July 4th, 1776 was not a day of celebration, of barbecues and hot dogs, waving flags and fireworks. On that bright and sunny summer day in Philadelphia, debate raged on as it had for the past 3 days, as it had for the preceding weeks, months and years, finally ending with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was a shaky independence, with the Continental Congress barely agreeing to it and the rest of the country still needed to be persuaded. The new nation also had to prove that it was its own nation by defeating the British.

The French and Indian War

Independence took a long time to come. Since the founding of the Virginia Colony in 1608 at Jamestown, the North American colonies of Britain had been loyal to the Crown. They were happy to be a part of Britain, and were proud of their British status. This would all change with the end of the French and Indian War.

Since the beginning of the colonies, the colonists had enjoyed strong autonomy. While tied to Britain, they were in control of their own affairs. They had their own local governments, and for the most part were in control of all that went on in the North American colonies.

In 1756, war broke out between Britain and France. Both nations had been fighting to gain control of the territories of the New World, and France was seen to be increasingly encroaching on English territory. The American colonists rallied under the British flag, as eager to fight the French who were pressing closer into them every year as the British in England were.

Many of the American colonists who would become major leading figures of the Revolution, particularly George Washington, first rose to prominence during the French and Indian War fighting against the French. It was a violent war, lasting 7 years (it is known internationally not as the French and Indian War, but as the Seven Years War), ending with British victory over the French.

With the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1763, all of the French holdings in North America were given to the British. Canada came completely into British hands, as well as the Louisiana territories east of the Mississippi. It was a triumph for British imperialism.

Prelude to Revolution

The war had been costly for the British, and some way had to be found to decrease the national debt. Since most of the expenses accrued had been the result of fighting against the French in the American colonies, it seemed reasonable that the colonists should pay for the service rendered to them through taxes.

Before this time, the colonies had never been taxed directly by Britain. In the view of the colonists, the British government did not have the right to tax them. Parliament maintained that it could, and did so with the passing of the Stamp Act in 1765.

This brought about the instant ire of the colonists, who responded by boycotting British goods. This resulted in a loss of revenue rather than a gain for the British, and the Stamp Act was repealed the next year.

Parliament continued to tax the colonies, however, and anger from the colonists grew over time. In Boston, Samuel Adams began a group called the Sons of Liberty. They were the most radical of the colonists, who sought not only an end to taxation but also complete independence from Britain.

In 1773, responding to the tax on tea, Adams and his Sons of Liberty dressed up as Indians to thwart suspicion, sneaked aboard a ship bearing a load of tea and dumped all of the tea into Boston Harbor. “The Boston Tea Party” resulted in a military crackdown on Boston, putting the city under martial law.

12 of the 13 colonies then gathered together in Philadelphia to discuss relations between themselves and the Crown. This was the First Continental Congress. A list of grievances was drawn up and sent to the current king of England, George III. They came to no effect.

The Start of the Revolution

In response to the military control of Boston, a militia grew up known as the MinuteMen. Seeing the growth of the colonial force, the British marched on Concord to confiscate the weapons that were being stored there. On April 19th, 1775 they met a force of MinuteMen in Lexington. The Minute Men had been warned the night before during Paul Revere’s famous ride.

The two units stood facing each other, until finally a shot was fired. No one knows who fired this first shot, but it was heard ‘round the world as the American Revolution was begun. Fighting went on in Lexington and then continued into Concord.

Even amidst this harsh fighting, the people of the colonies and even the leaders of the Revolution were not united on the idea of independence. While some, such as Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty, supported independence from the very beginning, the majority of the colonies sought reconciliation with England and only fought that the King would address their grievances.

The colonies had been a part of England for well over a century now, and they did not want separation. They wanted an end to unfair taxation, and to retain their autonomy in government and not be held bound to the acts of the British Parliament. If Britain would only end the high taxation and grant them the autonomy they had enjoyed when the colonies were first founded, they would be more than happy to remain a part of United Kingdom.

The Call for Independence

As the fighting wore on, however, and England made no move to address the grievances of the American colonies, it seemed increasingly clear that independence was the only option. In the beginning months of 1776, a new pamphlet, written by Thomas Paine, began making the rounds of the colonial public. This pamphlet, Common Sense, was to make a big difference in the mindset of the American people, and convince many once and for all that they must fight for independence.

Thomas Paine is an interesting figure in American history. Born and raised in England, he met Benjamin Franklin in London in 1774, after which he first came to the colonies moving to Philadelphia. He had been in the colonies less than two full years when he wrote his famous pamphlet. After the end of the war he moved to France, where he became a prominent figure in the French’s own Revolution.

Not everyone was swayed by Common Sense. Many in the colonies remained loyal to England. On May 15th, 1776, Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia delegates brought forward a motion in the Second Continental Congress that a declaration of independence be drawn up and signed.

Great debate arose about this idea. The majority of the Congress saw that if the war were to continue, independence was inevitable. However, they did not believe that the colonies were yet ready to accept it. Give the colonies time and they would eventually turn around and welcome such a declaration with open arms.

The Declaration of Independence

The debate went on. In June it was decided that a committee be formed to write a draft of the declaration, which would be decided upon on July 1st. The committee was formed, its members being Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. To Jefferson was assigned the actual task of writing the Declaration, as it was agreed that he was the most powerful writer of the group.

A draft was written and agreed upon by the committee. On July 1st it was brought before the delegates of the Second Continental Congress, representing all of the 13 colonies currently involved in the war.

A vote was made, but the colonies were not unanimous. Independence still seemed to be too large a step for many. Debate continued on into the next day, and the next. Finally, on the morning of July 4th, 1776, the colonies all signed the Declaration of Independence, with the chairman of the Congress John Hancock famously leading the way.

It was now time, the American cause was clear. They were no longer rebels fighting their government, they were a new nation fighting to repel an occupying power. The United States was born. On that July 4th America became independent and we now celebrate Independence Day every year on this day.

Solidifying Independence

Although independence had been declared, it would take years of fighting for American independence to become a reality. As the tide continually turned towards the Revolutionaries, more and more colonists turned to the Patriots’ side.

The British general Charles Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington on October 19th, 1781 at Yorktown. The British had been defeated through the sheer tenacity of the American patriots, who despite overwhelming odds would not give up in their fight for independence.

Negotiations between the two countries began. On September 3rd, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed. Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States. The Declaration made seven years prior became reality, the United States was truly its own nation.