By 1775, the American colonies stretched from Canada to Florida and had a population of over two million people. Mainly farmers, the colonists worked the land and scratched out a living from whatever means they could find. By this time most colonists were third or fourth generation and had been creating their own industry and economy independent of British influence. The colonists built new homes, roads, and towns and enjoyed the bounty of plentiful space and resources the new world offered. During this time of expansion and growth however, an unwelcome concern lurked in the shadows.
The British Empire was continuously attempting to expand their kingdom and at the time recover from the costly French and Indian War. It was not long before King George realized the potential of the colonies as a source of revenue and supplies. As a result, the King began to impose new taxes and tariffs on goods produced in the colonies in order to replace the wealth the Empire had lost during the war. These taxes seemed unreasonable to the colonists and compiled with the Boston massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773, there began to grow a common disgust of British rule.
Colonial America: Local events (taxes, Boston tea party)
The American colonies were on the verge of revolt. By the spring of 1775, the colonist had a great deal of hatred towards the British Empire. This energy was greatest in Boston and the surrounding countryside, where British troops eyed the locals with suspicion. The eyes of Great Briton were on Boston where at the port of Boston, authorities kept a close eye on exports as locals sought ways around the tariffs imposed on them by the England. Illegal trades with the Dutch and French were rampant and local authori...
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... Lake George, move further south and turn east to Boston. Colonel Knox selected 58 mortars and cannons and began the process of moving them down to Lake George for the first leg of the journey. He set sail on December 9th in three boats with their precious cargo on a voyage that took eight hard days. The weather took its toll on the group and they battled freezing cold, ice jams, and strong headwinds until they finally arrived at the southern end of the lake on December 17th.
Works Cited
“Boston Tea Party” http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party
LTC Mitchell, Joseph B. “Decisive Battles of the American Revolution”. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 1962. Print.
McCullough, David. 1776. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005. Print
Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (2nd ed. 1992) pp 230-319.
After the French and Indian War, Great Britain was in tremendous debt and had additional land to rule. By cause of their debt and their obligation to their new land, they began to put taxes on the colonists living in that land. The colonists were enraged because they were getting taxed without representation in British Parliament. Two acts that caused some of these reactions are the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. Overall, British actions after 1763 caused numerous reactions from the colonists, which led to the American Revolution.
...part of the Continental Army’s demise at Brandywine. It is unsure what maps were available at the time, possibly none at all. However, even without maps, General Washington could have sent men on horses to conduct reconnaissance of the area. This would have given him a better idea of the possible places that Howe may have crossed the Brandywine. The fact that Washington had no idea that the Brandywine was crossable just miles north seems hard to understand. If Washington had known this, he could have posted troops at those crossings as well. This would have forced Howe to either march further north, or give Washington more time to react to Howe’s flanking movement.
The number one reason that the colonists began protests, and boycotts, against the British was because they believed their natural rights as citizens were being violated. After the french and Indian War Great Britain was in massive debt. So the King began to tax the colonies. For example the heavy taxes in the colonies led to the Boston Massacre and to the Boston Tea Party. The British then adopted the policy of mercantilism.
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines massacre as “the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty” or “a cruel or wanton murder” (m-w.com). Essentially a massacre results in either the death of many people or death by cruel means. The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, in Boston, Massachusetts and involved American colonists and British troops. The colonists, upset by recent laws enacted by the British, taunted a smaller group of British soldiers by throwing snowballs at them (Boston Massacre Historical Society). In response, the soldiers fired upon the unarmed colonists leaving five people dead and six wounded (Phelan, 131). Even though the event in Boston on March 5, 1770, in which blood was shed, and called the Boston Massacre, the actions which took place on that day did not constitute a massacre. Since only five people were killed and six wounded and there was no evidence of cruelty, the name Boston Massacre was likely a propaganda ploy by Samuel Adams to rally the colonists against the British instead of a true massacre.
The British colonies in the 17th century were afflicted by many strenuous periods of tension that boiled over resulting in violent rebellions. Bacon’s Rebellion and the Stono rebellion are two such rebellions that rocked the colonies. These conflicts rose from tension between the governance of the colonies and those who they ruled over. The Stono Rebellion and Bacon’s Rebellion were both examples of the American people’s willful determination, unifying capability, and ability to fight back.
