American Revolution

After hundreds of years of salutary neglect, by enforcing the laws of Mercantilism on the colonies, Britain backed the colonists into a corner where they had no choice but to fight for their rights. After the French and Indian War, Britain committed many “missteps” regarding their control in the colonies. Even though the colonists were determined to be treated fairly by Britain, they were forced into rebelling because of Britain’s harsh policies towards the colonies including taxation, troop placement, and Mercantilism.

Parliament tried to establish power in the New World by issuing a series of laws. The passage of these laws undermined the Colonist’s loyalty to Britain and stirred the Americans to fight for their freedom. The colonies also accepted England’s right to monitor trade. The change of course in 1767 was what really riled the colonies. England began to slowly tighten its imperial grip to avoid a large reaction from the colonists.

The American Revolution was an inevitable conflict. The French and Indian War had major effects on the British and American colonists. This war doubled England’s already existent debt. America’s little financial and military help outraged many British officals during the war, which largely benefited the Americas. They were also bitter about the Colonists trading goods with enemies of the British.

In 1763 King George III created something known as "The Proclamation of 1763". The Proclamation of 1763 restricted the colonists in the English colonies from moving westward into the lands beyond the Appalachian Mountains. It also forced those who had already settled west of the Appalachians to go back to the eastern side. King George III made this law because he wished to keep peace with the Natives and keep the taxpayers paying taxes. He succeeded partially, but he also managed to confuse and upset a large amount of the colonists.

Factors Contributing to the Rebellion of Americans in 1776 Imagine you are an American Colonists just making ends meet as a merchant. There has recently been a war between the French and the British. During the war, you continued to trade with the enemy and smuggle goods, while your colonial assembly repeatedly refused to provide military officials with men and supplies. The war eventually ends, leaving the British with debt and expensive responsibilities to administer newly acquired territory in North America, they received from the French. Believing that the Navigation Acts should be enforced strictly and that the lightly taxed colonists should pay a share of the empire's defense costs, Parliament in March 1765 passes the Stamp Act to raise revenue.

The passing of the oppressive Intolerable Acts that took away the colonists’ right to elected officials and Townshend Acts which taxed imports and allowed British troops without warrants to search colonist ships received a more aggravated response from the colonist that would end in a Revolution. Initially, the American colonists reacted with peaceful and log... ... middle of paper ... ...e. On the other hand, the British had up to the Battle of Lexington had colonist’s rebellion as a simple nuisance. However, as the American colonists retaliated and killed British soldiers, the British knew they had to use a stronger hand to force the colonies into submission. Thus the point of no return had finally been reached and the American Revolution began. Oppression is the birth of revolution no matter ones loyalty to their oppressor.

The first major cause of the American Revolution was the French and Indian War, a long and brutal crusade that expelled the French from all of their American territory. The most negative outcome of this war was the arrears factor: once Britain came out victorious, they realized that they were deeply in debt, and thus they commanded the colonists to indirectly pay them for what they had lost. For example, unnecessary taxes were levied almost immediately without the colonists’ assent. As mentioned in Theodore Draper’s notions about the American Revolution, the colonists did not agree with this, but to prevent unnecessary violence, their only option was to comply, as the colonies were proud to be British. However, the colonies were still outraged and could not stand being taxed for things that had previously been free of charge, so they organized a sanction of British goods, only to fail after a short period of time.

The Stamp Act, however, was a direct tax on the colonists and led to an uproar in America over an issue that was to be a major cause of the Revolution tool to oppose taxation without representation. To Americans, British government had no mandate to pas an act affecting colonists without their representation the litigation aimed at oppressing colonists. The duty not only targeted on sugar but its products. The implication it carried traversed along economic lines of civilians in raising the cost of living. The move made it difficult for firms as the cost of production went up with minimal sales as people abandoned Britain products.

Prior to the Seven Years’ War, the English rarely intervened with colonial business. It was during this time that the colonies began gradually to think and act independently of England. This scared England, and initiated a period in which they became more involved in the colony's growth. The passage of these laws undermined the Colonist's loyalty to England and stirred the Americans to fight for their freedom. What began as a fight over economic policies soon deteriorated into the difference in Americans and Britons political views, which help lead to the violence of the American Revolution (The American Pageant, pg 122).

But when the “tyrannical'; King George jumped in demanding control of the colonies, they were angered and looked for a way to keep their liberties. Second, America was taxed by the British government to decrease its national debt. Due to their differences in economic base, Britain was self-sufficient in manufacturing goods and the colonies in agriculture. They both needed each other to survive initially. Later, however, America grew more self-sufficient and was able to survive without Britain’s helping hand.