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Political reasons for the American revolution
Reasons for the american revolution
Political reasons for the American revolution
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The last few years leading up to the American Revolution was a riotous period noted by vocal and physical grievances. There were a multitude of causes of the war. Like most military conflicts; the Revolution was spurred by complex social, political, and economic factors. Politically, it was caused by the lack of the American people’s voice in the British parliament. Socially, it was caused by the unique disposition of the American Colonists and their society in contrast to their relationship with the English Government. Economically, it was causes by the British government imposing increasing levels of taxes on the colonist to get out of debt. I have discovered a substantial amount of information and documentation that support my claims. …show more content…
The American colonist had zero representation in the British government.
“The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies” (Congress, July 4, 1776) is an archive I will use to support the political causes of the war in my argument. The multiple signers of the document unanimously believed, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.” The document goes on to explain how the King George was unfit and says, “The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.” The King had given up on the colonist government, disestablished the most valuable laws, and taken away the Americans government. The British parliament had all the power to legislate for the colonist. Even after petitions to the King, the government only extended their jurisdiction over the colonist. Political disputes were part of the original conflict between the people of the colonies and the British government. The British government wanted to change the way the colonies were …show more content…
ran. Leading up to the time of the Revolutionary War, multiple policies were passed by Britain in hopes of controlling the colonies. For example, there was The Stamp Act passed in 1765. This is what start of the conflict between the British parliament and American colonist. It affected every colonist because it required all printed documents including deeds, mortgages, and newspapers, had to have a British government stamp, in order to be considered legal. This made it nearly impossible to make a living and to purchase basic documents. The colonist boycotted British goods until the Stamp Act was repealed only to be replaced by another policy. The unity of the American colonists in their detestation of the Stamp Act substantially added to the rise of American opposition, as well as the conflict between the colonists and the British government. The Stamp Act is often considered one of the main causes of the American Revolution and was only the beginning of the conflict. The colonies had started to grow in their material wealth and as merchants. Others gained more resources and influence because of their wealth. The taxation began to wear on them and they felt it was a great injustice so they began to agitate for "no taxation without representation" since there was not representatives of the colonies in the British Parliament. Americans insisted on representation, but the British denied it thoroughly. “No taxation without representation” was a main grievance that the colonist had. It supports the political-economic portion of the revolution. This phrase was simply symbolic protest and became the colonists ‘rallying cry”. They felt that the government shouldn’t be allowed to impose taxes on them with no voice in congress. The two side’s relationship became tenser as Britain imposed policies and taxes on the unrepresented American colonists. At the early stages of the colonist’s time in America, the colonists had developed a nearly independent political and economic system. They had become accustomed to making their own decisions. When the British government began enforcing these laws without the peoples consent, they became outraged. In John Adams, letter to Hezekiah Niles, 1818, excerpts on the American Revolution, Adams states, “The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people, a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations.”, and “This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution.” The people of the thirteen colonies change in ideas and social character fueled the revolution to their freedom.
Liberty, republicanism, and independence were powerful social causes. The patriots tenaciously asserted American rights and brought the Revolution. The route to the American Revolution was based on the unique American character and the lack of understanding, which the British Government had for it. It was fought and won by the Colonists because of an idea. The idea was
freedom. I was able to use Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech to support the socio-political factors of the Revolution. In his speech, Patrick Henry criticizes the acts of Great Britain claiming that they only done for power. He stated that Britain was treating them as inferior and not as equals. Henry appeals to emotional quality of the American society by bringing up how the acts of Britain have not only left him feeling mistreated and inferior, but a lot of other people as well. Henry was able to convince Virginia that in order to gain peace, they had to go into battle. This speech was very strong, and it seems that a lot of people agreed with him. In fact, the Battle of Lexington and Concord started barely a month after Henry gave his speech. That battle was the first event that was sort of the kick-off to the Revolutionary War. So it could be that if Henry never made this speech, the war would have never happened, or at least it would have happened much later. This speech was of great significance With the end of the French and Indian War the British found themselves in major debt. Due to the national debt, Britain came up with the idea to use the American colonies to generate lost money and saw it as right to tax the people of the thirteen colonies. These taxes caused several uprisings among colonists, which contributed to British position in America. This lead to even more rebellions. Soon the British took over the trading and the merchants were being evaded. The economic success of the colonies decreased, and the people’s resentment greatened. The economical disputes were a major factor that brought the American Revolution. The American Revolution began for several reasons, some are; long-term social, economic, and political changes in the British colonies. Ultimately it came down to the colonist desire for freedom and independence from the mother country.
From the time period 1775-1800, the American Revolution would impact the United States in political, social and economic ways.
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
As a prelude before the Revolution itself, there were already preliminary symptoms of unrest within America that followed the first step in the general pattern of revolutions. Prior to the first shots at Lexington and Concord in 1775, growing discontent with the British Government passing certain acts that the Americans perceived as unfair had already risen to a substantial degree. With the majority of acts incurring economic and financial costs, by 1767, the Townshend Acts had been passed, putting further taxes on paper, glass and tea. Upon the taxes that the Stamp Act of 1965 incurred on such items as newspapers, official documents and almanacs, the American people became highly agitated and a feeling of resentment quickly spilled over the masses, ‘several person were for dying rather than submitting to it...’ [pg52 Maier, P.] Additionally, the Colonialist became increasingly violent, ‘Almost immediately after the Acts [implementation], outbreak of mob activity...’[pg54 Maier, P.] By 1970, the preliminary symptom of unrest displayed through protest and discontent was evident. The Colonialist did not feel that they were obligated to be subject to these taxes without representation in British Parliament. Additionally, the psychological pre-condition associated with the cause of war was present in the Colonialist discontent regarding the numerous Acts bearing economic consequences. Not only had the events up till 1770 displayed active protests and early mob activity, it also hinted at the potential oncoming violence the growing mob could inflict which was the next step in the general broad pattern of revolutions.
