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George III's American subjects were left in an enviable position by the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which ended the Seven Years' War, called the French and Indian War in America. The threat from French Canada was removed, and the Americans enjoyed the world's highest standard of living. Great Britain, however, found itself overwhelmed by the cost of the war and administering and defending the vast additions to its empire. The decision to require the colonies to pay a share of these costs through taxation instigated a crisis. Moreover, the British had decided to prohibit migration west of the Appalachians, a move that ran counter to the aspirations of a growing, land-hungry American population. After twelve years of escalating tension, war broke out in April 1775. It would last until 1781.
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Arthur Lee (1740–1792)
This is probably a copy of the 1785 Charles Willson Peale portrait at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
(Virginia Historical Society) |
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Next: Establishing the Republic, 1781–1813
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