Beginning+of+the+United+States

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= = = = = = =** S **** ettlements in America **=
 * [[image:13%20Colonies%20flag!!!%20Cool!!!__600_450_q50.jpg width="329" height="232" caption="Colonists for Independence" link="Colonist for Independence"]] || [[image:Great-Britain-Flag-great-britain-13511739-1920-1200.jpg width="452" height="243" caption="Colonists In Support of Great Britain" link="Colonists In Support of Great Britain"]] ||

In the early days of North America, many different countries were living in different parts of the Americas and claiming land for themselves. The map below shows where the different countries had claimed land. As more and more land was claimed that was closer and closer to other countries' land, the countries began fighting over who owned what.

= = = = = The French and Indian War = = = = = In 1754 a war broke out between the French in Canada and the British in the 13 colonies and parts of Canada. Both sides were making claims to land in the North Eastern parts of America. It was called the French and Indian War because both sides had recruited Native Indians to fight for their side. The French allied with several tribes including the Shawnee, Lenape, Ojibwa, Ottawa, and the Algonquin peoples. The British allied with the Iroquois, Catawba, and the Cherokee (for a time). The French and Indian War ended on February 10, 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. France was forced to give up all of its North American territory. Britain gained all of the land east of the Mississippi River and Spain gained the land west of the Mississippi .

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 * This helped lead to the eventual revolution to start the United States of America **

The war was expensive for the British government to fight. In order to pay for it, they issued taxes on the colonies. The British government considered this fair as they were protecting the interests of the colonies. The colonies, however, felt that they should not be taxed unless they had representation in the British government.

Also, this war was the first time that the colonies united together to fight a common enemy. They built up colonial militias and gained confidence in their fighting abilities. In the end, the events of the French and Indian War played a major role leading up to the [|American Revolution].

=** Why were the colonists upset? **=
 * The American people were strongly independent. They wanted to do things for themselves. Great Britain was a long way away. The American people didn't want people an ocean away telling them how to live their lives.
 * The British government decided to make the American colonies pay a large share of the war debt from the [|French and Indian War].
 * Through the [|Sugar Act], [|Stamp Act], and other taxes, the British tried to collect taxes that the American people considered harsh.
 * The American people also thought that they should be able to send their own people to Britain's Parliament or at least vote for Britain's lawmakers.
 * The combination of the harsh taxes and the lack of an American voice in Parliament gave rise to the famous phrase "taxation without representation."
 * [|Patrick Henry], [|Thomas Paine], and others called for an independent America, colonies free from British rule and interference.
 * Americans started stockpiling guns and ammunition in violation of British laws. Their defense of such a stockpile led to the shots fired at [|Lexington and Concord] and the beginning of the Revolutionary War.