The American Revolution has great importance on the way the United States views itself. Contrary to popular belief, Americans were not separate people subject to British tyranny. A large portion of American colonialists thought of themselves as British. There are many ideas and causes as to why the American Revolution began. Differing political traditions, both parties economic interest, trading interest of those involved in transatlantic commerce, Britain’s large debt that accumulated during the Seven Years War, mutual misunderstandings, and the Great Awakening are many of the reasons that the colonist began to revolt against England.
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.
The war against the British was not based on the nationalistic passions of the Patriots; rather it was more a matter of the purses of corrupt capitalists and smugglers. The quote by George Mason "If we now have to pay the debts due to British merchants, what have we been fighting for all this while?" clearly illustrates the factors that motivated the revolution. A critical analysis of the course of the war and the situations that were present during this conflict provides a more concrete basis for realizing the flaw in this misunderstanding. There were no accounts of obscene taxation; neither were the colonists subjected to any form of slavery or oppression.
The British made the war for American independence inevitable; they imposed new policies that made colonists desire independence even more. Tax polices, republicanism, as well as, the spreading of revolutionary ideas all took part of strengthening the colonials’ rebellion against British rule. After Great Britain put in effect polices to oppress the colonists, they could do nothing but watch the revolution against them unfold.
On April 19, 1775, the British marched into Lexington, ordering the Patriots to disperse as an undetermined gun fired “the shot heard around the world”. Only one British soldier was wounded, but the American Revolution had begun. On August 23, 1775, King George declared the American colonies in “open and avowed rebellion” and that “they must submit or triumph.” He viewed the rebellion as traitorous and urged Parliament to move quickly to end the revolt. He signed The Proclamation of Rebellion, giving Parliament the authority to dispatch troops against his own subjects, something the colonists believed impossible. Four months later Parliament declared the colonies beyond protection. Still, the King urged the colonists to understand “that
Many Americans was reluctant to join in the war, but had little choice in the matter. Indeed, taxation of the colonies was one of the key factors as well as the inability to reach a diplomatic solution drove the colonist to violence, The Revolution. The resistant the Americans caused against paying taxes exposed their families to war against Great Britain. The American people clearly hesitant to go to war knew this was the only way to continue their freedom from unnecessary taxation. Wealthy Americans disliked the efforts made by Parliament that limits their rights in the British Empire. The Americans cherished freedom and desired nothing more than to be able to have a say in their role within the British Empire. The wealthy wanted nothing to do with an organized movement of the rebellion against Parliament. The people push of the rebellion identified wealthy colonist as equal supporter of the rebellion against taxation. The level of communication amongst the colonies was very effective, the word got around over time causing a turn in the nation’s destiny. The American knew something had to be done. “Who would dare stand up to Parliament?” The delegates must reach a decision. After several attempts of negotiation the delegates still would not be totally convinced of the true integrity their fellow delegates held. The opinion of the
The colonists in the new world were right to go to war against Britain, and they were successful in doing so. They were unhappy in their relationship with Britain. The colonists felt degraded and oppressed and they did not like how things were run, because of this, they rebelled. The hatred of arbitrary government had been placed in the colonies since their settlement first began. The American Revolution was more than a struggle to free the colonies from British control it was a struggle to establish a country by themselves. They desired a free and abundant life and safety from oppression; that is one of the main reasons they founded the colonies in the first place. The colonists wished to achieve a country separate from Britain, and to establish a self-sustaining free nation built on fairness (Miller, 1959).
The American Revolution modeled the path taken by a social and economic movement in many more aspects than that of a political and intellectual movement. Even though political reasons existed for the cause the Revolution, the revolution should be considered an economic movement based on the idea of “no taxation without representation.” The colonists believed that the British rule in the colonies was extremely unfair, but these intellectual causes are greatly outnumbered by economic causes such as taxes and trade.
The American Revolution of 1775 to 1783, not only gave colonists freedoms from the British government, but set a foundation for improvements and change across multiple platforms. Though the newly found nation held many promises, it also faced many struggles and imposed a large threat to the native people of North America. Striving to create a more limited government that would ease the fear of central power from the past experience of British rule was met with the need for funding and stability following the war. This weak of a government created an imbalance unsuitable for any newly found country. The ideologies of the United States government also created a premise for freedom movements throughout various societal platforms. Some proved to be a positive step in the right direction, while others suffered immense consequences.
There has been a constant and difficult struggle for everyone in America to gain their freedom. Many people have fought hard and died for their freedom. America pushed to be free from Britain through the American Revolution, the Union pushed to end slavery through the Civil War, and women pushed to gain equal rights for women.
Both the British and the American colonists contributed to causing the American Revolution. The war grew out of contempt: England’s contempt for the colonies and colonial contempt for British policies. A series of actions by the British eventually pushed the colonists over the edge and towards independence. The results of the war gave many citizens a new role in society while others, like slaves, felt no change at all. This paper will examine the specific causes and effects of the American Revolution.