Britain and the American Revolution
After the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War, Britain increased taxes on the colonies to pay the war debt. Moreover, to protect its business interests, the British government put laws in place that forbade the colonists from manufacturing certain items. This guaranteed that people in the colonies would have to purchase those things from England instead. Without anyone to represent them in Parliament, many people in the colonies became fed up with the new and higher taxes on the things they needed.
Many colonists found it hard to choose between Britain and their new homeland. Businessman and innkeeper William Brown sided with the revolutionaries. In 1774, a group of prominent protestors met to choose delegates from Maryland to the first Continental Congress. A year later, war broke out. On July 4, 1776 the colonists declared independence. The war lasted until 1783. For a month, soldiers were encamped at London Town. They even purchased supplies from William Brown. The eight years of war ruined London Town's economy as trade was largely halted. The town never recovered.
