Introduction
The breakup of the American colonialists from the British Empire was not a decision that emerged suddenly. Rather, the 13 American colonies united to pull resources to challenge the British, and triumph against them was composed of multiple events initiated after realizing that they could liberate themselves from the British after uniting as they all had the same agenda of gaining their independence. The American revolution started immediately after the end of the French and Indian War, commonly called the seven years’ War, in 1763. This essay will explore the causes that resulted in the American Revolution, starting with the proclamation of 1763 until the declaration of independence in 1776.
The Proclamation of 1763
With the end of the French and Indian War, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763 to limit the expansion of European settlers into Native American territory to keep the peace. Doing so marked the proclamation line separating British possessions on the Atlantic coast from American Indian territory west of the Appalachians. After Pontiac’s Rebellion, an uprising of Native Americans led by Pontiac, an Ottawa leader, King George III forbade colonial immigration to all lands west of the Appalachian Divide. On October 7, 1763, King George III issued a decree effectively ending colonial growth west of the Appalachians. All thirteen colonies felt the effects of the legislation the first time this happened.
The Stamp Act (March 1765)
The Seven Year’s War ended the rivalry that existed for a long time between Great Britain and France that was occasioned with intentions of controlling North America. This War left Britain in control of Canada. However, emerging victorious in this War left the British with a huge debt. The British government realized that the War benefited the American colonialists and anyone in the British Empire. Therefore, it decided that those colonialists should also be subjected to War’s cost, leading to the passing of the Stamp Act.[1]. The parliament amended the Stamp Act law, the first law introduced to tax various transactions in the 13 colonies to recuperate from the huge debt accrued after the War with France. Before the introduction of this law, each of the colonies had an independent government that had the mandate of deciding on which taxes they were to have and even collecting them. Part of the raised revenue was allocated for maintaining various British troops in North America to help maintain peace among the colonists and the Native Americans.[2]. This act imposed a tax on every paper document and was aimed at relying on its North American colonies for revenue. The colonists argued that no other people were supposed to tax them rather than their representative assemblies, resulting in mob violence, which was a way of inseminating the tax collectors. Most of them could not sustain the indentation and ended up resigning.
The Townshend Acts (June-July1767)
The Townshend Acts were named after Charles Townshend, a British chancellor of the Exchequer. They were a sequence of acts that the British government passed in 1967, which involved taxing the goods imported. However, the American colonists who were not represented in the parliament argued that these acts contributed to the abuse of power. The British government responded to these American colonists by sending troops to enforce the newly introduced unpopular laws. This response resulted in heightened tension between the American colonies and Britain in the buildup to the American Revolutionary War. The British Crown had won the French and Indian War. However, protecting the North American colonies from being occupied by the French had tremendous costs to the British. The colonists had a better living standard than their British counterparts by paying about one-twentieth less tax than British citizens in Great Britain. The British government determined that the colonists should contribute to their protection costs. This was achieved through the British Parliament enacting various taxation acts on the Americans to help them raise revenue. The earlier attempts the British government used, such as the Stamp Act of 1765, had faced numerous protests among the Americans.
The Townshend Acts imposed taxes on British China, including paint, glass, paper, lead, and tea, that were imported to the colonies. These commodities were selected for taxation because Townshend assumed it was difficult for the colonies to produce them. He assumed these goods would raise duties of about 40000 pounds, whereby much of this revenue was imposed on tea. The revenue raised from the Townshend Acts was used to pay the colonial governors and judges salaries, reinforcing allegiance between government officials in America and the British Crown.[3]. Benjamin Franklin informed the British parliament that the colonies desired to produce their goods rather than pay import duties. The colonists took action against these Townshend Acts by boycotting British goods.[4]. By teaming up with Sons of Liberty, a secret society of American business leaders, they formulated a phrase “taxation without representation,” whereby 24 towns in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island ganged up in boycotting British goods. Pressures between the British troops and the Americans became extreme on March 5, 1770, after the British soldiers made the mistake of hotting into an angry mob. This event led to the killing of 5 colonists, popularly known as the Boston Massacre.[5].
The Boston Massacre (March 1770)
A dispute between an apprentice wigmaker and a British soldier increased tensions between Boston inhabitants and British occupiers one late afternoon, resulting in around 200 colonists surrounding and surrounding the British forces. [6]. These Americans began provoking the British soldiers and even threw objects at them. The soldiers were unhappy with these acts, and they became angry and responded by firing randomly into the Americans. At the end of this firing, three men were murdered by these soldiers, and two other people were mortally wounded. This massacre was propaganda against the colonialists, as Paul Revere issued an engraving depicting the British as the provokers.
