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In order to appease the Native Americans left out of the Treaty of Paris Negotiations, the Proclamation of 1763 forbid colonists from settling west of the Appalachian mountains in order to prevent hostilities from either side.

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The Sugar Act, April 5th, 1764; The Currency Act, September 1, 1764

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The Sugar Act, April 5th, 1764; The Currency Act, September 1, 1764

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Was made to repair the debts of war

Taxation on:

Wines

Coffees

Indigo

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The Seven Years War (1756-1763) had left Great Britain deeply in debt. Parliament in London wanted the American colonies to help pay off this debt through an increase in taxes. The Sugar Act of 1764 levied a tax on lumber, rum, molasses, and other foodstuffs. The Sugar Act was not welcome in the colonies, but the Americans became further enraged by the addition of the Quartering Act of 1765. This Act required colonists to provide food and quarters to the British troops stationed in the colonies. American hostility reached even greater heights when the Quartering Act was immediately followed by the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act was a direct tax on Americans requiring all printers in the colonies to only use paper embossed with a revenue stamp from London. The Stamp Act applied to all newspapers, magazines, legal documents, books, land deeds, almanacs, and other printed materials. The American colonists were furious.

The colonies had no representatives in the British Parliament. Therefore, the colonists had no vote in any of the legislation passed in the House of Commons. Americans considered it a violation of their rights as subjects of the King of England. A Stamp Act Congress was called in New York City, which resolved to submit a petition to Parliament and King George III. The Stamp Act was hurting the colonies' economy, but it was not until British merchants began to feel negative consequences as well that the Stamp Act was reconsidered. The American petition ignored, the British merchants appealed to Parliament and the result was a repeal of the Act in 1766.

Parliament refused to see its authority to pass legislation for Britain's colonies challenged by the American colonists and passed the Declaratory Act. The purpose of this Act was to reassert Parliament's authority to pass legislation for the American colonies. Soon after, in 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend Act, named after Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend. The Townshend Act levied new taxes on glass, painter's lead, paper, and tea. Expecting more back-lash from the colonists, the British army sent troops to Boston to help officials enforce the new taxes. Boston was the center of colonial rebellion in the late-1760s and Parliament knew it had to take control of the city. The tensions came to a head in 1770, with a clash between Crown forces and angry colonists in the event known as the Boston Massacre. Five unarmed civilians were killed by gunfire, and the spark of colonial rebellion had been lit.

The next clash erupted over the importation of tea by the British East India Company. The East India Company held a monopoly in the tea trade, and was the only company allowed to import tea to the colonies. This arrangement guaranteed the House of Commons uniform collection of the tax on tea. In 1773, East India Company ships were turned away by the colonists at the docks of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in protest of this tax. Crown-appointed officials of Boston refused to send the ships back to Great Britain. In response, the colonists boarded the ships and threw the tea into Boston Harbor, an event known as the Boston Tea Party.

Parliament again, infuriated by the loss of tea and profit, responded with a new law, called the Coercive Acts in Great Britain and the "Intolerable Acts" within the American colonies. The Acts barred the use of Boston Harbor until the tea lost in the Boston Tea Party was paid for in full. Parliament also quickly passed the Quebec Act of 1774, which allowed the free exercise of the Catholic faith while closing off all possibilities of westward expansion by the colonies. In 1774, after ten years of conflict, American colonists from the lower 13 colonies called the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. More and more Americans began to see Great Britain as the antagonist while the most radical among them even pondered independence as a viable option.

France had been watching Britain's American colonies very closely. Throughout the late 1760s to the early 1770s, France had sent agents to British America to stay informed of the state of the thirteen lower colonies. The First Continental Congress had resulted in an appeal to King George III to restore harmony between Parliament and the colonies. Awaiting resolution, the colonies had boycotted trade with Great Britain. The tension culminated in April 1775, when American militiamen fired at Crown Forces at Lexington and Concord, with "the shot heard 'round the world."

