# data[].attributes.body
Over the next year, the 13 colonies met and debated over whether they should declare their independence from Britain.

# data[].attributes.body
The troops found out about a group of rebellious colonists who had stockpiled some weapons in a small town outside of Boston called Lexington, so they went to go steal the weapons.

# data[].attributes.body
Beginning in 1754, Britain fought the French and Indian War on North American soil, and soon they realized they needed some way to pay for it. In order to raise money, they passed several taxes that all the American colonies had to pay

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout the 1600s, British influence in North America continued to grow as more and more colonists flooded the region. American colonists liked having fairly independent lives and governments while still enjoying the economic benefits of being part of the British Empire.

# data[].attributes.body
In the 1600s and 1700s, Great Britain held a vast empire with colonies all over the world.