Continental congress - a gathering in the fall of 1774 of delegates from throughout the colonies
Paul Revere - 1735–1818, American silversmith and patriot, famous for his night horseback ride, April 18, 1775, to warn Massachusetts colonists of the coming of British troops
Minutemen - members of the civilian volunteer militia
“The shot heard round the world” - a meaning of saying the start of the American Revolutionary War
George Washington - Revolutionary war hero and Patriot leader, he served as a representative to the Continental Congresses, commanded the Continental Army, and was unanimously elected to two terms as president of the United States
“Taking a Stand”
Common Sense and Thomas Paine - a 47 page pamphlet published in January 1776 that argued separation from great Britain / American political philosopher and author, he argued an immediate declaration of independence from England in his anonymously and simply written pamphlet
Patriots - Colonists known as patriots chose to fight for independence
Loyalists - sometimes called Tories were those who remained loyal to Great Britain
“Declaration of Independence”
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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and Happiness.
All men were the same and they had rights of liberty and happiness. They wrote the declaration because to protect mankind and having peace for other countries.