July 4: How did the United States gain independence?

Neither the date should be what it finally was nor the country was what it is today, but the truth is that the 4th of July is the great national holiday of USA.

Americans celebrate their independence day with all kinds of activities and celebrations, among which the explosion of spectacular fireworks throughout the country stands out.

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But what exactly happened on July 4, and how did the United States become independent?

To reach that fundamental moment of 1776We have to go back a few years.

It wasn’t America

Although July 4, 1776 is marked as the day the United States was born, the territory that became independent from the British was much smaller than the country we know today.

These were 13 colonies that the United Kingdom had on the east coast of North America and, from north to south, were: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia , North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

The fight for independence was not waged in the territory we now know as the United States. (GETTY IMAGES).

They were founded in the 17th and 18th centuries by British colonists and had very similar legal, constitutional and political systems.

They were part of the territories of Great Britain in the New World, which also had colonies in present-day Canada and the Caribbean, as well as in eastern and western Florida.

During the eighteenth century, the central government administered its properties in the colonies for the benefit of the metropolis from a mercantilist approach.

Other than that, the 13 colonies enjoyed a high degree of autonomyThey held local elections and, beginning in 1750, began to collaborate with each other, cultivating a shared sense of identity.

This served as the basis to unleash the revolution and the independence movement years later.

Fireworks are the hallmark of the 4th of July celebration in the United States. (GETTY IMAGES).

tax issue

In 1763 the Seven Years’ War ended, involving most of the great powers of the time and in which the two main opponents were France and Great Britain.

The main purpose of the conflict was to establish colonial supremacy throughout the world and that is why this war took place on several fronts: Europe, North America, Central America, West Africa, India and the Philippines.

With the signing of the Treaty of Paris between France, Spain, and Great Britain in 1763, the French gave up their claims to the 13 British colonies in North America.

On Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, there is a monument carved in granite in honor of the presidents of the United States George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln (from left to right). / GETTY IMAGES.

Despite having prevailed, the British were left in a very delicate situation, with a Treasury practically bankrupt.

It is at that moment when the metropolis decided to impose on the colonies a series of taxes (on sugar, on stamps, on tea) that were very unpopular and that cemented the rebellion.

The colonies had no representation in Parliament in London, so many colonists considered the taxes and laws illegitimate. “No tax without representation”they were saying.

Opposition groups appeared, meetings were organized such as the congress of representatives that in 1765 issued a declaration of rights and grievances, and violent incidents and popular mobilizations began to take place, among which the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 in which large quantities of British tea were dumped into the water.

In Boston, Massachusetts, a large part of the rebellion movement of the British colonies was concentrated. (GETTY IMAGES).

For its part, London reacted by sending soldiers to the colonies and enacting laws that curtailed the powers of autonomous institutions and gave more power to British officials and soldiers.

The process culminated in the unification of all the provincial congresses —or equivalent— of the colonies in the First Continental Congress constituted in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774 and attended by representatives of 12 colonies (all except Georgia).

A year later, this body was continued in the Second Continental Congress, which was the one that adopted the Declaration of Independence another year later.

posture difference

Neither among the colonists nor among the British was there unanimity as to how to deal with their growing differences.

In the case of the colonies, there were supporters of maintaining the link with the metropolis, the so-called loyalistsloyal to the British Crown.

In front of them were the “patriots”in favor of breaking all relations with London and becoming independent.

The relationship between the 13 colonies and the British government began to deteriorate after 1750. (GETTY IMAGES).

On the other side of the Atlantic were those who advocated reconciliation with the colonists and those who advocated imposing British sovereignty through forceful measures.

Despite the fact that there were some attempts to find a negotiated solution to the confrontation, the clash was inevitable and on April 19, 1775, the war of independence began, also known as the American revolution or the revolutionary war.

the first revolution

This conflict opened the era of revolutions of the contemporary age and marked the first independence struggle in the series of decolonization processes that came after.

The British forces were in principle more powerful than those of the settlers, but they were fighting on their own ground and did not give up despite losing battles.

The US War of Independence began on April 19, 1775 and lasted until September 3, 1783. (GETTY IMAGES).

During the winter of 1775-1776, members of the Continental Congress from the colonies realized that the options for reconciliation with the British were diminishing and that independence was the only course of action.

In January 1776, the English-born politician and writer Thomas Paine, considered one of the founding fathers of the United States, published the essay commonsense (“Common sense”) in which he advocated the independence of the colonies.

To this day, it is one of the best-selling works in the United States, and its wide circulation at the time was a great help to the revolutionary cause.

“Fourth of July”

On June 7, 1776, Virginia attorney Richard Henry Lee moved the house to declare independence,

Other congressmen agreed, but thought some colonies weren’t ready yet.

A committee was created to draw up a declaration of independence and the task was commissioned to Thomas Jeffersona lawyer and politician also from Virginia who years later would become the third president of the United States.

The Declaration of Independence was approved in the Continental Congress of the 13 colonies that Great Britain had in North America. (GETTY IMAGES).

Benjamin Franklin and John Adams reviewed Jefferson’s draft. They kept the original idea, although they eliminated some passages that could meet with more opposition, such as those that were against slavery.

His most renowned passages say: “all men are created equal” and “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” They are natural and inalienable rights.

The committee presented the final version to Congress on June 28, 1776, and the vote for independence was won on July 2nd.

However, the document was not printed until July 4, hence that is the date that has become a national celebration.

The Declaration of Independence did not end the war with the British.

It would take another seven years for the formal end of the conflict to come, on September 3, 1783.

The British ratified the declaration of peace on April 9, 1784.

July 4, 1776 is the birthday of the United States. (GETTY IMAGES).

However, neither September 3 nor April 9 are a source of pride and celebration for Americans like July 4, the day their country was born.

Source: Elcomercio