There were many causes for the outbreak of the American Revolution. Following the French and Indian War, the American colonies were taxed heavily by Great Britain with acts such as the Stamp Acts and the Townshend Acts. Britain felt that the taxes were just because they believed the colonists were at fault for the war when they moved into the Ohio River Valley and so the war was fought for colonial protection. However, the colonists felt differently, believing that the taxes were unjust and infringed on their rights. This is due to the fact that the colonists had no one to represent them in Parliament, effectively giving them no say in whether or not they would be taxed. In addition to the heavy taxation, American colonists were also subject …show more content…
John Dickinson, a Pennsylvanian political leader, stated that “[The Townsend Acts claim the authority] to impose duties on these colonies, not for the regulation of trade… but for the single purpose of levying money upon us” (Dickinson, Document 2). Up until this point, Dickinson believed that the taxes the British put on the colonists were reasonable because they were put in place to regulate trade. However, now taxes are being put on the colonists just for the sake of acquiring money from them. In doing this, the British government display their tyrannical nature, choosing to tax the colonists just because they can. Additionally, the colonists have no say in the passing of the Townshend Act, or any other act for that matter, because they had no representation at Parliament. “[The British declare] that parliament can ‘of right make laws to bind us all in cases whatsoever’” (Dickinson and Jefferson, Document 5). Another reason why American colonists were justified in waging war on the British is because of the growing acts of British violence against the colonists. “Order quickly broke down, and the frightened soldiers fired into the crowd. When the shooting ended, several people were dead and more were wounded” (Document 3). “No man was a warmer wisher for a [peaceful settlement] than myself, before the fatal nineteenth of April,