At first King George III and the Parliament refused to change the tax laws. Many of the colonists would not buy the tax stamps. Some of the people took the stamps and burned them. At last, the friends of the colonists in the Parliament got the tax laws changed.

The Parliament then put a tax on all paint, paper, glass, lead, and tea that were brought into the colonies. Again, the colonists did not like the new taxes. They refused to buy any goods from England until the tax laws were changed.

The King and the Parliament agreed to do away with all of the taxes except the one on tea. The King said: "There must always be one tax to keep up the right (authority), and as such I approve of the tea tax." He decided that the colonists must pay it. He ordered his soldiers in America to collect it.

THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS

The colonists decided to hold a meeting. They elected representatives who met in Philadelphia in the autumn of 1774. They held a great meeting. They called it the Continental Congress. All of the English colonies in America, except Georgia, sent representatives to the meeting. The representatives sent a petition to King George III asking him to respect the rights of the colonists. But the King and the Parliament refused. A second Continental Congress was then held in Philadelphia. It met on May 10, 1775, and remained, in name at least, in session until it was succeeded by the Congress of the Confederation in March 1781.

GENERAL WASHINGTON

The Continental Congress decided to fight England. On June 15, 1775, George Washington was selected to lead the soldiers. He had helped to win the war against the French and Indians. He knew how to organize an army. George Washington did not want to be a general. He loved peace and hated to fight. But he thought that the

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colonists were right. He was willing to help and he was qualified. George Washington accepted the authority which the Continental Congress delegated to him. He left the meeting to train his soldiers and to carry on the war.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

At first, the colonists thought that King George III would give back their rights. But the King would not change his mind. So the members of the Continental Congress talked with the colonists. They decided to separate from England and to set up their own government. They agreed to make a Declaration of Independence. A committee was appointed to write it.

Thomas Jefferson was the leader in the committee. The committee did the work well and reported to the Conti✓nental Congress. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was voted upon by the Continental Congress. The members accepted it. It was signed by 56 of the members.

The Declaration of Independence did four things. First: It stated some of the basic principles of our government. It said that God had given all persons the right to live, to be free, to work, and to be happy. Second: It said that the purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people. It said that a representative government should not make laws without the consent of the people. When it does, the people have the right to quit that government and start a new one. Third: It listed the rights of the colonists which the King and the Parliament had gone against. It listed the things that had been done which the colonists did not like. Fourth: It declared that the colonies were separating from England. The Declaration of Independence said that the colonies were free from the control of England. They would set up their own government.

The thirteen colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jer

sey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. When the Union was formed, they became the first thirteen States.

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

The King was not pleased by the Declaration of Independence. He decided that England would fight to keep the colonies. England made war on the colonies.

It was a long and hard war. The King's soldiers had good clothes and food. They knew how to fight. But General Washington had trouble with his army. The soldiers had very poor clothes. They did not always have enough food. Their guns were old. Some of the soldiers wanted to go home to their families.

General Washington refused to end the war. He knew that the colonists had to win if they wanted to be free in the years to follow. He tried in every way to get food and clothes for his soldiers.

England had trouble at home soon after she decided to fight the colonies. Spain had declared war on England. Also, England had to fight another war with France. The French sent help to the colonies.

It was hard for England to carry on wars both in Europe and in America. The English soldiers in America were tired of fighting. They decided to end the war. They surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia. The treaty of peace, which ended the war, was signed in 1783. The thirteen colonies had proved that they were free States.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

July Fourth is the birthday of the United States. We call it Independence Day. Every year we celebrate on that day. It helps us to know how the colonists won the right to set up our government in America.

The colonists were determined to win the war against England. They offered to give their lives, their money, and their honor for one another. They did so gladly. We

CHAPTER IV

The Making of Our Constitution

“There is one thing better than good government, and that is government in which all the people have a part.” -Water Hines Page.

By the Declaration of Independence the colonies had separated from England. They were free States. There was no mother country to decide things for them. The Confinental Congress knew that all of the States would have to fight in order to win the war against England. It beNerad that the States should mite. It said that they should act as one when it came time to make peace. But should the Union come to an end when the war was over? That was the mat imperant question

Son after the Declaration of Independence was signed the Continental Congres drew me a plan for a central cowment The plan was red The domes of Comsalonoor mà Perpecna Cha" I sent to the Sans Dey were asked to keept in wykal Ky

The Articles of Confederation set up a Congress of one House only. Each State was represented in that House. Every vote was taken by States. Each State had only one vote.

The Congress had authority to make war and peace. It could make money. A committee of the Congress governed the Nation when the Congress was not meeting.

WAYS IN WHICH THE PLAN WAS WEAK

After the war was won, the one big purpose in working together was gone. The war had held the States together to win independence. Many of the people thought that the Union had ended. They did not know one another well. The States quarreled with one another. The other nations thought that the new government would not last long.

The Central Government did not have enough authority to carry on its work. The Congress could do nothing unless the States agreed. For example, the Congress asked the States for money, but could not force them to pay. The Congress could not tax the citizens. The Congress asked the States to send soldiers to protect the Nation. But some of the States refused. The Congress made treaties with other countries. But the States did not obey the treaties.

The Articles of Confederation were weak in other ways. There was no President. The Central Government was "a body without a head." There were no national courts. The Congress could not force any person to obey the laws. It could not force the people to support the Central Government.

The Congress had no power to control trade among the States or between the States and foreign countries. The States quarreled over the right to tax goods from other States. For example, New York taxed wood from Connecticut. It taxed butter, cheese, and vegetables from New Jersey. Connecticut and New Jersey taxed goods

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