The Causes of the American Revolution Essay

Many colonists were angered because of high taxes England chose to enforce on them. These taxes were a result of the British participation and victory in the French and Indian war. However, what made the colonists even more angry was the fact that they were being taxed without representation in England’s Parliament. The colonists thought that, in order to be taxed by the British, they should have representation in it. They saw it as unfair to be taxed by a government they had no say in. As Patrick Henry said in his speech made to the Virginia House of Burgesses, “We can under law be taxed only by our own representatives...The Stamp Act is against the law. We must not obey it…” (Doc. 1). Since many colonists thought this taxation broke the law, some of them chose to protest by going to the House of Burgesses, boycotting imports, or simply not paying it in response. This response is justified; if

There was no one event that started the American Revolution. This paper will address the problems that lead to the start to the American Revolution. The colonists believed that they should live democratically. Britain felt that they owned the American colonies and they could use their resources in any way that they wished. The colonists did not want to live being ruled by another country. The major events that led to the American Revolution were the French and Indian War, Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party and Lexington Concord.

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.

This act made Britain sell the tea straight to the colonies, skipping the merchants. This tea was cheaper then the tea that was smuggled, however, the colonists still didn’t buy it. This was because there was still a tax on the tea. The Tea Act made the colonists think that they were trying to be fooled, which they were, by the British. This made them angry and they had multiple reactions. Some reactions were not allowing ships with tea to board the harbor. This sent back more than one ship to England. Also they still were tar and feathering the British. On December 16, 1173 the Boston Tea Party occurred. The Sons of Liberty, a patriot group, had fifty men dress up as Mohawk Indians. During the Boston Tea Party, tea that the British sent to sell was being thrown overboard off a boat (Doc. 3). After this all happened 342 crates of tea worth one million dollars, was gone to waste. The next day the sea was filled with tea crates and tea. The Sons of Liberty sunk the tea crates under the ocean to make sure the tea was ruined. The Tea Act made colonists mad and angry, leading to the Declaration of

This is about the American revolution and the taxes the King of England put on the American colonists and how the American colonists thought that King George was a tyrant. The reason that writing this is to show how the American colonists reacted to the Acts that the King put on them. One of the laws was the sugar act of 1764 and the imports from Britain. There was also the stamp act of 1765 that made the colonists real mad . The result of the Tea act was the Boston tea party lead by the Sons of Liberty. The quartering act was the direct cause of the Boston massacre where eleven people were shot and five of them died.

The American Revolutionary War was caused by the political disagreements between Great Britain and the American colonies. Most of the Americans initially didn’t want to completely separate from England but wanted to regain the rights that Parliament had taken away from them. England made war unavoidable with its unwillingness to negotiate, heavy taxation of the colonists that violated their rights, and strict trading policies.

The First Continental Congress was called into session in 1774. The Congress did not encourage independence. Instead, they wanted to show England how to fix the wrongs that had been imposed on the colonists. They hoped that this would unify the colonies and grant them a voice in parliament. The congress wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which consisted of American complaints that they addressed to the King. The delegates stayed loyal to King George III and made it clear that they were anymore for Parliament.

The Tea Act of 1773 was put in place to help a failing company called the East India Company by not charging them any tax on tea. The result of the Act was that it gave that company a monopoly on tea. The British government did not think this would cause any issues with the colonists because it would make the cost of tea go down. (Document 4) East India Company sailed into many ports to import their tea, including

The Boston Massacre took place after British soldiers were antagonized and became fed up. The soldiers opened fire and in the end eleven men were hit and five of them died. This stoked the flames of fury in the British colonies. One colonist said, “The fatal fifth of March, 1770, can never be forgotten. The horrors of that fateful night are but too deeply impressed on our hearts” (Document 6-2). People could not accept this terrible treatment from Britain any longer. Colonists took the opportunity to protest when news of the Tea Tax spread throughout the colonies. It was seen as “an insidious plot to trick Americans into buying the duties tea” (Roark 142). On the last day to pay the duties for British tea, around 150 men dressed as indigenous people dumped every last ounce of tea into the Boston Harbor. It was a political demonstration that showed the British that their taxes would not be tolerated. The protestors “rowed them [the boats] into those parts of the harbor wherever the tea was visible, and by beating it with oars and paddles, so thoroughly drenched it, as to render its entire destruction inevitable…” (Document 6-3). The goal to make a point was successful, but it came with intense repercussion, which the colonists also rebelled against. In summary, tensions between the British and their colonists were caused by Britain’s unsavory actions, primarily

There were many events that took place in the 1760’s and 1770’s that led to the Revolutionary war. During these years the British did many things that upset the colonists. These upset colonists would eventually get sick of all the British ways and fight for their freedom.

The Boston Massacre was an event that took place in the very early history of the United States. Actually, it occurred during the colonial period, while this country was still under British rule. The event occurred on March 5, 1770, when a group of American colonists had a disagreement with British soldiers who were standing guard at a building. The colonists were staging a protest against tax measures they considered unfair. The unfair taxation had become oppressive, and the colonists felt they must do something to try to change this policy of the British government. Tempers heated up, and the colonists began to hurl profanities at the soldiers and to throw objects at them. They were basically picking a fight. The soldiers may have felt

On July 4th 1776, a committee, formed to draft a letter to the King of England, formally signed a document containing a list of demands and statements of position that ultimately started the Revolutionary War. This action was not popular with all the citizens of the colonies but the majority of the people were in favor of it and the cause prevailed. This declaration was a poke in the eye of England and forced them to try to put the colonies in their place and reestablish the Empire.

Both the British government and the American colonists had different views on how the colonies should be governed. Their points of view shaped their actions prior to the Revolutionary War. The American colonists protested and rebelled against the actions of the British and the British continued to place laws and taxes on the colonists, feeling it was their right to do so. Ultimately, these disagreements led the colonists to seek independence and fight for their freedom.

The British had control of the thirteen colonies for many years prior to the French and Indian War. After the war Britain took sole possession of the thirteen colonies. The French and Indian War had put Britain in debt so they began taxing the colonists. Britain also began to enforce laws made by the King of England. This led to the phrase "no taxation without representation". The colonists had no other choices but to try and settle their differences with Britain or attempt to break away.

The stamp act was protested upon the principle of "no taxation without representation". The stamp act was affecting virtually all the colonists, and restricted economic prosperity, thus it was protested by colonists. The Townshend acts were also a factor in the economic theory, Sam Adams had said "The parliament was taxing illegally!", most colonists agreed, and a boycott of British goods resulted. When the British passed the Currency act, this left the paper money worthless, and the colonists had to rely (economically) on England for Hard Currency. The main reason for revolution was economics.