The people of America (colonists) were tired of being controlled by England. They wanted to be free and independent. They believed that they were able to control themselves and be their own country. They wanted England to let go of their control and to view them as independent and their own country.
The American Revolution has been a lighthouse to many other revolutions and riots during history, but what started it all? When was the ideas of the American Revolution first planted into the young minds of our forefathers? And why do we even still talk about the American Revolution. To understand this, we have to go back to the year 1763. Otherwise known as the turning point in events that led to the American Revolution with salutary neglect through mercantilism, and colonial government, that helped give the colonies a small feeling of independence.
Along with the British raising taxes, they also started making Americans allow British soldiers to live in their houses. The British government elected people in England to be the lawmakers and the Americans felt like the people in England would not understand their needs. With all these things occurring, the Americans never even considered the freedom from England. When the war started, the Americans came to realize it was their freedom they were fighting for and they were going to be independent. As the war went on, the Americans fought harder for their beliefs and freedom.
There were many causes for the outbreak of the American Revolution. Following the French and Indian War, the American colonies were taxed heavily by Great Britain with acts such as the Stamp Acts and the Townshend Acts. Britain felt that the taxes were just because they believed the colonists were at fault for the war when they moved into the Ohio River Valley and so the war was fought for colonial protection. However, the colonists felt differently, believing that the taxes were unjust and infringed on their rights. This is due to the fact that the colonists had no one to represent them in Parliament, effectively giving them no say in whether or not they would be taxed.
Many of the reasons the American colonies believed they were justified in their rebellion from England lay in trade and taxes. When George III inherited the throne at the end of the Seven Years’ War England’s debt had risen to 145 million pounds and his chief minister believed that the American colonies needed to help shoulder the debt. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 134) In attempting to collect these taxes from the colonies to relieve the mounting debt Parliament passed a range of acts, which led to discontent among the colonists as many of them restricted trade, their political maneuverability and left many believing they infringed upon their “right to be taxed only by their own consent.” (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 135) The Stamp and Townshend Acts
Overall, the colonists were trying to have a very minimal amount of interaction with Great Britain. As Patrick Henry said in 1775 “Give me liberty or give me death” (Document 5). Some colonists were so unhappy with the British that they were willing to fight for their freedom. Their reactions ultimately lead to the American Revolution and, from that,
The colonists were unhappy about the unreasonable taxes, no representation in the parliament, and felt unfair to pay for the war that British fought against the French. The revolution quickly spread, and as we know now the American Colonies got their independence and are now The United States of
Even though the main focus was on America, England still played a role while King George
Even with the ideas of a split nation from Britain and becoming their own nation, these goals were still hard to achieve. Battles were fought, lives were lost, Treaties were signed, and Acts were put into place. With all of these ideas of America becoming a free country wasn’t easy to accomplish. The country you and I live in today is due to these delegates and members of the Continental Army for fighting for our freedom. The closer the government of the United States came to cutting ties with England, the more of a tax Britain was putting on our goods.
However, the engagements of England were not fully unjustified. While the colonists took advantage of the protection and steady flow of commerce that England provided them with, they were participating in tax evasion which is a criminal offense even in our own society today. The colonists were complacent and unappreciative and that was partly the English government’s fault. The English unintentionally conditioned the colonists to maintain certain expectations, and when those expectations failed to match with reality the colonists became confused and angry. Put simply, the colonists were akin to spoiled petulant children, and the English were incompetent and incapable of properly employing their power over the
The British Parliament stockpiled numerous taxes onto the colonies of America, such as the well-known Stamp Act of 1765. Alas two groups were formed that stood out, being the rebels and the loyalists. The rebels vowed for independence, their numbers growing stronger and stronger through the Quartering Act and such. On the other hand, the loyalists wanted to keep their trust in Great Britain. They both had their own opinions of the king and Parliament and were justified in their own eyes, but both groups were also unjustified in the point of view of both beholders.
The British government was not looking for the best of the people. They were only thinking about what they wanted; the government was not interested in what the people wanted so they decided to make decisions on their own, which resulted in changes that form the United States today. Because of this, they were justified in rebelling and declaring independence. One reason why the colonists decided to rebel and declare independence was because of taxation.
The American Revolution was the first war in America 's history. It was caused by many events such as the French and Indian War, the Intolerable Acts, and the king’s oppressive rules. However, the main factors that caused this war were, taxation, not being allowed to have representation in Parliament and being denied their rights. The first reason that the colonists and England went to war, was the fact that England was passing taxes without the colonists having a voice.
Between 1763 and 1775, there were three ‘Imperial Crises’ which occurred between the British and the American colonists. The conflict that was produced during this period arose through an undefined balance of political and economic power between the two parties. In 1763, Britain had just concluded the French and Indian war and was left with an immense and almost crippling debt of around 140 million pounds sterling (“Turning Point In American History”). In Britain’s eyes, the most effective way to reduce this debt was increased taxes. Unfortunately, the people of England were already massively overtaxed, which meant the last option for the British was to tax the American colonists.
One time the British passed a law that allowed the british soldiers to forcefully live in the colonists’ home! The colonies started out to benefit Great Britain, but after one war and lots of laws, the colonies were going to be part of a revolution. What was the American Revolution about? Economic Rights or Civil Liberties? On one hand the British instilled unfair regulations on trade and goods.