In 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga in New York, and Patriots valiantly faced the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The War for Independence had begun, and on July 3, 1775 Congress appointed George Washington Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.

During March and April of 1775 France developed a secret plan to aid the Americans. Silas Deane was sent to Paris as the commercial agent for Congress, as well as its covert representative. There he would purchase supplies while also negotiating a treaty of alliance with France. Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais had approached Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, Foreign Minister to King XVI, with a plan to create a private trading company through which the French monarchy could channel aid to the Americans. The French and Spanish governments both supplied aid through this method. Many of the supplies were shipped directly to ports in New England, others came via French colonies in the West Indies. Private contraband was frequently first transported to the tiny Dutch island of St. Eutatius in Caribbean before being funneled into the colonies.

In September of 1776, just two months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Congress sent Arthur Lee and Benjamin Franklin to join Deane in Paris to request more supplies. They were also told to engage military engineers for service in the Continental Army. Upon arrival, Franklin was flooded with requests for employment in the Continental Army. Deane had already contracted with forty-one officers including the marquis de Lafayette and the Baron de Kalb.

By 1777, one hundred volunteers had been hired by Deane, Lee, and Franklin, whether French, Polish, or German speaking. In October 1777, General Horatio Gates defeated British General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne at Saratoga, a major turning point of the Revolutionary War. By the time news reached Paris in December 1777, France was ready to recognize the independence of the thirteen colonies. In February 1778, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed publicly, and a secret Treaty of Alliance was signed as well.

France was now expecting war with Great Britain. Admiral d'Estaing was sent with seventeen French ships to the Caribbean. Soon after, the French frigate "Belle Poule" was attacked by the frigate "Arethusa" off the coast of Normandy. King Louis XVI responded with an order to his navy to attack British vessels.

French participation in the War for Independence was off to a rocky start. Between 1778 and 1779 the sieges of Newport and Savannah, both held by the British, had failed. Charleston, South Carolina fell to a British army under Sir Henry Clinton in 1780. Although war in the United States was not seeing success, France was also concentrating on her own borders and amassing troops near the Channel coast for a possible invasion of the British Isles. A failed mission in the Channel redirected France's focus back to the United States. In 1779, at the urging of the marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin suggested France dispatch troops to fight alongside the Americans. A new strategy was formed, the core of which was to dispatch French ground forces in America. Before 1779, both Americans and the French had been wary of sending French forces to be stationed on the American mainland. During the Seven Years' War, called the French and Indian War in the New World, France had been the enemy of the British colonists, turned Americans, just sixteen years prior. However, by late 1779, General George Washington and the French minister the chevalier de la Luzerne met at West Point, New York to discuss strategy for 1780. Both came to the conclusion that French ground forces would be welcome, and needed, in the New World.

King Louis XVI approved the deployment of ground forces code-named expédition particulière in February of 1780. The plan was to transport a French force large enough to turn the tide of the American War for Independence. French naval forces in the Caribbean would be strengthened and prepared to support the expedition to the mainland if necessary. Military action in Europe would act as diversion for the forces of Great Britain. To lead the land forces of the expédition particulière, Louis XVI had chosen Rochambeau for his level-headedness, ability to compromise, and a willingness to cooperate. Rochambeau was promoted to lieutenant general. Rochambeau selected his regiments, not for prestige, but instead those units which were well-officered and disciplined. Rochambeau departed with 5,300 men and 450 officers on May 2, 1780. The French arrived in Narragansett Bay on July 11, 1780, the official starting point of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.
Information based on the W3R® state reports by Robert Selig, PhD. Read the full detailed history available for Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware available on www.w3r-us.org.

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The War for Independence - Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

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The Seven Years War (1756-1763) had left Great Britain deeply in debt. Parliament in London wanted the American colonies to help pay off this debt through an increase in taxes. The Sugar Act of 1764 levied a tax on lumber, rum, molasses, and other foodstuffs.

