Overthrowing British Rule: The American Revolution

The American Revolution was when the American Colonies rejected British rule and overthrew the authority of Great Britain which help found the United States of America. It was a long road but it was built over time with tension between the 13 colonies and the British rule of King George III. In 1733 the Molasses Act was imposed for six percent of every gallon sold from non-English colonies. This act was to make products cheaper from the British than the French. This act was rarely collected because of smugglers and it was opposed by most colonists. The Sugar Act was to raise revenues or the American revenue act that was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. It was passed around the time of a depression, so protests began to develop around

The most well-known part of the Declaration of Independence was the statement of human rights, “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness (The Journal of American History, vol. 85, No. 4). Following the Declaration of Independence the Revolutionary War had a major turning point. The brits took back Fort Ticonderoga and then the British defeated the Americans at Brandywine Creek, Pennsylvania on September 11. Then the Americans took Saratoga and this would prove to be a turning point of the American Revolution, as it prompted France to enter the war openly on the American side (History.com). What was a civil war turned into a world war with different countries joining in the war. Other countries came to the United States aid because they were allies to France. These countries included Spain, Dutch Republic, and the Vermont Republic. After Washington took back Yorktown in 1781 (another major defeat for the British), the British removed all of their troops from Charleston and Savannah in 1782 finally ending the

Some were even tarred and feathered and they had to defend for themselves from all the Americans. Most colonies were struggling through a major economic depression and just learning how to operate without the British Rules, this proved that the national government was too weak to deal with growing economic and political problems. The Articles of Confederation was signed on March 1781 and it lasted only 8 years. The purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to create a ruling that allowed each state to maintain its “sovereignty, freedom, and independence”. This made it were each state was independent and only the United States was responsible for Defenses on the country, and general welfare. These articles made the government as week as possible and it made it impossible for Congress to tax and regulate foreign commerce; also laws required a 9 to 13 vote to pass. State would often refuse to financially support the national government which made Congress powerless to enforce any acts it passed. Congress needed money after the Revolutionary War because the “United States spent $37 million at the national level plus $114 million by the states” (American Revolution – America at the