Copyright © 2007 Dorling Kindersley The period 1765-1788 saw
great changes in North America. The 13 eastern colonies demanded
democratic government, and went to war against Britain in 1775.
In 1776 they issued a DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, and in 1781
the British command surrendered the fight. The people who had
settled in North America valued personal freedom. Many of them
had left Europe because of their strong religious or political
views. They protested when the British government imposed taxes
on them without consulting the local governing bodies of the
colonies. Taxes paid on imported goods were very unpopular. In
1773, colonists disguised as American Indians boarded an English
ship in Boston Harbor and threw its cargo of highly taxed tea
overboard. This became known as the Boston Tea Party. British
troops, including German mercenaries, were supported by colonial
loyalists. The rebellious Patriots formed a Continental Army
after 1775, defeating the British at Saratoga Springs in 1777.
The French sent 6