Causes of the American Revolution
Jack Masin 1763-1776
Summary of the American Revolution
The American Revolution was the war against the colonies and Britain that set the colonies free. The main social cause was the fact that for 100 years Britain left the colonies alone, and then after the French and Indian War they suddenly took interest in them. Some British economic policies that lead to the revolution were the Tea Act and the Quartering Act. I feel that the colonists were justified to declare independence because Britain was all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and shouldn't force them to quarter soldiers in their own homes.
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts further pushed the idea of mercantilism in the colonies. The Navigation Acts made it so ships had to go to Britain before their actual destination to get taxed and that certain goods could only be sent to Britain. This went hand in hand with the Sugar Act which made it so the colonies could only buy sugar from Britain. The most significant impact of the Navigation Act was the stifling of colonial manufacturing.
The Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War, King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763. He issued it because he wanted to prevent war with the Native Americans that live west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists were very angry about this because they fought and died for that land, so they thought they should be allowed to settle on that land. Since there wasn't a good way to enforce this, some people disobeyed it and went to settle on that land anyway.
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act put a tax on all paper products from newspapers to stamps. The Parliament created this because they were trying to make funds. Samuel Adams and the Committees of Correspondence protested the Stamp Act by boycotting paper goods. Samuel Adams also created the Sons of Liberty which protested against British policies. At the Stamp Act Congress stated that only the colonial government should be able to tax the colonies. In response to this, King George III repealed the Stamp Act.
The Quartering Act
In response to the Stamp Act protests, Britain made the citizens of Boston quarter soldiers in their own homes. Two major issues of the Quartering Act were that the colonists lost their sense of owning property and that the soldiers were part of the Writs of Assisstance. The Writs of Assisstance were soldiers that had blank search warrants.
Townshend Acts
The Townshend acts put a tax on multiple items including glass, tea, paper, and cloth. The Daughters of Liberty responded to the Townshend Acts by making their own cloth. In 1770, the Townshend Acts were repealed; therefore, the taxes were removed. However, Britain kept the tax on tea to show that they could still tax the colonies. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty responded to this by attacking the homes of British Tax Collectors.
Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, during a protest, British Soldiers fired at a crowd of protesters and 5 people were killed. Samuel Adams used the Boston Massacre as a propaganda. However, Samuel Adam's cousin, John Adams, decided to represent the soldiers in trial.
Tea Act and Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act made it so the colonies could only buy tea from British East India Company (BIEC). Even though the price was lower, the colonists were unhappy because they were forced to pay import taxes. To protest this the Sons of Liberty dressed up as Native Americans and threw tons of tea into the Boston Harbor.
Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
In Britain, these acts were referred to as the Coercive Acts; in the colonies they were referred to as the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts made it so there was no trade between Boston and Britain, there couldn't be any town meetings, it gave Britain control over Massachusetts, and it strengthened the Quartering Act. Because of the Intolerable Acts, the entire economy slowed down because the Boston Harbor being closed.