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The Road to Lexington and Concord

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I. The Intolerable Acts A.Boston tea party aroused fury in Britain 1.British pass Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) to punish Massachusetts a)Closed port of Boston b)Banned committees of correspondence c)Allowed Britain to house troops d)British officials stand trial in Britain B.General Thomas Gage was appointed governor of Mass. To enforce laws

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II. First Continental Congress A.September 1774 delegates from all colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia 1.Voted to ban all trade with Britain 2.Called each colony to start training troops 3.They were not ready to call for independence but they were willing to uphold colonial rights

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III. Spies A.Sam Adams built a spy network to watch over British activities B.British had spies as well (loyalists) 1.General Gage learned that Colonists were storing arms in Concord 2.He also heard that Sam Adams and John Hancock were in Lexington a)Gage ordered Adams and Hancock arrested and supplies destroyed

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IV. The Midnight Ride A.Paul Revere and William Dawes were charged with spreading news of British movements 1.If one lantern burned in the old north church, Brits were coming by land, two meant water B.Dawes and Revere moved when the Brits did C.In Lexington, Sam Prescott joined them D.Prescott made it to Concord, Dawes and Revere were captured

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V. Lexington and Concord A.April 19 th 700 British troops reached Lexington, 70 Militia men were waiting 1.8 Militia men were killed, Brits moved for Concord 2.4,000 Minutemen and Militia men lined the road from Concord to Lexington. 3.Peppered the retreating Brits with musket fire 1000 more Brits reinforced B.Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote colonial troops fired the shot heard round the world C.Rebels (Patriots) and Loyalists