Congress's adoption of the declaration of independence confirmed a decisive shift in the conflict between the colonies and Britain. why did the colonies make the decisive break in 1776? in your answer, discuss some of the arguments for and against independence.

The American colonists broke away from Great Britain during 1776 for several reasons. One of the most important reasons was the several different taxes were put on American colonists by the British government. By the time 1776 hit, the British government passed such laws as the Stamp Act, Tea, Act, Sugar Act, and Intolerable Acts. Even though most of these were repealed, many of these acts put taxes on goods that American colonists used everyday. This concept of taxing citizens without their input lead to the rallying cry "no taxation without representation."

Besides taxes, there were multiple military engagements between the American colonists and British army during the early 1770's. This includes the Boston Massacre, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and Lexington and Concord. These constant problems between the American colonists and British military made the colonists reconsider their relationship with the British.

Many American colonists wanted to break away from Britain, due to their unfair taxes and killing of unarmed protests at the Boston Massacre. On the other hand, some colonists wanted to stay with the British because of their shared history. Britain had controlled these North American colonies for over a century. Some felt that this was just a rough time period and that the British government would fix the mistakes they were making. Along with this, some felt that being allied with the British was needed, as their military was one of the strongest in the world during the late 1700's.