The Causes of American Revolution

The colonists in America had enjoyed relative freedom from England since they arrived. They came to the New World, after all to escape England, for whatever reasons they may have had-religious, economic, or social. So when England decided in the eighteenth century that they were going to crack down on the colonies, the announcement was not met with open arms. In fact, rebellion was inevitable.

Parliament tried to establish power in the New World by issuing a series of laws. The passage of these laws undermined the Colonist’s loyalty to Britain and stirred the Americans to fight for their freedom. The colonies also accepted England’s right to monitor trade. The change of course in 1767 was what really riled the colonies. England began to slowly tighten its imperial grip to avoid a large reaction from the colonists. During the Seven Years War, the British sent over ten thousand troops to America to handle property problems in the colonies. This cost a big amount of money, and Britain did not want to see the funds come out of their pocket. To handle some of the cost, Britain began passing acts to tax the colonists and help with the big debt the empire was in.

The Sugar Act of 1764 was an example of a tax that had many effects on the Colonial lifestyle. The act stated that any foreign export of lumber or skin had to first land in Britain. It also raised the price of sugar from the Indies. The British took advantage of the colonists, when the Quartering Act in 1765 passed Americans were forced to house and feed British soldiers any time they demanded. This limited the colonists’ freedom and only spread more anger throughout the colonies. The laws were so regulated it was hard not to make an error. The one that brought out the most public opposition was the Stamp Act in 1765. The Sugar Act wasn’t covering the debt, and Parliament was forced to pass the Stamp Act. The Act stated they must use stamped paper for printing bills, legal documents, and playing cards. England saw these acts as needed to cover the expense for the soldiers protecting the colonies; the Americans did not feel the soldier’s needed to be in the New World and hated the taxes. The Prime Minister claimed that the Colonists were represented in the parliament: each member stood for the empire as a whole. The acts imposed by England to control and monitor America only succeeded in helping with t...

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...as the Battle of Lexington, the first in a series of wars in a span of eight-years between the colonist and Britain.

In January of 1776, Thomas Payne published Common Sense; a letter that stated kingship is hazardous to liberty and is undemocratic. It stated to disown the king. At this point in time the colonist were ready for an all out war against the British.

The road to revolution was inevitable when the Stamp Act was passed. It was at this point that the different views of the Colonist and the British really began to blossom. When this happened, the Americans had already developed such a sense of freedom that nothing the British could do would have destroyed it. Once this self-reliance was achieved there was nothing the British could do to repress it.

The road to the American Revolution was long and hard. Britain insisted on passing act after act to tax the colonies and ruin their devotion to the crown. Through all of the trouble the acts caused, it made the colonies push together for their independence. Once together as a whole, the colonies were able to develop their own individuality and defeat the British Soldiers for their freedom of the controlling British ruling.