What Caused The American Revolution Essay

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 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.

Have you ever thought about what life would be like as a soldier in the American Revolution? Imagine if you fought through the war. Would it be tough for you? How would you feel living away from your home and family? To understand what it was like as either a British soldier or a colonist fighting, you should know the basics of the war.

Political tyranny was the driving force to the start of the American Revolution. In one sense, the tightened control over the American colonies, through the use of numerous laws and decrees, was seen as an outrage by the American public because they were accustomed to salutary neglect and because they were not represented in Parliament. Also, the Boston Massacre and its reverberating effects were other driving forces due to alleged bias and the lack of justice. Lastly, Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, riled up the public into to turning against the king and turning to democratic view of government. All in all, the tightened control of the colonies, the Boston Massacre, and Common Sense added fuel to the fire and jumpstarted the Revolution.

On July 2, 1776, the second continental congress voted that the American Colonies were free from British influence. (Danzer,102) On July 4, two days later, they adopted the Declaration of Independence. These two events would begin what would become one of, if not the most important events in American History. It began the war of Independence, when America won its right to be free.

There was a feeling of revolution as soon as people left England to come to the New World. John Adams explains how the revolution began when he says, "The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people." The duel for America created a restlessness among the independent minded Americans. However, mother England saw the necessity of holding her colonies. Eventually, tension is felt between the two sides, resulting in colonial unity and the sovereignty of a new republic. There were many causes and effects of the American Revolution.

For over a century Great Britain had ruled the colonies in America. Since the founding of the Chesapeake Bay colony in the south in 1607, and the Massachusetts Bay colony in the north in 1630, the colonies had relied on the crown for many of their needs. Over time the colonists established a social and economical system that was almost independent of the British Empire. In April of 1775, after many transgressions on both sides, the colonists decided that they no longer needed, or wanted the support, protection, and leadership of the country that founded them. There were many factors, both immediate, and longstanding that lead to the decision to fight for freedom from British rule.

The period before the American Revolution was characterized by a series of social as well as political shifts that occurred in American society as new republican principles took hold in the gentry of the colonies. That time era distinguished the sharp political debates between radicals and moderates over the role that democracy should play in a government. This broad new American shift to republicanism and a newfound support of democracy was a catastrophe to the traditional social hierarchy, which characterized an old mixed government in the Americas. This new republican ethic forced in a new age of American political values.

The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.

“The Shot Heard Round the World” was the start of the revolution, but it was taxation that lead to that extreme. Great Britain was obsessed with gaining imperial power in the eighteenth century. In order to acquire wealth with the help of the colonies, Parliament established the Navigation Acts. Debt accumulated with wars in both the colonies and Great Britain, and it needed to be paid. In order to absorb the costs, Parliament taxed the colonists. Tariffs were placed on items made with sugar, printed matter, and everyday items like glass, lead, and paint. Colonists felt the taxes were violations of their rights as British citizens. They believed it was wrong for Parliament to have a tax directed towards the colonies that was not implemented in Great Britain. The colonists were eventually forced to fight the British for their independence. Unjust taxation, from the Sugar Act, to the Stamp Act , and the Townshend Duties inspired revolution.

Did you know that by the early 1770s, the top 5% of Boston’s taxpayers controlled 49% of the city’s income? “Court-recorded wills show that by 1750 the wealthiest people in the cities were leaving twenty thousand pounds(equivalent to about $2.5 million today).” The effects of the American Revolution were not that drastic. Even though the rights and opportunities for women were revolutionary, ideas of government, equality and slavery didn’t have the same results.

Many people have the misconception that the American Revolution occurred because British colonists did not want to be British citizens any longer. This may have been the case for a select few, but many British colonists desired to maintain their status as British colonists and citizens. The foremost reason that the colonists began protests, boycotts, and petitions against the British was because they believed their innate rights as British citizens were being violated. The American Revolution occurred due to a chain of events and a complex set of intertwined reasons.

If it had not been for some of the cruel and selfish actions made by the British Parliament and the rebellious reactions of the American colonists, America may be totally different today. The American Revolution was bound to happen because of many acts and events such as the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts. All of these acts and events made the American colonists furious because the colonists had no input in the way their government functioned and this caused rebellions and boycotts. Though the British believed they were correctly ruling the colonies, many Americans became very angry with the British because of their actions which resulted in much tension, violence, and disobedience throughout the colonies.

America first started off as a single colony in Jamestown, Virginia. This was the first successful colony which soon would become 13 colonies under Great Britain. As time went on many different people began coming to America such as French, Scottish, German, Dutch, and Spanish settlers. These people either joined existing colonies or decided to branch out and create their own. With the population increasing that brought about new problems and conflicts. Some conflicts that took place often involved the British Empire who constantly got into problems with Europe, and primarily France. The colonies began to rebel once Parliament refused to grant their request for representation. The British Empire responded which brought a lot of force to bear however it could only bring a fraction of its total power. The colonies were a side show to the much bigger conflict in Europe. Although, America went through many defeats they eventually gained enough victory at Saratoga to convince the French to join. Soon the British realized that the colonies cost far more than they were worth, so in 1783 they made a deal. They gave the United States of America its freedom and recognized it as an independent state.