Comparison of the American and French Revolutions

The documents had to be stamped to show that the tax o... ... middle of paper ... ... III violated the rights of colonists. Although the colonists were justified in declaring their independence from the Mother Country, not all colonists welcomed independence. Some of the colonists were loyalists, so a war broke out called the American Revolution. It was a cluster of a few battles to protect and create a new nation, called the United States of America. The American Revolution had an immense impact on other parts of the world such as France and Latin America.

It is relevant that the American Revolution was caused by the unique nature of the American Colonists and their society in contrast to their relationships with the English Government. Throughout the Revolution, colonists suffered when it came to them realizing their independent, in order for them to start open rebellion, but the "Common Sense," by Thomas Paine influenced the colonists to structure their identities to enfold as a nation. The success of the Revolution has determined the success of the United States today.

First, the traditional liberties of Britain were considerably different from the political and social origins of America. From the beginning, America developed different character than its Mother Country of Great Britain. In New England, where the seeds of revolution were sown, merchants used their shipping trade to defy English duties on sugar. As a result of this, additional troops were sent to the colonies to enforce British laws. Later, when the Quartering Act was passed, Americans complained against not only the taxation, but also an infringement on their rights of property.

The British Parliament was exploiting its colonies to pay for the war debt accrued from the French and Indian War. The Americans felt the British had too much control over them with all the taxes they imposed, so they went to war. Money was certainly one of the major causes of the American Revolution. The Americans won when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown when surrounded by American and French troops. A peace treaty wasn't signed until two years later, when Great Britain formally recognized independence.

This was a powerful weapon against smuggling, but most importantly to the Colonists; it allowed the invasion of their privacy. This was crossing the line and violating the rights of an English man. During the Seven Years War, the British sent over ten thousand troops to America to deal with property problems at the frontier. This cost a large amount of money, and Britain did not want to see the sum come out of its own pocket. To pay for some of the expense, Britain began to pass acts to tax the colonists and lighten the severe debt the empire was in.

Let us travel back before the Revolutionary War, to the start of the French and Indian War. This is the only way to understand the future of the American Colonies, and ultimately the causes of the American Revolution. After the war, Britain had emerged as the world’s leading power, however, Britain’s national debt tripled. In order to relieve the heavy burden, the British decided to tax the American Colonies. This taxation caused massive rebellion by the Americans, and ultimately warfare.

This included newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards, just to name a few (Stamp Act).The colonists had been so accustomed to their freedom from the crown at this point, that they were enraged. The relationship between the Mother country and the colonies did not get much better with the instatement of the Townshend Acts of 1767. These acts passed taxes on every day goods that the colonists needed, such as lead, tea, glass and paint(Townshend Acts). By this point, the colonists were beginning to question Britain’s motives towards them. They believed they were being treated like slaves and being used solely for the economic growth of Britain.

The stamp act placed a tax on all paper products in the colonies. The colonists were enraged stating that the King could not enforce taxes on them because they did not have any representation in parliament to speak for them. Colonists attacked and mobbed tax collectors until this act was repealed in seventeen sixty-six. After the stamp act came the Townshend acts of seventeen sixty-seven which imposed taxes upon tea, paint, paper, lead, and glass. Colonists reacted to the Townshend acts by boycotting all British goods until they repealed the act.

In comparing and contrasting the French and American Revolutions, are notable differences but there are similarities as well. Of course, each was fought for a different cause. The American Revolution was a break from the mother country, Great Britain. It was a matter of independence as an individual state, prompted in part by unfair taxation and religion. The Revolution involved a series of colonies, rising up against an oppressor, with the help of the French by economic and military support.

The main reason it was successful was that it did not start out being “rebellious” in nature, but rather conservative. In another words, it was not a rebellion against the Government, but rather against having too much government controlling them. (American Revolution) The French revolution was a true rebellion against the King and the government in general. The French were the ones on the offensive, fighting to gain new freedom starting with the Storming of the Bastille. (French Revolution) Finally, the biggest contrast between the American and French Revolution was the difference in the outcomes of the two.