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Problems between the colonists and Britain began in 1763. The Americans had fought for the British against France in the French and Indian War. After it spread to Europe, it became known as the Seven Years War.
Britain won the war. France had to give up Canada and all claims to the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. But the war left Britain with huge debts. Britain wanted the American colonists to help pay for the war. It also wanted them to pay for the British soldiers it kept in the colonies to protect them. So Britain decided to tax the colonists. Although they had the lowest taxes in the British Empire, many colonists felt the British government had no right to tax them. That’s because the colonies weren’t represented in the British Parliament.
In 1763, the British Parliament passed the Sugar Act. It put a tax on all sugar, molasses, and rum brought to the colonies from non-British sources. This cartoon by Ben Franklin encourages the colonists to unite against the common enemy. It was first drawn to inspire the colonies to unite during the French and Indian War. ▶
Parliament soon ended the Stamp Act. But it taxed paper, lead, glass, paint, and tea. Colonists again refused to buy British goods. British traders lost money and complained. By 1770, the British were only taxing tea. ▶
◀ The 1765 Stamp Act said that stamps or special stamped paper had to be bought and attached to many printed items before they could be sold. This included newspapers and legal documents. The law made the colonists angry. “No taxation without representation” became their cry. Colonists refused to buy the stamps. Sometimes they tarred and feathered officials who tried to collect the taxes!
▲ Until 1770, the fight between the colonists and the British was mostly a war of words. That changed in Boston in 1770. People in a crowd began throwing chunks of ice and attacking British soldiers with clubs. The frightened soldiers fired into the mob and killed five people. Boston colonists called this the Boston Massacre. During their trial, the soldiers were cleared of murder charges. But Patriots used the killings to fuel anger against the British. Patriots were people who wanted the American colonies to be independent. They printed posters like the one shown here, by Paul Revere, which shows an inaccurate version of the event.
▲ The 1773 Tea Act said that the British were the only ones who could sell tea to the colonies. To protest, Patriots dressed up as Native Americans. Then they dumped tons of British tea into Boston harbor. Angry British officials punished Boston for its “tea party.” They closed Boston harbor to all ships. They also took many powers away from the Massachusetts legislature.
▲ The first battles of the war took place in Massachusetts. On April 19, 1775, British soldiers and American volunteers shot at each other in the towns of Lexington and Concord. The war was on!
In May 1775, 56 delegates met in Philadelphia at the Second Continental Congress to show support for Massachusetts. They wrote a letter to King George III, called the Olive Branch Petition. It listed their complaints and asked for his help. They also called for a boycott of trade with Britain to protest taxes. The following year, the king rejected the petition. ▶
▲ Before the war, wealthy men and women wore wigs. Patriot men gave up their wigs. They started to wear their hair long. Sometimes they tied it back in a ponytail. Many Patriot women tried a new style. It included 13 curls at the neck, one for each of the 13 colonies.
