Between 1765 and 1786 the American Revolution took place. It was a battle where the colonists in the Thirteen American Colonies decided that they are not happy with the rule of the the British monarchy and aristocracy and they wanted to overthrow them.
Historical Background
The British government was determined to lay down certain laws en decide which taxes must be paid and also wanted to increase its control over the colonies. The colonies were not happy and they did not want England to have any control over them.
For ten years before the war started the tension was running high between England and the colonies.
Members of the colonies didn’t agree with paying tax to Britain. This lead to their motto ‘No Taxation Without Representation.’
The colonies didn’t like any of the laws that the Britsh wanted to force on them and that included the Sugar Act, the Tea Act and the Stamp Act.
Members of the colonies were also caught and fined and punished if they rioted and this made them even angrier.
The colonies were held responsible to pay for the tea the destroyed during the Boston Tea Party and this made the people even more angry.
Watch the video to refresh your memory on 'The Boston Tea Party'.
The Tea Act of 1773 was imposed on the American colonies by the British government. The Act intended to subsidize the struggling East India Company, which was very important for the British economy, and the Tea Act would raise money from the 13 colonies for it.
The people of the colonies did not agree with the unfair taxes they had to pay and, as a result, destroyed over £90,000 worth of tea in the Boston Tea Party of 16 December, 1773. The American protesters boarded three trade ships in the Boston Harbor and threw 342 wooden chests of tea into the water. In today’s money, that tea would have been worth roughly a million dollars.
The Stamp Act was another tax over which the people of the colonies were not happy and it was imposed on the American colonies by the British in 1765. This was a tax covered newspapers, magazines and any legal documents. So if you wanted to buy any of these you had to pay tax on it.
Tomorrow we will continue with more information on this topic.
Answer the following questions
Which country was in control of the colonies?
How many colonies were there?
Name two taxes that were forced on the colonies.
When did the Boston Tea Party take place?
Say in short what happened.
When did the American Revolution take place and why did it take place?
Find a video for more information on the American Revolution.