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In order to help pay for British troops that were stationed in the colonies, Parliament passed the Stamp Act. It was a direct tax that the British government imposed without the approval of the colonial legislatures. The Stamp Act was an act that required colonists to pay a tax that was represented by stamps on different types of documents and papers.

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The Townshend Acts, July 2nd, 1767 - April 12th, 1770

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The Townshend Acts, July 2nd, 1767 - April 12th, 1770

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The British places taxes on several colonial imports, such as tea and paper. Protests and boycotts of British goods ensued, leading to the repeal of all the taxes except the tea tax in April 1700.

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The Townshend Acts were a series of measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. But American colonists, who had no representation in Parliament, saw the Acts as an abuse of power. The British sent troops to America to enforce the unpopular new laws, further heightening tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies in the run-up to the American Revolutionary War.

The British Crown emerged victorious from the French and Indian War in 1763, but defending the North American colonies from French expansion had proved tremendously costly to England.

Compared to Great Britain's debts, the cost of the French and Indian War to the colonists had been slight. The colonists-who arguably enjoyed a higher standard of living at the time than their British counterparts-paid less than one-twentieth the taxes of British citizens living in England.

The British government thought the colonists should help pay the cost of their protection. The British Parliament enacted a series of taxes on the colonies for the purpose of raising revenue. Early attempts, such as the Stamp Act of 1765-which taxed colonists for every piece of paper they used-were met with widespread protests in America.

Townshend Duties

The Townshend Acts, named after Charles Townshend, British chancellor of the Exchequer, imposed duties on British china, glass, lead, paint, paper and tea imported to the colonies.

Benjamin Franklin had informed the British Parliament that the colonies intended to start manufacturing their own goods rather than paying duties on imports. These particular items were chosen for taxation because Townshend thought they would be difficult things for the colonists to produce on their own. He estimated the duties would raise approximately 40,000 pounds, with most of the revenue coming from tea.

While the original intent of the import duties had been to raise revenue, Charles Townshend saw the policies as a way to remodel colonial governments. The Townshend Acts would use the revenue raised by the duties to pay the salaries of colonial governors and judges, ensuring the loyalty of America's governmental officials to the British Crown. However, these policies prompted colonists to take action by boycotting British goods.

Charles Townshend didn't live to see the measures enacted. He died suddenly in September 1767, before the detrimental effects of his signature rules could materialize.

Townshend Act Protests

The Townshend duties went into effect on November 20, 1767, close on the heels of the Declaratory Act of 1766, which stated that British Parliament had the same authority to tax the American colonies as they did in Great Britain. By December, two widely circulated documents had united colonists in favor of a boycott of British goods.

These influential pamphlets included "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania," a series of essays written by Pennsylvania legislator John Dickinson and the "Massachusetts Circular Letter," a statement written by Samuel Adams and James Otis Jr. and passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives to other colonial legislatures.

With the help of the Sons of Liberty-a secret society of American business leaders who coined the phrase "taxation without representation"-24 towns in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island agreed to boycott British goods in January 1768.

With the exception of necessities, such as fishing hooks and wire, New England merchants agreed not to import British goods for one year. New York followed suit in April, with an even more restrictive non-importation agreement.

In response to protests and boycotts, the British sent troops to occupy Boston and quell the unrest.

Repeal of the Townshend Acts

By 1769, more than 2,000 British troops had arrived in Boston to restore order-a large number considering only about 16,000 people lived in Boston at the time.

Skirmishes between patriot colonists and British soldiers-as well as colonists loyal to the British Crown-became increasingly common. To protest taxes, patriots often vandalized stores selling British goods and intimidated store merchants and their customers.

Tensions between the colonists and British troops finally boiled over on March 5, 1770, when British soldiers shot into an angry mob, killing five American colonists in an event known as the Boston Massacre.

