US independence

The independence of the United States it was declared on July 4, 1776 and recognized by the British in 1783, after five years of war. Independence was the result of the clash of interests between colonists and English. The tension increased considerably through the laws and the new taxes that the English were imposing on the colony.

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Summary on US Independence

• The independence of the United States was the result of the clash of interests between England and the Thirteen Colonies.

• The British have significantly increased tax collection and become stricter in enforcing the laws.

• The settlers' dissatisfaction led to protests and conflicts with the British.

• The settlers decided for their independence after the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

• Independence was announced in 1776, and the English recognized it in 1783.

Video lesson on US independence

Factors that contributed to the independence of the United States

The independence of the United States was the result of the break in relations between the Thirteen Colonies and England. This happened because the interests of England and the interests of the colonists began to if show different , causing friction between the parties. From a certain point on, the colonists came to understand that it no longer made sense to maintain colonial ties with the British.

Firstly, a series of conflicts in which England became involved can be mentioned. . Most of them had an impact on the American continent , as in the cases of conflicts against the French, as happened in the Seven Years' War. In the case of America, these conflicts resulted in fighting between English settlers and French settlers.

The settlers bore all the brunt of the battles , forming and supporting battalions, to, in the end, not have their interests considered by England . A clear example was given when the English became involved in the war for the succession to the Austrian throne. The British and French defended different sides and this resulted in conflicts in America. The colonists financed an attack on Louisbourg, taking a local fort, but in the end, the English forced them to return the fort to the French.

Also, the settlers felt the burden of taxes increase on them because, with the conflicts, more troops were sent to North America, and their sustenance was the obligation of the colonists. The wars also demanded the increase of taxes from the colonists, as we will see later in the text.

The increase in revenue in the colony is understood by historians as a change in the colonial policy of the British in relation to the Thirteen Colonies . This change was related to the process of industrialization in England, as it was necessary to obtain more raw materials and open new consumer markets. The expansion of English industry took place through the exploitation of the Thirteen Colonies.

Finally, there was the question of occupying the west lands . These lands were conquered from the French after the Seven Years' War, and the English settlers wanted to occupy them , but the C English oroa did not allow occupation . The Crown's decision was part of the English policy towards the Indians, that is, the metropolis did not want to have problems with the Indians who inhabited these regions, and not occupying the lands was the best way to avoid them.

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New taxes

As ​​we mentioned, the expenses that England had with the wars in which it was involved throughout the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution and the change in colonial policy brought a need highest collection by the Crown . This need went through the creation from new taxes and by establishing mechanisms that would ensure that they were collected.

The increase in taxes and the greater presence of English authorities in the Thirteen Colonies put an end to a policy that gave great autonomy to the colonists. The loss of autonomy, the creation of new taxes and the greater rigidity of the colonial authorities largely contributed to the bad relations between the metropolis and the colony.

Among the laws announced by England, the Law from Sugar , the Law da Host give , the Law da Currency , the Law from Seal and the Acts Townshend . Among them, one that caused the most indignation was the Stamp Law, which determined that documents on paper, such as contracts, newspapers, posters, among others, must have an English stamp that was paid for.

This law generated protests and boycotts by the colonist population, forcing England to repeal it. However, other laws were announced later, such as the Townshend Acts and the Tea Act. The latter served as a trigger for the settlers' dissatisfaction to lead to independence.

Tea Law

The Tea Law was announced in 1773 and stated that all tea sold in the Thirteen Colonies would be marketed by the East India Company . This would affect a number of merchants who would no longer be able to market an important product, and it would also cause the price of it to rise, as now only one company would sell it, and it would have the right to charge whatever price it wanted.

Indignation at the law motivated 150 settlers disguised as Indians to invade in Boston Harbor and destroying the company's tea shipments. It is estimated that around 340 boxes were thrown overboard. This event was named Party from Tea from Boston and took place on December 16, 1773.

The English authorities were furious with the event and decided to severely punish the colony through the Laws intolerables . Among these laws was the determination to close the Port of Boston until the damages were paid. In addition, they determined the ban on the right of assembly, in addition to the autonomy of Massachusetts was revoked and more soldiers were sent there, being the colonists' obligation to shelter and feed them.

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When did the colonists declare independence?

The Intolerable Laws motivated representatives of the Thirteen Colonies to meet to discuss the situation with the British. This meeting took place with the First Congress Continental da Philadelphia , held between September and October 1774. In this first meeting, the colonists expressed their dissatisfaction with the laws imposed by the English, but maintained their allegiance to the English king.

The situation worsened because the British decided to send more troops to the Thirteen Colonies and, once again, forced the colonists to support them. The strain on relations increased considerably from there, and the first armed conflicts between colonists and English took place through the Battle of Lexington and Concord , in 1775.

Later, the Second Continental Congress of Philadelphia , in which the representatives of the Thirteen Colonies claimed that they were no longer able to maintain colonial ties with England. Thus, andon July 4, 1776, the d clarification of i ndependence , document that explained the reasons for the separation.

Was the independence of the United States peaceful?

No. After the declaration of independence, conflicts between North American and British settlers continued and lasted for another five years. To ensure the defense of their independence, the colonists formed an armed militia, which fought against English troops. In addition, US citizens were able to arm themselves to defend themselves.

The defeat of the English was enshrined in the Battle of Yorktown , which took place at the end of 1781. After that, the British accepted to negotiate with the North Americans, and the independence of the United States was recognized through the Treaty from Paris from 1783.