moving towards independence chapter 5 sect 4 may 10, 1775 philadelphia candidates from all 13...
TRANSCRIPT
Moving Towards Independence
Chapter 5 Sect 4
May 10, 1775PhiladelphiaCandidates from all 13 colonies
Second Continental Congress
Delegates include John and Samuel AdamsPatrick HenryRichard Henry LeeGeorge Washington *Ben Franklin*John Hancock*Thomas Jefferson
Second Continental Congress
Franklin…err not this Franklin
Benjamin FranklinOne of the most accomplished members of the PA legislature
Acted as a colonial spokesman in London
John Hancock38 years oldOne of the wealthiest Colonists
Chosen as president of the Second Continental Congress
Thomas JeffersonOnly 32 years old
Brilliant thinker and writer
Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses
The second continental congress began to govern the colonies
Printed its own money, starts its own post office
Created the Continental Army; the army needed a commander
The Congress becomes a Government
On John Adams recommendation, George Washington was unanimously chosen
Washington had more military experience than any other American
He offered to serve without pay
What things did the 2nd Continental Congress do?
What does the OliveBranch Represent?
The Olive Branch Petition
After Washington left to take charge of the Patriot forces, the colonies allowed Britain one last chance to avoid all out war
Petition- or formal requestCalled for peace and acknowledgement
of the Colonists’ rightsGeorge III refused to receive the
petition and hired 30,000 German troops
The Olive Branch Petition
Americans vs. BritishWashingtonVery old and the
very youngHighly motivatedPoorly trained
No leadershipNo organizationNo discipline
Sir William Howe Hired soldiers German
mercenaries Highly trained Motivated by
money only Fighting on
foreign territory
British were said to attack New York
Patriots leave Fort Ticonderoga and attack Montreal first
Led by Benedict Arnold, the attack failed and the Patriot forces retreat to Quebec
Benedict Arnold Was rich, now in
debt Doubted they would
win against the British
For what reason would we call people today Benedict Arnold?
Thomas Paine wrote a novel, Common Sense
He stated that it was “common sense” to break away from the “royal brute” King George III
Moving Towards Independence
It was ridiculous for an island to rule a continent. America was not a "British nation"; it was composed of
influences and peoples from all of Europe, Even if Britain was the "mother country" of America, that
made her actions all the more horrendous, for no mother would harm her children so brutally.
Being a part of Britain would drag America into unnecessary European wars, and keep it from the international commerce at which America excelled.
The distance between the two nations made the governing the colonies from England unwieldy. If some wrong were to be petitioned to Parliament, it would take a year before the colonies received a response.
The New World was discovered shortly after the Reformation. The Puritans believed that God wanted to give them a safe haven from the persecution of British rule.
Britain ruled the colonies for its own benefit, and did not consider the best interests of the colonists in governing them.
Paine's Arguments against British rule