Little did the colonists or British soldiers know that across the ocean on the same day as the Boston Massacre, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Lord North, had asked Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.

All of the Townshend Acts-except for the tax on tea-were repealed in April 1770. The tax on tea would remain a flashpoint and a contributing factor to the Boston Tea Party of 1773, in which angry colonists destroyed an entire shipment of tea in Boston Harbor. To quell resistant and punish the colonists-particularly the demonstrators in Boston-Parliament passed The Coercive Acts of 1774, which colonists referred to as the Intolerable Acts. The four Intolerable Acts included the Massachusetts Government Act, instituting an appointed government over the previously-elected, local one; the Boston Port Bill closing Boston Harbor; the Administration of Justice Act, which dictated that British officials could be tried in another colony or in England if charged with capital offenses; and the Quartering Act, which said unoccupied buildings could be used to quarter British troops. The combined force of these acts culminated in the American Revolution, which was kicked off when the " shot heard round the world" was fired on April 19, 1775, at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

SOURCES

Charles Townshend (1725-1767); The Colonia Williamsburg Foundation.
Townshend Acts; Boston Tea Party Museum.
What we get wrong about taxes and the American Revolution. PBS News Hour. 2016.

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The Townshend Acts were a series of unpopular measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. The laws heightened the tensions between Great Britain and the American colonists and were a precursor to the Revolutionary War.

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British troops arrive in Boston, October 11, 1768; The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770

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British troops arrive in Boston, October 11, 1768; The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770

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Started off as a street fight

Between one British soldier and American colonists

Five civilians dead

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Why Did the Boston Massacre Happen?

Tensions ran high in Boston in early 1770. More than 2,000 British soldiers occupied the city of 16,000 colonists and tried to enforce Britain's tax laws, like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. American colonists rebelled against the taxes they found repressive, rallying around the cry, "no taxation without representation."

Skirmishes between colonists and soldiers-and between patriot colonists and colonists loyal to Britain (loyalists)-were increasingly common. To protest taxes, patriots often vandalized stores selling British goods and intimidated store merchants and their customers.

On February 22, a mob of patriots attacked a known loyalist's store. Customs officer Ebenezer Richardson lived near the store and tried to break up the rock-pelting crowd by firing his gun through the window of his home. His gunfire struck and killed an 11-year-old boy named Christopher Seider and further enraged the patriots.

Several days later, a fight broke out between local workers and British soldiers. It ended without serious bloodshed but helped set the stage for the bloody incident yet to come.

How Many Died After Violence Erupted?

On the frigid, snowy evening of March 5, 1770, Private Hugh White was the only soldier guarding the King's money stored inside the Custom House on King Street. It wasn't long before angry colonists joined him and insulted him and threatened violence.

At some point, White fought back and struck a colonist with his bayonet. In retaliation, the colonists pelted him with snowballs, ice and stones. Bells started ringing throughout the town-usually a warning of fire-sending a mass of male colonists into the streets. As the assault on White continued, he eventually fell and called for reinforcements.

In response to White's plea and fearing mass riots and the loss of the King's money, Captain Thomas Preston arrived on the scene with several soldiers and took up a defensive position in front of the Custom House.

Worried that bloodshed was inevitable, some colonists reportedly pleaded with the soldiers to hold their fire as others dared them to shoot. Preston later reported a colonist told him the protestors planned to "carry off [White] from his post and probably murder him."

The violence escalated, and the colonists struck the soldiers with clubs and sticks. Reports differ of exactly what happened next, but after someone supposedly said the word "fire," a soldier fired his gun, although it's unclear if the discharge was intentional.

Once the first shot rang out, other soldiers opened fire, killing five colonists-including Crispus Attucks, a local dockworker of mixed racial heritage-and wounding six. Among the other casualties of the Boston Massacre was Samuel Gray, a rope maker who was left with a hole the size of a fist in his head. Sailor James Caldwell was hit twice before dying, and Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr were mortally wounded.

