The First Continental Congress sent King George III their “Declaration of Rights and Grievances,” which detalied “grievous acts and measures” imposed by the crown to which “Americans cannot submit.”
Many students misconstrue the American Revolution as a period of unanimous support for independence from Great Britain. However, colonists generally considered themselves loyal British citizens, asserting rightful constitutional claims that had been previously established through their colonial charters or contracts. After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, many colonies saw their right of self-rule stripped away by Parliament as it exerted greater authority over its empire. In reaction to this attempt to...