British America, 1713–83: empire and revolution

The colonies and the Seven Years' War, 1713–63

• Britain had thirteen colonies on the east coast of North America. They traded through the Navigation Acts, and the southern colonies relied on enslaved Africans brought by the triangular trade.
• In the Seven Years' War (1756–63), known in America as the French and Indian War, Britain defeated France and gained Canada at the Treaty of Paris (1763). But the war left Britain in heavy debt.

Growing tension, 1763–74

• The Proclamation of 1763 stopped settlers moving west. Britain taxed the colonists: the Sugar Act (1764) and the Stamp Act (1765), repealed in 1766 after protests of 'no taxation without representation'.
• The Townshend Acts (1767) taxed imports such as tea. British soldiers killed five colonists in the Boston Massacre (1770).
• In the Boston Tea Party (December 1773), colonists threw tea into Boston harbour. Britain replied with the Coercive Acts (1774), which colonists called the Intolerable Acts.

War and independence, 1775–83

• Fighting began at Lexington and Concord (April 1775). The Continental Congress made George Washington commander of the Continental Army.
• The Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776, written mainly by Thomas Jefferson. Victory at Saratoga (1777) brought France in on the American side (1778).
• The British surrendered at Yorktown (1781), and the Treaty of Paris (1783) recognised American independence.

Key terms

Thirteen colonies

Britain's colonies on the east coast of North America.

Navigation Acts

Laws controlling colonial trade for Britain's benefit.

Triangular trade

Trade between Britain, West Africa and the Americas, including enslaved people.

Stamp Act

A 1765 tax on printed papers in the colonies.

No taxation without representation

The colonists' protest that they had no MPs in Parliament.

Intolerable Acts

The colonists' name for the 1774 Coercive Acts.

Continental Congress

The meeting of colonial representatives that led the revolution.

Quick questions on British America, 1713–83: empire and revolution

What did Britain gain at the Treaty of Paris (1763)?

Canada: It ended the Seven Years' War with France.

Why did Britain start taxing the colonies after 1763?

To pay debts from the Seven Years' War: Britain also had to defend its new lands.

What did the Proclamation of 1763 do?

Stopped colonists settling west of the Appalachian Mountains: Colonists resented it.

What was the colonists' slogan against the Stamp Act?

No taxation without representation: They had no MPs in Parliament.

What happened in the Boston Massacre (1770)?

British soldiers killed five colonists: It was used as propaganda by the Patriots.

What happened at the Boston Tea Party (1773)?

Colonists threw tea into Boston harbour: Britain replied with the Coercive Acts.

Where did the fighting begin in April 1775?

Lexington and Concord: British troops marched to seize weapons.

Who mainly wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson: It was signed on 4 July 1776.