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If you sometimes don’t want to do what your parents tell you, then you know how Great Britain’s 13 American colonies felt in the 1770s. British people had been coming to America since 1607. They had come for many reasons: religious freedom, making money, and a new life, among others.
Many colonists had differences with Britain. But most still considered themselves loyal subjects of the Crown.
Starting around 1763, arguments between Britain and the colonies got worse. The French and Indian War was over. Britain had driven the French from the continent. But it had huge war debts. Parliament (the lawmaking body of Britain) felt the colonies should help pay these debts. The Americans disagreed. They said they shouldn’t be taxed because they had no representation in Parliament. The British offered to let the colonists elect representatives to Parliament. The colonists said no. They thought they’d never have enough votes to have any real power. Problems between the colonists and Britain continued. On April 19, 1775, an armed conflict began.
