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The Scientific Revolution was a movement that first started thanks to the discovery of ancient books, documents that inspired people to think different. In the Scientific Revolution, inventions such as the printing press, telescope and microscope helped the movement get quicker and stronger. Rapidly, important contributions to medicine, chemistry, physics and astronomy were realized. Reason was, of course, one of its basic focal points, a word that would later inspire enlightenment.
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Enlightenment was a period started thanks to the Scientific Revolution, and seeked to create a new and better society. “Reason”, “hope”, “natural laws” and “progress” were basics of the Enlightenment principles. Ideas like “Freedom of religion” and “Systems of checks and balances” Made questions like: Is the country having freedom of religion? Is the government an absolute power? Questions like that were the ones formulated by the British, as they started the Glorious Revolution.
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The Glorious Revolution was an event concerned in accomplishing the freedom of speech, stoping absolutism and greater citizens rights. Requisites that, if analyzed further, are basically some of the principals stated in the Enlightenment. Deepening a little bit more in the story, we can see that this is basically a fight between William of Orange, Mary and british protestants against the royal family and catholics. The result was a bill of rights, which gave more power to the parliament.
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The principles for which British fought for were known as the "Natural Rights", and they were quickly influencing governments all over Europe. Monarchs like Frederick I and II, Maria Theresa, Joseph II and Catherine the Great are known for being influenced by the natural righs proposed by philosphers, but... Did they actually made radical reforms? Apart from Joseph II, the rest of the monarchs cared more for power. Years later, however, they all would have something in common: the 7 years war.
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The 7 years war was a conflict that began with Austria wanting to recover Silesia from Prussia, while the French and Great Bretain forces fought for the territories of India and North America. After a long fight, Prussia and Great Bretain won the war and assumed
the control of their respective territories, getting the british good and bad news. Good news? They had greatly expanded their territory. Bad news? They were in a terrible debt, and colonists would have to pay. -
The 7 years’ war debt was immense, how where they supposed to pay all that? The Stamp Act was the answer. This act explained that any legal documents and/or newspapers must have the stamp, which was the prove the tax was already paid. Tax after tax "without representation" caused the things to go from bad to worse, since colonists decided enough was enough: It was time for the Boston Tea Party.
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Taxation without representation was unfair, but putting taxes to the tea was just enough. There's when colonists decided to make action, and on the nigh of the 16 of december of 1773, they desguised themselves as indians and trowed all the tea from the ship, just to make an important point about the tea; in fact, the ships were not damaged at all. This seemed as the start of a revolution, and in order to accomplish that, they needed organization: They needed the First Continental Congress.
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Colonists decided it was time to take action, it was time to create "The First Continental Congress" Here, they urged people to take militias, it was time to organize for war. Besides doing that, they also wrote a declaration of independence to king George III. However, despite having a Contintental Congress, they needed something more, they needen an army. Looking for that purposes, they created the Second Continental Army.
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The Second Continental Congress was the responsible for creating the Contintental Army, which was commanded by the future president, George Washington. This, and the several manifestations made by the colonists, led the way to the inevitable American Independence.
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The American Independence came, victoriously announcing the definitive and firm independence from part of the colonists to Great Britain. Thanks to the French support, colonists had won the war. Documents as, for example, "The US Declaration of Independence" and "The Treaty of Paris" would later confirm colonists’ victory.
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The US Declaration of Independence was a document that firmly stated its independence from the mother country, Great Britain. This Declaration, written by Thomas Jefferson, was based on Enlightenment ideas, and it later served as the principle and basis for the creation of "The Treaty of Paris"
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The treaty of Paris was a document that “recognized” American independence. It formally ended the war, and representatives (both Americans and British) signed the treaty, this with the objective of making something clear: This was the beginning of a NEW, INDEPENDENT nation.
