There were many diverse factors that precipitated the American Revolution. After the Enlightenment, there were colonists that believed they needed a new form of government. This new form of government would not have the power to have complete authority over their citizens, like what the British had over them. These colonists did not believe in being loyal to Britain, and supported the American Revolution. Most colonists however did not support the idea of branching away from the mother country of Great Britain, and went against the idea of the United States becoming its own country. The main causes behind the American Revolution included the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, and the Quebec Act. The idea of a split between the United States and Great Britain was first thought of after the Stamp Act. The rift between the colonists and England grew stronger after the occurrence of the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts united the colonists and portrayed England as villains who were trying to destroy the colonists’ political freedom. The Quebec Act was the …show more content…
The Boston Harbor was closed by these Acts and would not be reopened until all the tea that was lost was paid off. It also Curtailed town meetings in Massachusetts and stopped elections of council members. The Parliament strengthened the Quartering Act, allowing military soldiers to lodge soldiers in the homes of the colonists. The Intolerable Acts united the colonies against the Acts that threatened the colonist’s political freedom. “That we scorn the chains of slavery; we despise every attempt to rivet them upon us (Farmington, Connecticut, Resolutions on the Intolerable Acts, 94),” describes how the American colonists saw the Intolerable Acts as a form of repression, making them equivalent to the level of
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Show MoreThe Intolerable Acts were known as the Coercive Acts to the British. Passed in 1774, these acts were designed to punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party. The Coercive Acts blockaded the Boston harbor. The Royal Governor also had the authority to ban town meetings, stripping the colonists of their right to self government. British officials accused of crimes would also have their trial in England instead of Massachusetts. A new Quartering was enacted, which forced the people of Boston to shelter soldiers in their homes. One of the more impacting reactions to the Intolerable Acts was the 1st Continental Congress. All of the colonies except for Georgia sent representatives to this congress. At this congress, Patrick Henry said that it was time to take action (Doc. 5). This congress decided to boycott all british good and stop exporting goods to Britain. They also sent the Declaration of Resolves to King George III, which outlined their complaints. The 1st Continental Congress urged each colony to set up its own militia. The events eventually led to the 2nd Continental Congress and the formation of the United States of
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.
...Sugar and Stamp Acts). Before the era of Enlightenment, colonists were angered by the British interfering with their new country, but never thought to rebel against their homeland. However, with their newfound knowledge of Enlightenment principles like freedom and reason, many colonists began to see the taxes as unfair. Knowing that political power was in their hands, they stood up against the British government stating that they were an independent country. Additionally, as the British government continued to try to interfere with American government, many colonists began to want a new government that was based on Enlightenment principles instead. This led to the American Revolution because the colonists with their gained knowledge of the world and society yearned for a government that guaranteed everyone natural rights under the law.
The American Revolution, which began in 1775, ended two centuries of British rule for most of the North American colonies and created the United States of America. The American Revolution occurred when the American colonies got tired of being treated unfairly under the control of King George III and his parliment. Britain expected obedience from the American colonies regardless of the obscene laws they opposed on them. The American colonies, however, believed that they had certain rights that Britain should respect which included being treated fairly and justly. This raised ideas such as the ‘natural rights’ of individuals and the responsibility of the government to protect these rights (Goldfield page 159 par 1). Philosopher John Locke argued that governments could only rule if consent were given by the people it governed (Locke page 2 par 4). The colonists increasingly felt that they were not being ruled in a representative way by Britain, and began to demand ‘equality’ and since the British refused to give in, the American patriots rebelled violently against the British authority. A war erupted and the outcome the American colonies were seeking was freedom and independence. This began the American Revolutionary war, which lasted for 8 years and end in 1783(Goldfield page 160 par 4).
The American Revolution has great importance on the way the United States views itself. Contrary to popular belief, Americans were not separate people subject to British tyranny. A large portion of American colonialists thought of themselves as British. There are many ideas and causes as to why the American Revolution began. Differing political traditions, both parties economic interest, trading interest of those involved in transatlantic commerce, Britain’s large debt that accumulated during the Seven Years War, mutual misunderstandings, and the Great Awakening are many of the reasons that the colonist began to revolt against England.
The outcomes of the French and Indian war, led up towards the separation of the colonies from the government of Great Britain. One of the major problem that led to the American Revolution; was that Britain spent too much money on the French and Indian War, and wanted the colonies to help pay their debt. Therefore, Britain started to add taxes on specific goods in the colonies. The colonists were really disturbed about the taxes and because they did had no representation in Parliament. Moreover, the decision over the American Revolution is a significant period of time that molded the United States. Although, the American Revolution took place many years ago; several debates still linger to this point.
The American Revolution began for many reasons, some are; long-term social, economic, and political changes in the British colonies, prior to 1750 provided the basis for and started a course to America becoming an independent nation under it's own control with its own government. Not a tyrant king thousands of miles away. A huge factor in the start of the revolution was the French and Indian War during the years of 1754 through 1763; this changed the age-old bond between the colonies and Britain, its mother. To top it off, a decade of conflicts between the British rule and the colonists, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to the eruption of war in 1775, along with the drafting of The Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The connection between Britain and the English colonies was that of the ruling of the colonies by the king of Britain, King George III and his parliament. The king’s ruling was very unfavorable for the colonists because of his tyrannic dictatorship and unjustly taxations. The mere thought of an island ruling an entire continent thousands of miles away with poor communication and lack of supervision of the colonies by the king, did not work in favor of the colonies nor for Britain. Three contributing factors for the outbreak of the American Revolution were (1) the king’s taxes, (2) neglect of the 13 colonies and (3) England’s mercantilism policy. King George III and his decisions were one of the major causes that had the English colonists fumed with anger towards Britain and this eventually led to the American Revolution.
