1 France and England were at war for many years trying to gain control of the world.
The war had taken place from India to America. When it all finally ended, King George was
victorious, but the war had been costly. He looked to the American colonies to raise the
money needed to pay his war debts.
2 King George decreed that the colonies must purchase all manufactured goods from
England and heavy taxes were placed on the items they bought. The colonists were
enraged and began smuggling goods from other countries. When the king heard of this,
he sent soldiers to search homes looking for these smuggled items. The cries of "taxation
without representation" and "unlawful searches" began to echo through the American
colonies.
3 Up until this time, the thirteen colonies each had its own system of self-government.
They lived under British rule and were loyal to the king. They traded with each other,
England, and countries around the world. There were bustling cities like Boston,
Philadelphia, and New York. With the new tyranny from England, things started to change.
The colonies began to talk to each other about the oppression from England. They began
to be united with the purpose of ending the tyranny. When the king ordered the colonies
to purchase tax stamps for their newspapers and official papers, the tension between
England and America escalated.
4 The king finally listened to the colonies and removed the taxes from everything but
tea. However, he also instituted the Tea Act, which stated tea could only be bought and
sold through the British East India Company. This would put colonial tea companies out of
business. Again, the colonists were furious. When ships loaded with tea arrived in Boston
Harbor, men dressed up as Indians and threw the tea overboard. This act, known as The
Boston Tea Party, infuriated King George. He decided to force the colonists to behave and
sent British ships and soldiers to Boston. The British ships blockaded the harbor, and the
soldiers surrounded Boston to cut the city off from the rest of the colonies. The king
wanted to use Boston as an example to the other colonists. His desire was for them to
submit out of fear. Instead, the colonists came to the aid of Boston and sent supplies
from all over America. The colonists refused to be bullied and defied the British wherever
they could.
5 In September of 1774, delegates from the states attended the First Continental
Congress in Philadelphia to discuss the situation with England. They wrote a list of
grievances and sent them to King George. They decided to end all trade with England. If
the king would not listen to them and nothing changed, they agreed to meet again on
May 10, 1775. When King George did not reply, the resistance became rebellion.
6 On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride to
warn the colonists of the advancing British army. In the early hours of April 19, British
soldiers met a group of Minutemen at the Lexington Green. It was here that "the shot
heard round the world" was fired, beginning the American Revolution. The British moved
on to Concord and encountered more resistance. After a fierce battle, the British soldiers
were forced back to Boston.
7 The colonial militia was a rag-tag group of farmers and tradesmen with no training.
They had heart and were determined, but they needed military leadership to turn them
into a fighting force. They found what they needed in George Washington. Washington
agreed to take control of the army, trained them, and turned them into a force that was
able to drive the British from Boston. By this time, sporadic fighting between other
colonies and British troops had sprung up. King George needed to send many more
soldiers to crush the rebellion. However, dealing with individual colonies presented a
daunting task to the British king.
8 Late in 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. Patriot leaders –
such as John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and John Adams from Massachusetts; and Patrick
Henry and Richard Henry Lee from Virginia – called for independence from England. Soon,
the plea for independence rang through the thirteen colonies. All over America, states
held meetings to vote for independence. Each state sent the results to their representative
at the Congress. "Independence" was their declaration.
9 Thomas Jefferson was chosen to draft the official document. After two weeks, he
returned to Philadelphia with "The Declaration of Independence." On July 4, 1776, after
three weeks of debate, it was approved. On July 8, the declaration was read to the people
in Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell rang from the tower of Independence Hall declaring
America an independent nation.
10 The Declaration of Independence is an important document that is used around the
world as a standard for freedom. Its seven basic tenets are:
11 1) All men are created equal.
12 2) All men are born with certain rights that cannot be taken away.
13 3) Some of the rights men have are the right to life, liberty, and to pursue being
happy.
14 4) Governments are formed to protect these rights.
15 5) Governments are to serve the people. The people give the government their
powers.
16 6) If a government does not protect its people's rights, the people can and must
change the government.
17 7) The people reserve the right to form new governments that will protect their
rights.
18 As justification for becoming independent, Jefferson outlined the tyrannical acts
King George performed in the remainder of the declaration.
19 The American Revolution was finally over in September of 1783. With the signing of
the Treaty of Paris, Britain finally recognized the United States of America as a free,
independent nation. The Declaration of Independence was the beginning of the United
States of America we know today.