Because it resulted in the founding of the United States, the American Revolution is a major event in US History. However, the causes of this war are important to understand. Because the colonists wanted to be free, the thirteen colonies waged war against Great Britain. They didn’t like the British’s occupation of the land. The French and Indian War and various debt-paying laws were just a few of the events that contributed to the revolution.
The French and Indian War was a key factor in the American Revolution’s beginning. “French-English relations have been at the throats of each other ever since North America was settled permanently.” Fowler 2: “Competition for trade and uncertain borders combined with a rambunctious frontiersman population fueled violence on both ends.” Because they were fighting for territory, it was difficult for the British and French to get along. In fact, the French-Indian War was not a success for the British. General Edward Braddock was the British army’s commander-in chief. He refused to work with potential Indian allies. Colonial leaders also failed to cooperate. Braddock died on July 13, 1755, after he failed in his attempt to capture Fort Duquesne. The war became deadlock for several years. In 1757, the war began to favor the British. William Pitt led the British army and defeated the French in 1757. Montcalm, the French leader, believed that France was growing, not contracting. In 1758, the French in Canada had a political problem. The Old World observers in France saw North America as an unwelcome distraction from European battlefields. William Pitt, naturally, saw the reverse” (Borneman. 98). Although the French had won the war before William Pitt became the British leader, they did not do well after he took over the British forces. Pitt sent thousands to fight alongside the colonial troops. The British captured parts of Canada occupied French by the British, while the French did not win the war. French allies were not able to be revived and they surrendered to Canada on September 8, 201760. The British were still winning the war but Spain joined the fray as an ally in 1762. The French had sugar islands in Caribbean but they fell under British control. On August 13, 1762, Havana was captured by the British. On October 5, 1762, the British captured Manila. This was the turning point that made Britain a global power. The Treaty of Paris, dated February 10, 1763, brought an end to the war. The French took back their West Indian sugar Islands, the most valuable colonial possession. However, the French lost their entire North American empire. The British received all lands west of the Mississippi River from the French, and Spain was granted claims to Trans-Mississippi West. After the British had taken Florida, Cuban and Philippine lands were returned to Spain. France and Spain were in financial collapse and the British took over the new world. Americans felt proud to have been part of Britain’s empire as it was the world’s greatest empire. The French-Indian War resulted in England’s huge national debt, which was a direct result of wartime costs. British officials wanted to find a way for colonists to pay the war-related debt. British Parliament passed first such act, the Sugar Act. According to America’s Homepage: Historic Documents, this was an act that granted certain duties in British colonies. It also allowed for taxation on sugar and wine. Britain also reduced the tax rate on molasses, which was previously six-cents per gallon. Because the British were greedy, they wanted more money to secure colonies. They lowered taxes to encourage trade with Great Britain over other countries like France. Because the British had the responsibility of fighting against colonists and Indians, it was very costly to secure the colonies. People didn’t like Sugar Act. British traders would make it impossible for colonies to trade goods. If they tried to purchase important goods such as wine and sugar, they would lose their money. In an effort to end the law, colonial leaders initiated a boycott against British goods. In 1766, The Sugar Act was repealed. The Revenue Act of 201766 replaced it with a one-penny per gallon tax on imported molasses. The Stamp Act was another controversial act. This law required people to obtain legal stamps on papers and documents like licenses, newspapers, and playing cards. These papers and documents had been free to colonists, but the British wanted them to pay off the debt. This was the British’s plan to pay off the French-Indian War debt. However, it didn’t work. “[The colonists] created taxes without consent for the purposes of revenue. They also lost their common-law trial rights. One prerogative court (admiralty), which was supposed to be a prerogative, was expanded, and the establishment ecclesiastical was hinted at.” (Morgan 74). The British Acts were continued by the colonists, which led to the creation of the Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act Congress was established by nine colonies in October 1765. They sent delegates. They met to protest British Parliament’s taxation on the colonies. The Americans led a boycott against British goods. The Americans then pressured the British. The British government thought it was easier for the law to be repealed than it was to be enforced. British trade suffered from the law. They didn’t care about the rights of colonists. The Declaratory Act was also passed at the same time as the Revenue Act. This gave the Parliament the power to decide what actions were best for the empire. The colonists thought that the Declaratory Bill would solve all their problems. However, the British gained control over what they considered to be good for the empire. The British Parliament passed the Quartering Act in 1765. It indirectly affected colonists. According to Library of Congress, the Quartering Act which required the colonies provide supplies and barracks for British troops, further angered the American colonists. It was intended to reward the British soldiers for their efforts in protecting colonists from French soldiers. The law was not intended to be used by the colonists because they didn’t consider the French a threat. British thought their soldiers were not treated fairly in colonies. So this law would guarantee that they receive proper care like food and drink. The colonists weren’t given anything in return. It was unfair because the soldiers didn’t know any colonists personally. The soldiers would just be random men who came to people’s houses and let the colonists care for them. This caused a commotion because the law was unfair. In some places, like New York City, it was opposed. It didn’t turn out as the British expected, so it was repealed in 1767. British Parliament approved the Townshend Revenue Acts in 1767. Because all of the goods were made in England, they included paper, tea, nails, and glass. Another boycott was imposed on the