CHAPTER 1
War Begins
In 1776, you are living in the American colonies. Like most people in America, you consider yourself British. Some people think of themselves as being from a particular colony, such as Virginia, New York, or Connecticut. You do not feel especially connected to people in the other 12 colonies, though. In fact, like most colonists, you have never traveled more than 30 miles from home.
For the last few years, tensions between the colonies and Britain’s King George III have been increasing. When the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Britain was deeply in debt. The king expected the colonists to help pay for Britain’s war expenses.
Colonists first settled in small towns near the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1765, the British government passed the Stamp Act. This law taxed all printed materials, including newspapers, stamps, and playing cards. But Americans objected. They refused to accept laws made by the British Parliament.
Great Britain did not back down. Other taxes followed the Stamp Act. In 1768, troops arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, under the leadership of Major General Thomas Gage. Small fights broke out between the soldiers and the townspeople. On March 5, 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five men. Patriot leader Samuel Adams called this the Boston Massacre.
On December 16, 1773, colonists dumped British tea in Boston Harbor rather than pay a tax on tea. This was called the Boston Tea Party. In response, Great Britain sent more troops to Massachusetts and closed the port of Boston.
The other colonies defended Massachusetts. The First Continental Congress, held in Philadelphia in 1774, called on Great Britain to respect the colonists’ rights.
On April 19, 1775, American militiamen and British soldiers clashed at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The Americans won these first battles of the Revolutionary War. Great Britain responded by sending more troops to the colonies.
George Washington (on white horse) took charge of the Continental army in 1775.
British and American troops continued to fight. The British won a major victory at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775.
On July 15, 1775, the Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental army. On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.
People throughout the colonies have divided themselves into two groups. Patriots favor independence from Great Britain. Loyalists, also called Tories, want to remain under British rule. The time has come to choose sides. What role will you play in the war?
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