• The 7-YEARS WAR (1756- 1763)
-the conflict in North America between France & Great Britain
» 1763-Treaty of Paris- FR was defeated
- GB gained Canada, Florida and river Mississippi


• after the war GB decided to leave its 10,000-men strong army on the American
continent-> in order to keep the army GB increased the taxes on American
colonies:
- the SUGAR ACT(1764)
- the STAMP ACT(1765)- it required stamps to be placed on all official
documents, including newspapers
- it was repealed in 1766 due to intense colonial opposition
- the TOWNSHEND ACT (1767)- C. Townshend (the British Chancellor) placed
taxes on goods imported into American ports
- they were repealed in 1767 except the tax on tea

• The BOSTON MASSACRE (March 5, 1770)
- the British soldiers were shooting at demonstrators
• The BOSTON TEA PARTY (1773)
- a group of colonists in protest against the tax threw the tea cargo of the East
India Company into the sea
 after this event the British Parliament passed hard retaliatory measures:
- the Boston port was closed
- the British army on the American continent was reinforced
- the colonies’ right of self-government was greatly reduced

• this gave the colonies a reason to unite- all the colonies except Georgia sent
their delegates to the 1-ST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS (1774) in Philadelphia:
- they demanded greater independence from GB
- they decided to build their own armed forces- militia

• at LEXINGTON (April, 1775)
- the first armed conflict between the militia and British soldiers
 the beginning of the American War of Independence

• the 2-ND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS (May, 1775) in Philadelphia:
- they agreed on measures of leading the war
- the militia was proclaimed ‘Continental Army’ with GEORGE WASHINGTON as a
commander in chief
- initially, the Congress did not favor the separation from GB, but when the King
GEORGE III.