The American Revolution wasn’t just an idealistic struggle for liberty, freedom and equality that is commonly portrayed. It was also a wide-ranging conflict that saw many casualties. In many cases, however, the conflict could have been prevented. The British government’s ineptness in trying to manage the colonies for decades led to the Revolution. The American Revolution was a result of cultural differences and ineffective colonial policy by England.

Cultural differences between the British colonies and America were one of the major causes of the American Revolution. The popularity of republican and liberalist ideas in colonies at that time was a clear sign of the differences between the two cultures. John Locke, an enlightenment writer, was becoming a hugely popular colonist who supported these ideas of resistance to tyranny. Locke’s view of rule by consenting governed greatly influenced our founder fathers. These ideals would have been a key point for the colonies as they traveled to freedom. Ineffective colonial policy in England was another main reason for the American Revolution. British policymakers made a mistake with the Proclamation of 17.63. This proclamation barred colonists from settling westward of the Appalachian Mountains to help stabilize relations between settlers and Native Americans. The proclamation was met with outrage by colonists of the time. This act was considered a restriction on the right to land for colonists. This proclamation was a striking restriction on colonists’ liberties.

The English colonial strategy made the next mistake with the taxes they imposed on colonists after World War I. They started this with the Sugar Act of1764, which actually lowered molasses tax but punished colonial criminals who transported molasses. Although it did not provoke the mass outrage of other acts, this tax was the beginning of taxation of colonies. The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first tax that the British parliament enacted. This law imposed a tax upon all official documents such as wills and birth certificates. This was the first tax to cause widespread outrage. This is because the act affected almost everyone living in colonies. This act, which was taxed on everyone, caused a lot of outrage. The Townshend Acts, another controversial act, were also widely debated. The Townshend Acts taxed many goods to colonies to raise money to pay colonial governors. In the hope of allowing these officials to be freed from colonial control, it was taxed a wide range of goods to the colonies in an attempt to raise enough money to pay local justices and colonial governors. These acts were especially offensive because they paid royal officials in the colonies that many colonists considered useless. We must remember that colonists had never been taxed before this and that they were often not enforced. The public was often outraged when taxes were levied or enforced against them. These taxes were among the major factors in the rise of the “no taxation without representation” phrase.

The widely disgraced Stamp Act was not enough to convince colonists to end their ties with England. Many colonists felt that the Intolerable Bills was their breaking point. The Intolerable Acts were passed as a result of the Boston Tea Party. It severely restricted colonists’ rights, particularly those living in Boston. Four acts, known collectively as the Intolerable Acts, were passed to severely limit the ability of colonists to live their lives as they used to. These acts, which were severely detrimental to Boston’s whole economy, also shut down the port of Boston. In Massachusetts, the entire colonial government was placed under royal control. The Administration of Justice Act, which allowed royal officials to move trials to British colonies and Britain if they believed that Massachusetts would not be fair tried, was also a significant addition. Certain other Intolerable Acts also affected all colonies. The Quartering Act allowed British troops in colonial houses. Although it would eventually lead us to the Third Amendment, this was still the least-protested of the Intolerable Acts. These three acts would have a devastating effect on colonists in Georgia and Massachusetts.

The errors made by British officials regarding colonial policies went beyond taxes. The Gaspee matter was also a serious mistake. The incident happened when a British cargo ship was trying to track colonial smugglers near Rhode Island. The soldiers on board the ship pillaged a colonial village in order to get supplies. Sons of Liberty members from the local area boarded and burned the ship. These men were later informed after being arrested that they would no longer be tried by Rhode Island officials and instead would be transported to England. Many colonists were outraged by this, believing it was an indication that their courts weren’t up to the mark. This was yet another example of colonists being upset by ineffective British colonial policy.

The French and Indian War was the final factor in the American Revolution. The French and Indian War’s main result was the near-bankrupture of Britain. They had lost so much of Britain’s wealth, they were in serious debt. They began taxing colonists heavily to resolve the problem. As mentioned, these taxes were one of the main causes of anti-British sentiments around colonies before the Revolution. The relationship between the French-Indian War and the American Revolution is an important issue. Many colonists felt abandoned and betrayed by the British after the war. In many cases, they felt abandoned by the British and left to face their native allies and the French with very little or no help. The Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle exacerbated these feelings. The British gave Fort Louiseberg back to France in this treaty. This is significant because colonial forces spent many months trying to capture the fort. When the British took it back to France for very little, there was great resentment among colonists. These were just a few of the many ways the French and Indian War led the American Revolution.

These were just a few of the many reasons the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain. Cultural differences, ineffective colonial policies by England, and the effects from the French and Indian War are the reasons that the American Revolution took place. These issues could have been handled better to prevent the American Revolution. These events would ultimately lead to rebellion that eventually led to the creation of the United States of America.

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  • luisschneider

    Luis Schneider is a 29-year-old blogger and teacher from Hamburg, Germany. He runs a successful educational blog and is passionate about helping others learn. Luis has a degree in education and has been teaching for several years. He is a highly-skilled educator and has a lot to share with others.

Analysis Of The Main Causes Of The American Revolution
luisschneider

luisschneider


Luis Schneider is a 29-year-old blogger and teacher from Hamburg, Germany. He runs a successful educational blog and is passionate about helping others learn. Luis has a degree in education and has been teaching for several years. He is a highly-skilled educator and has a lot to share with others.


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