Moving Toward Independence (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

Before the Coercive Acts, few people in the colonies wanted to leave the British empire. Most were loyal to King George III and Great Britain itself, but they did not like being governed by Parliament. The First and Second Continental Congresses said this to the king, but he would not negotiate. He insisted that the colonists should do what they were told. If they did not, he would declare war on them.

Scholars, laborers, farmers, homemakers, merchants, artisans, and many others contributed to the Patriots’ efforts for independence before and after the start of the Revolutionary War.

Notable Leaders and Groups Who Opposed British Policies

• The idea of American independence did not become popular with the general public in the colonies until 1776

  • At this time, the colonies were already at war with Great Britain

• Before 1776, many individuals and groups publicly disagreed with the enforcement of British laws in the colonies yet still wanted the colonies to remain part of the British Empire

• Representatives of the colonies united into a single political body to work out a solution with King George III

The First Continental Congress

• September 1774:

  • Representatives from 12 colonies gathered in response to Parliament’s passage of the Coercive Acts

  • They called for the repeal of 13 Parliamentary acts that violated the rights of colonists

  • They also called for a boycott of all trade with Great Britain

The Second Continental Congress

• May 1775: 

  • Congress established:

    • the Continental Army

    • authorized the printing of money

    • set up a committee to handle relationships with Indigenous groups and foreign countries

  • It sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III, which asked him to protect the colonists’ rights as subjects of the British empire

    • The king rejected the petition and began preparing for war

Important Figures and Groups in the Movement for Independence

John Adams (lawyer and politician)

• Served in both Continental Congresses. He:

  • helped craft the Declaration of Independence

  • urged delegates of the Second Congress to formally declare war against Great Britain

Abigail Adams (activist and spouse)

• Supported the movement for independence

• Told her husband, John, to “remember the ladies” when making decisions in the Continental Congress

Crispus Attucks (sailor)

• Believed to be the first colonist killed during the Boston Massacre and, therefore, the revolution

• Years later, abolitionists cited his sacrifice in their push to end slavery

Daughters of Liberty (women’s activist group)

• Organized boycotts of British goods 

• Promoted the creation and use of homemade goods

John Dickinson (lawyer, known as the “Penman of the Revolution”)

• Author of Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer, which opposed the Townshend Acts

Edenton Tea Party (North Carolina women’s activist group)

• Publicly boycotted British tea and fabric after the passage of the Tea Act

Benjamin Franklin (political leader)

• Appointed to the Second Continental Congress

• Helped craft the Declaration of Independence

Green Mountain Boys (militia group)

• Defeated British troops sent to raid an American supply base in Vermont

• The British retreated to Saratoga, NY, where they surrendered to the Patriots

John Hancock (merchant and politician)

• President of the Second Continental Congress

• Funded many Patriot groups, including the Sons of Liberty

Patrick Henry (lawyer and politician)

• Served in both Continental Congresses

• Urged colonists to come together as Americans

Mercy Otis Warren (poet and playwright)

• Wrote plays that questioned Britain’s right to govern the colonies

• Urged others, especially women, to boycott British imports

Sons of Liberty (men’s activist group)

• Promoted resistance against British taxes and laws, sometimes with violence

• The Boston chapter staged the Boston Tea Party

Mobilization of the Patriot Movement

• American colonists who supported independence were known as Patriots

• One of the reasons the Patriots achieved independence was because ordinary citizens contributed their time and efforts to the Patriot movement

  • Men and women:

    • Raised money to fund war efforts

    • Spied and gathered information about British military leadership in the colonies

  • Men:

    • Acted as protest and political leaders

    • Joined local militias

    • Transported supplies, such as food, water, and ammunition

  • Women:

    • Made blankets, clothing, and bandages for soldiers

    • Served as nurses on and off the battlefield