The Causes of the American Revolution
analytical Essay
1062 words
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. King George’s Taxes The most fundamental reason for the American Revolution was the colonist’s outrage over taxation which led to a tax revolt launched by people who were tired of the burden of paying unfair taxes. The king placed taxes known as Townsend Acts, on the colonist’s tea, paper, paint, lead, glass, and many other items that were used daily and the colonists were against this taxing. The purpose of the Townsend Acts was to help pay the cost of government in America. Lawyer James Otis and other colonist rebels referred to King George as a tyrant. As stated by James Otis in The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved (1763), . . . “The very act of taxing exercised over those who are not represented appears to me to be depriving them of one of their most essential rights as freemen, and if continued seems to be in effect and entire disfranchisement of every civil right.” James Otis’s point of view seemed to express concerns for the civil and constitutional rights and liberties of the colonists. The problem for many American colonists was not that taxes were high (the taxes were actually quite low, particularly compared with those paid by ordinary citizens of Britain), but that the colonies were not consulted about the new taxes, as they had no representation in Parliament. The colonists did not have any voting rights with regards to the taxes and so in order to avoid having to pay the taxes imposed on them the colonist’s boycotted British goods. This eventually led to the Boston Tea Party and other boycotts.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that king george iii's tyrannic dictatorship and unjust taxation was unfavorable for the colonies and led to the american revolution.
- Explains that the colonists were displeased with the king's neglect of their colonies. king george took away their rights to self-government in america.
- Analyzes how thomas paine destroyed the importance of the british constitutional system as a guarantor of liberty and as consistent with reason and human needs.
- Explains that the american revolution was the result of the colonists' outrage over taxation, which led to a tax revolt.
- Explains that the mercantilism policy gave more money and more power to britain.
Related
- analytical
- comparative
- explanatory
- Rights: Procured through Independenceanalytical essayThe 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. Had the French and Indian War not taken place, the British and French would have had much mo...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the british imposed several acts of maltreatment upon the colonists, who had already won their independence. the french and indian war, intolerable acts and boston tea party were leading factors in precipitating the american revolution.
- Explains that the french and indian war was the first major cause of the american revolution.
- Describes how king george iii sent a ship full of taxed tea to the colonies and demanded it be jettisoned into their territory. the colonists robed in american-indian attire and tarred the ship owner.
- Analyzes how the intolerable acts caused the colonists to feel flouted, such as when the port of boston was completely closed off until the dutch east india company accrued enough money to compensate for the tea’s destruction.
- Explains that the declaration of independence justified the colonists' ultimate separation from the british, which culminated in a war between the colonies and britain.
737 wordsRead More - Why Revolt? : Causes of the American Revolutioncomparative essayFighting. Loss. Victory. Freedom. A war that would determine the fate of a new nation. A nation that we call home. The American Revolution, America’s separation from Great Britain. The Treaty of Paris brought forth the freedom that has become part of the America dream, ending the war in 1783 and officially declaring the colonies free. No one event can be pinpointed as the official and actual cause of the war. It began as a major disagreement over how the colonies were being treated and how they believed they deserved to be treated. Did Americans own all the rights of the British? This conflict will forever be remembered in one of the rallying cries of the American Revolution: No Taxation Without Representation. Although taxation was the most well known of the causes of the war, it is not the only one. The three main causes of the American Revolutionary War are taxation, distance, and The French and Indian War.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the american revolution was a major disagreement over how the colonies were treated and how they believed they deserved to be treated. taxation, distance, and the french and indian war were the main causes of the war.
- Explains that the revolutionary war did not start as the result of high taxes. the stamp act introduced taxes that were actually quite low and fair as far as taxes go.
- Explains that the distance between the colonies and their mother country created an independence that was hard to overcome. the 3000-mile atlantic ocean kept britain from effectively managing, supplying, and communicating with its "children."
- Explains that the french and indian war led to the revolutionary war in two ways.
- Concludes that the american revolution was the product of many causes, including taxation without representation, the atlantic ocean, and the french and indian war.
