The Real Story of the American Revolution 

Declaring Independence to Restore Liberties

Latest Changes: 08Mar30 - align dates better / 08Apr06 - move const dates to conststate.htm, note the American Prohibitory Act /

Large-scale Bloodshed; The Final Descent into War  As relations between Britain and the colonies deteriorated and local militia were reluctant to enforce unpopular laws, British garrison forces were increasingly called on to suppress civil disturbances. The colonists began to collect and to hide arms and ammunition to counter the force of British arms. The logs of discriminatory principles and unfair practices were in place. The tinder of oppresive, repressive, and retaliatory acts of Parliament served as tinder as it led to increasingly coordinated resistance from the colonists. All that was lacking to ignite full-scale rebellion was the spark of a violent assault, and on 1775 April 19 that was provided in the deadly conflict between British troops and the local militia at Lexington and Concord, which was immediately escalated by the coordinated response of militia units from all over New England. During the next fourteen months (to 1776 July 04) negotiations to mend relations with England proceeded in parallel with military actions to drive the British from Boston (Ticonderoga, Bunker Hill, Dorchester Heights) and from Canada (Montreal, Quebec) negotiations to secure diplomatic, financial, and military aid from France efforts in each state to transfer the reigns of power from the agents of the king to the leaders of the independence movement. Thomas Paine, a recent immigrant from England, wrote several pamphlets that passionately promoted the case for independence and blasted the abuses of power that harmed the colonists. Common Sense (Philadelphia, 1776) was the most widely-read pamphlet at the start of the Revolution. RSAR link to full text of the book

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Declarations of Independence and Rights,  Further Repression, New Constitutions 1774 Jul 12 -- Citizens of Carlisle PA passed a declaration of independence. 1775 Mar 30 -- Great Britain's Parliament passed the New England Restraining Act, which required New England colonies to trade exclusively with Great Britain and banned colonists from fishing in the North Atlantic.

1775 Apr 19 -- Major bloodshed at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.

1775 May 31 -- The committeemen of Mecklenburg County NC responded to news of the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord by adopting 20 patriotic resolutions. A mis-dated (May 20) and edited summary (five resolutions) published in 1819 has become known as the "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence". Ref: www.history.com. 1775 Jun 07 -- The Continental Congress voted to change its corporate name from the United Colonies to the United States. 1775 Jul 05 -- In a last attempt to seek a peaceful resolution to the outbreak of violence the Continental Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition to Great Britain. The king refused to read it, and the two nations now prepared for full-scale warfare. 1775 Aug 23 -- King George III declared the colonies represented in the Continental Congress (which now called themselves the United States) to be in "open and avowed rebellion". 1775 Dec -- Great Britain's Parliament passed the American Prohibitory Act, which effectively banned all British trade with the United States. 1776 Jan 09 -- Thomas Paine published Common Sense -- a dramatic and compelling argument for independence. In a few months over a half-million copies were sold (one for every six people in the United States). 1776 Apr 06 -- The Continental Congress retaliated against the American Prohibitory Act and took a clear step toward independence by declaring all ports in the United States open to international trade with any part of the world except those ruled by Great Britain. Additional activities related to the Revolution [Timelines.ws] Dates on which the individual states declared independence from Great Britain. State Date NC 1776 Apr 12 RI 1776 May 04 CT 1776 Jun 14 DE 1776 Jun 14 VA 1776 Jun 291 VT2 1777 Jan 15 NH -- MA -- NY -- NJ -- PA -- MD -- SC -- GA -- Note 1: Virginia also passed a declaration of rights Note 2: Vermont declared itself to be the independent republic of "New Connecticut". However the name was changed by its constitution (six months later) to be "Vermont". Coordinating the Actions of the Rebellious Colonies (1774-1789) The (Second) Continental Congress met from 1775 May 10 to 1789 March 02. All but five of the delegates to the First Continental Congress returned, and there were 27 new delegates. The delegates changed from year to year. with 339 serving at some time during the Congress' 14 years of existence. Roster: Delegates to the Continental Congresses of 1774 to 1789 [PDF file] Starting only three weeks after the events at Lexington and Concord, and with British troops besieged in Boston, the delegates considered how to keep the British from expanding their position at Boston (and elsewhere), where to get food and armaments for the troops outside Boston, how to get additional troops and select experienced officers for the Boston siege, as well as how to repair relations with England. The Congress had no administrative structure beyond keeping records of their deliberations, no treasury, no court system, no war office, no system for setting or collecting taxes, and no foreign service staff. On the plus side, the delegates had served in state governments that had many of these functions and some delegates had represented colonial interests in London, so they could draw on that experience had some basis from The National Archives has collected and microfilmed the transcripts of the original correspondence, journals, committee reports, and records of this Congress as "Continental Congress - Papers", NARA M247. Page images and search-by-keyword are available through Footnote.com. See RSAR suggestions for using Footnote Who presided over the Second Continental Congress before the The Articles of Confederation were adopted (1775-1781)? See Presidents before the Articles Go to Top The Declaration of Independence  An extended discussion of the Declaration of Independence [The Independence Hall Association] "Independence Hall: International Symbol of Freedom" illustrated lesson plan [National Park Service] Roster: Signers of the Declaration of Independence [PDFfile] 1776 - The Declaration of Independence [Florida Society SAR] Go to Top Reactions in Other Nations  From State House to World Heritage Site [National Park Service] describes the influence of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in inspiring people living under tyrannical governments to revolt. Go to Top Questions? Contact