INTRODUCTION: A Fatal Accident (7th April 1769)
If you were walking around in Virginia on the evening of the 7th April 1769, you might have seen a man ride his horse. If you stood watching for a while, you would have seen a terrible accident. George Washington, an important figure in the Seven Year's War, was that man. By the time someone found him, he was in a terrible condition. It was a riding accident that killed Washington, who would be remembered as an important commander. If he had lived in another universe, he would have been one of the most famous men in history. But right in his own world, he would become not necessarily a forgotten figure, but someone not hugely known.
PART ONE: An Agreement (1st January 1775)
In Boston on the 16th December 1773, a group called the Sons of Liberty staged a political demonstration. They poured tea into the harbour to protest about a new tax on tea. Over in England, this caused alarm. Parliament agreed on a new solution.
A few days later, representatives met with the Sons of Liberty. Over the next couple of days, an agreement was made. On the 1st January 1774, the American Colonies Council was formed. It was a kind of Parliament for Britain's American colonies. It still had to answer to the Houses of Parliament over in Westminster, but they had a certain level of control. Representatives were taken from each 'County of America'. The counties were the Thirteen Colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia), Newfoundland, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, the Leeward Islands and Jamaica. The Council took the capital of the Dominion of America at Williamsburg. It was the start of a new history for America.