did the political journey to independence begin?
10th May 1775
meeting of a second Continental Congress in Philly
why were the years 1775-76 important to Americans?
- point when they crossed the line from being dissatisfied colonists to becoming American patriots ready to be part of a new nation
- helped American patriots move the revolution from a Bostonian revolt to something more formal + democratic
when was Common Sense published + who wrote it?
Jan 1776
Thomas Paine
why was Common Sense important?
- quickly sold 12,000 copies
- helped cement opinions of many
- argued reconciliation was no longer possible + Americans should look to the future + the establishment of a new and fairer system of gov
when did Congress appoint a Committee of 13 to draw up a constitution?
June 1776
when were the Articles of Confederation approved by Congress + ratified by every state?
Congress - Nov 1777
every state - 1781
what were the Articles of Confederation + what did it show?
- a way of creating a national gov which was as little as the British parliamentary system
- time it took to obtain formal agreement from each state emphasised the fear the patriots had of abdicating power to a central authority
