king george iii was the king of england when the american colonies rebelled.
king george iii was the king of england when the american colonies rebelled.
who was the king of england when the american colonies rebelled?
king george iii
after victory against france in the seven years war', the british government, at the time under the personal control of king george iii, decided to reign in the rapidly growing american colonies, with 2.5 million population in contrast to britain's 6 million. the new policy in 1765 of imposing new taxes, without seeking the consent of colonial parliaments, was highly controversial in britain itself, and deeply unpopular in the 13 american colonies. the americans claimed it violated their privileges as englishmen. for a dozen years different solutions were attempted, but london kept insisting on imposing taxes without consultation. when american patriots in 1773 destroyed a shipment of taxed british tea in boston harbor in the boston tea party, london responded with severe punishment. the colonies rallied, and set up a continental congress to coordinate their actions. large scale boycotts proved highly damaging to british merchants who lost their american market overnight. london sent in more troops to boston, while the colonists organized and drilled their militia. fighting broke out in 1775, and the american patriots seize control of all 13 colonies, expelling nearly all royal officials. the king refused to compromise. an american army, organized by congress and under the control of general george washington, forced the british out of boston. after securing unanimous support from the legislatures of all 13 states, congress voted for independence on july 2. the declaration of independence, drafted largely by thomas jefferson, was unanimously adopted by the congress on july 4.
international relations, 1648–1814
when britain's north american colonies rebelled in 1775, france initially offered limited support. however, after the american victory in the battle of saratoga, louis xvi of france authorized an expeditionary force under the count de rochambeau to sail to america and aid the revolutionaries. the expeditionary force participated in the battle of yorktown in 1781, which resulted in the colonies' independence.
french royal army (1652–1830)