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BRITAINS THIRTEEN COLONIES It wasnt until the late sixteenth century that European explorers turned their attention northwards. Spanish, French, English, Russians and Netherlands started to move into North America. The French in particular took over an area almost as large as Europe itself. Britain had thirteen colonies; the first one to be established was Virginia in 1607. They were rich in land and raw materials, and population started to grow. Many drove out the native population, called Indians because of Colombus mistake. Many had lost their links with their countries of origin (Americans), but decisions were still made by the Parliament and defense was in the hands of the British Army, called Redcoats because of their uniforms. The French and Indian War/The Seven Years War (1756-63) War broke out with France and the Indians. Troops were sent and British won, but it had cost 14.5 million pounds per year. Making the Americans Pay The American colonies were very prosperous and sold vast amounts of tobacco, grain, fish and raw cotton to Europe. The new king was George III, and made colonists pay in order to pay the costs of war. By 1750, Britain had begun to build factories on a large scale. Britain needed to be sure of three things: 1. It needed a cheap supply of raw materials to make goods. 2. It needed to prevent America from competing with it for sales to the rest of the world. 3. It hoped to use America as a ready market for the products of Britains factories. Taxes and strict laws were imposed, setting the thirteen colonies on the path to rebellion. INCREASED TAXATION Britain had placed controls over America in a series of Navigation Acts, which forced them to sell some of their products to only Britain, and it could buy them cheaply. America was prevented from building up its iron industry. America was to buy some goods from only other British colonies, even though they could be bought more cheaply elsewhere. More taxes were imposed: 1. The Stamp Act: placed taxes on a wide range of items (legal documents, newspapers, playing cards and dice). 2. The Quartering Act: required the thirteen colonies to pay extra taxes to cover the cost of keeping Redcoats in America. 3. The Townshend Acts: Imposed taxes on goods which America imported in large quantities. Prices increased. Anger among Americans Some colonists took over violence and attacked tax collectors, notably in Boston where Samuel Adams formed the Sons of Liberty. Some refused to buy British goods coming into America, while others adapted more political methods. No taxation without representation means that if the colonies werent represented in the Parliament, then it had no right to impose taxes on them. British reaction Parliament scrapped the Stamp Act but issued a Declaratory Act. Force was also used. In March 1770 (Boston Massacre) five demonstrators were shot dead by Redcoats. The Boston Tea Party Britain introduced a special Tea Act (1773) which allowed the British East India Company to sell its tea dutyfree in the American colonies. The Americans saw this as a deliberate attempt to give the British company control of the American tea market. On December 1773, 1000 colonists marched in Boston and boarded three English tea ships. They threw all the tea into the sea. The Boston the party rallied all Americans to oppose British rule as never before. John Adams, colonist, wrote about this intrepid epoch in history. The Intolerable Acts

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The British response was severe. In 1774, a series of new laws was introduced called the Intolerable Acts by the Americans, which established the closure of Boston Harbour, between other things. Representatives from all thirteen colonies formed themselves into a sort of American Parliament called the first continental congress (1774). THE OUTBREAK OF WAR The Congress The Congress which met at Philadelphia declared its opposition to the intolerable acts, to trade with Britain, to British taxes and to the presence of British redcoats. Patrick Henry spoke in favor of all-out rebellion against Britain. Secret groups prepared to resist the British by force. Civilian armies (militias) were established in each colony to prepare for war. The British General Gage had been made governor of Massachusetts; he decided to deal with the growing threat of American Rebellion. The First Shots Paul Revere was told on April 18, 1775, that Gage and eight hundred troops were going to seize the weaponsstores of the Massachusetts militia. At Lexington a force of just seventy-seven Americans fought a brief battle with the British and then they were routed by a force of several hundred American militiamen at Concord. A Second Continental Congress appointed and experienced soldier from Virginia to take charge of the new American Continental Army, George Washington. The Americans were defeated by the British in the Battle of Bunker Hill, however 1000 British soldiers had died. Independence Declared In January 1776, the Americans were encouraged by a British writer named Thomas Paine to fight and break all links with Britain. On 4 July 1776, the Congress issued one of the most famous documents in history, The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732 -99) George Washington was a surveyor (agrimensor - measures the