American Revolution Dbq

Although the the British victory over the French in North America did not explicitly cause the American Revolution, its consequences set the stage for independence as colonists increasingly felt that their British liberties were being disavowed, and in turn, began to identify more as Americans rather than Englishmen. Imperial regulations regarding newly acquired territories appeased Native Americans but prohibited westward expansion and consequently, ignited colonial protest. Overburdened with debt after the war, Great Britain imposed a series of taxes for the sole purpose of gaining revenue, which greatly provoked American colonists who believed they were inadequately represented in such legislation. Lastly, the defeat of the French would eventually propel them to consider supporting the American cause against their longstanding British rivals. Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763, many Native Americans grew concerned with British encroachment on their territory. In dealing with Pontiac’s Rebellion, Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763,

Thus, George III and Parliament ended salutary neglect, a policy that exempted the colonies from British revenue standards to ensure loyalty. The Sugar Act of 1764 was essentially just an extension of the Molasses Act of 1733. However, instead of promoting mercantilism as the Molasses Act did, the Sugar Act regulated trade specifically to collect revenue for the national treasury and to empower British control, shown in the vice-admiralty courts that threatened colonists’ rights to fair trials. Subsequent taxation laws included, but were not limited to, the Stamp Act, Revenue Act, Tea Act, and “Intolerable Acts,” and were enforced on the grounds that colonists were virtually represented by Parliament, to which most colonists disagreed. In response, colonial resistance heightened and grew progressively more organized leading up to the Revolutionary