A War of the Thirteen Colonies against Great Britain

Parliament's passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 intensified the conflict between the colonies and Great Britain. Americans came to the conclusion that the only solution to their dilemma with the British government was to sever all ties with it. The American Revolution was the radical breakthrough in which the thirteen colonies fought a war against Great Britain in order to become independent. The initiation that caused the American Revolution was the Lexington and Concord in which British troops and the Minutemen open fire on each other.

England passed the Coercive Act or as American colonists called them the Intolerable Acts, this which led to the first Continental Congress.

The harsh and punitive nature of the Intolerable Acts drove all the colonies except Georgia to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia in September 1774. The purpose of the convention, the First Continental Congress, was to determine how the colonies should react to what, from their rights and liberties. At this time, most Americans had no desire for independence, they simply wanted to protest parliamentary intrusions on their rights and restore the relationship with the crown that had existed before the French and Indian War (Kurtz 123), Americans wanted to establish a common ground with Great Britain so that they still have their support when they were in need.
The delegates were a diverse group, whose views about the crisis ranged from radical to conservative. Leading the radical faction those demanding the greatest concessions from Britain were Patrick Henry of Virginia and Samuel Adams and John Adams of Massachusetts. The moderates included George Washington of Virginia and John Dickinson of Pennsylvania. The conservative delegates those who favored a mild statement of protest included John Jay of New York and Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania. Unrepresented was the viewpoint for loyal colonists, who would not challenge the king's government in any way.

The delegates voted on a series of proposed measures, each of which was intended to change British policy without offending moderate and conservative opinion in the colonies. Originally enacted in Massachusetts, the Suffolk Resolves rejected the Intolerable Acts and called for their immediate repeal (Harding 87), the measure urged the various colonies to resist the Intolerable Acts by making military preparations and applying economic sanctions which were boycotts against Great Britain. Supported by moderate delegates, the Declaration of Rights and Grievances was a petition to the king urging him to redress colonial grievances and restore colonial rights (Harding 93). The document recognized Parliament's authority to regulate commerce. A third measure, the Association, urged the creation of committees in every town to enforce

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