Birth of The American Republic

Prior to the American Revolution Britain was the world leader.  During the 1500’s and 1600’s the strategic placement of English colonies allowed for the British control of trade.  A great deal of luck was also on the side of the British, for throughout the 1700’s they were on the victor’s side of most European conflicts.  In an attempt to regain powers the crown had once had, George III, the England born king, applied mercantilist policies on the colonies and Parliament regulated trade.  Further oppression was applied to the colonists when, in an attempt to repair the diminished treasury after the wars in North America, taxes were imposed on imports.  This taxation resulted in the famous quote of the colonists, “No taxation without representation!”

As events escalated, a series of protests brought tension to a climax.  Some events included the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the gathering of representatives that formed the Continental Congress.  In April 1775, the “shot heard round the world” was fired at the Battle of Concord and Lexington and thus started the American Revolution.  In 1776 the colonists declared their independence and Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence using John Locke’s idea of “life, liberty, and property”.

Until 1777, when the American forces had an enormous victory at the Battle of Saratoga, the chance of the Revolution ending in favor of the colonists was a long shot at best.  This single event was the catalyst that convinced the French to join in an alliance with America.  In 1781, the war came to a close with the surrender of British army at Yorktown, Virginia.  The Treaty of Paris sealed the contract of peace and recognized the United States of America as an independent self ruling nation.

After gaining their independence the colonists wrote the Articles of Confederation then in order to strengthen it, redrafted the document in 1787.  The Constitution created a federal republic which divided the power between three separate bodies: legislative, executive, and judicial.  The Bill of Rights was then added to The Constitution.  The Bill of Rights contains the first ten amendments to the document.