American Revolution

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The costly French and Indian War created a divide between British Parliament and the colonists that was temporarily appeased when William Pitt returned recruitment control to the colonists and reimbursed farmers and tradesmen for their goods and services that had been forcefully taken. However, this peace was short lived when British Parliament tried to acquire complete control of the colonies and regain financial stability by passing the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Duties, the Tea Act of 1773, and the Intolerable Acts of 1774. The acts greatly inconvenienced the colonists and led to the Boston Massacre of 1770, the Boston “tea party,” colonial unity, and the first shot at Lexington that sparked the American Revolution.
Upon defeating the French in the French and Indian War, Britain tried to expand westward but was abruptly stopped by the Indian tribes who fought back with raids and attacks on the colonies. Fearing more Indian attacks and negative effects on western trade, British Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763 to prevent expansion past the Appalachian Mountains. The proclamation was favored by the Indians and met with indifference from the colonists who continued to expand. To regain control and financial stability, Parliament imposed a series of acts that ultimately failed.
The first act to be met with unanimous opposition was the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act affected everyone and placed a tax on printed documents such as newspapers, pamphlets, deeds, wills, and licenses. Britain was now generating ten times more revenue from the colonies. This angered the colonists who were accustomed to taxes being made to regulate commerce. The Stamp Act led to violent mobs in several colonies; The Sons of Liberty, the l...

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...iting to attack. Eight minutemen were killed, and ten were wounded. On their way back to Boston, British troops were shot at by farmers hiding in trees and by the time they reached Boston, the British had lost three times as many men as the Americans. The historic battle at Lexington marked the beginning of the War for Independence.
The victory of the French and Indian War should have united Great Britain and the colonies, but Britain singlehandedly lost the allegiance of the American settlers. In their attempt to gain control, the British helped resolve internal conflicts and united the colonists by giving them a common enemy. The colonists demanded fair representation in their government, but were denied and treated like second-class citizens. With each that act Parliament passed, they fueled the hate in the colonies and ultimately ignited the American Revolution.

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