Road to the Constitution Events That Led to the Formation of our Country

Coming to America The first permanent settlement on the North American continent was the English colony at Jamestown, in 1607, in what is now Virginia. Other English colonies were formed from Maine (called Massachusetts at that time) to Georgia. As more people arrived, more disputes arose over the territory and many wars were fought over the land in the 1600s and 1700s. The countries with the largest presence on the North American continent were England and France.

The 13 British Colonies People sailed to North America for different reasons. Some came for profits, some came for religious freedom, and some came for a better life. The people became known as “colonists” and they were given permission from Great Britain to form colonies on the eastern coast. Whatever the reason for coming, whatever the type of colony, when English settlers arrived, they encountered native populations and Spanish and French settlements. These encounters eventually led to the “French and Indian War.”

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) is the American name for the North American conflict between the colonies of British America and New France. Both sides were supported by military units from Great Britain and France and both sides wanted to control the land on the continent. The Americans fought with the British against France and Britain won the war; however, the war left Britain with huge debts.

No Taxation Without Representation The British wanted the American colonists to help pay for the war and for the soldiers stationed in the colonies to protect them. The British government decided to tax the colonists in order to recover their costs of the war. The American colonists resisted the taxes because they had no representation in Parliament. The British offered a plan to let the colonists elect representatives to Parliament, but the colonists rejected the plan. The colonists believed they would never have enough votes to have any real power over decisions made in Britain’s legislative body. Side Note: While their protests against British taxation might lead you to believe that the American colonists were struggling financially, they actually had the highest income per person of any people in the world.

Declaration of Independence Influential colonists such as John Adams, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and George Washington helped establish a movement among the colonists. A group known as the “Patriots” resulted from their efforts. After the struggles with Great Britain, many colonists decided that they wanted to break free from British rule. In 1775, a “Continental Congress” was formed in order to negotiate with Parliament; however, King George III rejected a petition from the colonists to settle their disputes. By the summer of 1776, delegates from the colonies met for the second time and the challenge to write a “Declaration of Independence” from Great Britain was given to Thomas Jefferson.

American Revolution Conflict between the colonists and Great Britain actually began in 1763 when Americans began resisting the taxes imposed by Parliament. On March 5, 1770, a group of colonists began heckling some British soldiers which resulted in gunfire. Five colonists died in an event that became known as the “Boston Massacre.” This massacre began the American Revolution with the first battles to take place on April 19, 1775, in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. Battles continued until the British surrender on October 19, On September 3, 1783, the British and Americans signed a peace treaty in Paris, France.

Articles of Confederation In June 1776, the Continental Congress realized that the former 13 colonies of Britain needed a document that would organize and unify them. In 1776 and 1777, the Continental Congress wrote the “Articles of Confederation” which created a permanent union among the 13 states and named the new nation the United States of America. Unfortunately the document was weak and it only created one branch of government – Congress. Go to this website to analyze the political cartoon: morelock/civics%20and%20econ/doc uments/U1D6_Articles%20of%20Co nfederation.htm.

Constitution George Washington believed that the new nation needed a strong central government. James Madison of Virginia called for a reform of the federal government. In May 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia. By September, they created the Constitution of the United States.

Bill of Rights Many people were afraid that the Constitution would not protect them from tyranny. A Bill of Rights was called for and added to the document. By 1791, the Bill of Rights became the first ten amendments to the Constitution.