Contributor.
Rhode Island’s experiment in local autonomy and hyper-individualism would influence the eventual writing of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
A structural flaw remained, and the future founders of our United States government would take note of it.
The tension between those advocating a separation of church and state and those leaning toward a theocracy intensified.
The second step toward self-government began in 1620 with 102 people aboard the Mayflower.
The Virginia House of Burgesses, the first representative body in the English colonies, served as the initial step toward self-government.
What influence did Thomas Paine have on the course of the war with England and the fight for independence?
King George rejected the 1775 Olive Branch Petition, allegedly ripping the document and casting it on the floor. So much for a peaceful, if not loving, reconciliation.
The Battle of Bunker Hill alarmed the members of Parliament, and King George III responded with additional harsh measures.
As the British troops moved out of Boston toward Lexington and then Concord, they had no idea what awaited them.
The accuracy of British troop movements would help predict their target, so Paul Revere and Robert Newman arranged a simple signal — lanterns in a church tower.
The taste of Patrick Henry’s oration in March 1775 was glorious, but declaring independence was not an action to be taken lightly.
The Boston Tea Party sent a swiftly delivered message, and leaders on both sides of the Atlantic did not have to wait long for the next confrontation.
On May 10, 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which would eventually ignite a “powder keg” in the colonies. Here’s the convoluted story.
The Boston Massacre is credited with inflaming the anger of colonists against King George III and the English Parliament.
Most English would never have considered using “Irish” tactics, but many of the most prominent Bostonians were beginning to identify with the Irish rebels.
The Stamp Act had been repealed. Unfortunately, the colonial celebrations soured with the news that Parliament had once again tightened the noose.
There was no organized response to Britain’s tax increases until 1765, when an organization formed across the English colonies — the Sons of Liberty.
Prime Minister George Grenville made it his primary goal to wrangle the stubbornly independent colonists into compliance with a series of new legislative acts.
By 1763, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, not all conflicts had been settled. Into this crucible came British Prime Minister George Grenville.
