Britain and America (story)

George III

George III was the grandson of George II. He was the third British monarch of the house of Hanover, and the first of them to be born in Britain and speak English as his first language. When he came to the throne in 1760, the Seven Year’s War was in the final stage. His reign lasted 60 years and is one of the longest in English history. The Americans were not represented in the London Parliament, so they did not accept that they had to pay taxes imposed by them without their representation or consent. Several duties were in fact imposed by Britain to reduce the public debt due to the Seven Years' War causing a fierce revolt in the American Colonies.

The declaration of Independence

The tension between America and Great Britain accentuated when a provision of 1773 assigned the India Company the monopoly of the sale of tea in the American continent, damaging local traders. In December 1773, in the port of Boston some rebels attacked some ships of the Company and the cargo of tea was thrown into the sea. The rebels thought that the takes were unjust, since the colonies had no political power. In fact, they said, "No taxation without representation." In England, the philosopher Edmund Burke recognized the justice of their cause and Thomas Paine's Common Sense stimulated the desire for a republic. The Americans were divided into two factions; on one side there were the patriots, who wanted independence, and the liberalists, who wanted to remain part of Great Britain. The war of Independence broke out in 1775. The Americans were guided under the control of George Washington and he created a big army that seemed to be stronger than one British. On July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress, signed a document called the Declaration of Independence, largely written by Thomas Jefferson. The document announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. He asserted that all men had a natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.It also asserted that governments can revindicate the right to govern only if they have the approval of those who govern. In 1781, during the Battle of Yorktown, the British army was defeated and Great Britain recognized the independence of its former colonies with the Treaty of Versailles of 1783. After, George Washington became the first President of America in 1789. The only colonies that were and remained under British control, were ones of Canada.

William Pitt the Younger

As George III had a difficult time with his ministers, William Pitt the Younger was appointed Prime Minister in 1783 and he undertook reforms that reduced the large national debt incurred by the American Revolution, reduced tariffs, placed the East India Company under government control, and restructured the government in India. Forced into conflict with France because of the French Revolutionary Wars, he formed a series of coalitions with European states against France. Pitt responded to demands by radicals for parliamentary reform with repressive measures.

The new UK

In Ireland, in 1791, there was a group of Catholics and Protestants that founded the Society of the United Irish with the aim of forming their own republic. In 1798 they organized a revolt which was put down by British troops. To prevent further rebellions, Pitt allowed Irish representatives to sit in Westminster. On 1 January 1801 Great Britain and Ireland joined to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Irish flag joined to one of Great Britanin until forming the flag that is still used today.