There was some friction in the economic relationship between Britain and its American colonies. After the war, the British were left in a large debt. This caused them to strictly regulate trade and put taxes on commonly used goods, like playing cards and paper for the Stamp Act, as well as sugar importations for the Sugar Act. The colonists protested against these acts, leading them to begin a non-importation movement in which they would stop buying goods from Britain. The British were pressured into
The American Revolution was a result of the colonists unrest caused by their abhorrence towards their British Mother Country. For several centuries the colonies had been subject to rule by the English Crown and it’s Parliament. They no longer wanted to be controlled by a country an ocean away, and in turn sought independence. A huge factor in the start of the American Revolution was the French and Indian War that changed the age-old bond between the colonies and England. Decades of conflict followed, starting with the revolt as a result of the Stamp Act in 1765, leading to the eruption of war in 1775.
The French however were trying to cause a true revolution, a reason to overthrown their king and remove all the inequalities there was. The American Revolution, beginning in 1776, had started with tensions between Britain and its colonist due to the debt that the Britain’s accrued from the war with the French and Indians. Up to this point the colonist had elected their own assemblies and had grown accustomed to running their own affairs. The British began passing legislation, which increased the taxation of American colonies, tightening their control over the colonists. One of the regulations that Parliament passed was the Stamp Act of 1765.
Many, many things caused the revolution. From the economic problems, to the discontent with autocratic rule. Also, the colonies were not allowed their own economy to flourish, not letting the colonials print legal tender money which also in turn, since any monies printed was not considered by the King, it made it much harder to pay royal taxes. After the Boston Tea Party, came the Coercive Acts, or the Intolerable Acts on Boston, which really upset them and made them want to take even more action, rather than just using effigies (dolls made to look like the redcoats and used to scare the redcoat's and boycotting. Between the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 and the French and Indian War the colonies have been isolated by the mother country due to the policy of salutary neglect in which the king argued that colonies should take care of their own affairs, as the British were busy fighting foreign wars.
England believed that the colonist should share in the cost of the recent French-Indian war since England maintained troops in America. They imposed the Stamp Act of 1765, where the colonist were to pay extra taxes on every piece of paper they used to include newspapers, deeds, contracts, cards, etc. The colonist felt this was a violation of their rights as Englishman because, in England, taxes could not be imposed without the consent of the people or their representative in Parliament. Since the colonist did not have a representative in Parliament and they did not consent, they felt they could not be taxed, thus the expression, “no taxation without representation”. After the failure of the Stamps Act, Parliament tried taxing other British imports such as sugar, in the Sugar Act, and tea, leading to the Boston Tea Party.
From 1763 to 1775 the Colonies in North America under the rule of Great Britain had many conflicts and tensions. The Colonists were struggling to fight for their independence. While Great Britain still perused in taxing goods and ruling with complete control. The Colonists began a long battle for independence with Great Britain thus known as the American Revolution. On January 14th 1766 George Grenville a member of British parliament stated that the reason Britain is taking goods and imports is due to them being in debt with the Colonies.
Britain’s policy of salutary neglect would be discontinued and the would bring about tighter control on the colonies. Conflict started as the Proclamation of 1763 was implemented, which forbade the colonists from expanding west. This angered the colonist which felt that they had won the land and it was entitled to them Great Britain already regulated the economies of the colonies through the navigation acts and the mercantilism policies. Conflict escalated between Britain and American on who should pay off the 7-year war. British stated they fought to preserve the colonies therefore colonies should repay the favor.
The American Revolution had a major impact on the military, society and on some aspects of human responsibility. Before the American Revolution took place, the citizens of the colonies were beginning to get tired of the British rule. Rebellion and discontent were widespread. The major reason the colonies started revolting against 'mother England' was the issue of taxation. The colonies debated England's power to tax them and did not wish to be taxed without representation.
Leading causes of the American Revolution The American Revolution was by far the most important war in the history of the United States. The war gave the original 13 colonies their freedom from Great Britain and started a new country, the United States of America. Three leading causes of the American Revolution are new Enlightenment ideas, many acts imposed on the colonists, and the formation of the First Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence. During the 1700s, a new way of thinking came about and it is known as the Enlightenment Period. Enlightenment can be defined as “a philosophical movement in 18th century that fostered the belief that one could reform society by discovering rational laws that govern social behavior and were just as scientific as the laws of physics.” A British man by the name of John Locke in 1690 argued that governments were created to protect life, liberty, and property and that people had a right to rebel when a monarch violated those natural rights.
It could be argued that there are multiple factors that could be argued to be the primary cause of the American Revolution. These factors include social, economic, and political causes, all of which branch out into far more intricate categories. However, a major precursor of the revolution was the tyrannical control with which Britain treated the Americans as an inferior people, mainly through absurd taxes. The colonists began to see the economic restraints that Britain’s laws placed on their lives. Americans grew to believe that the many taxes were levied for the enhancement of British capital at the expense of American welfare.