The Build-up to Rebellion

In 1775, the eastern half of today’s United States was controlled by England, officially called “Great Britain” for the island England is on. That island is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean north of mainland Europe, shared by Scotland and Wales, which also were and are part of Great Britain. The future U.S. was divided into 15 colonies or “provinces” from modern Maine—then part of Massachusetts—down through Florida. Three, including North Carolina, stretched from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River. Along with the Canadian provinces, the two that made up Florida did not join in the Revolution.

In 1765 the legislative body of Britain, called “Parliament,” and its King George III tried to tax American colonists directly for the first time. They put taxes on paper goods, tea, people imported to become slaves, and more. This was largely to pay for the Seven Years’ War of the 1750s and ’60s, which started in the colonies and was known here as the French and Indian War (Spain was another foe). Prior to that colonists only paid taxes to their provincial governments, which in turn sent part to Parliament. Colonists were not allowed to elect members of Parliament, leading to the rebel slogan, “No taxation without representation.”

Other issues that arose between England and colonists included:

• Britain insisting on the colonies importing and exporting all goods through Britain or its monopolies, and some American merchants flouting those rules.
• Trials for tax-related crimes being moved to naval courts, meaning the accused would not have juries of their peers.
• In N.C., the provincial legislature wanting to put liens on land owned by absentee English landowners, but not being allowed to by Parliament.
• Some Americans wanting to move onto Native American lands in violation of treaties the King had signed.
• Britain moving toward the abolition of slavery, which American plantation owners and merchants involved in the slave trade wanted to expand.

The last two points increased colonial calls for British protection, against Native raids and slave revolts. Yet colonists didn’t want to pay for that protection, either through the provinces as before or directly to Parliament. As