Before America was an independent country, the land was divided into
13 colonies all ruled by the king of England. However, life in the
colonies differed in many ways from life in England. In fact, English
visitors who went to the colonies found it difficult to understand
the new way of life that the colonists were leading. The independent
spirit and the attitude of the colonists toward the British government
were also puzzling to these British travelers.
The people who had journeyed to America from Europe had gone in search
of the opportunity to lead a better life and earn a better living.
Many had gone to escape the political and religious persecution that
existed throughout Europe at that time. America was a land of opportunity.
The British government began to feel that the colonists should pay
more of the costs of governing the colonies, including the establishment
of an army. They introduced new taxes to raise money from the colonists.
In addition, to reduce the possibility of conflicts with the French
on the American western frontier, the British issued the Proclamation
of 1763. This closed the lands west of the Allegheny Mountains to
further settlement or colonization.
These measures angered the colonists. Some people organized against
the British. Flames of revolt were rising in Boston, but the British
ignored the obvious military preparations of the Americans. The first
shots of the Revolution were fired on April 19, 1775, when British
troops, searching for hidden arms, clashed with Americans at Lexington,
Massachusetts. Eight Americans were killed. As the news spread through
the colonies, preparations were made for war.
Although many were prepared to fight, not all colonists were ready
for a complete break with Britain. The question of such a split was
heatedly debated at the Second Continental Congress before independence
was finally proclaimed on July 4, 1776, with the signing of the Declaration
of Independence. The Declaration, written by Thomas Jefferson, gave
a new dignity to the American cause. The Patriots were now fighting
for their freedom as a nation - the United States of America. Even
so, thousands of colonists, known as Loyalists, or Tories, kept their
allegiance to Britain. After the revolution, many Loyalists fled to
Canada or England.
Selecting a commander in chief for the new army called for much consideration.
At last Congress chose a 43-year-old Virginian, a man of wealth and
position, a colonel in the Virginia militia who had fought in the
French and Indian War. His name was George Washington.
The troops he inherited were disorganized and disorderly rather than
a disciplined military group. But after Washington came, they began
to become an army.
The war continued for five more years. There were many defeats, and
at times the American cause seemed hopeless. But the steadfastness
shown by George Washington as the commander of the Continental Army
kept American hopes alive until victory was gained in 1781. Britain
formally accepted American independence in the Treaty of Paris in
1783.
The end of the Revolution brought independence to the 13 colonies,
which combined to form the United States of America. The success of
the war brought about the first break in the European colonial system
and set in motion a chain of revolutions that has continued to this
day. The establishment of republican government was finally secured
in the United States in 1789 with the adoption of the Constitution.
Abigail Jane Stewart and William Thomas Emerson were both swept up
in the spirit of revolution. Read their wartime diaries to learn how
young people lived as America struggled for freedom.
Timeline:
1754: French and Indian War begins.
1764: Sugar Act, taxing molasses and rum, imposed by British.
1765: Stamp Act, tax on colonial publications, imposed.
1767: Townshend Acts enacted, taxing tea and other colonial
imports.
1770: Boston Massacre.
1773: Boston Tea Party demonstrates colonial opposition to
Tea Act.
1774: First Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia.
1775: Minutemen fight British soldiers at battles of Lexington
and Concord.
Second Continental Congress names George Washington commander-in-chief.
1776: Declaration of Independence. Washington crosses Delaware River to surprise enemy at Trenton,
New Jersey.
1777: Americans win Battle of Saratoga. Articles of Confederation adopted.