CONTENT STATEMENT
- The 13 colonies came together around a common cause of liberty and justice, uniting to fight for independence during the American Revolution and to form a new nation.
CONTENT ELABORATION
The continuing struggle among European powers for control of the Ohio River Valley resulted in the French and Indian War, which further strained relationships among the European settlers and the various American Indian tribes.
By 1776, the colonists had begun to think of themselves as Americans and wanted to govern themselves. The American colonists joined together in 1776 to write the Declaration of Independence, announcing their decision to free themselves from the rule of Great Britain. Colonists felt two practices of the British were particularly unjust:
high taxation without representation; and
the Proclamation of 1763 which prohibited the colonists from settling west of the Appalachians.
The defeat of the British during the American Revolution ended British rule. Americans formed a new national government under the Articles of Confederation, which was the first attempt to organize the new nations’ government.
During this same time period, Ohio was developing as a populated frontier.
EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING
Explain why the American colonists united to fight for independence from Great Britain and form a new nation.