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“I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” This was a statement declared by Patrick Henry, a congressman who lived during the time of the Revolution. The quote stood true for many colonists, for the American Revolution was a time of tyranny, treason, and revolution. Though the deteriorating relationship between the British and the American colonists lasted for several years, only a few of the many events that occurred during that period are of the utmost importance. There were several battles fought, papers signed, protests conducted, and taxes repealed. Of these, the three most instrumental causes of the American Revolution would be the Sugar Act, the meetings of the Continental Congress, and
Patrick Henry’s statements resonates with the colonists because it adequately captures their grievances and feelings against the British, who have made their lives exceedingly difficult. Unlike many Demagogues who use their words to gain personal power or control, Patrick Henry uses his words to rally the colonists towards a good common cause that ultimately leads to the creation of the strongest nation in the world. The power, conviction and language of Henry’s speech lead to a revolution that would go n to change the course of
The ideologies and beliefs that drove the move for independence from Britain was ever evolving and shifting as human thought and logic are. There were no distinct markers to look at to say that one event or one human thought was the motivating factor for revolution. Events in that era were always in motion, as times of revolution have to be. Dynamic changes in how people lived and made a living, how they viewed their world and their new country, and more importantly how they viewed where they came from shaped how revolution came about. Besides how Americans now thought of themselves as distinctly American, there was the Stamp Act enacted by Parliament and the Regulators in the South that were driving factors that led to the Revolutionary War in all the colonies.
“Give me liberty or give me death” were the famous words spoken by Patrick Henry in the struggle for independence (Burnett 62). He addressed the first continental congress in 1774 and started the process of American political revolt. This revolt eventually climaxed in the rebelling of Britain's American colonies and the establishment of what would become the United States of America. The Second Continental Congress accomplished independence through organization, rebellion, and finally declaring independence. This was the beginning of the American Revolution.
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.
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. Professor Breen, a historian well familiar with the revolution, claims that the American colonists were motived by a new form of protest called boycotting. Breen explains that the revolution was a consumer revolution driven not just by elite landowners, but by all American colonists. Degler on the other hand states that the revolution was not a consumer revolution, and was mostly controlled by the elite aristocracy. In my own opinion, the American Revolution was a war that represented a country seeking freedom and liberty. Despite the use of boycotting, the colonies were also using other methods besides economics to break away from Britain. Taking Breen and Degler into consideration, the American Revolution was both an economic and political revolution.
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.
The Enlightment was one of the causes because it inspired ideas of freedom and equality. This means that some of the government’s power would be lost.
Most of the colonizers of America came from Britain and France whereby they fought for territory and power. Reasons why the colonizers wanted America were for self-government, religious sufferance, cheap land, and economic opportunity. Due to this, the Native American Indians sided with the French against the British for the strong colonies including North America. The war lasted for seven years where the British troops captured North America (Canada). A peace treaty was signed in Paris which led the French to lose everything, resulting in the American Indians not being able to trade. Moreover, the British government lost a lot of expenses due to the funding of war, and the colonialists had experience with long warfare with the ‘mentorship’ of the Britain troops. Since the colonists gained
The relationship between Britain and her Americans colonies slowly deteriorated between the 1750s and the beginning of the American Revolution. When the first British immigrants settled in America, the relationship of the colonies and their mother country was somewhat peaceful. In the following generations, however, their relationship became tenser as Britain imposed policies and taxes on unrepresented American colonists. The British believed they were right in doing so because they had large debts to pay from ongoing wars with France. These taxes caused uprisings among colonists which contributed to British occupation in America, leading to more rebellions. Eventually, the rift in the relationship between the colonists and the British led to the Revolutionary War and the formation of a new country.
The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
For over a century Great Britain had ruled the colonies in America. Since the founding of the Chesapeake Bay colony in the south in 1607, and the Massachusetts Bay colony in the north in 1630, the colonies had relied on the crown for many of their needs. Over time the colonists established a social and economical system that was almost independent of the British Empire. In April of 1775, after many transgressions on both sides, the colonists decided that they no longer needed, or wanted the support, protection, and leadership of the country that founded them. There were many factors, both immediate, and longstanding that lead to the decision to fight for freedom from British rule.
Both the British and the American colonists contributed to causing the American Revolution. The war grew out of contempt: England’s contempt for the colonies and colonial contempt for British policies. A series of actions by the British eventually pushed the colonists over the edge and towards independence. The results of the war gave many citizens a new role in society while others, like slaves, felt no change at all. This paper will examine the specific causes and effects of the American Revolution.
The term ‘revolutionary’ has been defined as something ‘involving or causing a complete or dramatic change’. The American Revolution did just that, with the colonises demanding economic, social and political change. Never before had all the colonies risen up against the British colonial rule, demanding change.
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....
To this day, the American Revolution stands out as a pivotal moment in the emergence of the United States of America. The eighteen year struggle between Great Britain and the thirteen American colonies exemplified the power of will through the defeat of the strongest military force of the time. The American Revolution is often deducted down into the fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness or property. Yes, these Lockean philosophies played a crucial part in the revolution but they were not the sole motive in pursuing independence. Before convincing ideology was introduced, money and economics stood at the center of the unsound relationship between Britain and the colonies. After the Seven Years’ War, Britain was in a very delicate economic situation. Though they were regarded as the “world’s great commercial and imperial nation”, the depletion of their national funds paired with immense debts and new responsibilities created tensions that largely affected the American colonies. The resulting pressure placed on the colonial economy by the British Parliament sparked criticisms that, eventually, transformed into the full-blown revolution known today. Money set the foundation for the revolution that ideology eventually developed and validated. The economic restrictions enacted by the British government