Many wonder whether or not the American Revolutionary War could have been avoided even today, over two hundred years after it took place. There are different perspectives that must be taken into account when analyzing a topic such as this one. On one side, the patriots wanted to go to war so they could finally break free from their oppressive mother country. On the other, the loyalists and the British wanted to remain how they’ve been for years, with Britain ruling over the colonies. Overall, the war seems to have been inevitable, as the British had only continued to place taxes on the colonists’ goods after they refused to pay them initially, as well as refused to negotiate with them or change their way of ruling over the colonies. In addition, …show more content…
The loyalists knew what kind of punishments the British could impose upon them, having been affected by them when the patriots committed imprudent acts—for instance, when patriots decided to destroy hundreds of chests of tea at the Boston Tea Party, the Coercive Acts were passed. These loyalists have seen what Britain has done in response to these kinds of actions, and realized that Britain’s treatment of the colonies would only worsen if the colonists were to lose a war against them. They believed that they would be better off under Britain’s rule. The British wanted to continue ruling over the colonists without the loss of life or resources. On the contrary, many colonists, who called themselves patriots, wanted to break free from Britain and be recognized as an independent nation. They had decided that they were no longer content with putting up with Britain’s oppressive rule over them and their people, and would be much better off if they were to be independent from Britain. These men believed that Britain had backed them into a corner—that war was the only option they had left. The fact that King George III refused to read the Olive Branch Petition—the colonists’ last attempt at compromising with the British—helped to push them towards that belief, as it showed the patriots that he was unwilling to make changes to prevent the war from