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First Continental Congress met in 1774 and drew up rights Military preparation began. England reacts by ordering troops to seize weapons. Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, AND George Washington attended this meeting.
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May 1775, Colonial leaders met for a leaders met for a Second Continental Congress. Some called for Independence, some for reconciliation. Finally, the Congress agreed to appoint George Washington as head of the Continental Army.
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By July 1775, the Second Continental Congress was readying for war, though still hoping for peace. Most delegates deeply loyal to King George IIIIII. On July 8, the Olive Branch Petition was sent to the King who flatly refused it.
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The Prohibitory Act of 1775 was passed as a measure of retaliation by Great Britain against the general rebellion then going on in the American colonies, which became known as the American Revolutionary War (or, to the British, the American War of Independence).
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On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress voted unanimously that the American Colonies were free and they adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Colonists had declared their independence. They would now have to fight for it.