land) in his early years. Then he inherited his familys 8000 acre state at Mount Vernon, Virginia. In 1755, he became a member of Virginias own assembly. He also distinguished himself as a soldier in the French and Indian World. He married a widow named Martha Dandridge and had two children. He was now one of the wealthiest landowners in the colony. He was chosen as one of Virginias seven delegates to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and to the Second Congress in 1775. After Lexington and Concord, he was chosen as commander-in-chief of his forces against the British. Mixed Fortunes at War The Americans under Washington won a great victory when they drove the British lead by General Howe, out of Boston. When Washington tried to hold the city of New York against General Howes army, he failed. When he made the mistake of allowing the British to occupy the high ground at White Plains just outside New York, his men were bombarded by British cannon and forced to retreat. Washington won some minor victories at Princeton and Trenton. However, in 1777, Howes army of 18000 men, reinforced by some German troops called Hessians, attacked Philadelphia, the largest city in America and home of the Continental Congress. Americans were defeated, and Howe and Cornwallis occupied it. In the Battle of Soratoga, the Americans led by General Horatio Gates defeated the English forces of 8000 men. Some members of the Congress though about appointing Gates as commander-in-chief in place of Washington. FROM DEFEAT TO VICTORY Washington at Valley Forge Washington needed to regroup his forces during the winter of 1777-78. They camped near Philadelphia, at Valley Forge. The men endured great hardship, and many died from hunger. On 1778, the German baron, called Frederick von Steuben, arrived there. He was a former captain in the great Prussian army, and reorganized the American army into a disciplined, fully-organized army along European lines. He gave Americans fresh spirit and confidence.

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French Help Britains traditional enemy, France, joined the war on Americas side. It gave supplies to them. An Individual Frenchmen called the Marquis of Lafayette and the American delegate at Paris, Benjamin Franklin, persuaded King Louis XVI to send a 6000 strong army and a fleet of ships to assist the Americans against Britain. With the French taking part, the British no longer had complete control. Yorktown On land, French forces combined with Washingtons men. In 1781, 7000 British troops under General Cornwallis were surrounded at Yorktown. The British resistance began to crumble. Finally, Lafayette tore through the remaining British defenses and Cornwallis surrendered. Victory at Last Victory at Yorktown decided the outcome of war. King George and the British government wanted to fight no more. Redcoats began to return home in January 1782 and the British Parliament voted to abandon the war effort. Peace negotiations began in Paris and, in the Treaty of Versailles, 1783, Britain recognized the independence of the thirteen American colonies and agreed to withdraw all troops from America soil. RESULTS OF WAR Americans celebrate July 4 because in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was published. America elected its own Congress, ran its own army and on June 14, 1777 it adopted its own flag, known as Stars and Stripes. The Star Spangled Banner, 1814, later became the US national anthem. Democracy in Action America set a pattern for many other nations to follow. In 1787, a special convention was called which established the new United States of America as a democracy, which is based on the wishes of the people. America chose a parliament called the United States Congress to make its laws. The new capital city was named after George Washington. It had two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state appointed two senators to the Senate, while members of the House of Representatives were elected by the male citizens. The Congress met at Capitol Hill. The day to day running of the country was placed in the hands of a President, elected democratically every four years. Washington was the first chosen as the first President in 1789. Since then Presidents have lived at the White House, Washington. The power to enforce the new nations laws was given to the US Supreme Court. The American Constitution, formulated in 1787, became a model which was later copied by other nations. A Civil War took place between 1861 and 1865. The American Constitution was and is a federalist one (while the President, Congress and US Supreme Court run the nation as a whole, each state has its own rights). The United States can be called a Federation. The Nation Expands During the nineteenth century, the United States grew larger. In 1803, the nations area was more then doubled by the Louisiana Purchase, where many acres were bought from France for just twenty-seven million dollars. More states were added following wars with Mexico. By 1900, with huge areas of land available and vast quantities of coal, oil and other raw materials, the USA was booming. Millions of settlers were attracted. Also, the Native Americans such as the Apache, Navajo and Sioux lost practically all of their territories and most of their populations. The USA was emerging as one of the worlds leading nations.