Way of Our Fathers: Great Britain American Revolution

Great Britain American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain was a sovereign state in north-west Europe that existed from 1 May 1707 to 31 December 1800. The state came into being with the union of the kingdoms of England (which included Wales) and Scotland. With the Treaty of Union of 1706, ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, it was agreed to create a single, united kingdom, encompassing the island of Great Britain and its minor outlying islands. It did not include Ireland, which remained a separate realm under the newly created British crown. A single parliament and government, based at Westminster, controlled the new kingdom. The former kingdoms had shared the same monarch since James VI, King of Scots, became King of England in 1603 following the death of Queen Elizabeth I, bringing about a “Union of the Crowns”. During the 1760s and 1770s, relations between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain became increasingly strained, primarily because of resentment of the British Parliament’s ability to tax American colonists without their consent. Disagreement turned into a violent insurrection. In 1775, the American Revolutionary War began, as the Americans trapped the British army in Boston and suppressed the Loyalists who supported the Crown. In 1776 the Americans declared the independence of the United States of America. Under the military leadership of General George Washington, and, with economic and military assistance from France, the Dutch Republic and Spain, the United States held off successive British invasions. The Americans captured two main British armies in 1777 and 1781. After that King George III lost control of Parliament and was unable to continue the war. It ended with the Treaty of Paris. The war was expensive but the British financed it successfully. (Wikipedia)