The Journey Begins���The Mayflower was the ship that transported the first English Separatists, known today as the Pilgrims, from Plymouth to the New World in 1620.There were 102 passengers, and the crew is estimated to have been about 30, but the exact number is unknown. This voyage has become an story in some of the earliest annals of American history, with its story of death and of survival in the harsh New England winter environment. The n of the voyage in the signing of the Mayflower Compact was an event which established a rudimentary form of democracy, with each member contributing to the welfare of the community.

After Early Struggles… ��After years of struggle and hardships the American Colonies emerged as thriving communities with industry and limited, but effective self-government. Founded upon the early pilgrim’s quest for freedom, these settlers had a strong since of self-sufficiency and independence. As England began demanding more and more of America’s resources to support her many wars, the colonists began to resist this interference and whispers of rebellion began to be heard. Many of the colonists, at this time, had never seen England and had no loyalty and fewer ties to the mother country than did earlier settlers. England responded to this resistance by punishment through the form of taxation.

The Rebellion Begins �On December 16, 1763 colonists, dressed like American Indians threw boxes of tea, a cargo that was heavily taxed, into the Boston Harbor as an act of rebellion against the tax. Their action was an attempt to make a statement to England that America would refuse to be unfairly taxed.

The Boston Tea Party, as it became to be known, helped escalate the dispute between England and her American Colonies.

England responded by attempting to limit America’s ability to govern itself and America responded by forming the Continental Congress. These and other events culminated in the Revolutionary War that began in Boston, 1775.

The War for American Independence

The American Revolutionary War was fought from 1775 to 1783.   It was also known as the American War of Independence. The Revolutionary War began with the confrontation between British troops and local militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, on 19 April 1775.

The last battle of the American Revolution was fought at Yorktown, where General George Washington, with both French and Continental troops defeated the British. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war. America was born.