Was The American Revolution Truly A Revolution Or Evolution?

Prior to the French-Indian War, the colonists viewed themselves as subjects equal to those in Britain. However, with the British recovering from the growing debt caused by the French-Indian War, they decided to begin harshly taxing the American Colonies. The colonies quickly learned that Britain desired to use them to improve the British economy instead of appreciating them as equals and allies. Starting with the Sugar Act of 1764 the British placed a tax on sugar and later other raw materials. The Sugar Act also forced the colonists to trade only with the British and forbid them from trading with any other country. Even though this agitated the colonists collectively, they did not protest the new acts until the Stamp Act was passed in 1765. This act required

The acts promoted profit for Britain through commerce and their colonies, and also they needed to pay off a lot of war debt. The American colonists often evaded the acts by smuggling, which lead to a reponse to prevent illicit trade; eventually, these acts became way too overlimiting for the colonists. The acts created increased tensions between Britain and its colonies, because the colonists felt it was unfair to enact overlimiting taxes, which seemed like an unfair amount.

The first limitation that the Great Britain put on the colonist was the Proclamation Line of 1763. This line sets the boundary for colonies so they cannot cross over to west of the Appalachians. In addition, The French and Indian war put Britain on a very heavy debt. In order to pay for the debt and make the colonist appreciate Britain’s help, the king and the parliament decided to lay a sequence of heavy taxing on the colonist. The first tax issued on the colonist was the Sugar Act of 1764, which enforced taxing on a lot of daily goods including wines, coffee and sugar. After the Sugar Act comes the Currency Act, which prohibited the colonies from printing their own paper money. The Stamp Act of 1765 really angered the colonist because they believe that they shouldn’t be taxed without a voice in the Parliament. The Quartering Act in the same year made the situations even worse, it required colonies to supply or house British troops that came from

Revolution is a term meaning, a coercive overthrow of government or social order in favor of a new system. Carl N. Degler focuses on the events that occurred before the American Revolution. Before the American Revolution, colonial Americans were already evolving into their own system, without really knowing how great of a gap they were widening between themselves and Britain. America had already experienced multiple revolutions before achieving victory during the Revolutionary War. American colonists grew to be revolutionists that changed the norm for the time period.

The American Revolution was an accelerated evolution rather than a cataclysmic revolution to a certain point. An accelerated evolution is a rapid process of growth and change, while a cataclysmic revolution is a sudden and violent event that brings great changes. The extent to which the American Revolution was an accelerated evolution was during events that completely disregarded the government. When considered politically, economically and socially the extent to which the American Revolution was an accelerated evolution, instead of a cataclysmic revolution is shown.

The French and Indian war caused debts among the British. The British realized that during the war the income from the colonies was insufficient (document F). After the war, the British needed certain ways in which to gain revenue. They imposed taxes on the Colonists. These taxes, in turn, caused a stir among Americans. The Stamp Act was a tax imposed on the colonists without representation (document H). Their liberties as English citizens were being denied. Radical Whigs would go as far to say it

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.

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.

Britain had a salutary neglect towards the colonists so that the colonist would have to stay loyal and follow under their saying. Britain kept taxing the colonies because after the french and Indian war, Britain was in debt. So to get out of debt, Britain had the idea of taxing the colonies. The colonists had an indifferent idea of being taxed so they would rebel every time Britain would tax them. The Navigation Act restricted the colonists to trade with other places, other than Britain since they enforced the act, making Britain’s mother country more wealthy.

Soon the Quartering Act was passed, directing the colonies to provide quarters for British soldiers. Americans found this oppressive because it meant that soldiers were placed in colonial homes. In 1764 Parliament passed the Stamp Act, putting a duty on most printed materials. This was a normal tax for the British as it had been going on in Britain for a long time, and it made sense that the rest of their empire would pay the same tax. This placed a burden on merchants and the colonial elite who did most legal transactions and read the newspapers. Also passed in the same year was the Declaratory Act, which stated that the colonies were subject to the will of Parliament. This made a lot of sense to the British, as Parliament was their ruling body, but, to the colonies who had become used to their own government during the years of salutory neglect, this was a direct threat to their way of life.

The economic control of the Colonies had lessened from British control after the war between the French and the Indians. First of all, Freedom of Press was being devoured by the British in an attempt to decrease their own debt. Document H shows emblems of death which most likely meant death to Freedom of Press, and other Freedoms the colonists wanted to be granted to them but couldn't because of things such as the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act was the first non-importation of British goods. English soldiers were not receiving the treatment that they felt was their right as explained in Document D. The British treated the colonists as though they were not worth the good food and liquor, and many colonists didn't want to fight for a country who was supposed to be their ally. Document F explained the British point of view after the war ended, and said how there was not a sufficient source of money being brought in. The British brought in many different types of taxation after that period in time. One of the many was known as the Townsend Act, which was a tax on colonial imports of lead, glass, paint, paper, and tea; resulting in second nonimportation act. The war by the French and the Indians drastically modified the economic power of the British over the

First came the Proclamation Act of 1763. This act dictated where the colonists could live or not live. Then the Sugar Act of 1764 was implemented. This put extra taxes on sugar and other goods that were brought to the colonies. It also enforced stricter penalties for smuggling these goods. Americans were not happy about this and they felt as if their rights were being violated. Britain did not back down but

The American Revolution was definitely revolutionary. The people broke free from Britain and gained independence. Only one third of the colonist enthusiastically supported the revolution. The colonist were unhappy and being treated terribly by their motherland and trouble started to brew.

Many of the taxes were being avoided in the colonies. The British need to combat the inefficient collection of taxes. In order minimize smuggling and collect more taxes, Britain had done some imperial reform. This reform first started with the Sugar Act in 1764. The Sugar Act was a modified form of the Molasses Act. The Molasses Act was unsuccessful do to evasion of taxes. The Sugar Act taxed products with sugar in them. This had outraged the colonist. The sugar act was eventually repealed. The Sugar Act led to the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act was a tax on material goods like licenses, paper, stamp and many other materials. This had impacted nearly everyone. Colonists were frustrated because the taxes did not seem to be for regulating commerce.

     There was another by-product of the war for Britain; her national debt more than doubled during the course of the conflict. At a time when Britain was starting to bend beneath the weight of the debt, it was only a matter of time before parliament looked to the colonies to help shoulder some of the price incurred in their defense. The Sugar and Stamp Acts were the first of many measures to tax the colonists. The Townshend Duties and the Tea Act would follow. While these measures outraged the colonists because of their monetary implications, it was the constitutional implications brought on by the Acts that were most offensive to the colonists. Until after the Seven Years War, the colonists had been left to essentially tax themselves. Now the colonists had a rallying cry, as they deplored the idea of no taxation without representation. In 1765 the Stamp Act Congress was held, and in a bid of utter defiance the representatives agreed that the colonial legislative assemblies alone had the right to tax the colonies. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but only after agreeing to pass the Declaratory Act, which informed the colonies that Britain did in fact have the right to legislate for the