_____The Currency Act A. Required the colonists to supply British soldiers with a place to stay and food to eat

_____The Stamp Act B. Placed a tax on imported items like sugar, molasses, coffee and wine

_____The Quartering Act C. Placed a tax on lead, paint, glass, paper, and tea when these items were imported into the colonies

_____The Townshend Acts D. Prohibited colonists from printing their own money; required the colonists to use only British money

_____The Sugar Act E. Taxed written documents printed in the colonies including newspapers, calendars, and legal papers

_____The Intolerable Acts F. Laws that closed Boston Harbor and prohibited the colonies from making their own laws

In your Social Studies notebooks, please answer the following questions in complete sentences.

1. How did the colonists respond to the Townshend Acts?

1. If you had been a colonist living in America during the 1700s, how would you have responded to the Quartering Act? Explain your answer.

In 1774, the First Continental Congress met and the colonists were told to begin training for war.

White men from 16 to 60 years old were required to join their local militias. Groups of minutemen also prepared themselves for battle.

Weapons and gunpowder were gathered and stored in the village of Concord, Massachusetts. Some British spies found out about the weapons and planned a surprise raid to steal the supplies.

Great Britain hoped that taking away the colonists’ weapons would keep them from declaring war.

Just after midnight on April 18, 1775, seven hundred British soldiers left Boston and marched on to the village of Concord.

Paul Revere, a silversmith, and his friend William Dawes, were on the lookout for any approaching “Lobsterbacks”. When Revere and Dawes saw that the British were on their way to Concord, they rode on horseback to warn the colonists that the British were coming.

This famous ride gave the colonists in Concord enough time to hide most of their weapons and gunpowder before the British soldiers arrived.

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Minutemen who heard Paul Revere’s warning met the British soldiers in the town of Lexington, Massachusetts. The Minutemen tried to keep the Redcoats from entering the village of Concord. The first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington.

The British troops continued to Concord where they searched for the hidden weapons and gunpowder. Again, they were met by a group of minutemen who had been warned that the Redcoats were coming.

The British soldiers turned back towards Boston. Along the 16 mile journey, more Minutemen fired at them from behind trees and stone fences. Over 200 British Redcoats and 90 American Minutemen were wounded or killed during the battle.

The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

Battle of LexingtonBattle of Concord

After the battles of Lexington and Concord, the colonists knew they had to get organized to have any chance of defeating Great Britain.

In May 1775, delegates of the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. Sixty five representatives from each of the 13 original colonies gathered to take charge of the war.

Representative John Adams wanted to organize a Continental Army with troops from each of the 13 colonies. The Congress asked George Washington to be the commander of the Continental Army and he accepted the job.

George Washington had a difficult job facing him. If the colonists were going to win this war, they would need money, supplies and training. Most importantly, the Continental Army needed loyalty.

Loyalty proved to be a big problem for General Washington and his Continental Army. Some of the colonists called themselves Patriots. The Patriots were willing to support the fight against Great Britain. They volunteered to fight and help raise money for the war.

Some colonists were Loyalists. The Loyalists still supported Great Britain. The Loyalists fought in the British Army, spied on American soldiers, and burned the homes and farms of Patriots.

Great Britain was the most powerful country in the world.

Its army was larger and more organized than the Continental Army.

The British hired 10,000 German mercenaries called Hessians to help them fight.

American Loyalists and Native Americans joined British forces.

Great Britain’s military forces in North America numbered about 50,000 men.

Great Britain was 3,000 miles away and sending troops and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean was slow and expensive.

It was difficult for Great Britain’s army to take control of the 13 colonies because they were spread over hundreds of miles.

The Colonists had an advantage because they had been living in America for many years and had traveled the roads, lived through the harsh winters and knew the best hiding places.