The British Empire acquired territory in North America after the French and Indian War. The empire needed money to support its troops in North America, so they decided to create the Stamp Act of 1765, or the first internal tax levied on the colonists. Further tensions occurred during the revolution: the Boston Massacre of 1770, the Boston Tea Party of 1773, and the Conventional Constitution of 1786.
In 1770, the Boston Massacre began as a fight between British soldiers and colonial residents. British soldiers shot into a crowd of colonists, killing five colonists and injuring six others. …show more content…
Delegates from each colony were sent to Philadelphia to discuss the colonists’ relations with the British Empire. At the congress, the colonies decided to ban the export of American goods to Britain. The plan seemed plausible; however, the colonists faced some repercussions of the British governor of Massachusetts. The government sent British troops to seize military stores at Concord. During the battle, British troops were defeated when local militiamen intercepted the British troops in Lexington. The battle became known as the Battle of Concord and Lexington. The colonists’ idea of independence …show more content…
The delegates were a select group of notable who were wealthy and college graduates. Most of the delegates were coastal resident and a lot of them were urbanities. The delegates agreed on questions of human nature, on the causes of conflict in politics, and on the function of a republican system of government. The delegates believed that the government had the role of checking the self-interest of the people it served. Additionally, the idea of tyranny ran in the minds of the delegates, who believed that a majority or minority faction would become tyrannical if given too much power. Thus, the delegates also spoke about equality, sparking many proposals and plans. Edmund Randolph proposed the Virginia plan, calling for a bicameral legislature with representation based on population. William Paterson proposed the New Jersey Plan, calling for equal representation in Congress. Roger Sherman proposed the Great Compromise, calling for bicameral legislature that gave proportional representation in the lower house and gave equal representation in the upper