British goods after it introduced taxes on smuggling. Charles Townshend was the law’s name. He really wanted to ensure that taxes were collected. So he established new customs boards throughout the colonies, as well as new vice-admiralty court in major ports like Boston, Charleston, Philadelphia, to handle cases of tax evasion. This law’s revenue will pay for the salaries of Congress judges, governors and other officials. The Quartering Act was intended to punish New York for not complying with it. They didn’t supply supplies to British troops stopping at houses. All Townshend Acts – except for the tea tax – were finally repealed on March 1770. This is also the event that led the 1773 Boston Tea Party. Boston Massacre was another event that occurred before the Boston Tea Party. British troops opened fire at American civilians living in Boston on March 5, 2017 after American colonists had taunted British soldiers who were guarding Customs House. The Americans made snowballs of snowballs for the British guards. Thomas Preston directed his men to fix bayonets and protect the building. Private Montgomery was wounded and a gun was shot at him. The rest believed that Preston ordered his troops fire. Five colonists died and six were injured. This led to Captain Preston’s trial and the arrest of his British soldiers. John Adams Jr. was a supporter of the soldiers. He believed they should have an impartial trial in the justice systems. Samuel Adams claimed that the “event” was not a riot. It was the result of armed soldiers maintaining order in a community that prefers the police. (Allison V). The Tea Act took place in 1773. It was the catalyst for the Boston Tea Party. It allowed the East India Company to sell tea all over America, without having to pay British duties. It reduced the retail price and was viewed by Americans as a payment for Townshend duties. This act was not approved by the Americans, leading to resistance measures like The Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. The Sons of Liberty protested British tax policies during the Boston Tea Party. Officials refused to send tea back to Britain. The colonists destroyed 342 boxes of tea and tossed them into Boston Harbor. This was done to save money on their purchase. They “put on disguises and boarded British ships to destroy the 342 tea chests” (Furstinger 51). Great Britain was furious at the loss of tea and tried to hold colonists responsible. This event resulted in what was known as the Intolerable Acts. The British Parliament passed in spring 1774 the Intolerable Acts. Five acts were made: the Boston Port Act. The Boston Tea Party’s response was the Boston Port Act. The Boston Harbor port was closed until the colonists paid East India for all the tea destroyed. They were not only responsible for the tea’s destruction, but also all Bostonian residents. The Massachusetts Government Act made Massachusetts government more British-controlled. It also made it possible for towns to hold only one meeting per year. Also, the governor’s office and sheriffs were appointed by the governor and king instead of being elected. If an accused royal officer was not satisfied with his fair trial in Massachusetts, the Governor of Massachusetts had the power to request that the case be moved to another colony or Great Britain. The act was not necessary for the fair trial of British soldiers, which most colonists believed. The Quartering Act (1774) allowed soldiers to be quartered anywhere, not just in people’s homes. It was applicable to all US colonies and not just Massachusetts. Quebec Act established a permanent administration within Canada to replace temporary government. It granted religious freedom to French Canadians and restored French civil rights. It was one of the Intolerable actions by the colonies. Although it did nothing to do with Boston, it helped initiate the American Revolution. Twelve colonies responded in kind to the Intolerable Acts made by the First Continental Congress held in Philadelphia in September-October 1774. They demanded a boycott against British goods. However, the colonies agreed not to meet again if Great Britain policy were not changed. Although they voted against imports from Great Britain, the delegates delayed voting on whether Great Britain should be allowed to export goods to Great Britain. The colonists hoped this would change Great Britain’s policies. Also, the delegates were able to get the Congress to approve the Suffolk Resolves. This would make the Coercive Acts unconstitutional. The delegates opposed the dissolution and retention of colonies’ colonial assemblies. The Congress defended colonial rights to “life and liberty” and stated that the powers of colonial legislatures were limited to making laws and passing taxes. It was subject to royal assent. The Congress was required to “invent its own purpose [because] it is a new organization” (Burnett, 20). Finally, the British troops marched to Lexington & Concord. This marked the beginning of America’s Revolution. General Thomas Gage and British troops marched to Concord to seize weapons, arrest Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. Gage assembled 700 soldiers, and was ready for the march to [Lexington] or Concord. Gage did not want the colonists armed with weapons to use against the soldiers. Adams and Hancock escaped Lexington. At dawn, the British arrived in Lexington and discovered 70 militiamen en formation on the village green. Because of their outnumbered 10-1, the Americans didn’t intend to fight. British troops set fire to the remaining supplies found at Concord. Shots were also fired. The news spread quickly through the colonies. The American Revolution was initiated by the tax imposed on colonies in order to pay for French, Indian War. Although the British won the French and Indian War and forced colonists into paying taxes under the Sugar Act, which increased the tax on molasses, they were unable to stop them from winning the American Revolution. The boycott of British goods led to its failure. Other acts followed the Sugar Act. The Stamp and Quartering Acts taxed all manner of paper and ordered troops to be quartered within their own homes. These laws caused anger among colonists so they also failed. The Townshend Acts and Tea Act were then created. These laws related to taxes that are based on tea. However, colonists became angry at these laws, which led to the destruction of tea. The Boston Tea party then created the Intolerable Acts, which made people pay taxes for tea that had been destroyed. The First Continental Congress was created by the colonists to put an end to the Intolerable Acts. Finally, the British began the war marching to Lexington, Concord and trying to arrest Samuel Adams or John Hancock. Because of their overwhelming numbers, the Americans did not have any plans to fight. The British fired shots at the colonists, which was the start the American Revolution.
