America 250: Revolution & Constitution, Class 1 - The Meaning of Freedom, 1763-1775

At the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War, known in North America as the French and Indian War, Great Britain had become the dominant empire. Yet, the coffers in London sat bare and money needed to be raised to repay loans, station troops, and administer the empire. Parliament and the prime ministers under King George III enacted a series of taxes. The British also set a figurative line down the Appalachian Mountains as part of the Proclamation of 1763.
How would the colonists, jubilant in their part of defeating the French, pushing back the Native American presence, and promised land for their prior service? How about the bevy of new taxes levied on them? What ensued in the twelve years, from 1763 to the first shots in a Massachusetts town in April 1775, provides the answer.
Instructor Phillip S. Greenwalt is the co-founder of Emerging Revolutionary War and a full-time historian with Emerging Civil War. He is the author or co-author of seven books on the American Revolution and Civil Wars. He is a 2008 graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University with a degree in history. He also holds graduate degrees in American history from George Mason University and International Affairs and Leadership from Arizona State University. A current resident of Baltimore, Maryland, he has worked for the National Park Service in various roles for the last 19 years. And, yes, being from Baltimore, he is an avid Orioles baseball fan.