Boston Massacre Fueled Anti-British Views

Within hours, Preston and his soldiers were arrested and jailed and the propaganda machine was in full force on both sides of the conflict.

Preston wrote his version of the events from his jail cell for publication, while Sons of Liberty leaders such as John Hancock and Samuel Adams incited colonists to keep fighting the British. As tensions rose, British troops retreated from Boston to Fort William.

Paul Revere encouraged anti-British attitudes by etching a now-famous engraving depicting British soldiers callously murdering American colonists. It showed the British as the instigators though the colonists had started the fight.

It also portrayed the soldiers as vicious men and the colonists as gentlemen. It was later determined that Revere had copied his engraving from one made by Boston artist Henry Pelham.

John Adams Defends the British

It took seven months to arraign Preston and the other soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre and bring them to trial. Ironically, it was American colonist, lawyer and future President of the United States John Adams who defended them.

Adams was no fan of the British but wanted Preston and his men to receive a fair trial. After all, the death penalty was at stake and the colonists didn't want the British to have an excuse to even the score. Certain that impartial jurors were nonexistent in Boston, Adams convinced the judge to seat a jury of non-Bostonians.

During Preston's trial, Adams argued that confusion that night was rampant. Eyewitnesses presented contradictory evidence on whether Preston had ordered his men to fire on the colonists.

But after witness Richard Palmes testified that, "...After the Gun went off I heard the word 'fire!' The Captain and I stood in front about half between the breech and muzzle of the Guns. I don't know who gave the word to fire," Adams argued that reasonable doubt existed; Preston was found not guilty.

The remaining soldiers claimed self-defense and were all found not guilty of murder. Two of them-Hugh Montgomery and Matthew Kilroy-were found guilty of manslaughter and were branded on the thumbs as first offenders per English law.

To Adams' and the jury's credit, the British soldiers received a fair trial despite the vitriol felt towards them and their country.

Aftermath of the Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre had a major impact on relations between Britain and the American colonists. It further incensed colonists already weary of British rule and unfair taxation and roused them to fight for independence.

Yet perhaps Preston said it best when he wrote about the conflict and said, "None of them was a hero. The victims were troublemakers who got more than they deserved. The soldiers were professionals...who shouldn't have panicked. The whole thing shouldn't have happened."

Over the next five years, the colonists continued their rebellion and staged the Boston Tea Party, formed the First Continental Congress and defended their militia arsenal at Concord against the redcoats, effectively launching the American Revolution. Today, the city of Boston has a Boston Massacre site marker at the intersection of Congress Street and State Street, a few yards from where the first shots were fired.

Sources

After the Boston Massacre. John Adams Historical Society.
Boston Massacre Trial. National Park Service: National Historical Park of Massachusetts.
Paul Revere's Engraving of the Boston Massacre, 1770. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
The Boston Massacre. Bostonian Society Old State House.
The Boston "Massacre." H.S.I. Historical Scene Investigation.

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Boston Massacre: Causes, Date & Facts | HISTORY

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The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, on King Street in Boston between American colonists and British soldiers. It helped pave the way for the American Revolution.

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The Tea Act was implemented by the British to bail out a struggling East India company by giving them control over the sale and import of tea to the colonies.

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Hickman, Kennedy. “What Were the Intolerable Acts?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 10 July 2017, https://www.thoughtco.com/the-intolerable-acts-2361386. 

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- Series of declarations from the Crown, made with the intentions of suffocating and punishing rebellion in the colonies
- The first Act closed Boston Harbor following the Tea Party
- Others forbade public gatherings and prevented British officials from being tried by colonies

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First Continental Congress, September 5-October 27, 1774

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First Continental Congress, September 5-October 27, 1774

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The First Continental Congress took place in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia. Delegates from colonies (except Georgia) were elected. The colonies were determined to show combined authority to Great Britain.

