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aka 7 Years War between France and England. In the colonies, it was called the French Indian War because the colonists fought with British soldiers against France the Indians who were on side of France. Because of the war, England had a massive war debt began to tax the people in the 13 colonies. -
The Boston Tea Party was a pivotal 1773 political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, against the British Tea Act and "taxation without representation". On December 16, protesters dumped 342 chests of British East India Company tea into Boston Harbor, directly leading to the American Revolutionary War. -
Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, the Olive Branch Petition was a final attempt to avoid full-blown war with Great Britain. It affirmed American loyalty to King George III and requested a negotiation to address grievances, but the King refused to read it, officially declaring the colonies in open rebellion. -
The Declaration of Independence described the American colonies' justification for separating from Great Britain, outlining core principles like natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), the idea that government serves the people (consent of the governed), and the right to revolution if a government becomes destructive, while also listing specific grievances against the British King. It announced the birth of the United States as free and independent states. -
formally ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States. Negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, it recognized American independence, established generous western boundaries to the Mississippi River, and secured fishing rights.