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American Revolution |
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American Revolution > Revolutionary War |
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![]() The era began in 1763, when, as a result of the Seven Years' War in Europe, the British Treasury had to be replenished. The Treasury initially tried to raise funds at home and, when that caused an uprising, imposed a series of taxes on the American colonies for items such as molasses and sugar. In addition, Britain imposed the Currency Act, which prevented the colonies from using their own currency, and began enforcing the Acts of Trade and Navigation, which essentially prevented the colonists from trading with other countries. Further acts were designed to prevent the manufacture of certain items in the thirteen colonies. British troops were stationed in New England, and by decree, the colonists were ordered to provide them with food and housing. It was at a New England town meeting that the famous phrase "No taxation without representation" was coined, as those in the colonies believed that Acts and taxes being levied were a result of not having representatives in Parliament. New Englanders initially protested by boycotting English goods, to no avail.
On March 5, 1770, a group of colonists were protesting outside the Customs House when British troops were called in to disperse them. In the scene that followed, the soldiers fired shots into the crowd, making Crispus Attucks, the leader of the protesting colonists, the first man to die for American Liberty. This event became known as the Boston Massacre. John Hancock subsequently led a group asking for the removal of British troops from Boston, and the British agreed.
Beginning in 1772, Patriot groups created Committees of Correspondence, which matured into Provincial Congresses in most of the colonies. Within a few years, these organizations had largely pre-empted British rule in the colonies. In 1774, these unofficial governing bodies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress, the first unified governing body of the American colonies.
Meanwhile, the Second Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston draft an appeal to the British king, requesting that he listen to colonial grievances and negotiate tax and trade regulations. In July, 1775, the Olive Branch Petition was completed and sent to King George III. The king rejected this petition, passed the Prohibitory Act, outlawing trade with the colonies, and sent German Hessian mercenary troops to combat the Patriots. This response gave Adams and his independence-minded associates the justification to press for independence rather than submit to British rule. In 1776, the 13 colonies voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence, allowing them to establish the United States of America. The United States entered into an alliance with France in 1778, to increase their military and naval strength during their continued battles with the British. Their alliance with France meant that they also brought Spain and the Dutch Republic into the conflict. Peace was eventually established in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris, following the capture of two main British armies by the Continental Army, one in Saratoga in 1777, and the other in Yorktown in 1781.
Bibliography
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