The American Revolution

The Molasses Act (Ley de la Melaza) of 1733 

Although the British gave their colonies more freedom than the Spanish or French, they still made a number of  laws that helped the businessmen in England more than the colonists. The Molasses Act of 1733 is an example of this.

Many New Englanders made a living by turning molasses and sugar into rum. The Molasses Act helped the sugar plantation owners on the islands of the British West Indies. A tax  was placed on the sugar and molasses that came from the islands. On top of this the law stated that traders in New England could only trade with the British Islands. Many businessmen had been trading with the French and the Dutch. Now these men would lose money.  This made the New Englanders upset with the British.

The French and Indian War

The French fought a war against the colonists and the British over the land in America. This was started in 1754 and lasted until 1763. Europeans called this the Seven Years War.

Many Indians fought on the side of the French. The French had befriended the Indians through their fur trading (comercio de pieles). 

The war ended with the British and colonists winning. France lost Canada and all of the French territory east of the Mississippi River except New Orleans.

This war changed the way of thinking for the colonists. During the war the colonists fought alongside the British Army. This taught the colonist how to fight as well as making the colonist realize that they no longer needed the British Army for protection. Another result of this war was the colonists learned they must work together to keep their land.

After the war many colonists moved across the mountains. They no longer feared the French would attack them.

The King of England Tries to Tighten His controle

King George III thought it was time to tighten his control on the colonies for several reasons:

The Indians were still enemies of England and the British settlements (asentamientos).

The French and Indian War had cost a lot of money. King George wanted the colonists to pay for the war through higher taxes.

King George made a law called the Proclamation of 1763 which stated the colonists could not move westward (al oeste de) over the  Appalachian Mountains. The British passed several more laws which also angered the colonists. In 1764 a law was passed which said the colonies could not  print or use their own money.

Finally in 1765 the Stamp Act was passed. The tax stamps had to be put on 54 kinds of papers, including playing cards, newspapers, wills and licenses. The payments varied from one cent on a newspaper to ten dollars on a college diploma. The payments had to be made in gold or silver.

The British placed new taxes on the colonies.

In 1767 the British passed the Townsend Act. This act placed taxes on tea, glass, paper, and paint. Many colonists refused to pay the taxes or to buy any goods made in England.

Sons of Liberty

A club was formed called the Sons of Liberty. Their motto (motivación) was Join or Die. The members broke into the homes of the tax collectors and beat them. They then burned the hated tax stamps. The British sent 40,000 soldiers to help the tax collectors. The American colonists were told that they would have to let the soldiers live in their homes. This made the colonists very angry.

Americans did all that they could to rebel against the British. Traders smuggled (contrabando) goods in and out of the American ports to keep from paying the British taxes. The Americans teased the British troops by throwing rocks or snowballs at them. Many settlers moved across the Appalachian Mountains even though the law said they could not.

The Boston Massacre

In 1770 the first real battle between the colonists and the British took place. The British soldiers got angry at a crowd of colonists who were throwing snowballs at them. The soldiers fired. Five colonists were killed and many more were wounded. Later this event was called the Boston Massacre.

Two of the British soldiers were found guilty of a crime in this event. They were punished by having their thumbs burned with a hot branding iron (hierro candente) and released.

Between 1770 and 1773 there were only a few acts of violence in the colonies. Some British tax boats were burned. The British repealed many of the taxes, but not the tax on tea.

The Boston Tea Party

In 1773 the British told the British East India Company it could send tea to America without paying the taxes. All other tea traders still had to pay a tax. The Americans refused to buy any tea and refused to unload (desembarcar) the tea from the British ships in the American ports.

About 50 men from the Sons of  Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians. They boarded a tea ship in the Boston Harbor. These men then threw 342 chests tea valued at $75,000 into the water. One of these men was Paul Revere. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party. Many people say this was the most important event that led to the start of the war between the colonies and the British.

The First Continental Congress

King George wanted to punish the Americans. The British Parliament passed a new set of laws called the Intolerable Acts.

The Intolerable Acts closed the Boston Harbor (puerto) until the tea was paid for in full. They said the Americans could not hold town meetings. The Americans were forced to house the British soldiers. Any British subjects who committed a crime in America would be tried in England.