The Boston Tea Party (December 1773)
This was a political protest in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773, after the Americans were frustrated by taxation without representation from the British. The British removed their troops from Boston and even rescinded some Townshend acts. However, they did not repeal the tea act. The Americans, who wanted to trade with whatever nation they chose, could have taken this better. The Sons of Liberty antagonized the British on this issue by embarking on Three Ships in Boston Harbor. This action led to the destruction of about 92 000 lb. of British tea by discarding it. [7]. This was the first major action in showing defiance of British rule. It signaled the British that the Americans were tired of being taxed without representation. This radical group wanted to show the British that they were rebelling against the tea act and were not vandals, as they did not harm the crew or even cause any damage to the ships. They also went ahead to replace the padlock that had been broken in the following day. By dumping the tea into the harbor, the rebel provoked the Americans as most of the East India Company’s shareholders were British parliament members.
The Coercive Acts (March-June 1774)
To respond to the Boston Tea Party, Great Britain planned to pass laws that targeted taming the rebellious colonists in Massachusetts. The process began in early 1774, whereby they approved various laws, termed the Coercive Acts, that led to the closing of the Boston Harbor till a recompense was made for the tea that had been destroyed.[8]They substituted the colony’s nominated assembly with a governor the British chose and gave absolute powers to General Thomas Gage, a British military governor. The British government also forbade the Americans from holding any town meeting without approval. However, the British made a most provoking provision, the Quartering Act, which permitted the British officers to be able to demand housing for their soldiers in households that were not occupied while they were supposed to live in the countryside[9]. Though this provision was not coercing the Americans to accommodate the British troops in their homes, they were forced to pay for housing expenses and even provide food for the soldiers. This provision was eventually cited among the grievances for America’s declaration of independence.
Lexington and Concord (April 1775)
British General Thomas Gage commanded a troop of British militias from Boston to Lexington to seize radical colonial leaders such as Sam Adams and John Hancock and destroy their ammunition. However, the American moles became aware of this plan through Pual Revere, preparing them for the British soldiers. On arriving at Lexington Common, General Thomas Gage’s soldiers were confronted by 77 American militiamen, and gunshots started between the two groups.[10]. In this shooting, the British soldiers killed 7 Americans, but the remaining American militias managed to suppress the British at Concord and even harassed them while returning to Boston. Seventy-three British soldiers died, 174 became injured, and 26 went missing during this encounter. This resistance showed the British that Americans were ready to fight for their independence and were fearsome foes.
British attacks on coastal towns (October 1775January 1776)
Even though the Revolutionary War began at Concord and Lexington, It wasn’t clear if all of the northern colonies, whose goals were different from those of the southern colonies, were meant to fight a war of independence. The southern colonies were reliant on the British to purchase their produce, and they did not have faith in the Yankees[11]. This occurred before the British Navy set fire to the Virginia, Norfolk, Falmouth, and Massachusetts coastal towns and assisted in unifying the colonies. In Falmouth, the residents were forced to take their items and leave for safety to avoid being killed. The burning of Falmouth terrified General George Washington, who criticized it as surpassing brutality and cruelty directed at civilized nations. [12]. The northerners feared that the British would do whatever they wanted to them. The same thing happened in Norfolk, whereby the town’s wooden buildings went into flames after a seven-hour naval bombing. Leaders from the rebellion detained the burning in the two ports by arguing that the colonists had to unite to survive against the relentless enemy, the British, and hold actions leading to their independence, an action geared towards victory.
Bibliography
Adelman, J. M. (2013). Coming of the American Revolution, 1764-1776Mission US. Journal of American History, 99(4), 1330–1332. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jas638
Allison, Robert. The American Revolution: A Concise History. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Whiting, Jim, and Marylou Morano Kjelle. “An Overview of the American Revolution.” (2019).
[1] Allison, Robert. The American Revolution: A Concise History. Oxford University Press, 2011.
[2] Whiting, Jim, and Marylou Morano Kjelle. “An Overview of the American Revolution.” (2019).
[3] Allison, Robert. The American Revolution: A Concise History. Oxford University Press, 2011.
[4] Whiting, Jim, and Marylou Morano Kjelle. “An Overview of the American Revolution.” (2019).
[5] Allison, Robert. The American Revolution: A Concise History. Oxford University Press, 2011.
[6] Whiting, Jim, and Marylou Morano Kjelle. “An Overview of the American Revolution.” (2019).
[7] Adelman, J. M. (2013). Coming of the American Revolution, 1764-1776 Mission US. Journal of American History, 99(4), 1330–1332. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jas638
[8] Allison, Robert. The American Revolution: A Concise History. Oxford University Press, 2011.
[9] Adelman, J. M. (2013). Coming of the American Revolution, 1764-1776 Mission US. Journal of American History, 99(4), 1330–1332. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jas638
[10] Adelman, J. M. (2013). Coming of the American Revolution, 1764-1776 Mission US. Journal of American History, 99(4), 1330–1332. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jas638
[11] Adelman, J. M. (2013). Coming of the American Revolution, 1764-1776 Mission US. Journal of American History, 99(4), 1330–1332. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jas638
[12] Allison, Robert. The American Revolution: A Concise History. Oxford University Press, 2011.
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