American Revolution Causes

The road to the American Revolution was long and complex, with no single cause. Instead, it was the result of a long series of events that built upon each other, resulting in the belief that the colonies did not belong with Great Britain. The Revolution was caused by the impacts of the French and Indian war, Parliament’s continuous taxation without representation, the events that occurred as a result of the acts, Parliament’s retaliation to the colonists’ protests, and most importantly, the development of a sense of independence by the colonists.
The French and Indian War was a major cause of the American Revolution with several factors stemming from it. The war was fought between the French and British over land in North America and spread

Aiming to stop the violence, King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was viewed as a violation of the colonists’ basic rights by many who had fought for the very land that was being banned. Furthermore, British forts were placed along the frontier to protect against Indian aggression as well as to enforce the proclamation. To pay for these soldiers, George III followed the proclamation with the Revenue Act of 1764. Also known as the Sugar Act, it essentially made it more difficult to avoid customs laws and angered many American merchants.
Another major cause of the revolution was the taxation of the colonies by Parliament. Soon after the Sugar Act, Parliament passed the Quartering Act in 1765, intending to get colonists to bear more of the cost of keeping soldiers in America. This act required the colonies to provide shelter, food, and drink to the soldiers. This often was the colonists’ own homes and supplies that the soldiers used. While the act did not affect a large portion of the population, it was extremely unpopular and was viewed as another violation of the colonies’

These arguments helped others to understand the situation and take a stand. Some were not so peaceful in their protest of the act including the Sons of Liberty. These radical patriots led by Samuel Adams destroyed the special paper, attacked tax collectors until they resigned, and enforced a boycott on British trade. Any who attempted to trade with the British were beaten, had their property destroyed, and were tarred and feathered: a medieval form of torture. Realizing the Stamp Act could not be enforced, Parliament repealed the act on March 18, 1766 and the boycott was lifted. Not to be beaten, they also passed the Declaratory Act at the same time which stated that Parliament had the right to impose laws on the colonies.
The following year, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, placing a duty on British imports of glass, lead, paint, tea, and paper. Knowing the taxes would be even more difficult to enforce, Parliament hired Royal Customs Commissioners to collect the taxes and gave them the power to search homes for smuggled goods as well as seize any goods assumed to be