5.2.5

Independence

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Thirteen Colonies

Britain came to control thirteen colonies along the east coast. However, disagreements between the British government and the American colonists led to the War of Independence.

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East coast

  • After the successful settlements of Virginia and Plymouth, other English people set their sights on America and migrated there to begin a new life.
  • They settled along the eastern coast of North America.
  • By 1732, Britain controlled thirteen colonies in North America.
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British values

  • Being of British heritage, many of these American colonists believed Britain to be ‘the mother country’.
  • They also valued British democracy and liberties, which included:
    • The right to a free trial.
    • Paying taxes should mean representation in parliament.
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The War of Independence

  • However, by the mid-1700s the British were struggling financially and decided to begin taxing the American colonies, even though they were not represented in the British parliament.
  • This set in motion a series of events which resulted in the War of Independence breaking out in 1775 between Britain and the American colonists.
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The Declaration of Independence

  • On 4th July 1776 the colonists signed the Declaration of Independence, in which they stated that they were fighting to be free from British rule.
  • America has been celebrating Independence Day on 4th July ever since.
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The Battle of Yorktown

  • The war dragged on for seven more years, but eventually the British were forced to surrender to the Americans in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.
  • British control of North America had ended, and Britain turned its attention to the rest of its empire.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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