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The Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775

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The Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775

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- Considered to be the beginning of the American Revolution
- Resulted in ~300 British casualties and MIA, with ~100 Colonial casualties and MIA
- Known as the “shot heard ‘round the world”

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King George III’s address to Parliament, October 27, 1775

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King George III’s address to Parliament, October 27, 1775

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Independence will not be granted to the colonies

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"Born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Britain."

These were the words of King George III, the first in the Hanoverian line to not only be born and raised in England, to speak English with no accent but also to never visit his grandfather's homeland of Hanover. This was a king who wanted to distance himself from his German ancestors and establish royal authority whilst presiding over an increasingly powerful Britain.

Sadly for George, he would not achieve all of his goals as during his reign, more than ever, the balance of power had shifted from the monarchy to parliament and any attempt to recalibrate it fell short. Moreover, whilst the successes of colonisation abroad and industrialisation led to increased prosperity and the flourishing of arts and science, his reign would become most well-known for the disastrous loss of Britain's American colonies.

George III began his life in London, born in June 1738, the son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and his wife Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. When he was still just a young man, his father died at the age of forty-four, leaving George to become heir apparent. Now seeing the line of succession differently, the king offered his grandson St James's Palace on his eighteenth birthday.
George, Prince of Wales
Young George, now Prince of Wales, refused his grandfather's offer and remained guided predominantly by the influence of his mother and Lord Bute. These two figures would remain influential in his life, guiding him in his matrimonial match and also later in politics, as Lord Bute would go on to become Prime Minister.

In the meantime, George had shown interest in Lady Sarah Lennox, who sadly for George, had been deemed an unfit match for him.

By the time he was twenty-two however, his need to find a suitable wife became even more pressing as he was about to succeed the throne from his grandfather.

On 25th October 1760, King George II suddenly died, leaving his grandson George to inherit the throne.
King George and Queen Charlotte with their children
With the marriage now a matter of urgency, on 8th September 1761 George married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, meeting her on the day of their wedding. The union would prove to be a happy and productive one, with fifteen children.

Only two weeks later, George was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

As king, George III's patronage of the arts and sciences would be a dominant feature of his reign. In particular, he helped fund the Royal Academy of Arts and also was a keen art collector himself, not to mention his extensive and enviable library which was open to the country's scholars.

Culturally he would also have an important impact, as he chose unlike his predecessors to remain in England for much of his time, only journeying down to Dorset for holidays which began the trend for the seaside resort in Britain.

During his lifetime, he also extended the royal households to include Buckingham Palace, formerly Buckingham House as a family retreat as well as Kew Palace and Windsor Castle.

Further afield scientific endeavours were supported, none more so than the epic journey taken by Captain Cook and his crew on their voyage to Australasia. This was a time of expansion and realising Britain's imperial reach, an ambition which led to gains and losses during his reign.

As George took the throne, he found he was dealing with a very different political situation to that of his predecessors. The balance of power had shifted and parliament was now the one in the driving seat whilst the king had to respond to their policy choices. For George this was a bitter pill to swallow and would lead to a series of fragile governments as the colliding interests of monarchy and parliament played out.

The instability would be presided over by a number of key political figures leading to resignations, some of these reinstated, and even expulsions. Many of the political stand-offs which unfolded took place against the backdrop of the Seven Years' War which led to an increasing number of disagreements.
Earl of Bute
The Seven Years War, which had begun in the reign of his grandfather, met its conclusion in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris. The war itself had inevitably proved fruitful for Britain as she established herself as a major naval power and thus a leading colonial power. During the war, Britain had gained all of New France in North America and also managed to capture several Spanish ports which were traded in exchange for Florida.

Meanwhile, back in Britain the political wrangling continued, made worse by George's appointment of his childhood mentor, the Earl of Bute as chief minister. The political infighting and struggles between monarchy and parliament continued to boil over.

Moreover, the pressing issue of the Crown's finances would also become difficult to handle, with debts amounting to more than £3 million during George's reign, paid by Parliament.

