Independence Day, July 4, 1776

Every July 4th we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a document declaring and justifying the decision of the signers to lead the states into independence from Great Britain and its ruler at that time, King George III. There were many problems that led to that separation, including...

1. The Stamp Act of 17651 .
2. The Townsend Acts of 1767 and 17682 .
3. The Tea Act of 17733 .

High taxation and regulations have always been an issue in American governance. In the War of Independence, the American Colonies partnered with the French, with General George Washington and his forces working with the Marquis de Lafayette and his forces to defeat the British forces under General Cornwallis. That war dragged on for over 8 years. It ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 17834 .

American forces under General John J. Pershing returned the favor to the French (who were allied with the British in a war with Kaiser Wilhelm II's German Forces in World War I), declaring "Lafayette, we are here."

• 1The purpose of which was to have the colonies finance the wars with the French over territory in North America.
• 2The purpose of which was to have the colonies pay the cost of British rule over them.
• 3An enforcement vehicle of the Townsend Acts by levying the taxes as an add on to the cost of tea brought to America by the East India Tea Company. This lead to the Boston Tea Party which dumped the tea into the waters.
• 4The British attempted to reverse that loss with the War of 1812, but they were defeated by the American forces lead by General Andrew Jackson in 1815.