3.4

Location: Met in Philadelphia.
Delegation: Included delegates from all colonies except Georgia.
Agreements: - Resolved that the colonies must resist further parliamentary violations of their liberties. - Decisions made included non-importation and non-exportation of British goods. - Created a Declaration of Rights and Resolves which was sent to England, outlining grievances and calling for repeal of oppressive legislation. - Agreement to meet again in spring of 1775 if no improvements occurred.
Parliament’s Response:
- Indicated that colonists could tax themselves at Parliament’s demand. - Key point: This communication did not reach the colonies until after the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Preemptive Measures:
- Spread anti-British propaganda to galvanize support. - Gathered and stockpiled weapons. - Organized and trained minutemen to act quickly against British forces. - Surveilled British troop movements to track military actions.

Duration: Congress decided to stay in session for the entire duration of the Revolution.
Debate Focus: Discussions concerning independence versus negotiation with Britain.
Military Decisions: - Established the Continental Army. - Appointed George Washington as commander in chief.

The battle was a confrontation between approximately 2,500 British infantry and 1,500 Patriot volunteers.
Strategic Significance: Overlooking Boston Harbor, the Patriots held their ground initially but were expelled on the British's third attempt.
Casualty Numbers: - British: 1,150 casualties (killed or wounded). - Colonists: 450 casualties (140 killed).

Issued By: Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia.
Content: Offered freedom to all enslaved Black Americans and indentured servants who joined the British army.
Recruitment Impact: Between 800 and 2,000 enslaved individuals joined Dunmore’s forces.

Continental Congress Actions: Began placing increasing support behind the call for independence.
International Relations: Requested economic and military assistance from France.

A pamphlet advocating for independence from Britain.
Key Quote:
> “Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe…”
Impact: Assisted in shifting public opinion towards the idea of independence.

Committee of Five: Comprised of Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman tasked with drafting the document.
Signing Date: Officially signed on July 2, 1776, with independence proclaimed publicly on July 4, 1776.
Colonial Sentiments: At the time, one-third of the colonists favored independence, one-third opposed, and one-third were indifferent.

Social Contract: The document is rooted in Enlightenment ideals, particularly the ideas of self-evident truths and unalienable rights.
Key Passage:
> “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Government Justification: Asserts that governments are instituted to secure these rights, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed. If a government fails, citizens have the right to alter or abolish it.

Examples of Injustices Cited:
- Refusal to assent to necessary laws.
- Forbidding legislatures from passing laws unless he assented to them. - Dissolving representative houses, neglecting to enable elections. - Establishing standing armies in peacetime without consent. - Imposing taxes without representation and obstructing the law enforcement.

American Indian Relations: Majority sided with the British as they viewed colonists as a threat to their lands.
Loyalist Activity: Most loyalists resided in cities under British control; - Particularly prominent among Quakers and Mennonites, who faced harassment for their neutral stance.

Women’s Roles: Many women provided indirect support to the war effort by cooking, washing clothes, nursing, and gathering supplies for troops.

Significance: Benjamin West painted this during the Revolution, depicting relationships between British authorities and American Indian chiefs.
Symbolism: Johnson’s attire symbolizes the blending of cultures and the strategic alliances formed during the war.

Public Reaction: On July 9, 1776, the day of the Declaration of Independence's approval, a statue of King George III was toppled, illustrating public sentiment against British rule.