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They settled on the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. The Second Continental Congress officially adopted the document on July 4, 1776, and the United States became independent.

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Britain sent troops to Massachusetts. The troops found out about a group of rebellious colonists who had stockpiled14 some weapons in a small town outside of Boston called Lexington, so they went to go steal the weapons.

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They also believed the taxes were unfair because they had never elected their own representatives into the British government. They protested: “No taxation without representation.”

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Throughout the 1600s, British influence in North America continued to grow as more and more colonists flooded the region.

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In the 1600s and 1700s, Great Britain held a vast empire with colonies all over the world.