Causes of the American Revolution
Imogen Southerland 1763-1776
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were written by England in 1650 to restrict who the colonies could trade with. This caused England to get more money and the colonists to get angry because it reduced manufacturing. The Navigation Act stated that the colonists had to follow two rules. The rules stated that the colonies couldn't give raw goods to anyone but England nor could they get manufactured goods from anywhere but England. This was an example of Mercantilism.
The Proclamation of 1763
In 1763 after the French and Indian War, King George III decreed that the colonists couldn't settle west of the Appalachian mountains even though they had just fought and died for it. King George didn't want any further wars with the Indians that would cause the colonies to be even further in debt. The colonists got angry after this, for they had to pay taxes and they couldn't settle in the new land.
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was an act that put a tax on all paper goods. It started in 1765 and said that colonists had to have a special stamp to buy paper goods like books and newspapers. The colonists got angry and boycotted against this act. The efforts of the Stamp Act Congress resulted in the Stamp Act being repealed. Britain thought the Stamp Act was a completely fair way to repay the debt from the war because only the rich would have to pay. The colonist, however, thought that the stamp act violated their rights and was unfair.
Quartering Act
After the stamp act was repealed, Britain sentence more troops to the colonies and created the Quartering Act. The Quartering Act stated that the colonists had to house, feed, and clothe any soldier who knocked on their door. The Quartering Act also stated that the soldiers could use the writs of assistance, which were blank search warrants allowing soldiers to search any home, at anytime. The Quartering Act took effect in 1765. Colonists did not want to have random strangers enter their house to search their house nor did they want to have random people stay in their homes and eat their food. Having a soldier stay in your home costs a lot of money for these colonists.
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act took place in 1767. This was a tax on common supplies like glass, paint, paper, oil, lead, and tea. The Daughters of Liberty helped protest by making their own supplies for the colonists. The Townshend act was repealed in 1770, but tea continued to be taxed afterwards. This was so the British could show they still had the power to tax. The Sons of Liberty used violence to voice their opinions on the continued tax on tea.
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was where several colonists stated to riot on March 5,1770. The British troops started to get mad at the rioting and insults that was occurring. Eventually the British troops started to fire. The first man to die was an African American named Crispus Attucks. Overall only five people died yet the colonies like Samuel Adams started using this knowledge to get the colonists angry and to get the colonists to defy the British army. After the Boston Massacre John Adams represented the soldiers of the Boston Massacre.
Boston Tea Party
The Boston tea party occurred on December 16, 1773 after the Tea Act was passed. The Tea Act was a tax on tea and gave full power over the tea to the British East India Company. The colonists were unhappy about the tea act because they still had to pay money to Britain. This was when the Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians and went on board a ship transporting tea. They then through 342 crates of tea into the harbor resulting in the Boston Tea Party.
Coercive Act
The colonists called the Coercive Acts the Intolerable Act because they we're eat as a punishment to the Boston Tea Party. In 1774, colonists had to start following the four rules of the Intolerable Act. The four laws were trade between Boston and Britain was put to a stop, town meetings were stopped, Britain controlled the colonies, and the. Quartering Act was Strengthened. Other colonies started sending Britain Supplies, since their port was closed, after the Coercive Act.
Causes of the American Revolution
The American Revolution was when the colonies decided to rebel against Britain and gain freedom. Because of the French and Indian war, Britain had to tax the colonists to get out of debt. This angered the colonists making them rebel and fight back until they couldn't take it anymore. Colonists couldn't live in the new land they had just fought and died for. This also made colonists angry. After things like the Boston Massacre, the colonists used every chance they could get to fight against Britain. I think that taxing the colonists to get out of debt is completely fair but after some of the things that Britain did, I think that the colonists were right to declare independence.