With attempts at staving off political dilemmas at home, Britain's biggest problem was the state of its thirteen colonies in America.
Boston Tea Party
The problem of America for both king and country had been building for many years. In 1763, the Royal proclamation was issued which limited expansion of American colonies. Moreover, whilst attempting to deal with cash flow problems at home, the government decided that Americans, who were not taxed should contribute something towards the cost of defences in their homeland.

The tax levied against the Americans led to animosity, mainly due to the lack of consultation and the fact that Americans did not have any representation in parliament.

In 1765, Prime Minister Grenville issued the Stamp Act which effectively instigated a stamp duty on all documents in the British colonies in America. In 1770, Prime Minister Lord North chose to tax Americans, this time over tea, leading to the events of the Boston Tea Party.

In the end, conflict proved inevitable and the American War of Independence broke out in 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. A year later the Americans made their feelings clear in an historic moment with the Declaration of Independence.

By 1778, the conflict had continued to escalate thanks to the new involvement of Britain's colonial rival, France.

With King George III now viewed as a tyrant and with both king and country unwilling to give in, the war dragged on until a British defeat in 1781 when news reached London that Lord Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown.

After receiving such dire news, Lord North had no option but to resign. The subsequent treaties that followed would force Britain to recognise the independence of America and return Florida to Spain. Britain had been underfunded and overstretched and her American colonies were gone for good. Britain's reputation was shattered, as was King George III.

To compound issues further, an ensuing economic slump only contributed towards the febrile atmosphere.

In 1783, a figure came along who would help change the fortunes of Britain but also George III: William Pitt the Younger. Only in his early twenties, he became an increasingly prominent figure at a difficult time for the nation. During his time in charge, George's popularity would also increase.

Meanwhile, across the English Channel political and social rumblings exploded leading to the French Revolution of 1789 whereby the French monarchy was deposed and replaced with a republic. Such hostilities threatened the position of landowners and those in power back in Britain and by 1793, France had turned its attentions to Britain by declaring war.

Britain and George III resisted the feverish atmosphere of the French revolutionary zealots until the conflict eventually concluded with the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

In the meantime, George's eventful reign also bore witness to the coming together of the British Isles in January 1801, as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This unity was not however without its problems, as George III resisted Pitt's attempts to alleviate some of the legal stipulations against the Roman Catholics.
Jessica Brain is a freelance writer specialising in history. Based in Kent and a lover of all things historical.
Once more, political divisions shaped the relationship between parliament and monarchy however the pendulum of power was now swinging very much in favour of parliament, especially with George's health continuing to decline.

By the end of George's reign, poor health had led to his confinement. Earlier bouts of mental instability had wrought complete and irreversible damage on the king. By 1810 he was declared unfit to rule and the Prince of Wales became Prince Regent.

Poor king George III would live out the rest of his days confined in Windsor Castle, a shadow of his former self, suffering from what we now know to be a hereditary condition called porphyria, leading to his entire nervous system being poisoned.

Sadly, there was no chance of recovery for the king and on 29th January 1820 he died, leaving behind a somewhat tragic memory of his descent into madness and ill health.

Published: March 24, 2021.

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"Born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Britain." These were the words of King George III, the first in the Hanoverian line to not only be born and raised in England, to speak English with no accent but also to never visit his grandfather's homeland of Hanover.

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Pruitt, Sarah. “How the Peaceful Transfer of Power Began with John Adams.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Sept. 2020, https://www.history.com/news/peaceful-transfer-power-adams-jefferson. 

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- John Adams detailed a basic structure for an American government following the First Continental Congress
- This outline was based in the idea of the separation of powers, dividing the Government into Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary powers
- Adams’ letter went on to greatly influence the Constitution of the United States, as well as those of many individual states

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Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

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Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

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The Declaration of Independence, a document that declared the separation of 13 North American colonies from Great Britain, was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776.