Life Of Americans During The Early National Period

The American Revolution was fought from 1775-1783, the war happened because of the tension that was building between Great Britain and their thirteen colonies. From 1607 to 1763, Britain gave the thirteen colonies benign and salutary neglect. Even though the colonists lived under the Mercantilist doctrine, they were still allowed to prosper while under Great Britain’s authority. The French and Indian war changed their relationship.Great Britain going to war with France caused them to accumulate a lot of debt. They thought heavily taxing the colonists would help them pay off their debt. The colonists were unaware of the taxing until Great Britain started taxing them on tea, which they drank daily. This caused their taxing plan to backfire. Great Britain 's relationship with the colonies developed into an armed conflict that caused the colonists to declare their independence in 1776. “The first shots heard around the world” of the Revolutionary War were supposedly heard at Lexington and Concord. France entered the American Revolution on the side of the colonists, the French were persuaded by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin in 1778. France helped the Continental Army to get the British to surrender at Yorktown in 1781 causing the Americans to win their independence; the fighting didn’t officially end until 1783. Revolutionary War was started and fought over economic, social, and political issues.

In 1768 an agreement was published by leader’s colonists called Boston Non-Importation Agreement inviting others colonists to react against the Townshend acts, in which American colonists would not export or import items from Great Britain. In the agreement was wrote “Secondly, that we will not send for or import any kind of goods or merchandize from Great Britain, either on our own account, or on commissions, or any otherwise, from the 1st of January 1769 to the 1st of January 1770, except salt, coals, fish-hooks and lines, hemp, and duck bar lead and shot, wool-cards and card-wire.” (Boston Non-Importation Agreement). In addition, a group of women, the Daughters of Liberty were organized a boycott to oppose British taxes by avoiding British tea and buying British goods in support to the Sons of Liberty. Some of the acts were cancel, however, the tea tax results in the Boston Tea Party in 1770. Last, in 1774, the First Continental Congress take place in Philadelphia by colonist’s leaders in reaction of the British tyranny, in which delegates from Massachusetts to Virginia colonies united to agree that “Parliament had no right to tax the colonies without their consent.” (Fraser 132). Indeed, the American colonist’s leaders came together with many protests to the overwhelming British taxations and they rejected British authorities by showing that the government could not claim authority over colonists

Huge debts were owed to Great Britain for supplying the colonists with military support and supplies. To pay the dues, there was the establishment of the Stamp Act, the taxation on domestic goods and services. A tax on domestic merchandise brought even more anger to the colonists. The Sugar Act, the Townshed Duties and the Tea Act were also all introduced with the same fundamentals: applying tax on goods whether it be directly or indirectly, domestic or international. “British commercial regulations imposed a paltry economic burden on Americans, who enjoyed a rapid economic growth and a standard of living higher than their European counterparts” (McGaughy). Each act resulted in irritated colonists. Some even retaliated by tarring and feathering certain English tax enforcers living in the colonies.

During the time period of 1775 to 1800, the American Revolution changed American society in many political, economical, and social ways.

The American Revolution had a very intense fundamental change on American society between the years 1775 to 1800. The thirst for independence resulted in the revolution which caused many political, social, and economic changes. When the revolution began, the people were drowning in jingoism, and after the seven years of fighting for our independence, several changes had to be made. Although some political, social, and economic parts of society seem to have remained the same, America experienced drastic fundamental changes throughout these years and set the standards for even more changes to come.

Protests broke out all across the colonies, with revolts, boycotts, and even fights. British Parliament established the acts to raise revenue through trade taxes on the American colonies. The Sugar Act was established in 1764 to increase controls on non-British trading and taxed not only sugar but other materials such as; coffee, coconuts and different animals parts. The Stamp Act was established in 1765 to tax people for a royal stamp, it also taxed paper, shipping and legal documents, pamphlets, and many more. The act was not as large as other taxes, but it changed the way of Parliament authority, from trade to direct taxes on the colonies. The famous saying “no taxation without representation”,

Beginning in 1764, Great Britain began passing acts to exert greater control over the American colonies. The Sugar Act was passed to increase duties on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies. A Currency Act was also passed to ban the colonies from issuing paper bills or bills of credit because of the belief that the colonial currency had devalued the British money. Further, in order to continue to support the British soldiers left in America after the war, Great Britain passed the Quartering Act in 1765. This ordered colonists to house and feed British soldiers if there was not enough room for them in the colonist’s homes. An important piece of legislation that really upset the colonists was the Stamp Act passed in 1765. This required stamps to be purchased or included on many different items and documents such as playing cards, legal papers, newspapers, and more. This was the first direct tax that Britain had imposed on the colonists. Events began to escalate with passage of the Townshend Acts in 1767. These taxes were created to help colonial officials become independent of the colonists by providing them with a source of income. This act led to clashes between British troops and colonists, causing the infamous Boston Massacre. These unjust requests and increasing tensions all led up to the colonist’s declaration as well as the Revolutionary War.

