Interesting Highlights of the American Revolution

The American Revolution gave birth to the nation we now know as the United States of America. Essentially a land made of Native Americans, English settlers and colonists, America began its life peopled by a diverse culture of people coming from different backgrounds and religious beliefs. Its path to becoming the United States is a long and interesting journey.

The British connection
English settlers were brought to America in several batches beginning with the failed Roanoke settlement in the 1580s. Although initial settlements were unsuccessful, subsequent ones flourished. During this time, Great Britain continued to increase its political and economic power overseas through its acquisitions and claims. One of these claims was the North American region.

The Seven Years' War
Britain fought a war against the French in what became a worldwide conflict. After the British won the war, they acquired New France, which is now known as Canada. Although emerging victorious, Britain lost money heavily and with the new responsibility of safeguarding its new territories, Britain decided to impose taxes on the American colonies.

Taxes without representation
There would have been no problems about taxing the colonies, since even by 1765 they still considered themselves subjects of the British empire. The only glitch was that the taxes were imposed without first seeking the representation of the colonies and were issued without the consent of the people. This did not sit well with the colonists, who protested the move.

The tax in question was the now infamous Stamp Act, issued in 1765, the first direct tax imposed on the American colonies, although prior taxes were already in place. The Act required taxes to be charged on every printed public document including newspapers, licenses, bonds, notes, almost anything that was printed on paper. Protests forced business in the colonies to a standstill.

On the same month that the Stamp Act was issued, the Quartering Act was signed. The Act required all American colonists to accommodate British troops and provide them with food.

In July, an underground group who called themselves the Sons of Liberty, was established in several colonial towns. Unlike the relatively peaceful protesters, this group used violence and threats in order to stop British stamp agents from doing their duties. They also harassed American merchants so that they eventually stopped ordering and dealing British goods.

In October of the same year, a Stamp Act Congress convened in New York City, composed of representatives from nine colonies who sent a resolution to King George III to repeal the Stamp Act along with other Acts imposed in 1764.

Months later, in March 1766, King George, with the help of the British parliament, repealed the Stamp Act. In exchange, the British government passed the Declaratory Act which asserted its sovereign rights over the colonies.

No more quiet
Trust between the British troops and the American colonies began to unravel. At the time, the British were just reeling from the Indian leader's Pontiac's rebellion. To establish a measure of control, it set up the Proclamation Line of 1763. The line draws an area along the Appalachian crest, preventing American settlers from going further. It was meant as a temporary measure against the Indians, but it contributed somehow to the growing unrest of the colonies.

The Outsiders
While essentially British in origin, the American settlers resented the derision and disdain they received from British people. Other than that, the American region was also peopled by non-British subjects such as the Germans, Dutch, the Dissenters, Presbyterians and Baptists, all considered 'free' colonists. There was also a group of people with ancient bad blood with the British – the Scots and the Irish.

Republicanism
This was the growing ideology of the time, which called for equality in the law, giving the colonists the right to vote, hold free elections and separating the powers in the government as a measure of check and balance. This ideology also advocated that the government be kept limited, simple and uphold the rights of its citizens.

More taxes
In 1767, the Townshend Act imposed tariffs on imported goods, such as tea, glass and paper. The money to be raised from these tariffs was meant to pay the army, the royal governors and judges. Boycotts against British goods were immediately organized.

The incident slowly escalated as mobs began attacking commissioners in 1768. This forced the British military to station troops in Boston for the commissioners' protection. For the colonists, this was a confirmation that the British troops were truly placed in colonies to keep them shackled to the British throne.

Seeing a threat to their liberty, a crowd taunted and harassed a group of soldiers during a gathering in 1770. In what is now known as the Boston Massacre, the soldiers fired at the crowd, killing five. The news of the incident spread throughout the colonies like wildfire.

The Committee of Correspondence
After Britain declared that judges and governors will be paid directly from England, Samuel Adams organized the Committee of Correspondence, meant to forge a link to all colonies across the land. This helped fuel more revolutionary sentiment.

By this time, the Townshend Act was all but repealed, except for the provision on tea. In 1773, colonists disguised themselves as Mohawks and stormed ships in the Boston harbor that carried tea. They threw the cargo into the water, which resulted to the British closing Boston port.

As a show of support to Massachusetts, Virginia convened the First Continental Congress of Philadelphia in late 1774, drawing up the declaration of rights and grievances of the colonies and calling for a ban against the importation of British goods. By this time, colonial militia began training in the countryside.

The revolution begins
In April of 1775, Gen. Thomas Gage commandeered the army that sought to end the growing unrest and militia training in Massachusetts. Eight hundred soldiers were sent to Concord. On April 19, the Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought, royal troops retreated to Boston and the revolution began.

The world war
Essentially, the American revolution was a world war, in that England's enemies joined the fray, gladly. As the British began gaining hold on the territories once again including Boston and New York, the Congress in Philadelphia signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th.

The start of victory
Gen. George Washington won the Battle of Trenton in New Jersey and became the symbol of bravery and strength. In 1778, the French joined forces with the Continental Alliance and helped the colonies push British forces backward. In Yorktown, the combined efforts of the French army and navy and Washington's troop, Lord Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781 in the Yorktown Campaign. This signaled the end of the war.

In September 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and declared the independence of the new nation. However, it was in 1781 during the ratification of the Articles of Confederation when the name of the United States of America was formally adopted.