Britain before the Britain before the RevolutionRevolution

• Parliament's power: With the power to make laws, levy taxes, and pass the budget, Parliament gradually became more powerful than the monarch.

• The Hanover line of monarchs: In 1714, a new dynasty, the Hanoverians, began. German-born King George I was the first Hanoverian king.

• Britain's North American colonies: Britain controlled Canada as well as 13 colonies on the eastern coast of what is now the United States. The colonies had legislatures that tended to act independently.

• Parliament's desire for revenue: To offset the costs of the Seven Years' War, Parliament imposed the Stamp Act on the colonies in 1765. Colonial opposition was strong. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act a year later

Discussion Discussion 

• What was the relationship between Parliament and the government of the British colonies in North America?

Britain controlled the colonies, but the colonies had their own legislatures, which acted more or less independently.

Background Background 

• The Stamp Act raised revenue through direct taxation of all colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and dice. In response, colonists claimed that as English subjects they could be taxed only with the consent of their representative assemblies.

• The Stamp Act Congress was convened in 1765.• It produced resolutions of "rights and grievances."

Ultimately, Parliament yielded to protests of British merchants and manufacturers, who were adversely affected by the colonists' actions.

The American RevolutionThe American Revolution

• The First Continental Congress: In response to British actions, the colonies organized the First Continental Congress in 1774. Its members urged colonists to form militias.

• The beginning of the war: British troops and colonists clashed at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts in 1775. A Second Continental Congress created the Continental Army. George Washington was its commander.

• The Declaration of Independence: On July 4, 1776, the colonies declare independence from Britain. Drawing on the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers, Thomas Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence.

European Countries European Countries Support the ColonistsSupport the Colonists

• Britain's enemies support colonists: Britain was a strong military power that had many European enemies. These nations were eager to support the Americans.

• France become the key American ally: The French supplied arms and money to the rebels. In 1778, France granted diplomatic recognition to the United States. The French Navy helped the colonists win the final battle at Yorktown.

• Spanish and Dutch enter the war: When Spain and the Dutch Republic entered the war on the American side, Britain faced the serious threat of a major European conflict.

• British surrender in 1781: The British surrendered to American and French forces in 1781, ending the war. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 recognized American independence.

Discussion Discussion 

• Why do you think France was eager to support the colonists during the Revolutionary War?

The French had suffered defeat at the hands of the British in North America and India during the Seven Years' War, so they were happy to help in an effort that could cost the British some of their colonies.