00:00How did America gain its independence?
00:02After the war with France in 1763, the UK gained a lot of land but lost a lot of money.
00:07King George III then imposed taxes on the colonies as compensation for their help,
00:12on tea, sugar, and even printed documents, basically on everything.
00:16This went on until 1775, when the UK sent soldiers from Boston to silence the rebels.
00:21A fight broke out in Lexington, marking the beginning of the war for American independence.
00:26The idea of freedom quickly spread, and Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
00:30On July 4th, the USA was born.
00:33The UK took control of New York, but General George Washington launched a surprise attack
00:37and pushed them back.
00:38The British tried to split the colonies in two, but were defeated at Saratoga,
00:42after which France and Spain joined the war to help the Americans.
00:45The British had some success in the South, but when they regrouped in Yorktown,
00:49Washington surrounded them and forced their surrender.
00:51The war became too expensive for Britain, and they sued for peace,
00:54allowing the US to become independent in 1783, with George Washington as its first president.
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