At the time of the signing the US consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III. ... The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. ...
Moreover, French-speaking residents were generally Catholics, for whom the protestant Continental Army had little respect due to the religious hostilities. iii Compared to the Thirteen Colonies, they would rather side with the British, who had treated them and their culture with courtesy since the Seven Years' War.iv Along with other three significant Anglo-French wars on the American continent between 1689 and 1763, the Seven Years' War, which had ended merely a decade ago, was a critical conflict that prompted the profound distrust and the antagonistic atmosphere between the former...