The British Empire has had a long lasting and strong influence on the American colonies for over three centuries. From the 16th century all the way to the 18th century, the British empire has held power within the colonies in terms of legislature, economy, and social stature. The British’s rule has been both a positive and negative driving force
Without colonial consent, the British started their bid to raise revenue with the Sugar Act of 1764 which increased duties colonists would have to pay on imports into America. When the Sugar Act failed, the Stamp Act of 1765 which required a stamp to be purchased with colonial products was enacted. This act angered the colonists to no limit and with these acts, the British Empire poked at the up to now very civil colonists. The passing of the oppressive Intolerable Acts that took away the colonists’ right to elected officials and Townshend Acts which taxed imports and allowed British troops without warrants to search colonist ships received a more aggravated response from the colonist that would end in a Revolution.
On March 5th, 1770 the colonists were going to protest against the British rule because they were being unfair to the colonists, with taxes being passed without the colonists’ approval. The proclamation of 1763 didn’t help stopping people from settling across the Appalachian mountains even though people fought for it. Also each house had to house and feed a soldier. Many other taxes on different items also caused colonists to be angry. Many started to protest one of these protests had the colonists in front of government building with weapons the British soldiers then fired killing five and injuring others. There was not a massacre on March 5, 1770 in Boston because there was not a massacre on March 5, 1770 in Boston because less than ten colonists
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.
Late in the war, 1778, was the point of Britain being close to defeat. Current commander of British forces was Lt. General Henry Clinton trying to stop this rebellion. He was thinking on how to do this with the North of America under Patriot control. Clinton then decided on turning to the South of the United States (www.theamericanrevolutiong.org). Fighting was becoming heavy between the militia and the United Kingdom’s forces (www.theamericanrevolution.org). However, General Clinton had once been to the South of the U.S. before, but failed in taking a key city (Charleston, South Carolina) by sea on June 28, 1776 (www.theamericanrevolution.org).
Changes in British policies toward the colonies between 1750 and 1776 played paramount in the evolution of relations between British North America and Mother England. Tension between England and the colonies mounted from the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War to the signing of the Declaration of Independence as a result of the several implemented changes imposed by Parliament for the purpose of increasing income and tightening the grip on America.
King George thought the colonists should be dealt with harshly for their disobedience and insolence. Using his profound influence, he pushed through the Townshend Acts, in 1766, taxing many commodity items. including tea, resulting in the infamous Boston Tea Party. King George was eventually humbled by the American colonies. successfully became the United States of America.
The thirteen colonies were originally ruled by Great Britain, and were very content with their relationship with Britain for several hundred years. However, the colonists began growing more and more discontented with Britain’s actions, or lack thereof, which began a road to revolution (Medvedev). The main causes of the American Revolution included aftermath of the French and Indian War, British taxation, mercantilism, and their overall discontentment with Britain’s abuse (Hoolihan). After the French and Indian War, colonists began to become frustrated with the British because American officers and soldiers were insulted and the military ranks of many Americans were not upheld or recognized by the British. The British did not give their colonies credit for assisting in the French and Indian war, which also led to American frustration. Becau...
In concern to the American Revolution, there are two sides debating its primary cause. One set of historians believe the cause to be ideals and principles. The other set of historians and scholars credit economic and social interests as the primary cause of the Revolutionary War. Historians Jesse Lemisch and Dirk Hoerder used the mobs in colonial cities as evidence of the social concerns of Americans at that time. Another Historian, Arthur M. Schlesinger argued in a 1917 study “that it was the colonial merchants who were chiefly responsible for arousing American resistance to the British; and that although they spoke of principles and ideals, their real motives were economic self-interest: freedom from the restrictive policies of British mercantilism.” This argument is very concrete and is supported by the different legislation that the British Parliament passed after the Seven Years’ War. In fact, an act was passed in 1764 by the Parliament that was instrumental in specifically angering the merchants that played a major role in leading the Americans to independence. That piece of legislation was the Sugar Act which placed a tax on sugar being brought into the colonies. This tax was a significantly less than the one that was logged in the book previously; however, that tax had been ignored for years. The initial response of the merchants to this piece of legislation was anger because this new law cut off their highly profitable smuggling organizations which greatly affected their earnings. Soon after tha...
Throughout history, events are sparked by something, which causes emotions to rise and tensions to come to a breaking point. The Boston Massacre was no exception; America was feeling the pressure of the British and was ready to break away from the rule. However, this separation between these two parties would not come without bloodshed on both sides. The British did not feel the American had the right to separate them from under British rule, but the Americans were tired of their taxes and rules being placed upon them and wanted to succeed from their political tyrants. The Boston Massacre would be the vocal point in what would be recognized, as the Revolutionary War in American history and the first place lives would be lost for the cost of liberty. Even though the lives were lost that day, eight British soldiers were mendaciously accused of murder when it was clearly self-defense. People who are placed in a situation where their lives are threatened have the right to defend themselves. History does not have the right to accuse any one event those history may have considered the enemy guilty when they are fighting for their lives.