American Revolution
Background of the American Revolution
Philosophies such as Voltaire considered England’s government the most progressive in Europe. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 had given England a constitutional monarchy. In essence, this meant that various laws limited the power of the English king. Despite the view of the philosophies, however, a growing number of England’s colonists in North America accused England of tyrannical rule. Emboldened by Enlightenment ideas, they would attempt to overthrow what was then the mightiest power on earth and create their nation.
The American Revolution, which took place between 1765 and 1783, was a political upheaval during which colonists in the Thirteen North American Colonies of Great Britain rejected the British monarchy, overthrew the authority of Great Britain, won political independence and went on to form the United States of America. The American Revolution was the result of a series of social, political, and intellectual transformations in American society, government and ways of thinking.
Causes of the American war of Independence
here were various Political, Economical and Ideological reasons that led to the growth of discontentment that led to the American war of independence.
Political causes of the American Revolution
- No Representatives of Colonies in the British Parliament – The colonies were given no representation in the British parliament.
- Resource draining of the colonies – The seven years war (1756-63), though ended in the British victory, had drained her resources. She turned to colonies to offset the losses. Since the major colonies were in North America, they suffered the most. The fledgeling industries of the colonies were especially penalised. This was under the lobbying of native industrialists in Britain.
- Taxation without representation – since the colonies were not represented in the British parliament, many people asserted that the British government had no rights to tax the colonies. They used the slogan ‘No Taxation without Representation’.
- Protests – Through protests like Boston Tea Party (1773), where tea cartons carried by British ships were thrown at the sea, Britain’s right to levy taxes was eroded over time. This power was assumed by respective local governments.
causes of the American Revolution
- England’s policies prevented the economic development of colonies.
- Laws were enacted that mandated them to use only British ships for international trade.
- Export limitations – products like tobacco, sugar and cotton could only be exported to England.
- Heavy import duties for products from other colonies and outside England.
- Restrictions on Industrialization – development of industries like iron, steel and textiles were prohibited in the colonies.
- Goods from England were forced upon the colonies.
- Policies were adopted to impede the growth of industries and commerce in the colonies.
- Stamp duty – In 1765, the British Parliament enacted the . It was made mandatory to affix stamps on every legal document. This led to widespread protest, many of them turning violent.
- Rent – The aristocrats from England bought most of the land in North America and prohibited land ownership rights of the colonizers in the west. They wanted to keep the colonizers as renters for perpetuity.
- The British attempts to levy taxes were resisted. Upon on objection, Britain was forced to withdraw most taxes except that for the tea. This led to protests like Boston Tea Party (see below).
- Since the British parliament had no representation from the colonies, it was held that it had no right to tax the colonies. This was deemed seditious by the British but didn’t deter the colonists.
Colonization of America in the 1600s
The famous European explorers came from England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and France – Refer to the French in America and the Spanish in America. The voyages(a long journey involving travel by sea) of the first explorers and the countries of Europe were motivated by various reasons, the foremost being to build great empires – which led to the colonization of America. The other reasons were as follows:
- Increased Power in Europe
- Prestige
- Wealth – gold, silver, spices and the raw materials of new lands
- Opportunities for trade
- Spreading the Christian Religion – refer to Religion in the Colonies
Political Structure in Colonies
Along with increasing population and prosperity, a new sense of identity was growing in the colonists’ minds. By the mid-1700s, colonists had been living in America for nearly 150 years. Each of the 13 colonies had its government, and people were used to a great degree of independence. Colonists saw themselves less as British and more as Virginians or Pennsylvanians. However, they were still British subjects and were expected to obey British law.
In 1651, the British Parliament passed a trade law called the Navigation Act. This and subsequent trade laws prevented colonists from selling their most valuable products to any country except Britain. Also, colonists had to pay high taxes on imported French and Dutch goods.
Nonetheless, Britain’s policies benefited both the colonies and the motherland. Britain bought American raw materials for low prices and sold manufactured goods to the colonists. And despite various British trade restrictions, colonial merchants also thrived. Such a spirit of relative harmony, however, soon would change.
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