<em>Before </em>the 1776 era, the <em>American colonists</em> were still under the rule of Britain and the English king. During this period, they were not treated fairly by the British king who <em>passed laws</em> that were unfavorable to the American colonists.
However, this changed in 1776 after <em>some American patriots</em> organized themselves and decided to rebel against their rulers and adopted an important document known as the Declaration of Independence in <em>July of 1776.</em>
This brought about change for the American colonists who were successful and went ahead to draft a Constitution and other documents which would help them establish their new government.
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