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Origins And Causes Of The American Revolution

1090 Words5 Pages

Adriel Gulapa

Prof. Parker

HISTB17A

6/24/2023

The Origins and Causes of The American Revolution

The American Revolution is seen as a turning point in American history because it represented a major change in the political environment of the American colonies. The thirteen British colonies underwent a dramatic transition during this period of revolution, which lasted from 1765 to 1783 and gave birth to a new nation and formed the foundation for the future United States. Examining how the colonies were first created and how rash British decisions led to tensions reaching a breaking point that ignited the Revolution is necessary to comprehend the causes of the American Revolution.

The first 13 colonies were founded by the British …show more content…

This saw the British employ royal or charter governers who were independently appointed by the Royal Crown. These governors held signficantly more power over the local politicians and this included the access to the authority of implementing laws, levying taxes, and controlling the justice system. The power of the colonial governors varied by colony to colony, and they helped shaped the local systems of government; Ultimately, the appointed governors had the final say when it came to most matters. Furthermore, mercantilist policies were implemented and these were enacted to use the colonies to the economic benefit of the British themselves. An example of this is was the Navigation Acts. The Navigation Acts saw strict control of colonial trade and it limited vessels (which were carrying BOTH imports and exports) to be vessels which were under British control. This barred the colonies from independently trading with other countries and curtailed the colonial opportunity to seek more favorable trade and relationships. This contributed to the faltering economic efficiency of the countries by stifiling competition and discouraging manufacturing. Due to this, it raised social tensions between the colonies and the British which would further grow due to more British …show more content…

This act added new duties to imported sugar and molasses. The act also strengthened enforcement methods to prohibit smuggling and established vice-admiralty courts to try offenders. The Sugar Act had a significant effect on the economies of the colonies, particularly in New England where molasses played a significant role in the production of rum. The colonists thought their rights and economic liberty were being invaded, which is why they became resentful as a result of the greater taxes and stricter enforcement

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With the permission of the British crown, the colony could decide on the type of government for that colony. The charter colonies were more independent than others because they had more control of the type of government they were under. Often their governments were structured to

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Also, the British could search any ship they wanted, so they didn’t let us receive sugar from other countries. The Stamp Act also was very unfair. This was when England made the colonists only buy paper with the English stamp on it. Every paper product had to be made out of it, and this special paper had a heavy tax on it.

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These beliefs led to the enactment Navigation laws, which restricted the colonies to trade solely England. Following the French and Indian war, the British Parliament passed a series of acts that were designed to make the colonies pay off one-third of the costs of the war with France. Some of these acts included the Sugar Act of 1764, which added a tax to sugar imports, the Stamp Act of 1765, which added a tax to many printed materials, and the Townshend Act of 1767, which were designed to pay the salaries of the royal governors. Later when the colonies started to become increasingly defiant, parliament passed the Repressive Acts of 1774, which were designed to punish the colonist for their rebelious behavior. These various acts demonstrated how the British Parliament exercised their control over the colonies.

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The sugar act put taxes on sugar and molasses that was imported into the colonies. This act affected the construction of rum in New England. The Sugar act was unfair to the colonists because The second thing that made the Second Continental Congress want to break from Great Britain were all the Acts, specifically the intolerable acts. The intolerable were a set of acts set in place in order to punish those who had taken part of the Boston Tea Party. One of the intolerable acts was the Quebec Act.

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The act of 1765 also known as the Mutiny act put even more restrictions and higher level of security on the colonies. There was now naval ships preventing smugglers which was vital for money making and colonial manufacturing was restricted so that they could not compete with the manufacturing of England. The Sugar act of 1764 prevented any trade of sugar between the colonists , the French and the Spanish West Indies. The Currency act of 1764 stated that the colonial assemblies cease the issuing of all paper money. The most influential act that had the greatest factor in the separation of the colonies and England was the Stamp act which implemented tax on almost all printed documents in the colonies.

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Under the Molasses Act colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of sixpence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses. The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses from six pence to three pence per gallon, while Grenville took measures that the duty be strictly enforced. The act also listed more foreign goods to be taxed including sugar, certain wines, coffee, pimiento, cambric and printed calico, and further, regulated the export of lumber and iron. This act, and the Currency Act, set the stage for the revolt at the imposition of the Stamp

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To understand why the Sugar Act proved to be a catalyst to the Stamp Act, one must look at the responses of the colonists. As stated before, the Seven Years’ War was draining on the British government and at the same time draining on the American colonies as well. A significant portion of the colonial economy was diverted to providing the food and supplies the British Army. The merchants and shippers assumed that the highly visible tax imposition was the cause of their economic struggles. This transfer of burden translated into the sufferings and hardships of the colonists.

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The acts limited and controlled what the colonies could do. The taxes made the colonies lose money, making it harder for them to establish a military. The Proclamation act of 1763, Sugar act of 1764, Stamp act of 1765, Quartering act of 1765, Declaratory act of 1766, and Tea act of 1773 limited the actions of the colonies. These acts may helped gaining control over the colonies, but these act were only benefits for England itself, not for the colonies. This showed that the England was very greedy, showing that England did

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For instance, “They (Parliment) have undertaken to give and grant our money without consent, though we have ever exercised an exclusive right to dispose of our own property; statutes have been passed for extending the jurisdiction of courts of Admiralty and Vice-Admirality beyond their ancient limits:(Document 5)” This shows that the governing bodies, Admiralty and Vice Admiralty, had overstepped their boundaries with them managing the colonies money although they already had been financing their own funds. This overstepping of boundaries was important as those in America didn't want to be overruled by

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The taxes that the Sugar Act placed made the most money for Britain, more than any of the other taxes did. The colonist were very upset with the Sugar Act because of the way it was enforced. The Sugar Act took away the colonist’s right to a trial by jury when the British set up the Admiralty courts. Admiralty courts were where a judge decides the outcome rather than the colonial courts. The judges would earn 5% of however much the cargo load was worth if they could prove the person accused was guilty.

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For years the English crown neglected the American Colonies and did little to impose British tariffs and laws on the territory. This created an environment of self-sufficiency and an atmosphere of opportunity and independence. The colonies to a certain extent were able to govern themselves and established many of their own taxes and courts of law.

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All their freedom they previously had was being reduced. They had to pay several taxes on things such as stamps and sugar. The Navigation Act forced the colonies to only trade with England, which prevented the smuggling. Many of the colonies became bitter about the price and in some cases England would lower the taxes. The colonies often threw a fit and revolted.

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What Caused the American Revolution The American Revolution was a battle for leadership in the American colonies. At the time, England controlled nearly all aspects, mostly the political and economic, of the colonial lives. Their purpose was to strengthen England. The colonies wanted the freedom from all of the control because they were doing fine without England.

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