By the 18^th century, England had established 13 colonies in the eastern coast of North America. The British treated these colonies as centres for collecting raw materials for their industry and as market for selling their products. The policies of the mother country England led to the freedom struggle in the colonies.

Mercantalist Laws:

• The policy adopted by the British merchants with the help of their motherland in the American colonies is known as Mercantilism. 
• The goods to and from the colonies must be carried only in British ships or ships built in the colonies. 
• British stamps must be affixed on all the legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, license, etc. 
• Import tax must be paid for the import of tea, glass, paper, etc. 
• Products of the colonies like sugar, wool, cotton, tobacco, etc. could only be exported to England. 
• Colonies must provide food and quarters for the British troops which were maintained in the colonies.

Influence of thinkers:

The ideologies of thinkers like John Locke and Thomas Paine stimulated the people of the colonies to fight against the exploitative laws of the British. John Locke said : ‘Everyone has some fundamental rights. No government has the right to suspend them.’ Thomas Paine said : ‘There is something absurd, in supposing a continent (North America) be perpetual ly governed by a foreign power (England).

No taxation without representation: This was a slogan framed by James Ottis that thundered along different parts of North America in the 18th century. The slogan showed the desire for freedom and the hatred towards the mother country nurtured by the colonial people.

Boston Tea Party: The high tax levied by the English government on tea fired up strong protest in America. On 16 December 1773, a group of people disguised as the Red Indians, boarded the ships at night in the Boston Harbour and threw 342 chests of tea into the sea. This protest is known as the Boston Tea Party.

Continental Congress:

The delegates of all the colonies except Georgia met at Philadelphia in 1774 to protest against the policies and rules imposed by England. It is known as the First Continental Congress. Subsequently, people of the colon ies submitted a petition to the king of England.

They demanded the revocation of the regulations enforced on industry and commerce and not to impose tax without the approval of the people. But the king sent a military force to suppress the people. This led to the war between England and the colonies. The Second Continental Congress held at Philadelphia in 1775 elected George Washington as the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

The American Continental Congress issued the famous Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776: The war between England and the colonies in North America that began with the Declaration of Freedom, ended in 1781.

By the Treaty of Paris in 1783, England ratified the freedom of 13 colonies. George Washington became the first President of USA. The United States of America came into being with the first written constitution in the world.