Most Americans were unaware in 1763 that in just 13 years they would be involved in a war against Great Britain for their independence. In 1763 the colonies were doing well and were even quite prosperous. The King of England, George III, was not a harsh king. Even the colonies themselves were their own separate entities with different governments and cultures

Benjamin Franklin was a poor printer’s apprentice from Boston. He eventually found himself in Philadelphia. After much hardship and hard work, he became the owner, writer, and contributor to the Philadelphia Gazette, the most popular newspaper in Philadelphia. During the 1720s and 1730s, the side of Franklin devoted to public good started to show itself. He organized the Junto, a young working-man's group dedicated to self and civic improvement. He joined the Masons.

Franklin was a vital part of bringing news and information to colonial people. He had been to England and, at first, considered himself an English citizen. In 1754 he devised the Albany Plan of Union. This plan, under the slogan "Join or Die," would have brought the colonies together to join against the common threat of the French and Native Americans. Much to Franklin's irritation, this plan was defeated. The plan was rejected both by the English government, who feared it would give too much power to the colonists, and the colonial governments, who feared the loss of local power in the assemblies. The Albany Plan of Union was the first plan put together to unify the colonies under one unified government.

Much happened between the years 1763 and 1776 which left the colonists feeling they needed to declare their independence from Britain. First, was the issue of taxation. Britain began taxing the colonists without their consent. They felt that Britain was governing them too closely and ignored their grievances. The colonists, especially in the middle colonies began to discuss their issues with religion, politics, and economics and sparked much debate against the mother country. On the other end, the British saw the colonists as being rebellious in not paying this tax to the British Empire when the citizens from England payed and then some. Over time the distance between England and its colonies was too much to ignore.