Leading up to the time of the Revolutionary War, seven policies were passed by Britain in hopes of controlling the colonies. These acts culminated in the Quebec Act which persuaded many Americans into supporting the revolutionary effort. The Proclamation of 1763 was the first policy passed by the British. This forbid any settlement west of Appalachia because the British feared conflicts over territory in this region. The proclamation, however, infuriated the colonists who planned on expanding westward. The Sugar Act was passed shortly after in 1764. This act sought harsher punishment for smugglers. The next act to be passed was possibly the most controversial act passed by Britain. The Stamp Act passed in 1765 affected every colonist because it required all printed documents to have a stamp purchased from the British authority. The colonist boycotted British goods until the Stamp Act was repealed but quickly replaced by the Declaratory Act in 1766. The British still held onto the conviction that they had the right to tax the Americans in any way they deemed necessary. The Declaratory Act was followed by the Townshend Acts of 1767. This imposed taxes on all imported goods from Britain, which caused the colonies to refuse trading with Britain. Six years passed before another upsetting act was passed. In 1773, the Tea Act placed taxes on tea, threatening the power of the colonies. The colonies, however, fought back by pouring expensive tea into the Boston harbor in an event now known as the Boston Tea Party. The enraged Parliament quickly passed the Intolerable Acts, shutting down the port of Boston and taking control over the colonies.
There are four major reasons that the rebellion of the colonists accumulated into a full scale revolution. The most indistinct of these four reasons is the old societal legacies of the colonies, namely: social, political, religious, and economic values. These deeply rooted values were ingrained and inherited from the generations of colonists, and once the British began upsetting those values, resentment set in and began to undermine the British authority. For example, many of those who came to America were of British decent; they loved being English and fancied that, as colonists, they were taking part in the building of a bigger and stronger British Empire. But to those in England, the Americans were no better than barbarians. The English did not view A...
...elped to bring on the Revolutionary War like the Stamp and Sugar Act, and the Boston massacre, the roots of the war may lie in the first colonists to settle in the new world. Colonists were forced to rely on themselves for much of their existence while support from their home country was across this ocean. This forced independence in the early days of the colonies helped to inspire a strength that ultimately lead to belief that the colonists were best ruling themselves, something they felt that they'd been doing all along.
The reason for revolution in America during the eighteenth century was not due to a single event but rather the difference in ideology from people living in America and the rule in Great Britain. Americans, as a country, realized that they wanted the same freedom the British had, instead of being used as a source of income. There are many struggles that Americans encountered in this thirst for freedom, occurrences like harsh taxes on necessities and retaliation of British officials.
Many people have the misconception that the American Revolution occurred because British colonists did not want to be British citizens any longer. This may have been the case for a select few, but many British colonists desired to maintain their status as British colonists and citizens. The foremost reason that the colonists began protests, boycotts, and petitions against the British was because they believed their innate rights as British citizens were being violated. The American Revolution occurred due to a chain of events and a complex set of intertwined reasons.
There were many reasons and events that led to the American Revolution, but it really all boils down to England being selfish. They wanted to make as much money as they possibly could off the new colonies, feeling a sense of entitlement, as they had provided funds and supplies to the settlers to make the trip in the first place. The British Parliament enacted laws and taxes that affected the economies and the lives of those in the new colonies, but for the benefit of England. The new Americans were not given the same rights under the Parliament as the British people, nor did they have a say in what the Parliamentary decisions. At one point the colonist had enough and began to protest and fight back, leading them down the American Road to Revolution. The Americans no longer wanted to be under Britain’s thumb, and looking for solutions, and knowledge to change that. This led them to a series of actions that began the American Revolution.
Wars affect a country one way another, either for best or for the worst. The outcome of the war can change a country and the citizens of the country. The American Revolutionary was a war where the affect was tremendous. The American Revolution began in 1775 till 1783. The American Revolution is also known as the United States War of Independence. As soon as people left England to come to United States there was smell of revolution in the air. The revolutionary war was a way for the United States to make a statement and move forward as a country that wasn’t underneath the British rule. John Adams, the second prime minister of the United States explains how the American Revolution began when he says, “The Revolution was affected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people” . Adam basically means that everyone was thinking about the revolution and in their minds they were already there, wanting to break free from the British rule. Once everyone was against England the people were ready for war. The American Revolution started for many reasons, some of the few are; social, economic, and political changes. These changes provided America to be an independent country with its own government. The increase in strict laws and violent events made many Americans angry and that’s why the revolution began. The French and Indian war, taxes without representation, as well as the first continental congress. These are just some of the reasons that Americans wanted the revolution; there are many more causes that can be justified for this major event. Americans did not want to be ruled by the British who were thousands of miles away from them, they wanted to have control of their country and have their own laws....