The American Revolution was one of the most historic events in American history. It was the war that gained the original thirteen colonies their independence. The conflict emerges from growing tensions between Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the British government, in the colonies and in Britain. The thirteen colonies revolted as a result of detrimental taxation without proper representation. The battle of Saratoga convinced France to help the continental army.
The American Revolution occurred between 1765 and 1783. Colonists in the thirteen american colonies had disagreements with the british monarchy and aristocracy. The American Revolution War was also known as the U.S. War of Independence. During these years Americans went through a series of battles and new laws and rules were set. During the American Revolution there were a lot of long term and short term causes, including economic factors, english political legacy, and foreign policy.
You may be wondering, “What was the American Revolution?” Well, that is a very good question. The American Revolution took place in the 1700’s. It was a time where many people fought for their rights, freedom, land, faith, and many more important issues. The people of King George lll left their country, Britain, to start a new life in America.
There was no singular event that led to the American Revolution however, there were long-term causes that were brought to the forefront because of short-term events. Many of these long-term causes were tax acts that were being placed on the colonies to help Britain pay debt that was inquired during the war with France. These tax acts included the Sugar Act of 1764, the Quartering Act of 1765, and the Townshend Acts of 1767. These acts required the colonies to pay taxes on coffee, tea, paper, and other item, while at the same time forcing them to feed and house british soldiers (Schultz, 2014 pp. 84-90).
If you were to halt a random person on the streets of a large city and ask them to explain exactly how America came to be, chances are they wouldn’t be able to answer solidly. Well, unless they happen to be a history teacher. Although, most American citizens don’t even know who the ruler of England was when the 13 colonies came. There’s a lot of misconceptions, too. Like how Columbus ‘discovered’ America and that George Washington was the first president.
Eric Hoffer once wrote, “We used to think that revolutions are the cause of change. Actually, it is the other way around: change prepares the ground for revolution.” The American revolution, according to David Dzurec took place, “Between 1770 and 1776, as the American relationship with Britain disintegrated” (432). Relationships were destroyed when the British started imposing unfair taxes to their colonies without an agreement of any sort. With the colonists being unable to pay their taxes, a rebellion was declared.
It’s been over 200 years since the original thirteen colonies of America fought their revolutionary war against Great Britain, in hopes of achieving their independence. We shall be going through a few areas of the Revolution, such as the military, social hierarchy, the role of men and women during the war, the colonists’ values of equality and their social contract response to the British government’s abuses, and we’ll compare these areas to the present day. The American Revolution started around April of 1775, when British redcoats and American militiamen exchanged gunshots in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. However, that was only the beginning of the fighting; the reasons for the war date from years prior, when resistance from the
Was the American Revolution revolutionary? Most would say yes, but there are some who question how truly revolutionary it was. In A Young People’s History of the United States in chapter 5 Howard Zinn states, “Much of the property taken from loyalists went to enrich the Revolutionary leaders and friends.” In other words, during the war much of the poor working men and women’s land was taken and given to the wealthy to make them even more powerful.
In 1775, America was thrust into its first war on American soil, best known as the American Revolution. This was the first time that the British had recognized the United States as an independent country. There are several possibilities as to the cause of this well-known war and the true cause of the revolution was most likely multifactorial. However the most common themes as to the cause of the American Revolution was either an uprising and revolution between the original 13 colonies or a conservative reaction to British action against the colonies themselves.
When George III inherited the throne in 1760, he won many friends in America with his beliefs on virtue and religion. Shortly after his ascension, his ministers began implementing rules and regulations. What the ministers didn’t know is that the very preventative actions they put into place brought the complete opposite of what they wanted. These actions were put into place in the hope that Britain would win a war with Spain and establish authority in the colonies before they first surpassed them.