A morning on October 12, 1492. Three ships anchor off one of the Caribbean islands near America. Out of it came Christopher Columbus, a sailor belonging to the Spanish government, and his crew. Columbus was traveling across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a route from Europe to India. But he lost his way. Mistaking that he had reached India, Columbus called the North Americans ‘Indians’. They later became known as Red Indians. But this misdirection turned out to be the opening of a new continent. This led to the establishment of British colonies, popular resistance, war and historical events such as the Declaration of Independence. The American War of Independence tells the story of the mighty struggle fought by the descendants of the British people against their own mother country.
European migration
Although Christopher Columbus lost his way to America, it opened the way to a continent unknown to Europeans. The Europeans called these regions the New World. Later, large scale migrations from Europe took place here. The Europeans were attracted by the information that there are large deposits of gold and suitable soil for agriculture. The aim of the settlers was to seize these resources. People arrived from countries like England, Spain and Portugal. As European immigration spread, the Red Indians were driven into the interior. The Europeans stole their goats and land.
Establishment of colony
A group of people arrived in America on the ship Mayflower after struggling with the religious persecution of the King of England. Known as the Pilgrim Fathers, they established 13 colonies along the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern coast of North America in the 18th century. English policies and laws were implemented in these colonies. England’s interventions in the colonies were purely commercial. They considered these colonies as a market for collecting raw materials and selling the products of England. For that purpose, England’s commercial policy in the colonies, including mercantilism and the Navigation Act, created resentment among the colonists towards the mother country, England.
Mercantilism
Mercantilism was a commercial policy implemented by merchants with the support of England, putting the interests of trade entirely at the forefront of the colonies. Mercantilism dictated that there should be no industrial competition with the mother country (Britain), that the colonists should bear the cost of maintaining the government and the army, and that products that Britain could not produce should be produced in the colonies and sent to England.
Navigation Act 1651
The Navigation Act was a law introduced by Britain in 1651 as part of mercantilism. Britain imposed rules on the colonists such as that goods should only be transported in ships built in Britain or British colonies, goods such as sugar, tobacco, cotton, and wool produced in the colonies could only be exported to England, and products to be imported from Europe to the colonies could be brought to the colony only after landing in England and paying customs duties. This was too much for the colonists to bear. The colonial people were unable to react due to the security threat, even when the anger against Britain was boiling inside. The colonists were afraid of an attack from the French side as neighboring Canada was a French colony. It was then that a war broke out between France and Britain. This war lasted for seven years from 1756 to 1763. It is known as Seven years war. At the end of this war, Britain defeated France and captured their possession of Canada. France conceded defeat and signed the Treaty of Paris in 1763. But as Urvashi Shapam Upakaram says, through this development, the colonial people got a favorable situation to move against the British. With their main threat, France gone, they were able to focus on their moves against Britain. Meanwhile, the war with France shook England badly economically. The huge financial burden they incurred they imposed on the colonists by increasing the tax burden. One of them was the Sugar Act which was implemented by Britain in the colonies in 1764. The Act required taxes on sugar imported into the colonies. The colonists, who were struggling with various tax burdens, could not bear this too. But in the very next year in 1765, another law called the Stamp Act was introduced. This Act stipulated that documents, pamphlets, and newspapers issued in the colonies must bear the stamp of England. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766 after strong protests against it.
But the Guartering Act (1765), which required housing and food for British troops in the North American colonies, the Declaratory Act (1766), which established that Britain had the power to enforce any laws and regulations in the colonies, and the British Finance Act of 1767, which imposed import duties on goods such as tea, paper, glass, lead, etc. Under the leadership of Charles Townsend, who was a minister, the Townsend Act was also enacted one after another.
No taxation without representation
Colonists had no representation in the British Parliament, although British policies and laws were enforced and taxes were levied in the colonies. The colonists insisted that they wanted representation in the British Parliament and would not pay taxes if they did not. Advocate Jace Otis’s slogan ‘No taxation without representation’ gained a lot of publicity. Colonists gathered in the city of Boston in 1770 to protest the British tax burden. The protest was suppressed by the British army. Five people died there. This event became known as the Boston Massacre.
Boston Tea Party
Many associations and organizations came into existence in the colony to protest against the anti-people laws. After strong protests, Britain repealed all sedition laws. But Britain was not ready to withdraw the Tea Act. Against this, on December 16, 1773, colonists dressed as Indians entered the British ship anchored in Boston Harbor and threw 342 boxes of tea into the Red Sea. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party.
Continental Congress
In 1774, a convention of colony representatives was organized in Philadelphia to protest against British laws and policies. This conference became known as the First Continental Congress. But the colony of Georgia did not participate in this conference. The college people petitioned the King of England asking that no taxes be imposed without their consent and that restrictions on trade and industry be lifted. But the king responded to this petition by sending troops to suppress the colonists. This incident led the colonists to think of open war with Britain. In 1775, Congress reconvened on the Continent and decided to form a military force of its own for the colony and chose George Washing ton as the head of the Continental Army. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress issued the historic Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence prepared by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin states; “All men are created equal. Everyone has been given certain inalienable rights by their Creator. These include the rights to life, liberty, and health. To achieve these rights, regimes must be formed with the approval of the governed. The people have the right to change or abolish any regime that is detrimental to these objectives.”
Although the Declaration of Independence was made, the war was not over. The war between England and the American colonies ended in 1781. In 1783, England recognized the independence of the 13 colonies through the Treaty of Paris. Following this, the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia and under the leadership of James Madison, a constitution was written and prepared for the United States. This was the first written constitution in the world. George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States of America.
It was the American freedom struggle that fueled the various freedom struggles that took place in different parts of the world. America was able to present to the world the idea of a federal state that gives freedom and power to the states and the republican form of government.
13 Colonies of America
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Dala wire
Virginia
Mary Land
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
#American #Freedom #Struggle #Madhyamam
2023-12-21 23:30:18
