Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 11, Lesson 1: Forming a New Government (pp. 260-265)
I. The First Shot Is Fired
B. Fighting breaks out between the British and Minutemen on the Lexington green.
C. The British retreat to Boston after losses at North Bridge in Concord.
II. The Continental Congress Meets
B. Congress issues the Olive Branch Petition, but King George rejects the colonists' requests.
B. Thomas Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence.
C. Congress votes to accept the Declaration on July 4, 1776.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. The British sent soldiers to hunt for hidden colonial weapons.
A. Congress prepares for war by organizing an army, issuing paper money, setting up a commission to keep peace with the Indians, and looking for support from other European countries.
III. The Colonists Declare Independence
A. Thomas Paine's book called Common Sense persuades many Americans to fight for independence.
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