This led to many problems. With the port closed no food could be shipped to Boston. Boston asked the colonies for help. Many colonies sent food overland.

All colonies except Georgia sent men to Philadelphia to talk about what to do about the Intolerable Acts. This group was called the First Continental Congress. They met in September 1774 in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. The Congress decided they must force the British to repeal the acts. They also decided to cut off all trade between England and the colonies until the acts changed.

Who should win the Revolutionary War?

British	Americans
British government strongest in world	American government did not yet exist
lots of money	no money
army one of the strongest in the world	American army made up of citizen-soldiers who were badly trained (help from Spain and France)
many officers	few officers with any experience France helped by sending money and trained officers
British navy ruled the seas	no navy (help from Spain and France)
fighting 3000 miles away form home - had to ship men and supplies	fighting at home - English might lose because couldn't get soldiers over quickly
fight was over a large area
British army had trouble getting soldiers because many people had family members and friends in America.

Common Sense and  the Declaration of Independence

In January of 1776 an Englishman named Thomas Paine published a small book called Common Sense. The book said all kings in general, especially George III of England, were bad. The book also stated that America must be free to make its own way. This book became a best-seller. It made Americans believe that America should be a free and independent nation.
In the spring of 1776 the Second Continental Congress met in a red brick  (ladrillos rojos) building called the Pennsylvania State House. It was later called Independence Hall. Many leaders wanted America to become a separate and equal nation. Some wanted America to have some self-rule while still being a colony of England. Others were not sure what they wanted.

The American Flag

On June 14, 1777 Congress decided the flag of the United States should have thirteen stripes, red and white, and thirteen stars of white on a blue field. The thirteen represented the union of the thirteen colonies.    Although it can not be proven tradition states that Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. Three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776.

Washington Crosses the Delaware and the Battle of Saratoga

In the winter of 1776 George Washington and his men camped in Pennsylvania. On Christmas Eve they crossed the icy Delaware River to attacked a group of Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey. The Germans were celebrating the holiday with strong drinks. They were taken by surprise. The Hessians surrendered themselves with all their weapons and equipment. Two weeks later Washington led another surprise attack at Princeton, New Jersey and won. By this time the British army was growing weaker and the American army grew stronger.
On October 1777 the Americans beat a large British force at Saratoga, New York. The French decided to help the Americans by supplying money, arms, and officers after they thought the Americans now had a chance to winning the war. This way France could beat an old enemy.

Valley Forge & the End of the War

  The British army spent the winter of 1778 camped in Philadelphia. Washington's army spent a cold, hungry winter camped at Valley Forge. This was only about 30 miles away from Philadelphia. The American army was short on food and clothing. They had almost no medical supplies. The winter was cold. Many men became sick. Some deserted. Others lost fingers and toes to frostbite.
The Americans got money from France. With this money Congress bought guns, ammunitions, clothing, and good food for the men at Valley Forge. Officers from other countries also come to help train the American army.
By the end of the winter the fighting was taking place in all thirteen colonies. In the northwest Gorge Rogers Clark was attacking the British forts along the frontier.
John Paul Jones, a famous American sailor, stated "I have not yet begun to fight!" when asked to surrender. Soon after this the British captured his ship.
In 1780 the Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens were fought.
In 1780 Benedict Arnold, a famous general who helped the Americans win at Saratoga, became unhappy and planned to turn the fort at West Point over to the British. He was found out before this took place.
The main battles were still being fought by Washington.
British soldiers led by General Cornwallis went to Virginia. They wanted to take the American army led by Frenchmen Lafayette Cornwallis. The army camped at Yorktown on the coast while waiting for Britain to ship supplies. The French fleet and the new American navy kept the supplies from getting through.
Washington and his army along with French soldiers marched south from New York to meet Lafayette. The two armies met. They surrounded Cornwallis and his British soldiers. Cornwallis surrendered his army to Washington.
On October 9, 1781 after 6 years the Revolutionary War was over. In 1783 the Americans and the British signed a peace treaty in Paris, France.