War of Words Erupts into the American Revolution By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.27.17 Word Count 519 Level 690L

Patrick Henry (left, foreground) delivering his famous speech on the rights of the colonies before the Virginia Assembly on March 23, 1775. He concluded his speech with "give me liberty or give me death!" which became a battle cry of the Revolutionary War. Photo from Library of Congress

"No taxation without representation!"

"Give me liberty or give me death!"

These famous words helped the American Revolution to begin. Many colonists wanted to break free of British rule. Others did not know if they wanted to be independent. Then they heard the powerful words of patriots such as Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. Many colonists changed their mind.

The words in the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation were especially important. Those words helped to form a new nation out of a group of 13 colonies – the United States of America.

The Declaration of Independence

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. In the 1770s, Britain and the American colonies had many arguments. The colonies held a series of meetings. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the United States of America was born.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Governments exist to protect people's rights. They also get their power from the people, he wrote. Since the British did not give the colonists many rights, the Americans had the right to declare their independence.

The Revolution and the Articles of Confederation

England, of course, did not agree that the colonies had the right to break free. British soldiers were sent to fight any signs of a revolution. The Revolutionary War lasted until 1783.

Colonial leaders wrote the Articles of Confederation in 1776. It is America's first constitution. It brought the colonies together into one nation and created the first government.

The Articles of Confederation did not work well at all. Above all, the colonists wanted to preserve their liberty. They thought the best way was to give the power to the states. The national government could only pass laws. It could not control trade or keep the states from printing their own money.

Also, the leader of the national government could not make any real decisions and there was no national court to settle disagreements between states. Perhaps most importantly, the states could not work together well enough to fight a war. They also could not pay the money they owed when it was over.

Shays' Rebellion and the Constitution

By 1786 the new country was in serious trouble. States were arguing over borders and taxes. Massachusetts asked farmers to pay more taxes. Many ordinary citizens, like farmers and store owners, owed a lot of money as well. Farmers' fields were destroyed during the Revolution. The families borrowed money to start new farms. The farmers were angry at being forced to pay taxes to Massachusetts.

They formed a group and attacked the government. They did not succeed. But Shays' Rebellion, as it was called, showed that the Articles of Confederation did not work. The United States needed a stronger government. In 1787, the Founding Fathers held another meeting. They threw out the Articles of Confederation and wrote the Constitution.

In the end, the colonists formed a government that kept their freedoms. Yet, it could not keep law and order. Their first form of government failed. It led the Founding Fathers to find the perfect balance between liberty and order — the U.S. Constitution.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.