977 wordsRead More - The Causes of the American Revolutionanalytical essayAmong the many complex factors that contributed to instigating the American Revolution, two stand out most clearly: England’s imposition of taxation on the colonies and the failure of the British to gain consent of those being governed, along with the military measures England took on the colonists. Adding to these aforementioned factors were the religious and political legacy of the colonies, and the restriction of civil liberties by the British. Parliamentary taxation was undoubtedly one of the greatest factors inspiring the American public to rebel in the years leading up to the American Revolution. One of the most striking examples of this kind of taxation was the Stamp Act of 1765. After many years of fighting, England badly needed revenues from their colonies, and they sought to acquire these revenues from the New World, thereby increasing their influence over the colonial governments. These theories of “New Imperialism” were what prompted Prime Minister Grenville to pass the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act of 1765 stated that persons of almost any profession were obliged to buy stamps for their documents. In other words, the act imposed a tax on every printed document in the colonies. For example, a printer had to buy stamps in order to legally be able to distribute his publications. While the act itself was not so detrimental to the economy, it was the ideals behind the act (a direct attempt on the part of the mother country to further itself and raise revenues in the colonies) which drove the revolutionaries’ cause.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how the stamp act of 1765 imposed a tax on every printed document in the colonies.
- Explains that the stamp act congress met with delegates from nine colonies and petitioned the king of england, along with the two houses of parliament.
- Analyzes how the boston massacre exemplifies how british military measures backfired and allowed the americans to gain a sense of unity.
- Analyzes how the boston massacre was used as pro-revolutionary propaganda and spread across america like wildfire the injustices of british rule.
- Argues that locke's ideas can still be seen in the declaration of independence, which states every man has the natural right to life, liberty, and property.
1443 wordsRead More - Causes of the American Revolutionanalytical essayMany factors led the colonists to declare their independence against Great Britain. In fact, some of them even stood out enough to make part of the history of the United States of America today.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that many factors led the colonists to declare their independence against great britain.
- Analyzes how king george created a bitter rivalry between america and great britain by passing the stamp act which consisted of direct tax for the colonists which went to the government instead of being included in the price of goods.
- Explains that the british repealed the taxes on tea, paper glass, and paint in 1770, proving that parliament had a right to tax the colonies.
- Describes how the boston massacre was the beginning of a repel by the americans to fight for their independence.
- Explains that sam adams led a group of colonists disguised as mohawk indians, who heaved 342 chests of tea into boston's harbor.
- Explains how the colonists repealed the coercive acts in 1774, stating that the ports of boston would be closed until payment was made for tea, and that british officials accused of a crime should be sent to british courts instead of american courts.
- Explains that the declaration of independence provided basic rights for america to be known to great britain. the american colonial army was left with fewer men than it had started with.
654 wordsRead More - Cause Of The American Revolution Essayexplanatory essayDuring the mid to late 1700s, the colonists fought harder for their independence than ever before. Before the American Revolution started, many colonists were starting to get tired of the mother country (England) controlling every little thing they did. Any type of economic activities never benefited any of colonies, while England reaped most of the benefits through the mercantile system. Also England suffered many issued many financial problems in their own country. They felt that the colonists should also be held responsible for their debt. Citizens in the mother country paid a lot more in taxes compared to the colonists, to generate more revenue for England to help solve its financial problems (170,178). It passed many laws to impose taxes
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the colonists fought harder for their independence than ever before.
- Explains that the french and indian war was the main cause of the war. both france and britain differed over which sides actually owned the land.
- Explains that the mercantile system was a major factor in the american revolution. the boston tea party and the declaration of independence were short-term causes of the war.
763 wordsRead More - British Imperial Policies and Colonial Resistanceanalytical essayA new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that a new era dawned on the american colonies and its mother country britain. the british imperial policies affected the colonies' economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to british rule.
- Explains the imperial tactics of the british empire were exercised on the colonists through heavy taxes trade restrictions because of their mercantilist economy.
- Explains that the massachusetts government act took away governmental independence and replaced it with more royal control. the quartering act commanded colonists to house british soldiers during peace.
- Analyzes how the colonists' geography was damaged by the imperial tactics of the british empire.
- Analyzes how the imperial policy of the british empire urged the colonists into a state of total rebellion.
788 wordsRead More - The French And Indian Waranalytical essayThe officials believed putting heavy taxes on the colonists would help effectively pay off the debt Britain was in, however they didn’t anticipate the resistance they faced. Throughout the French-Indian War the colonists were still trading with France, against the wishes of Britain, and they barely helped with the cost of the war. This greatly upset the Britain because they viewed the outcome of the war as something to only benefit the inhabitants of the Americas. However, the colonist viewed this as something to benefit the British because they were expanding their territory in the colonies westward. The colonists were viewing the new taxes as ways for Britain to slowly become a dictatorship. This made the Americans upset, because they viewed their society as something that was growing and was able to rule over themselves. This assumption caused considerable amounts of turmoil and defiance amongst the colonists. The rebellion continued after the war, with the colonial resistance to pay the taxes that were directly applied to them.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that britain gained more land and control over the americas after the french and indian war, which sparked resentment amongst colonists.
