Important Turning Points 1763 and 1776
Important Turning Points 1763 and 1776
In 1775 the American Revolution officially began, due to conflicts between the thirteen colonies and Britain. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed, granting the colonies their independence. The important turning points in the colonies break with the mother country are the French and Indian War (1763), Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776) and the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776). The revolution began as a disagreement over the manner in which Britain treated the colonies, in contrast to the way the colonies felt they should be treated. Colonists felt they deserved the same rights as the English; on the other hand, Britain viewed them as only created to benefit the crown and parliament. This conflict is best shown in one of the most commonly used terms of the American Revolution: “No Taxation Without Representation.” Beginning in 1756 and lasting until 1763, the French and Indian war was one of the most important turning points in pre-Revolutionary America’s relationship with Mother England. The war was a result of an imperial struggle between the French and the British over colonial territory and wealth. Within these forces, the war can also be attributed to the localized rivalry between British and French colonists. Previous to the war, British Parliament passed the Navigation Act of 1696 and the Molasses act in 1733. Both of these taxes were viewed as acts solely to benefit Britain’s economy. Neither put a strain on the colonies economically, but both were despised because they represented another way in which Britain held power over the colonies. In 1734, newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger was arrested and accused of seditious libel by a royal governor. In 1735 Zenger was acquitted after his lawyer convinced the jury that truth is a defense against libel. This event gained the colonists a greater amount of free speech, and thus became less fearful of openly showing their feelings towards
In 1775 the American Revolution officially began, due to conflicts between the thirteen colonies and Britain. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed, granting the colonies their independence. The important turning points in the colonies break with the mother country are the French and Indian War (1763), Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776) and the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776). The revolution began as a disagreement over the manner in which Britain treated the colonies, in contrast to the way the colonies felt they should be treated. Colonists felt they deserved the same rights as the English; on the other hand, Britain viewed them as only created to benefit the crown and parliament. This conflict is best shown in one of the most commonly used terms of the American Revolution: “No Taxation Without Representation.” Beginning in 1756 and lasting until 1763, the French and Indian war was one of the most important turning points in pre-Revolutionary America’s relationship with Mother England. The war was a result of an imperial struggle between the French and the British over colonial territory and wealth. Within these forces, the war can also be attributed to the localized rivalry between British and French colonists. Previous to the war, British Parliament passed the Navigation Act of 1696 and the Molasses act in 1733. Both of these taxes were viewed as acts solely to benefit Britain’s economy. Neither put a strain on the colonies economically, but both were despised because they represented another way in which Britain held power over the colonies. In 1734, newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger was arrested and accused of seditious libel by a royal governor. In 1735 Zenger was acquitted after his lawyer convinced the jury that truth is a defense against libel. This event gained the colonists a greater amount of free speech, and thus became less fearful of openly showing their feelings towards