By the year 1763 more than two million British colonists were living in North America. Their main ambition was to be able to govern themselves. Britain, however, had different ideas about her colonies, because they were an important market for trade. The British government were concerned about who was going to pay for the forces that were still stationed to protect North America. The answer was the colonists themselves through new and increased taxes.
The Americans had never been taxed before and protested loudly. They had no-one to put their case to the parliament in London, so they took direct action. By 1775 the whole colony was in a state of rebellion. This was the opening of America’s struggle for freedom.
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Fact File: In July 4, 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies signed a Declaration of Independence. This broke off all political connections with Britain. |
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