- Explains that officials believed putting heavy taxes on the colonists would help effectively pay off the debt britain was in, but they didn't anticipate the resistance they faced.
- Explains that britain was beginning to realize the rebellion they were facing in the colonies. they had to come up with creative ways to withdraw funds from the colonists.
- Explains that the mutiny act of 1765 fortified colonial resentment of britain.
- Analyzes how british frontiersmen took advantage of what they had won in the french indian war. they traveled over the appalachian mountains and into indian territory.
- Opines that the end of the french indian war with a british victory, was ironically the beginning of another conflict.
845 wordsRead More - Compare And Contrast The American Revolution And The Enlightenmentexplanatory essayThe American revolution was a reaction to unfavorable tax policies from the King of England. When the King of England began to infringe on the colonists’ liberties, leaders inspired by the enlightenment grouped together to defend the rights of the American colonies. As Thomas Jefferson writes in the Declaration of Independence, “History of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries ad usurpations,
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the enlightenment period in europe was a shift in the way that society thought about power and liberty. the ideals of this period inspired the 18th century revolutions.
- Explains that the american revolution was a reaction to unfavorable tax policies from the king of england.
- Explains that unlike the american colonies, the french revolution was caused by the class system that gave all the power to a few select individuals.
- Explains that the haitian revolution was caused by a desire to apply french revolution ideas to increase equality within haiti.
- Explains that the 18th century revolutions were inspired by the enlightenment. the american colonies, haiti and france all desired more individual liberty and representation in government.
703 wordsRead More - The Causes of the American Revolutionanalytical essayThe reasons for the American Revolutionary Movement are diverse and numerous; however, one reason stands above them all: economics. Ever since the first settlers began to colonize the United States, economics have been present as the foundation for the country. Our society today is derived from money matters just as it was in the time before and during the Revolution. The British fighting the French and Indian War was a base for strong financial changes that led to the Revolution. This was closely followed by the Declaratory Act that allowed the taxing of the colonies and the Intolerable Acts made by the British. They all had strong influences in the economics of the country that led to the Revolutionary War.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the reasons for the american revolutionary movement are diverse and numerous, but one reason stands above all: economics. the british fighting the french and indian war was a base for strong financial changes that led to the revolution.
- Explains how the british fought the french in the 1754 french-indian war, but were forced into debt. the grenville taxes, the quartering act and the stamp tax, brought uproar from the colonists.
- Analyzes how the sons of liberty appealed to the king about the stamp tax, so he repeale a tax on lead, paper, paint, and tea. after much debate, the taxes were revoked.
- Explains the intolerable acts, which brought the colonists to the revolution. the boston port bill closed the port in boston, causing inflation in prices and a riot within the colonies.
- Explains that economics was the main force driving the colonists into the american revolution.
947 wordsRead More - American Revolution : The American Revolutionary Warcomparative essayFor more than a decade before the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, tensions had been building between colonists and the British authorities. Attempts by the British government to raise revenue by taxing the colonies, notably the Stamp Act of 1765 which raised taxes on all things mostly paper and of course stamps, and the Tea Act of 1773 which taxed all tea import...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the american revolution arose from growing tensions between residents of great britain's 13 north american colonies and the colonial government, which represented the british crown.
- Explains that colonists resented their lack of representation in parliament and demanded the same rights as other british subjects. colonial resistance led to violence in 1770, when british soldiers killed five men in the boston massacre.
- Narrates how the first continental congress met in philadelphia in september 1774 to voice their grievances against the british crown. the congress voted to meet again in may 1775 to consider further action.
- Explains how the british strategy in 1777 involved two main prongs of attack: first, it aimed at separating new england where the popularity for the rebellion was at its highest.
- Describes how greene's american forces forced cornwallis and his men to withdraw to virginia’s yorktown peninsula. though the movement for american independence effectively triumphed, contemporary observers did not see that as the decisive victory yet.
- Concludes that this is a brief summary of the revolutionary war to its beginnings and how it got started to, and important battles.
- Explains that the continental congress voted to adopt the declaration of independence, a document that got many of its ideas and values from the britain declaration.
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