Text 2. Colonization of America. War For Independence

Read the text and identify the facts as the most remarkable.

In a few short years, the United States went from 13 colonies to an independent nation in which the colonists demonstrated to the world their belief in independence, individual rights and democracy. These cherished values formed the basis for their Constitution, which would serve as the law of the land.

The road from colonies to nation was a gradual one that began with Parliament’s attempt to control the colonies’ foreign trade. The first efforts toward this goal were a series of laws, beginning 1n 1651, known as Trade and Navigation Acts. This legislation was intended to ultimately kill colonial competition. Most of these laws, however, were not enforced – in part because the appointed revenue officers were lax in their duties.

Parliament’s concern about colonial trade was part of a larger issue, the struggle between Britain and France over control of North America. In the final round, The French and Indian War, Britain emerged victorious after William Pitt became minister of war in 1758. With the Treaty of Paris in1763, France was eliminated as a contender for power in North America.

Britain’s victory brought it a host of new problems, among them a huge debt and a question of how to administer their newly acquired territory. To solve the former problem, Parliament levied new taxes that shifted part of the financial burden onto the colonies. To solve the latter problem, Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763, which forbid all settlement west of the Appalachians. The colonists protested through petitions and representatives in London. They felt their rights as subjects of the Crown had been violated. As tensions grew, so did the means of protest. After the 1765 Stamp Act, the colonists staged boycotts and sometimes became violent. In their challenge to British Authority, the colonies discovered a sense of unity and patriotism and began to act together.

As time progressed the breach between Britain and the colonies gradually widened. Then, in 1773, colonists reacted to a monopoly granted to the British East Indian Tea Company by throwing thousand of pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. Parliament responded with the coercive Acts, which colonists dubbed the “intolerable Acts”.

King George III refused to compromise, arguing that the colonies must submit or Triumph. The colonists responded by calling the First Continental Congress and organizing volunteer armies. Soon fighting broke out between Massachusetts “minutemen” and British troops near Boston at Concord. News of the battle spread quickly and electrified the colonies. Although it would be another be another year before the colonies formally declared their independence, the American revolution had begun.

Most colonies were not ready for independence. They wanted to remain part of the British empire as long as they could govern themselves through their own legislatures. The British government , though , was inflexible and wanted to punish the rebels.

The move toward independence got a boost from Thomas Pain , a political philosopher who in January 1776 published the persuasive and widely read pamphlet, Common Sense. In it, Pain argued against monarchy in general, for separation from Britain, and appealed to the American belief that they were a select people.

The Patriots, supporters of separation, began to prevail. Beginning with delegates from North Carolina in April 1776, the colonies advised their delegates in Congress to vote for independence. The Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, formally notified the world on July 4 that the colonies were indeed independent.

Announcing their independence was not as challenging as maintaining it. Britain, unwilling to surrender its large territory in North America, dispatched perhaps the largest single military force ever sent from Europe to America. The success of these troops and short-term enlistments reduced George Washington’s ill-prepared forces. Two early victories at Trenton and Princeton helped save the American cause.

The American faced a long struggle with a volunteer army and insufficient funds to pay the war. The struggle was eased when France allied itself with the American cause following a major victory over British forces at Saratoga. Soon Spain and The Netherlands also entered the war against Britain.

Women courageously served the American war effort, acting as secret agents, raising money and running farms and businesses while their husbands were away. A few women even fought in the ranks. African Americans and native Americans also served in the Revolutionary War: the former were more likely to support the Patriot army and the latter the British.

The Fighting gradually moved from north to south. For three years, beginning in 1778, the main British forces did not suffer a defeat in the South. Then in 1780, British General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, marking the last significant battle of the war. The colonies were at last independent.

With independence the colonies needed new constitution to replace colonial charters. Most adopted a bicameral legislature and restricted the executive branch. The right to vote, however, was restricted to white males who owned property. Some of the new states also began to question the institution of slavery. Other changes included an increase in religious freedom.

While the states were writing new constitutions, Congress developed a plan to unite them. Known as the Articles of Confederation, this document placed governing authority in Congress in which each state had one vote. It also curtailed the executive branch, which was a committee of delegates.

Under the Articles, the national government was weak. Domestically, the government was unable to collect taxes, enforce the laws or interpret them. It also faced difficulties dealing with settling the West, although the Congress passed two important documents – the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.In addition there were disputes between the states over boundaries, commerce and currency, all of which the Congress was powerless to solve. Internationally the new nation experienced difficulties with Britain, Spin, France and Barbary States. As a result the trade with them declined.

Because of these problems, it became apparent that the Articles were inadequate and that a new framework for government was needed. A convention was called, which met in Philadelphia over the summer of 1787, to solve these problems. For a tine differences between large states and small ones over representation in the Congress and between northern and southern states over economic issues, including slavery, threatened to break up the deliberations. Ultimately, a series of compromises was reached that created a powerful two-house Congress, a strong chief executive and a national judiciary. Most delegates believed that the new plan – the Constitution – was a vast improvement over the Articles. Ratification of the Constitution was difficult, however, primarily because some states were cautious about surrending their power. Finally, though, supporters of the Constitution, The Federalists, emerged victorious. The new government was set to be launched in 1789.