knowledge is life

Events Leading to American Independence Little by little, America has gained their independence by joining the enemy and then attacking the enemy from within. They endure all sorts’ f pain and won their independence through war with others. The thirteen colonies started with a small amount of land, but in the end they gain almost all of America. The cause of “The French and Indian War” started when the struggles for supremacy/power had been going on for many decades between France and England in the New World, these conflicts became more intense in the early 1750′s as both English and French settlers began attempting to colonize the land in the Ohio River Valley, near present day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The English settlers, who moved from northwest of Virginia, and French settlers, who moved from east of the Great Lakes, or south of Canada, and they each thought they owned the rights to the land. English forces under George Washington, begun their march to Fort Duquesne for the purposes of making the French move from the region by force. Washington soon took camp at Great Meadows and constructed a Fort. The French responded and 600 soldiers forced Washington to surrender the fort. The French and Indian War had begun. The effect from “The French and Indian War” was a result of the British being victorious in the French and Indian War. France was effectively separated from the New World. They lost all connection all of their New World possessions including all of Canada. They did manage to retain a few small islands off the coast of Canada and in the Caribbean. They also agreed to stay out of India, which made Great Britain the supreme military power in that part of Asia. In addition, as compensation for Spain’s loss of Florida to England, Spain was awarded the Louisiana territory. The entire face of North America had been dramatically changed. Following the war, England declared the Proclamation of 1763, which restricted settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to attempt to move in Indian who had developed positive relations with France. The westward-bound settlers ignored the proclamation and moved into Indian lands. Common Sense was important because of the way it was written. Thomas Paine wrote it plainly, so that the common man could grasp its contents and thus it made a large impact on the minds of the colonists, not just the elites. More than 100,000 copies were distributed. Many of the Ideals that Thomas Paine wrote about in Common Sense resonate throughout the Declaration of Independence. Common Sense was first printed in December 1775 and was released in mass quantities in February 1776, just a few months before Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was the final draft of several attempts to notify the King of England that his usurpation's were not welcome, although I'm sure he was well aware because we were already at war with him. Its contents were profound! Never in the History of the World had a people thrown off their Ruler so that they could rule themselves. It also gave us the principle of our democratic system of government. Jefferson kept the Declaration relatively short and to the point: he wanted its meaning to be direct, clear, and forceful. He uses Locke's argument that if a government or ruler goes against the wishes of a