preview

Essay about The Causes of the American Revolution

Decent Essays

The American Revolution was a major declaration of freedom and individual rights that inspired similar revolutions world wide. The underlying causes of the American Revolution were deep seated. Some of the contributing factors were the changes in thinking brought about by the Enlightenment, the theory of Mercantilism, the French and Indian War, and England's inability to enforce it's laws.

The most important reason for the Revolution was America's change in thinking as a result of the Enlightenment. Political philosophers such as John Locke began saying for the first time since ancient Greece that the government was there to serve the people, not the people to serve the government. If the government failed to serve and protect the …show more content…

This was the economic system in which a Mother Country (Britain) starting colonies in other countries. These colonies provide the Mother Country with all the natural resources that it can not provide for itself, and would otherwise have to purchase from other European countries at a higher price. In turn, the Mother Country would sell their manufactured goods back to the colonies and around the world. This is not fully a disadvantage for the colonies.
For a long time their populations were small and it was cheaper and easier for them to import most of their goods. However, Britain's monopoly of raw materials was not always favorable towards the colonists. Perhaps the Portuguese or French were offering a better price on lumber or tobacco. How many colonists would actually refuse a foreign offer because England wouldn't make as much of a profit off of them? Also, as the colonial populations grew, it became wiser for them to start manufacturing more of their own goods. New England became an esteemed ship building center that rivaled or surpassed Britain's. England repeatedly resisted manufacturing in the colonies. They even went as far as to pass laws such as the Wool Act of 1699, the Hat Act of 1732, and the Iron Act of 1750. These laws prevented the exportation of some textiles and all hats, and forbade the building of any new factories that produced iron products. This was done purely for English prosperity without regard to

Get Access