Table of Contents
What did the colonist want from the British?
Many colonists wanted to separate from Great Britain and form a new country. In 1776, the leaders met in Philadelphia again. They agreed that the colonies should be free and independent states. They asked Thomas Jefferson to write a document for them that expressed these ideas.
What did the British want colonists to do after the war?
Following the French and Indian War, Britain wanted to control expansion into the western territories. The King issued the Proclamation of 1763 prohibiting settlements beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Colonists who had already settled on these lands were ordered to return east of the mountains.
What caused the British and colonists to go to war?
Parliament (England’s Congress) had been passing laws placing taxes on the colonists in America. Parliament said it had fought the long and costly war to protect its American subjects from the powerful French in Canada. Parliament said it was right to tax the American colonists to help pay the bills for the war.
What made the colonists so mad at Great Britain in the 1700’s?
Some colonists were so angry that they attacked British stamp agents. Historians say the main reason the colonists were angry was because Britain had rejected the idea of ‘no taxation without representation’. Almost no colonist wanted to be independent of Britain at that time.
Why did the colonists want to break away from Britain?
The colonists wanted to be able to control their own government. Parliament refused to give the colonists representatives in the government so the thirteen colonies decided that they would break away from Britain and start their own country, The United States of America.
How did the colonists prepare for war?
How did the colonists prepare for war with Britain? They formed the Continental Army and chose George Washington to command it. They asked colonies to give money for supplies and began printing currency. The colonists thought that rulers in England did not understand life in the colonies.
What was the main cause of the colonists decision to declare independence in 1776?
When on December 22, 1775, the British Parliament prohibited trade with the colonies, Congress responded in April of 1776 by opening colonial ports—this was a major step towards severing ties with Britain. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion in Congress to declare independence.