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Angered by the building of a fort in the Ohio River Valley, British General Robert Dinwiddie sent a young George Washington to evict its French residents. Although a small group was defeated the British had to surrender when the French counterattacked. This event was the beginning of a seven year war known as the French and Indian War.
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After being in the losing end of the war for five years the British gained the upper hand when they managed to cut off the French's water supply. The Native Americans who had previously sided with the French switched sides and came to the aid of the British. As a result they were able to capture more French land.
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The signing of the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. Britain was the victor and as a result the French were driven out of America and their land was given to colonies.
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The new prime minister of Britain, George Grenville, began collecting duties already in affect with the Sugar Act. This was the first in a long list of acts and taxes that the colonists would begrudging pay.
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Parliament passed the Stamp Act, the first direct tax to be placed on the colonies. The colonists responded with angry protesting, and claimed that it disrupted their prosperity and liberty.
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During a period of protests and violence, the sons of liberty led a mob that would destroy the house of the stamp tax collector, an act which was controversial at the time. Soon after, every tax collector in the colonies had resigned, leaving no one to collect the taxes.
