It began in 1756, when the two powers fought for possession of the Ohio region in North America. Soon, they started to dispute the sovereignty of the entire territory. However, thanks to the aid of the settlers, England emerged victorious from the conflict in 1763.
After the victory, the American colonists felt the right to populate the lands conquered in the war. England, however, economically exhausted due to military spending, decided to reserve the territory for exploration of the Crown, by restoring monopolies and creating new taxes. …show more content…
Being so, when the Company's ships arrived in December of that year at the Port of Boston, settlers disguised as Indians threw the cargo of one of the ships into the sea. This episode became known as the case of the Boston Tea Party.
For that, Parliament increased pressure by approving in 1774, the Intolerable Acts, closing the port of Boston, demanding compensation for the lost tea, and setting the arrest and trial of the involved in the Boston Tea Party.
However, since the beginning of tensions between metropolis and colonies, a group of intellectuals and local merchants - inspired by Enlightenment ideas of freedom and equality - started to work with the population, promoting the political separatism.
In February 1774, representatives of all the colonies organized the First Continental Congress in Virginia. In it, a Bill of Rights was drafted, which demanded the restoration of freedom in the colonies.
King George III, not accepting the demands of Rights, ordered to intensify repression. There were violent clashes between British troops and settlers. Thus, from 1775 on, the colonies decided to organize themselves