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British oppression: the cause of the American Revolution?

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The American Revolution was costly and bloody war that granted the Americans the independence for which they fought. This 8-year-long revolutionary war from 1775 to 1783 is considered one of the greatest revolutions of all time in that the Americans had defeated the most powerful nation in the world at the time, Great Britain. The American Revolution is a critical event in the history of the United States and has been explored and evaluated by numerous historians of the 20th century. Whether or not the revolution is justifiable by the American colonists is a long, debatable subject. Some historians assume that the American Revolution is a result of colonial selfishness and ideology whereas some argue that "only oppression ... can justify …show more content…

Britain thought that the colonists should return to their proper role of enriching the mother country and abiding by its rules (DiBacco et al. 81). The writs of assistance were blank search warrants that allowed tax officials to seize smuggled goods at any time and place when found. James Otis who represented the colonist merchants stated that "this writ is against the fundamental principles of English law..."(DiBacco et al. 82) Otis also claimed that the writs of assistance were unconstitutional.

The Seven Year 's War caused more problems to the British which had to be solved . After the war 10,000 English soldiers remained to protect the frontier. Because the Parliament needed to raise funds for such expenses, the Stamp Act of 1765 was issued. It required that every sheet of legal document had to have a stamp on it showing that tax had been paid. Every copy of a liquor license, a land deed, a will, a newspaper, even playing cards were taxed. Moreover, those caught disobeying the law were to be tried in courts where there was no trial by jury. This act by the British was an attempt to cripple the colonists with taxes. The Stamp Act:

Meant that they had to go to a special stamp tax office to purchase the stamped paper. Not only that, the tax was to be paid in silver coin--a scarce commodity in the colonies. (DiBacco et al. 83)

Although this act was repealed in 1766, another oppressing act was

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