Revolutionary War Issues

Issues That Led To The Revolutionary War

There were monumental problems that occurred between American colonist and British government that led to the Revolutionary War. Colonist were convinced they were just in their cause for independence from England. The American colonist who were once lightly governed resented the more forceful colonial administration (paraphrase pg. 119). The French and Indian War, also known as The Seven Years War, lasted from 1754-1763. The war was fought largely in North America and was very expensive to Britain therefore they raised taxes on American colonies. This was not well-received by colonists which led to political disagreements and the Revolutionary War.
Many colonist believed they were just in their disagreements

with Britain. One example were farmers in North and South Carolina who were protesting against the policies that were a disadvantage to them. Mobs were formed to protest British forces which in some cases deprived them of their farm land (p.96) Richard Bland, a Virginia planter also defends the natural rights of colonies arguing that “the rights of colonists were theirs by nature and not the gift of a king or Parliament”. This argument would go down in history as Jefferson worded in the Declaration of Independence that each person was entitled to right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (p.120) In addition, the issue the colonist had with Britain was Taxation without representation. The Stamp Act, passed by Parliament, required colonist to pay taxes on all printed material such as newspapers and legal documentation which caused a huge uproar. The colonists protested this Act which led to the first meeting of the colonies. Parliament wanted to avoid further conflict and repealed the Stamp Act. However, they passed the Declaratory Act stating that Parliament was still in control (p.124) Britain repealed The Stamp Act only quieting matters for a brief time. Parliament continued to introduce new taxes in 1776 causing most Americans to boycott British goods. The Patriots focused their animosity towards Parliament while “loyalists” supported Britain’s policies. Peter Oliver was a loyalist who wrote a book after he fled to England concerning the violent colonist mob and their attacks on loyalists (p.127-130).
The French and Indian war wrecked the British economy.

The British questioned who was going to help pay for the war. The colonist did not want to pay for the war. The British felt as though the colonist benefited from the war so they had to help pay. They also reminded the colonist that they had defeated the French and had driven the Indians westward, who would at times attack the colonist. It seemed as though the British and Colonist were becoming two different types of people. Colonist thought of themselves more as Americans than British. In England it was difficult for a poor person to ever own land, by contrast, in America if a person had a little boldness, hard work and a little luck, a person could own a substantial amount of land. The Proclamation of 1763 irritated the colonist because it preserved the land between the Appalacian Mountains and the Mississippi River for the Indians. The British thought it would ease the problems the colonist were having with the Indians if they were to have their own land. It would keep colonist on the Atlantic coast to keep with the mercantile system. Colonist did not want to be banned from moving into Indian land. The British wanted to protect the colonist sensing they were vulnerable. British troops were stationed in a colony which the colonist began to

resent.
In conclusion, the Colonist did not want to pay taxes but the taxes came nevertheless. There were at least four taxes or actions, The Sugar Act, The Stamp Act, The Townsend Act, The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party which all led to the Revolutionary War. Britain passed the Intolerable Act which closed the Port of Boston for Commerce. Boston and Massachusetts refused to pay for the tea. Once Britain found out the colonist were accumulating arms, weapons and military supplies at Concord Mass. So the British went to confiscate the weapons thus began the Revolutionary War.