What Factors Led To The American Revolution Research Paper

524 Words2 Pages

Factors Leading to the American Revolution

The American Revolution was a turning point in history that impacted the world. There were several factors that caused the colonies to declare independence from Britain. A few of these factors are the Enlightenment, the lack of direct representation in Britain, and the Stamp Act. These were the most important factors that caused the American Revolution.
One factor that led to the American Revolution was the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment provided a mindset that allowed people to use reason and natural law to shape their society and politics. Various types of science and logical thinking came from philosophers that started to seek knowledge and challenge previous assumptions of society. One of these philosophers was a man named John Locke. He challenged the idea of the hierarchical order of father to son and the divine right of kings. Locke also declared that citizens could overthrow a political ruler who failed to protect the rights of his citizens. This new idea derived from Enlightenment prompted a …show more content…

Due to the Seven Years’ War, the British had accumulated a large sum of debt. British citizens were already being heavily taxed, so Britain needed to find a new method of acquiring money. They decided to look to the colonies, who weren’t being heavily taxed, to share in the alleviation of the country’s debt. Imposing various type of Acts was Britain’s solution to the problem. One of these was the Stamp Act. This Act required the colonists to purchase stamped paper and legal materials from Britain. The absence of the stamp made the document invalid in political terms. The money gained from this Act was used to aid Britain in their debt. This sudden taxation, especially without representation in Parliament, evoked protests from the colonists, which eventually aided in the formation of the American

More about What Factors Led To The American Revolution Research Paper

Open Document