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The French and Indian War
With the Treaty of Utrecht, France gave Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to Britain. In 1763, the end of the French and Indian War and the Seven Years' War brought Britain all of French Canada. The British also monopolized the slave trade in Spanish America, which brought enormous wealth to British merchants. -
Colonists Express Discontent
Being that the both wars (the Seven Years' War and the French and Indian War) had drained the British of money, King George III thought it was a good idea if the colonists helped pay the for the destruction of these wars. This created the Stamp Act in 1765 which put taxes on items like newspapers and pamphlets, but this did not work for long as the colonists protested "no taxation without representation". This caused the Stamp Act to be repealed in 1766. -
Colonists Rebel Against Britain
In March 1770, British soldiers in Boston opened fire on a crowd that was pelting snowballs and stones at them, which caused five protesters to be killed. This is known as the Boston Massacre. In December of 1773, colonists hurled a cargo of recently arrived British tea into the harbor to protest a tax on tea. This is known as the Boston Tea Party. -
Colonists Declare Independence
In April 1775, a war called the Revolutionary War was created when ongoing tensions between the colonists and the British exploded into war in Lexington and Concord. The Second Continental Congress held voting to declare Britain's independence. On July 4, 1776, American leaders adopted the Declaration, pledging "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" to creating and protecting the New United States of America. -
The Constitution Becomes Supreme Law of the Land
In 1789, the Constitution became the nation's fundamental law. The Constitution also created the most progressive government of its day. It was a symbol of freedom to European countries and reformers in Latin America. This revolution in France toppled the monarchy in the name of liberty and equality.
