Question

The American Revolution

British colonists in North America opposed British trade laws, and they disliked the French along their borders. France and Britain had fought in Europe for decades. In 1754, the conflict spurred the French and Indian War in North America. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 gave British the control of much of North America.

Increased Imperial Control

Britain was greatly in debt after the war with France. The British government expected colonists to pay for the British war efforts. The government also started to enforce its mercantilist trade laws. For example, the Sugar Act of 1764 imposed taxes on sugar and other imports from non-British colonies. Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765. This law imposed a tax on various documents, including wills, contracts, mortgages, newspapers, and pamphlets. The colonists' resistance grew with each new tax. The colonists had no representatives in the British Parliament and opposed the practice of "taxation without representation."

Intensified Conflict

King George III was the first Hanoverian monarch to be born in England. He reigned from 1760 to 1820. American colonists started to believe that breaking away from British rule was necessary to guarantee their rights. About one-third, called Patriots, wanted independence. Another third, called Loyalists, or Tories, opposed independence. The rest of the colonists did not choose a side.

The government gave the British East India Company a monopoly to ship tea to the colonies. Angry colonists threw a shipment of tea into Boston Harbor. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party. Parliament closed the port of Boston. Colonists referred to this, and several other laws that were passed in 1774, as the Intolerable Acts.

In the fall of 1774, delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia in the First Continental Congress. At the towns of Lexington and Concord, the British fought with groups of armed colonists. The American Revolution had begun.

American Independence

On July 4, 1776, delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence established the United States of America as an independent nation. Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the document. It declared that all men are created equal, and have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

The War of Independence

Although American troops lacked training, they proved to be successful because of strong military leaders such as George Washington, commander of the American forces. Other nations, such as France, that opposed British interests on an international scale, assisted the Americans. These nations provided military officers, troops, weapons, ships, and money to the colonists.

War and Peace

In October 1777, the Americans defeated a British force at Saratoga, New York. France took advantage of this defeat and agreed to an alliance with the United States. Spain and the Netherlands also assisted the colonists. In 1781, the Americans and the French defeated the British Army at Yorktown, Virginia. The Americans had won the Revolutionary War. In 1783, the British, Americans, and their allies signed the Treaty of Paris. The Americans had won their independence and a territory that was larger than the original thirteen colonies.

What marked the beginning of the American Revolution?

When the delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia
When the armed colonists fought with the British troops at Lexington and Concord

Answer 1

The American Revolution began when a small and vocal group of colonists became convinced the king and Parliament were abusing them and depriving them of their rights.

The American Revolution began when a small and vocal group of colonists became convinced the king and Parliament were abusing them and depriving them of their rights.

By 1776, they had been living under the rule of the British government for more than a century, and England had long treated the thirteen colonies with a degree of benign neglect.

Each colony had established its own legislature.

Taxes imposed by England were low, and property ownership was more widespread than in England.

People readily proclaimed their loyalty to the king.

For the most part, American colonists were proud to be British citizens and had no desire to form an independent nation.