Many know the American Revolution as a war of independence between Great Britain and the thirteen colonies in the United States. During this war, the thirteen colonies with the help of the French and others won their freedom from Great Britain. According to history the actual war started in 1775 and ended sometime in 1783. Although the war was fought in phases there were several factors that lead up to the war long before 1775 and a few immediately preceding 1775. The revolution was inevitable based on the long-term causes. The short-term causes are what solidified the war.

All the documents had to be formally printed in England and were distinguished by a special stamp. Then these pieces of paper had to be bought from a special agent at a price. This meant that the colonists had to pay taxes on every thing they bought from the British government. It was expected that this tax would raise 60,000 pounds annually. The colonists despised this and tried to buy as little as they could from England. After this act the colonists realised that the British government was revenue-raising. The colonists felt that the British Government should be helping to protect ones property not to take it. The colonists argued that they had no say or representation in the government and that is when the outcry started, “No taxation without representation!”

The American colonies were originally loyal to Britain. Early on, however, King George called for some actions that sparked feelings of revolution. The French-Indian War had left severe consequences for Britain such as debt. The colonists were angered by the taxes and unjust treatment they were given so they decided to declare war on the British to become independent. Although some argue that King George’s power protected them, the American colonies were justified in breaking away from their British forefather because of the tyrannical acts of King George and his levying of taxes on goods in the American colonies.

This Act placed taxes on glass, tea, lead, paper and paint. The tax from these materials was used to pay for the British troops. During this time Benjamin Franklin argued the position of internal and external taxes. Franklin claimed the Act internal, but Townshend disagreed. At this point the Massachusetts Assembly wrote a letter to the colonial government ordering them to stand against all the Townshend Acts. Philadelphia and New York and some colonies from the South agreed to boycott the British. Once the boycott took place the colonies had to find a way to create some of their own clothes because they couldn’t buy them from the British any more. This situation lead to homespun groups and other domestic obligations and trends. In 1770 the Townshend Act was no longer used except for the tax on tea and this lead to the development of the Tea

By 1765, at a Stamp Act Congress, all but four colonies were represented as the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” was passed. They were determined to let Parliament know that they were equal to British citizens, that there would be no “taxation without representation,” and all efforts to stop tax on colonists would continue (Kennedy, etal 2011.) Although Lord Rockingham, the predecessor of Grenville, sought to repeal of the Stamp Act, this in no way meant Parliament was conceding their control. In fact, while the Stamp Act was repealed, another called the “Declaratory Act of 1766,” gave Parliament the authority to make laws binding the American Colonies, “in all cases whatsoever.” In 1767, George III passed the Townshend Acts to collect tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and, tea. Recognizing that tea was a favorite among the Americans, it ensured greater revenue the British government. Again, the colonists’ rights for representation were ignored and they started to boycott British goods and ultimately, smuggle tea. When the Quartering Act was passed, which specified that colonists were to give room and board to British troops, tension began to rise. For two years, the colonists tolerated British troops on their soil and their dissatisfaction with the British Parliament and King George III became evident through many violent riots, abusiveness of tax collectors and destruction of property. According to Kennedy, etal (2011), Parliament, continually met with

The 1773 Tea Act did cause the American Revolution in that it sparked huge opposition amongst the colonists. It was the third time that the British had tried to tax the Americans — both the 1765 Stamp Act and the 1767 Townshend Duties had been repealed due to such opposition. The Tea Act was the final straw for many colonists — the Sons of Liberty organised a huge protest in which they boarded the ships carrying the East India Company’s tea, and threw £10,000 worth of tea into the sea in defiance. This was known as the Boston Tea Party and demonstrated to the British that the Americans were not willing to accept British taxation. The slogan ‘no taxation without representation’ was frequently used, showing how the Americans felt the British, in trying to tax them, were attempting to impose a tyrannical rule. The Boston Tea Party provoked outrage in Britain, with many of the politically conscious calling for the Americans to be punished. This then led to the Coercive Acts in 1774, which aimed at isolating Boston — although it only resulted in increasing the tension between the

As permanent settlements began to be established, an American lifestyle developed as people began to adapt to the way of life. Within the colonies, regional lifestyles also grew.

In 1763, the introduction of the Stamp Act was the first tax which created such an uproar, that the colonies began turmoil ensued within the colonies. White colonists did not believe that Parliament had the authority to impose direct taxes on the colonies and deemed it as unconstitutional. After Parliament realized the Stamp Act was