American Revolution Dbq

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Before, During, and After the American Revolution

The American Revolution was a major event for the founding of the United States of America. The events leading up to it, during it, and even after it had major effects on the foundation of this country. During the years of 1754-1763 the French and Indian War was a war between the British Empire and their Native allies and the French Empire and their Native allies. The conflict was over territory in the New World and who claimed what and who wanted what. This seven year war was fought mainly on the frontiers between the New France and British colonies.

In 1755, six colonial governors in North America met with the British General Edward Braddock, the newly arrived British

It cost the British Empire a lot of money. With this debt, the Crown imposed heavy taxes on the American colonies, most of them very unfair. The Stamp Act and Tea Act were the major catalyst of the rising revolution. These acts triggered the Sons of Liberty to take action and perform the Boston Tea Party, where they dumped tons of tea into the Boston Harbour. With this news reaching Great Britain they imposed the Coercive Acts. These acts took away the colony of Massachusetts way of their self government, historic rights, which triggered outrage and resistance in the American colonies. They were also some of the key factors in igniting the the American Revolutionary War. The reason Great Britain did this to Massachusetts, was to make an example of them and show the power they had over them. A fifth act, the Quebec Act, enlarged the boundaries of what was then the Province of Quebec and instituted reforms generally favorable to the French Catholic inhabitants of the region; although unrelated to the other four Acts, it was passed in the same legislative session and seen by the colonists as one of the Intolerable Acts. Then came the Townshend Acts, the ones that made the tensions between the American colonies and the British Empire reach its

The founding fathers having to get their new type of government in place, accepted by the new states of the United States of America, and getting it to run efficiently. The new government was quite weak during this time. . The Congress of the Confederation lacked the power to accomplish anything by itself, and each state could veto the major actions of the Congress. Congress also lacked the power to raise its own revenue, regulate foreign or interstate commerce, or effectively negotiate with foreign powers. The weakness of this new Congress proved self-reinforcing, as the leading political figures of the day served in state governments or foreign posts. The failure of the national government to handle the challenges facing the United States led to calls for reform and frequent talk of secession. It was extremely hard for the Congress to keep all the states together, because each one wanted to do their own type of