The American Revolution caused a division between the British government and the colonies. The American colonists claimed that t
hey were not represented in Parliament, so Parliament had no right to tax them. This issue was the source of the well-known phrase “taxation without representation.” Many of the colonists wanted their rights represented in the government. Today, there is concern that many people don’t vote, and only people who vote are represented by the government. In the last presidential election only 55 percent of eligible citizens voted. Why do you think voter participation is so low in the United States today? Do you think Americans still believe that it is important to be represented in government? Why or why not?
In short, many colonists believed that as they were not represented in the distant British parliament, any taxes it imposed on the colonists (such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts) were unconstitutional, and were a denial of the colonists' rights as Englishmen
In the summer of 1775, shortly after the war with the British had started, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to organize the war efforts of thirteen colonies. Armed forces were composed of many local militia at that time and the Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington as general of the Continental Army and approved army recruitment.
