The American Revolution (1775-1783) was a war between England and the colonies which were settled earlier by the English. There were many factors and events that led to the American Revolution. The Revolution was mainly an economic rebellion that was fueled by taxation without representation following the French and Indian War. The English Parliament was more often than not considered cruel and unfair by the colonists. With conflicts over trade, taxes and government representation, the colonies were at a starting line of a revolution that would later transform into the basis of the United States of America.
Britain’s loss of the American colonies was a pivotal turning point not only in American history but in world history as well. What emerged from the war for American independence was a new ideology, focused on civil rights and personal liberties, which soon began to take hold all over the globe. The war had its beginnings in the 1760s when American colonists began to question their loyalty to Great Britain after a series of taxes introduced by Great Britain that the colonists felt were unfair. What evolved from this was revolutionary thinking about what their role as a colony was, and a strong desire for freedom from the British monarchy. This liberal thinking had also begun to take hold in Sweden, Norway and Denmark before the war for American
The Declaration of Independence was the key to winning such valuable freedom from the British government. During the years of 1773-1781, America fought drastic battles both orally and physically to win back what they knew they were losing. Freedom was the motivation behind these many trials, victories, and losses, but the forefathers were not to be delayed in their mission. It was not to be dragged asunder. They were determined, as anyone in this situation would be, to free the American colonists of the tyranny and monarchy that had held the new country’s government on a leash. America wasn’t willing to play puppets with England any longer. True, they attempted many forms of negotiation with the mother-country, but England’s pride
For nearly two centuries, the British colonies had operated under the forceful rule of Great Britain, a highly powerful country which had gradually faltered by the time of the Revolutionary War. As such, it had begun to impose restrictions, taxes, and tariffs upon the colonies, which the inhabiting colonists had rightfully perceived as unjust and tyrannical. Due to the rebellions against taxation and British tyranny set forth by the American colonists at the time, 1765 had been the year which most accurately depicts the origins of the American Revolution and the colonists’ eventual permanent independence. An alternative perspective asserts that 1776 had been the true beginning of the United States’ independence from Great Britain; however,
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
To appreciate the significance we have to understand some of the major events that led up to the Revolution. One event that caused contention in the colonies was the Sugar Act. After the Seven Years’ War the British government wanted to bring more control over its empire. For years up to this point many colonist merchants had been involved with smuggling to evade paying tax on shipped goods. While the Navigation Acts, which the British government had passed to maintain control of trade within the colonies, had been around for many years, neglect on the part of the empire had given colonists the opportunity to become accustomed to sidestepping the law. With the new teeth given to royal officials by the Sugar Act to prosecute violators, colonists became frustrated with this new effort to enforcement (Foner 142).
The Sugar Act was one of the influences that started the American revolution but before the act there was the Molasses Act. It all started with the Molasses Act of 1733 it was a high tax on molasses but it was never collected because the colonies ignored it and the also smuggled the molasses to bypass being taxed. So Britain decided to make the Sugar Act. They thought by decreasing the tax people might actually pay. They main reason Britain created the sugar act was because the need money because of the French and Indian war to pay war debt.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence for the American colonists to proclaim freedom from Great Britain's oppressor, King George III. American colonists had been suffering for many years when this important document was drafted. King George III had pushed the colonists into a state of tyranny and most decided it was time to start an independent nation under a different type of government. Jefferson focused his piece toward many audiences. He wanted not only King George III and the British Parliament to know the American's feelings, but also the entire world. The time had come for an immense change amongst the American colonists and Jefferson made sure everyone was aware of it by using his superior strategies of persuasion.
The Sugar Act of 1764 which is also known as the American Revenue Act was an act passed by the Parliament in the colonies to raise revenue. There was a law before this called the Molasses Act but this was about to expire. It reduced the colonial tax from sixpence per gallon to threepence per gallon but was enforced more strictly. This time it did not only affect molasses but a diversity of products including any sugar-like products, wine, and clothing. This was the first tax against the colonies for the purpose of raising revenue. They were in an enormous amount of debt when they came out of the French and Indian War just a year earlier. As a result of this new Act the colonists responded by openly protesting for the first time and this was
The Declaration of Independence was a major turning point for the fleeing people that sought out freedom. The people that were persecuted by the Mother Country, Great Britain. The lifestyle that was proposed by Britain was limiting and restricting the people that wanted freedom. Those people fled from the country to find a place where they practice their religion, and establish their own government. They wanted to be removed from the overpowering monarchy, which they once called home. But freedom was more important than tradition.This led to the thirteen colonies that formed a Congress that promoted the Declaration of Independence, and officially broke from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence is known as the most important document of history.
The Declaration of Independence includes four parts. The first part is the Preamble, which explains why the Continental Congress drew up the Declaration. They felt their reason should be explained to England.
The Colonies were excited about having won their independence in 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, but they still had to be able to create their own system of government which they thought would create a strong government which would not have an overpowering central government as they thought Great Britain had had. With this was the creation of the Articles of Confederation. These articles were meant to create strong local and state governments while not granting any power to the central government with the idea that it could not have any power over the states. The states were allowed to conduct their own diplomacy, or war, from nation to nation or even from state to state. States were allowed to create their own currency and put heavy import taxes on goods from other states. The federal government had no independent executive, nor could it levy taxes on any part of the states. It could not create or maintain a militia; this duty was left to the states. All decisions had to be ratified by all thirteen colonies. In thought, this was a great idea because only the most popular decisions would be ratified and stronger states could not hurt the smaller states through majority rule. In practice it did not work very well because it could be thwarted by a single stubborn state.
There are many important factors in the Declaration of Independence, which enable the foundation of a new government. These range from describing grievances with England, to how government should be run differently, to the first statement of separation. The first step to the foundation of a new government is the uniting of a people in a common goal. Since all people were feeling violated by English soldiers, it was necessary to state these grievances in order to make people aware that they are not alone. When people learned that others felt the same as them emotion was stirred. The Declaration of Independence listed the grievances such as, “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.” The next important step to the foundation of a new government was to gain peoples ambition by showing how the government would be run if a new party took over. This goal was achieved by stating the rights of man. “We hold these truths to be self evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This statement made people hopeful and feel kindly toward this new government. The final step in the preparation for a new government was separation from the old government. This was declared twice in the Declaration of Independence. In the beginning, “That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, driving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” and in the end, “that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. In conclusion, the Declaration of Independence was able to motivate people, give them ambition, and made it simple for Americans to take action.
During the Revolutionary time period, a lot of political issues went on in the world. It all started with George Grenville. He was a prime minister who ordered a detailed investigation of colonial revenues and way unhappy to discover that American customs’ duties produced less than $2,000 a year. Grenville was determined to enforce existing laws and enact new taxes to bring in additional revenue. The first step in Grenville’s new program was the Revenue Act. This was known as the Sugar Act. This act lowered the duties colonists had to pay on molasses, but taxed sugar and other goods imported to the colonies and increased penalties for smuggling. The Massachusetts lawyer James Otis attacked the Sugar Act as a violation of the rights of Englishmen. Colonists complained they shouldn’t be “taxed without representation.”
When in the course of the household we, the teens, have always had the responsibility of doing the chores around the house.When oneself has to do chores one has to miss out on hanging out with friends, going to the mall, et cetera. Of course we do not wish to be disrespectful toward our parents but it is now time that we write our own Declaration of Independence. It is important that our parents or guardians know how everyone feels about the chores that have been placed on us and why we should be independent.