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Several thousand troops were in and around Boston, with more on the way.
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The congress agreed to meet again if the British did not address their complaints.
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So Arnold joined forces with Allen's men- the so-called Green Mountain boys. Together, they took the British by surprise. Fort Ticonderoga surrendered on May 10, 1775.
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All colonies except Georgia have representatives. Voted to send a statement of grievances. Voted to boycott all British trade. Patrick Henry- VA rep. urged colonists to unite against Britain.
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Colonial protest leader Dr. Joseph Warren Walked through Boston. Watching for any unusual activity by the British, he saw troops marching out of the city.
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The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775. The delegates included some of the greatest leaders in the colonies.
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On June 16, 1775, militia commander by Colonel William Prescott set up a post on Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill, across the Harbor from Boston.
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Washington reached the Boston area in July 1775, a few weeks after the battle of Bunker hill. The British held Boston, but patriot militia ringed the city.
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In January 1776, he published a pamphlet called Common Sense. In bold language, Paine called for a complete break with British rule.
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Washington believed his army was ready to fight. Under the cover of darkness, he moved soldiers and cannons into position over looking Boston, while the redcoats slept.
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On March 17, Washington led his jubilant troops into the city. They watched as the British troops sailed away to Halifax, Nova Scotia, a part of Canada.
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In June 1776, Virginia's Richard Henry Lee offered a bold resolution "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.
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The second continental Congress voted on Lee's resolution for independents. Twelve colonies voted for independents.
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John Hancock signed the Declaration first. He remarked that he wrote his name large enough for King George to read without his glasses.
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Arnold became a traitor to the patriot cause. He sold military information to the British. When his crime was discovered he fled to the British controlled New York.