Otis History - The American Revolution: Indecision then War

By Peter Cameron

May 2026

From September 5th to October 26th, 1774, 12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia to attend the First Continental Congress. The Congress declared that if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed by December 1,1774, then the colonies would boycott British goods and would not export any American goods to Britain. They formed a Continental Association to oversee all trade with Great Britain hoping the Association would bind the colonies together economically. The delegates were torn, many wanting to patch up relations with England, while a minority wanted independence. In an attempt at restoring relations with England, the Congress sent a petition to King James stating their grievances and asking for repeal of the Coercive Acts. The Continental Congress agreed to meet again in May 1775 if their petition was not granted.

Throughout the winter of 1774-1775, the colonies seethed under the Coercive Acts. Then after December came and went and the King did not repeal the Coercive Acts, the pamphlet machine went into high gear. Anti-British sentiment poured into the daily discussions on street corners and pubs.

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry gave a speech to the 2nd Virginia Convention in which he said that the colonies had tried everything to rectify relations with England without relinquishing their rights and liberties. Despite these efforts, the King had refused to negotiate with the colonies. He ended with his famous quote, “Give me liberty or give me death.” He was the first colonial leader that openly advocated independence over reconciliation with England. 

King James III sent word to his colonial commander in Boston to ratchet up military force to quell the growing dissent. On April 18th, 1775, Colonial leaders learned that the British were mounting a military expedition to Lexington and Concord to find and destroy military supplies the Colonials had stockpiled there. That night, Paul Revere and Dawes Reed rode northward from Boston to the surrounding towns spreading the word that the British were on the way. During the night, a British force left Boston by boat arriving at Cambridge and began marching north. By early April 19th, they reached Lexington and were met by a small contingent of armed Continental militia on the town green. 

At some point someone fired; the so-called “shots heard round the world.” The militia were cut down where they stood. The British continued to Concord. About 400 Colonial militia had gathered there. They advanced on the 220 British troops. The British fired, killing a few Colonials. The Colonials fired back, killing British troops. The British retreated towards Boston some 12 miles away. The Colonials kept them under constant fire and ambushed the entire way back to Boston, decimating the column. There would be no turning back now.

The Colonial militia continued to grow in numbers with “minute men” arriving from surrounding towns and other colonies. Once the British had reentered, the militia surrounded Boston on the landward sides blockading the British in the city.

On May 10th, 1775, Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys from Vermont, captured Fort Ticonderoga at the southern end of Lake Champlain. Inside the fort were 200 English artillery pieces that would figure prominently in the future of the American cause.

On May 10th, the second Continental Congress met. This time there were representatives from all 13 colonies. In a last-ditch effort, they composed an “olive branch petition” to King James III and sent Richard Penn to England to present it personally to the King. King James III refused to see Penn, instead proclaiming England and the colonies were at war. Back in the Colonies, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington commander of the Continental Army. 

Next Month, “The War in Boston, Canada and the Southern Colonies.”