Hilfe - Englisch

Zitat:
Taxes, 1764-1767
- Britain: colonies should pay war debt - war fought for them
- Sugar Act: tax on certain goods imported into America from outside the British Empire
- Stamp Act: tax in colonies (in form of stamp) on paper,including newspapers
- colonies not represented in British Parliament
- colonists: `No taxation without representation!`

Boston Massacre, 1770
- Boston (population 16,000) centre of protest
- 4000 British soldiers sent
- anit-British riot: large crowd throw stones at small group of soldiers
- soldiers shoot into crowd; five dead
- colonial propaganda calls event a `massacre`

Boston Tea Party, 1773
- new law: only (British-owned) East India Company can sell tea to colonies
- cheaper than tea from other sources; shops in colonies could not compete
- colonists: no tea will be unloaded in Boston
- colonists throw tea from British ships into Boston Habour

Battle of Lexington an Concord, 1775
- British wantto arrest anti-British leaders at Lexington an Concord,
Massachusetts; take away guns
- British soldiers march from Boston
- lamp in Boston churchh signals start of British attack to colonist Paul Revere
- Revere rides to warn people of Lexington an Concord
- first real battle of War of Independence: 247 British soldiers and 95 American `Patriots` dead

Declaration of Independence, 1776
- declares the thirteen colonies independent of Britain
- containslist of wrongs that should be righted
- questions rights of king: `We hold these truths to be self-envident: that all men are created equal`
- British reaction: declare war