The Causes of the American Revolution

1360 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cause and effect of american revolution

The Enlightenment and Great Awakening was an intellectual movement where colonials were becoming antiauthoritarian, questioning authority, and the Puritan faith needed a more honorable society that had people who had a desire to be more Christian. Quoted by Rev. Jonathan Edwards a Puritan minister, “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God” is an emotional and descriptive explanation of how god will treat you if you do not repent, which opened the eyes of many colonials. More pilgrims, or people who wanted to separate from the Church of England, were beginning to question the authority given to them from England and whether it was fair or not. This was just the beginning to the unagreeable riots/wars and legislatorial acts pass that led to the American Revolution.

In 1763 George Grenville was the British Prime minister who used the army as an excuse to tax colonials. The first act passed by Grenville in 1764 was the Sugar Act was an external tax that cut taxes on farm molasses, raised tax on farm molasses, and put an import tax: wine, coffee, silk, and linens. The act required shipmasters to provide a list everything in their cargo to help crack down on smuggling. The other influential law passed by Grenville in 1764 was the Stamp Act. This internal tax required a revenue stamp to be placed on certain documents within the colonies. All commercial and legal documents like: license, newspapers, broadsides, pamphlets, and college diplomas required a stamp that could cost anywhere from half a penny to ten pounds depending on the importance of the document. March 1765 newspaper men began spreading the word of the wronging of the tax and by November the Boston Gazette printed a paper at an angle to make a point to the king that the taxing they were giving was wrong. Grenville had beyond started pissing the colonials off and this lead to riots and demonstrations in the import cities. Grenville actions influenced the birth of the Sons of Liberty, a secret mob society made up of artisans, mechanics, merchants, and sailors, who organized riots against their target and carried their action with minimal voice. Stamp collectors were getting beaten up, run out of town, or tarred and feathered by the Sons of Liberty. His actions also introduced the Stamp Act Congress which included all the colonials who wanted to petition the king.

Show More
Related

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    rule of the American colonies in the previous years led to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Most Americans did not originally want to separate from mother England. They wanted to stay loyal to the crown. England’s unwillingness to compromise, mismanagement of the colonies, heavy taxation of the colonists that violated their rights, the distractions of foreign affairs and politics in England and the strict trading policies that England tried to enforce together made the revolution inevitable

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    2372 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Causes Of American Revolutions

    1736 Words  | 4 Pages

    02/17/17 A Revolution within its own people can cause a major transformation in their political organization. In other words “Big things come from small beginnings” I’m talking about revolutions such as the American, French and Haitian Revolutions. These revolutions that started in the 1700’s were caused by many factors. Some of these factors were social and racial inequality, new enlightenment ideas, and unfair high taxes. We can say that all three fought for a cause which resulted in astonishing

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Causes of the American Revolution

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Revolution was a dramatic change in the political, social, and economic system of New England. It was not a bloody revolution; on the contrary it is unique because it was not as violence as other revolutions we know (French, Russia and China). The American Revolution had many causes. Long-term social, economic, and political changes in the colonies before 1750 provided the basis for an independent nation with representative political institutions. More immediately, the French and

    Read More

  • American Revolution Causes

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    order to pay for the cost of the war. This led to many conflicts in American colonies. As many more restrictions were forced on the colonies between 1650 and 1776, they decided to unite and rebel against Great Britain. Taxation, limited freedom, and ideological influences all played a major role in weakening the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain and eventually these factors led to the beginning of the American Revolution. Taxations was one of the major factor that caused the colonists

    Read More

  • Causes of the American Revolution

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    From 1763, Americans had only to be convinced that an arbitrary ruler- whether Parliament or King-was violating their inherent rights, to feel that rebellion was justified. This conviction was bred in them by the series of events that occurred between 1763 and 1776. The language used to protest the British Acts was legal, and political. But the primary cause of the Revolution was economics. In theory the colonists accepted the principle that natural laws rather than royal decrees should

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Causes Of The American Revolution

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    The phrase “American Revolution” is very well known to every single citizen and or to a person who is familiar with American’s history. Colonies bound together with the parent country by traditional customs and language. The American Revolution was the driving force that took place all over the world building renewed societies. It was more than a political parting of the thirteen colonies from Britain; it was the declaration of a new state and a new country. The American Revolution was an evolutionary

    Read More

  • American Revolution Causes

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    about every time when a colony grows restless with the guidelines its host country has to offer. When these colonies reach their breaking point, they arbitrate to hold a revolution. Between the years 1765-1775, the tension between America and Britain would reach its toll. The most important causes leading the Americans to their revolution were the Townshend Acts, the Boston Massacre, and the Intolerable Acts. The British had grown desperate to sustaining revenue from America. As a result of the failure

    Read More

  • The Causes of American Revolution

    2112 Words  | 5 Pages

    The American Revolution was caused by the unique nature of the American Colonists and their society in contrast to their relationship with the English Government and peoples. Life in America was not a life of leisure. American colonists had worked hard to cultivate their lands and develop their towns and cities. Rural life in the American colonies consisted not only of farmers, tradesmen also prospered. (Handlin. 24) By 1763, the American Colonies were spreading west. The expelling of the French

    Read More

  • The American Revolution: The Causes Of The American Revolution

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    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. The Revolution was primarily based on economic terms; between 1763 and 1775 the colonies were no longer proud to be under British rule. Instead, the colonies had seen the British Empire as

    Read More

  • The Causes of the American Revolution

    1691 Words  | 4 Pages

    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. The American Revolution had some of its beginnings in the French and Indian war. For seven years, Britain battled the French and Indian nations in the colonies. Where the colonies militia fought beside the troops of the British army and learned war first hand. After

    Read More

  • Cause Of The American Revolution

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Revolution was a necessary part of history; it was a revolution that was a political catastrophe that took place from 1775 to 1783. The revolution originated from a conflict between the 13 North American colonies and the colonial government that was represented by the British crown. It is clear that the American revolution was irrepressible the 13 colonies were unwilling to follow the British ruling while the British were adamant on having control. The American revolution was fueled

    Read More

More about The Causes of the American Revolution

Open Document