I. Opening Paragraph
A. In 1754 after the Lexington and Concord, the thirteen American colonies decided to challenge the British rule and demand equal representation. The colonists wanted a voice in parliament that directly reflected their interests so, the American Revolution, the first anti-colonial revolution was born.
B. The colonists’ desire for democracy and republicanism caused them to engage in a political movement with ideals they defended in the American Revolutionary War against Britain.
II. One of the reasons the colonists began their political movement was because Britain’s political leaders controlled every aspect of the colonists’ lives but they cared more about maintaining their position in office than making unbiased decisions.
A. On May 11, 1765, the Providence Gazette published an article arguing that it was unjustifiable to allow the colonies to be represented by someone that did not represent their opinions on matters of interest nor did they elect.
i. This article was written by an American that believed that although Britain claimed they had a representative government in fact, they were nothing but an anarchy (Document F).
1. It only further enraged the colonists that Britain was ignoring their demand to be represented in parliament by assigning someone to represent them who only made decisions with their best interest in mind.
B. Irving Brant’s The Fourth President: The Life of James Madison, supports that we should indeed remain members of the
The demand for no taxation without representation was the primary force motivating the American revolutionary movement, and for many it became a symbol for democracy. Throughout the late 18th century, the British colony of America was oppressed by Parliament from "across the pond". This oppression included unequal rights compared to English citizens that lived on the mainland, unneeded taxation, and no representation in Parliament, which resulted in many laws that were unfavorable to the American colonists. It was this "taxation without representation" that was a powerful catalyst in firing up the American revolutionary movement. America was "all grown up", and no longer needed to be monitored on by Britain.
“Ideology and Mutual Suspicions” by Bernard Bailyn claimed that colonists wanted a society different from the one in Great Britain. Bailyn, a Neo-Whig believed that the colonists didn’t want the whole hierarchy that was passed down through generations like the British had. They wanted a society where hard work, skill, and talent was the only way to succeed. In the text, Bailyn claims that the hierarchy in Great Britain was threatening the liberties of both the colonists and the British. The cause of the revolution was to gain that liberty back.
4. What was the Revolutionary movement, at its core, really all about? Was it about the amount of taxation, the right of Parliament to tax, the political corruption of Britain and the virtue of America, the right of a king to govern America, or the colonies’ growing sense of national identity apart from Britain? Was the Revolution truly a radical overturning of government and society—the usual definition of a revolution—or something far more limited or even conservative in its defense of traditional rights?
Although American colonists always tried to negotiate the contentious policies which contradicted their principles with the British Parliament, the crown did not leave much room for the discussion fueling the Anglo-American debate with a stubborn constitutional position; with a ridiculous notion as virtual representation; with a large British army that limited the economic development of the country; with the unjust acts that forced to shell out revenues from the colonies;
In contrast to Britain, the colonists believed in direct representation which is representation in government by having someone from a certain region represent that area. British government or Parliament believed in virtual representation
The American Revolution taking place first in 1765, was mainly because there was a want for a free and open government. After the battles of Lexington and Concord they colonies were debating whether fighting for independence or reconciliation was the best way to protect their liberties as colonies. If and when people decided that independence was the best option, they were still hesitant about openly seeking this freedom. Though Congress was sending out declarations that the colonies were loyal to King George, they were also preparing for war with the British, which was much of a contradiction. The British also prepared for war and even recruited slaves to fight for them. Many
The American Revolution modeled the path taken by a social and economic movement in many more aspects than that of a political and intellectual movement. Even though political reasons existed for the cause the Revolution, the revolution should be considered an economic movement based on the idea of “no taxation without representation.” The colonists believed that the British rule in the colonies was extremely unfair, but these intellectual causes are greatly outnumbered by economic causes such as taxes and trade.
In the late eighteenth century, North American British Colonies worked to free themselves and create their own governing body. Some ideas stated by revolutionaries helped to unite the colonies in a single governing body and revolt against the existing government. The primary driving forces of the revolutionaries included the belief that humans had the right to freedom and to govern themselves, and that they had certain natural rights that the ruling government of Britain was not allowing them, as well as a general hatred for the ruling power of the European monarchy. These ideas that were so prevalent in the colonies were stated by many different revolutionaries, but many of them held the same idea, freedom was a right that was shared by all
This was mainly due to the colonies' refusal to live and obey British rule. The colonists sole purpose for immigrated to America was escape the British rule. Although the American Revolution began in 1775, there were various events that lead to the war's conception. Some these events were the Stamp Act which required printed materials such a newspapers to be printed on British produced paper. The Townshend acts which were a series of acts passed by Great Britain that taxed the colonies. The Boston Massacre which resulted in 5 colonists being killed after an angry confrontation with British soldiers. The Boston Tea Party which was where the colonists dressed up as American Indian and dumped British produced tea into the harbor. This was in response to the Tea act that monopolized the tea trade within America. All these events helped to spark America's rebellious nature and fight got their independence in the American Revolution
The American Revolution (1775-1783) was a war between England and the colonies which were settled earlier by the English. There were many factors and events that led to the American Revolution. The Revolution was mainly an economic rebellion that was fueled by taxation without representation following the French and Indian War. The English Parliament was more often than not considered cruel and unfair by the colonists. With conflicts over trade, taxes and government representation, the colonies were at a starting line of a revolution that would later transform into the basis of the United States of America.
Leading up to the American revolution, there were many events which lead the colonist to justifiably rebel against King George. These oppressive acts by the crown lead the colonies to protest. Because of British tyranny, and unfair taxation, the colonies were justified in separating themselves from the British government.
The American Revolution (1775-1783) began because of growing conflicts between American colonies and Britain residents. The identity of the American colonists prior to the American Revolution was dependent on Britain. However, they wanted to change their identity because they wanted their freedom. They did not want Britain controlling them anymore, they wanted to become an independent nation. Britain was not content with this, they wanted to have full control over the colonists, so they began creating acts. The identity of American colonists between 1607 and 1775 led to the American Revolution because of events such as the French and Indian War, Britain's heavy taxation, and also because of the slavery, which caused more diversity.
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.
Americans were very loyal to the British government in until, Britain started taxing them without their consent, this led the American government to rally for freedom and eventually by 1775 the Americans were no longer loyal to Britain. Britain was in deep debt because of the French and Indian war and expected the Colonists to pay without warning. This caused the colonists to start to defy the the British rule. Then people were convincing the Colonists who were so loyal to the crown to defy by writing persuasive things, like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Britain did not approve of this and still wanted America to be under their control and their control only. This inspired groups and movements to fight for freedom from the British.
About a decade before the American Revolution happened in 1775, there were lots of tension building up between the colonists and the British. The colonists did not like being under British rule and control because they liked freedom and wanted independence. However, the British government attempted to raise tax revenues by imposing more taxes on the colonists to pay for the leftover debts from the Indian-French War. Some of the laws passed include the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Tariffs of 1767, and the Tea Act of 1773. Some events that escalated the tension include the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, etc. The colonists were justified in rebelling against Britain.