On 16 December 1773, a group of colonists dressed as Indians boarded three English ships in Boston. They threw all the tea into the harbour to protest against the tax on tea. This took place in Boston, so it's known as the Boston Tea Party.  The British were very annoyed and took action against the colonists. They passes laws to punish the colonists. They passed the Intolerable Acts in 1774 which closed the Boston harbour. Then, British soldiers occupied Boston. The colonists were punished-- they were required to house and feed the soldiers. In addition to these acts, more power was given to the British governor of the colony of Massachusetts.

   The colonists took action and met in Philadelphia in the First Continental Congress. The Congress sent a petition to King George III of England. They said that they would stop trading with England if Parliament did not repeal the Intolerable Acts. The King ignored the petition, and the military continued to rule Boston. This caused greater discontent among the colonists, who finally rose against the British.

In April 1775, fighting broke out between English troops and the Massachusetts milita in Lexington. The American War of Independence had begun. The colonists held the Second Continental Congress and formed an army in June 1775. The Army was joined by colonists from all walks of life. George Washington was made commander of the army
The American Revolution
   The British warned the colonists to enjd their rebllion, but an increased number of Americans supported the fight for independence. On 4 July, 1776, the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration contained many ideas of John Locke. It stated that all men had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It also stated that the government existed only by the people's consent. One of it's writers was Thomas Jefferson.

Drafting the Declaration of Independence


Signing the Declaration of  Independence


Announcing the Declaration of Independence

To read the Full text of the Declaration of Independence.

To see the Original set of the declaration.

   The Declaration of Independence united the 13 states against Britian. France, Spain and Holland helped them in the war. France wanted revenge for her defeat in the Seven Year's War. Holland and Spain wanted to take over British colonies in other parts of the world.

                                           Signing the Peace Treaty
When Benjamin West began painting the signing of
   the peace treaty (left), he started confidently with
      portraits (left to right) of John Jay, John Adams,
    Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and Franklin's
      grandson, William Temple Franklin, secretary to the
   American Delegation. Unfortunately for West, the
       British commissioners refused to pose, and the
      picture was never finished.

  In the war, the Americans fought bravely and finally defeated the English. The War ended with the surrender of the British troops in Yorktown on 19 October 1781. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 in which England recognized the independence of the American colonies. A new nation, the United States of America, was born.

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   During the American War of Independence, the French provided naval and military assistance to the Americans. French assistance was important for the victory of the Americans. French involovement in this war also gave them a chance to experience the revolutionary spirit which occurred in France a few years later. The Statue of Liberty in New York is the symbol of American democracy. It was a gift from the French in 1884. Its left arm holds a tablet which bear the date of the Declaration of Independence.

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