Though American colonists and the British worked together to win the French and Indian War, the victory began to divide the allies. The colonists felt they had driven the French from North America and were entitled to settle the interior of the continent and expand their commercial enterprises.

The British felt they had sacrificed much to remove the French threat to the colonies and wanted the Americans to pay more in taxes to defend the empire. The English awarded much of the interior of the continent to the former French colony of Quebec and limited westward expansion of the English colonies.

The experience of having fought successfully against the French also emboldened many of the Americans. They thought they had often done as well in battle as the British regulars and felt they could hold their own against the finest armies in the world. The Americans also felt they were as entitled and capable of self-government as British subjects in England who were allowed to vote for members of parliament.

As Parliament attempted to tax the colonies to pay for the French and Indian War, the Americans resisted. A tax on official documents was called the "Stamp Tax." Colonists met in New York to organize opposition to this tax.

The British government handled the protests poorly, both backing away from taxes in the face of colonial opposition and levying new taxes to further anger them. A tax on tea led to the dumping of British tea in Boston Harbor in the Boston Tea Party. A similar event occurred soon after in New York. The British increasingly turned to force to control the colonies.

A number of rowdy citizens pressed a confrontation with soldiers in Boston and civilians were shot to death in what became known as the "Boston Massacre." Citizens from the various colonies sent representatives to a Congress that was held in Philadelphia to discuss their options. Many colonists supported the Patriot cause but others were "Loyal" to the king, believing it their duty to support the established government. Still others were not politically active as tensions mounted.

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War Broke Out In New England During 1775

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