America_Detaches_from_the_British_Empire

The United States Declaration of Independence was a proclamation created in July of 1776 to give the original thirteen American colonies the right to be independent states and no longer be classified as an element of the British Empire. Many events took place between the years of 1760 and 1770 to lead Continental Congress to the adoption of this declaration on July 4, 1776. On October 26, 1760 George III became the new king of the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the same year he also became the king of Hanover. During his reign Britain fought in the Seven Years War in which they gained a new empire but lost possession of the thirteen American Colonies. On April 5 of 1764 the Parliament of Great Britain passed the Sugar Act, also called the American Revenue Act, which raised taxes on items shipped to the colonies including sugar, coffee, wine, cloth, and dies. Another act called the Stamp Act was put into play by parliament on March 22, 1765. The Stamp Act also raised taxes by requiring many printed materials to be printed on stamped paper. This act was passed to help pay for the troops that were sent to North America during the Seven Years War. The thirteen American colonies began boycotting the new tax raises and formed the Stamp Act Congress in which representatives from all the American colonies were brought together to develop an amalgamated protest against the new taxations. In 1766 parliament administered the Declaratory Act which was to repeal the Stamp Act of 1765. Beginning in 1767 a series of laws were passed by the Parliament of Great Britain called the Townshend Acts. Many historians argue as to which acts are considered a part of the Townshend Acts, but five of them are frequently cited. The five acts include The Indemnity Act, the Revenue Act of 1767, the Commissioners of Customs Act, the Vice Admiralty Court Act, and the New York Restraining Act. All of the acts were passed to raise taxes on the American colonies in order to pay the salaries of government employees in Great Britain. The thirteen American colonies were forced to pay higher taxes and therefore no longer wanted to be a part of the British Empire. Frequent taxations were not the only problem the American colonies had with the British Empire. On March 5 of 1770 soldiers of the British army shot and killed five civilian men. In an attempt to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation, British troops were sent to Boston, Massachusetts. The troops had no patience for the population and, without direct orders, fired into a crowd killing three people instantly and wounding many, two of which died later due to their intense wounds. This incident was remembered as the Boston Massacre. About a month later, on April 12 British Parliament held a meeting in which many of the Townshend Acts were repealed. Many different groups of Americans all reached the same conclusion that they no longer wished to be a part of the British Empire. The English settlers who fought in the revolution wanted to claim their rights as “free-born Englishmen.” The working-class Americans that lived and worked near the ports were tired of British governmental interference in their work. The “back-country whites” wanted to gain land past the Alleghenies, but couldn’t due to the 1763 Proclamation line. The slaves of the American colonies wanted freedom the slaves of Great Britain had gained in 1772 by the Lord Chief Justice of England; the Lord Chief Justice stated that the establishment of slavery was so detestable that it could only exist by positive law. Since there was positive law present in the American colonies and not in Great Britain the slaves of the American colonies became envious of the freedom the slaves of Great Britain encompassed.