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The American Revolution
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But King George refused to receive the Olive Branch Petition. In August,
he issued a proclamation calling the Patriots traitors engaged in an open
rebellion. The proclamation said that all of the king’s loyal subjects were
obligated to help suppress the rebellion.
King George addressed Parliament on October 26, 1775. He said more
British troops and warships would be sent to America. Also, he revealed
that certain foreign governments had offered their assistance. In fact,
Great Britain was going to hire thousands of professional soldiers from
several German states. Americans referred to these German soldiers as
Hessians
. With the additional
forces, the king anticipated a speedy
end to the disorder in America.
The Siege of Boston
Meanwhile, the situation around
Boston had settled into a stalemate.
There was no fighting. With no way
to attack the redcoats, the Continen-
tal Army simply kept them cut off
in the city. The redcoats dared not
risk marching out to try to break
the siege.
Some fighting occurred elsewhere
in the colonies, though. Patriot and
Loyalist
militias battled each other
in various places in the South. Two
American forces launched an inva-
sion of Canada. One of themcaptured
Montreal. But onDecember 31, 1775,
the combined American forces suf-
fered a major defeat at Quebec City.
King George III believed it was appropriate for
the colonies to pay part of the cost of defending
them through taxes. He supported the govern-
ment ministers who tried to implement plans to
tax the colonies. When the Americans defied his
orders, the king ordered additional British troops
to America in order to re-assert royal control
over the colonies.
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