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On July 4，1776，the Declaration of Independence was signed by the representatives from all the colonies.Its principal author was Thomas Jefferson.The Declaration includes these five parts：（1）the Preamble，which explains why the Declaration was issued；（2）a statement of principles of government to which the American people were committed；（3）a list of injustices suffered by the colonists；（4）a summary of efforts the colonies had made to avoid a Break with the mother country；and（5）the proclamation that the“Colonies are Free and Independent States.”Though the declaration was written in the heat of military and political crisis，it was an eloquent defence of human freedom.Karl Marx once called it“the first declaration of the rights of the individual”.

The revolutionary war lasted seven years.In the early stage of the war，the continental army suffered much hardship and lost several battles.By the middle of Dec.1776，the Revolution seemed lost.Then，on Christmas night，Washington led a surprise attack.He and his soldiers crossed the freezing Delaware River while the mercenary Hessian³ troops under the British command were celebrating the holiday in their winter camp at Trenton.The Americans defeated enemy forces much bigger than their own.This victory raised the spirit of the American people.In Oct.1777，the Americans won another great victory at Saratoga.In this battle the British troops suffered very heavy losses and about 6，000British soldiers were forced to surrender.The victory at Saratoga was a turning point of the war.It further heightened the spirit of the Americans，but more importantly it caused action abroad.It was after this battle that the French agreed to join the war against Britain.Later Spain and Holland joined France while most of the other European powers formed an Armed Neutrality to protect their commerce from Britain’s naval power.

Finally in 1781，the Americans，with the help of the French navy，won a decisive victory at Yorktown in Virginia.On Oct.19，the same year，the British general Cornwallis was forced to surrender，and the war came to an end.It was not until 1782that negotiations were opened between the British agents and the American peace commissioners in France—Franklin，John Jay and John Adams.The final treaty was signed on Sept.3，1783，and ratified by the Congress in Jan.1784.Under its provisions King George Ⅲrecognized the independence of the United States.The boundaries of the newborn country were fixed roughly from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River on the west and from the Great Lakes on the north to Spanish Florida on the south.The navigation of the Mississippi was declared to be open to Americans and British subjects.

The American Revolution was an event of great historic importance.By smashing the fetters of British rule it gave the colonies their right to national independence and assured US capitalism of a free development.The direct social change brought about by the Revolution was the emancipation of slaves who fought against the British.The American War of Independence was the first large-scale revolutionary movement of the colonial people against national oppression for political and economic emancipation.It could not have failed to arouse the middle class in Europe against feudalism.

1.French and Indian War：also known as the Seven Years’War（1756-1763）.Britain and Prussia on one side，and France，Austria and Russia on the other，the war was mainly started by the dispute between Britain and France over the possession of the Ohio Valley.As the result of the war，Prussia became a first rank power in Europe，and Britain won most of France’s mainland possessions in the New World.Britain also destroyed the French power in India and so became the world’s leading colonial power.

2.mercantilism（重商主义）：an economic policy prevailing in western countries from about 1550to 1750.In its broadest meaning，mercantilism is a governmental intervention to promote national prosperity and increase the economic and political power of the state.Its central theory held that the strength of a nation is based on the amounts of gold and silver it has，that country needs a favorable balance of trade，and that colonies exist for the good of the mother country as a source of raw materials and a market for manufactured goods.

3.Hessian：a German soldier sold into service to Britain during the American War of Independence.Six German principalities furnished Britain with troops，but since half came from Hesse-Cassel，all were called Hessians.

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.There was a great change in British policy towards the 13colonies after________.

A.1760　　B.1763　　C.1764　　D.1767

2.Which Act first set a large scale of opposition in the colonies？

A.The Sugar Act of 1764.

B.The Stamp Act of 1765.

C.The Quartering Act of 1765.

D.The Tea Act of 1773.

3.The Tea Act of 1773was passed by the British Parliament in order to________.

A.get more money from the colonies

B.provide cheap tea for the American consumers

C.help the British East India Company

D.monopolize the American tea business

4.The First Continental Congress was attended by the representatives from all the colonies except________.

A.Delaware B.Pennsylvania

C.Massachusetts D.Georgia

5.The first shot of the American War of Independence was fired in________

A.Concord　　　　　 B.Lexington

C.Philadelphia　　　D.Boston

6.Thomas Paine’s Common Sense urged the American colonists to________.

A.abolish slavery in the colonies

B.continue a shipping trade with England

C.win independence through peaceful means

D.declare their independence

7.The principal author of the Declaration of Independence was________.

A.Benjamin Franklin　　　B.Thomas Jefferson

C.George Washington　　　D.John Adams

8.Which victory was considered as the turning point of the War of

A.The victory at Trenton.　　　B.The victory at Boston.

C.The victory at Saratoga.　　 D.The victory at Yorktown.

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.During the colonial days the English ruling class did every thing they could to________the development of the colonial economy.The colonies in North America were supposed to________and not compete with English industry.

2.Within the five years from 1763to 1767after the war with________，the British government adopted several measures to extract more money from colonies.The________Act of 1764and the________Act of 1765，for example，laid taxes on certain imports and numerous articles in America to help pay for the costs of British government in the colonies.

3.The Sons of Libertywas formed in________to organize the opposition to the________Act.Theyfavored to take________action to the stamp collectors.

4.The First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia in________.The majority of the representatives still favor to take________means to settle the quarrel with the British.They agreed to refuse to buy English goods，hoping in this way to force the British government to________in to their demands.This united action could be called________.

5.The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4，________.Karl Marx once called it“________”.

6.The American War of Independence lasted ________years.The fighting was actuallyended in________，but the final treaty between Britain and the United States was signed in Paris in________.The boundaries of the United States were fixed roughly from the Atlantic Ocean to the________ on the west and from the ________on the north to Spanish ________on the south.The direct social change brought about by the American Revolution was the emancipation of________who fought against the British.

Ⅲ.Questions for Discussion.

1.What were the Royal Order，the Currency Act，the Quartering Act，and the Declaratory Act？